Cologne Christmas markets: free self-guided walking tour
Quick answer. A free self-guided walking tour through Cologne’s Christmas-market squares, from the Neumarkt to the Rheinauhafen: 5 stops, about 3.4 km, about 45 minutes of walking plus about 30 minutes of listening. Start at the Basilica of the Holy Apostles on the Neumarkt, a Romanesque church whose clover-leaf east end dates from around 1200. Cross to Cologne Cathedral, built to house the Shrine of the Three Kings, with Roncalliplatz at its side. On the Alter Markt, the City Hall’s Gothic tower is crowded with stone figures; close by, Great St. Martin Church shares the skyline with the cathedral. Finish in the Rheinauhafen at the Chocolate Museum, set in the old main customs office.
- Stops:
- 5
- Distance:
- about 3.4 km
- Walking:
- about 45 min
- Listening:
- about 30 min
Two ways to do this walk
Cologne with Mappu
Walk Mode, in the free Mappu app
It knows where you are, tells you about everything you pass between the stops, answers your questions and keeps you on the route. Your phone stays in your pocket.
A 2-hour live walk, €4.99.
50 credits from the Starter pack. One-time purchase, no subscription.
Self-guided audio walk. No guide accompanies you. Not affiliated with the sites.
Free: the audio guides
Listen to each stop’s audio guide in your browser and find your own way between the stops.
Walking directions in Google MapsCologne Christmas markets: how long does the walk take?
About 75 minutes in all: about 45 minutes on foot over about 3.4 km, plus about 30 minutes of audio at the 5 stops. Time inside the sites is extra.
Cologne Christmas markets: in what order should you visit the stops?
Follow the stops in this order: Basilica of the Holy Apostles, Cologne Cathedral, Cologne City Hall, Great St. Martin Church, and Chocolate Museum. The longest stretch between two stops is about 1.5 km, about 20 min on foot.
Christmas markets: walk the city centre
In the Christmas season 2026, markets open in the heart of the city, and this walk passes Neumarkt, Roncalliplatz, Alter Markt, and Rheinauhafen. Its audio guides tell the story of the places and the buildings around them, not of the stalls.
Market dates 2026
Neumarkt
November 16 – December 23
Audio guide nearby: Basilica of the Holy Apostles
Roncalliplatz
November 16 – December 23
Audio guide nearby: Cologne Cathedral
Alter Markt
November 23 – December 23
Audio guide nearby: Cologne City Hall
Heumarkt
November 23, 2026 – January 10, 2027
Audio guide nearby: Cologne City Hall
Rheinauhafen
November 13 – December 23
Audio guide nearby: Chocolate Museum
Official dates: koeln.de · checked on October 25, 2026
Route and map
Indicative route. While you walk, watch where you're going, mind the traffic and follow local signs and rules. The map is an aid, not a safety guide. Terms
Follow Mappu’s map: the route runs along the streets from stop to stop, and the stories keep playing as you walk.
To get to the first stop, or if you’re far from the route, Google Maps has walking directions through every stop.
Stop 1
One of Cologne’s twelve great Romanesque churches, it ends in a clover-leaf of three apses built around 1200, and Pope Paul VI made it a minor basilica in 1965.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Cologne Cathedral · about 1.5 km, about 20 min on foot
Stop 2
Begun in 1248 and finished only in 1880, it was built to house the Shrine of the Three Kings, whose relics made Cologne a major pilgrimage site from 1164.
about 7 min of audio
Next stop: Cologne City Hall · about 0.6 km, about 8 min on foot
Stop 3
Germany’s oldest city hall stands on the site of the Roman praetorium, and its Gothic tower of 1407 to 1414 is crowded with stone figures of Cologne personalities and patron saints.
about 7 min of audio
Next stop: Great St. Martin Church · about 0.3 km, about 4 min on foot
Stop 4
Its Romanesque crossing tower stands beside the cathedral on the skyline, and the old chronicle of its founding by Tilmon in 690 turned out to be a forgery written in 1730.
about 5 min of audio
Next stop: Chocolate Museum · about 0.9 km, about 12 min on foot
Stop 5
Opened in 1993 in the old main customs office on the Rheinauhafen, it follows 5,000 years of cocoa and makes Hans Imhoff’s dream real in a three-meter chocolate fountain.
about 6 min of audio
The stop stories are AI-generated audio guides and can contain mistakes. Check opening hours and tickets on the official sites.
Before you go
- Check opening hours, tickets and access on each site’s official page before you go.
- Distances and times are estimates: the walking route between stops, from OpenStreetMap, at 4.5 km/h. Your route on the street may differ.
Route checked by Mappu on October 25, 2026. Stop descriptions come from each place’s published Mappu audio guide. Mappu is a Fenutech product.