German Christmas Markets

To help you plan your tour we offer you the following:

• Day 1: Travel to Germany with a stop en route at Aachen Christmas Markets.
• Day 2: Spend the day in Cologne, usually home to at least five separate Christmas Markets and a magical place to spend the day. Visit the Cathedral all lit up, take a panoramic boat trip on the river and make sure to visit the Lindt Chocolate Museum. Go ice skating on the outdoor rink in the evening!
• Day 3: A day at leisure in Phantasialand theme park and their spectacular wintertraum experience
• Day 4: Travel home with a stop at Maastricht en route

Suggestions And Ideas for Visits and Excursions

Each group will have its own special interests and curricular needs. That is why every visit can be completely tailored to you. You will find some suggestions below, but you can always call us to discuss more options.

Rondo recommends the following curriculum attractions in the Rhine & Mosel Valleys

A – Art & Architecture | C – Culture | G – Geography | H – History | L – Leisure | P – Performing Arts | Sc – Science, Tech & Engineering | G – General Tourist Attraction

• Rhine Cruise [C G H L G]: The classical way to enjoy the Rhine is from the river itself. Trips of varying lengths are available from different starting points. Choose a linear or circular tour as best suits you but try not to miss the legendary Loreley as seen by the tempted sailors.
• Köln [A C H L G]: Köln is the most important city in this part of Germany. This is an ideal planned stop on your journey to the Rhineland. All year-round attractions include the Chocolate Museum and the Olympic Museum.
• Burg Eltz [C H L G]: Burg Eltz is the best-known castle in the Mosel and is always a favourite with school groups.

Other Visits and Excursions

Mosel Cruise

[Culture | Geography | History | Leisure Activity | General Tourist Attraction]

A round trip to the Mosel is possible from Cochem and will take you about an hour and a half including a detailed commentary about the fortifications, the vineyards, and the landscape.

Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Museum – (Click for more information)

[Culture | Geography | History | Leisure Activity | General Tourist Attraction]

The characterful and colourful Siegfried Wendel began collecting mechanical instruments that play themselves shortly after he was married and now has more than 350 working pieces on display for you to enjoy.

The Loreley

[Culture | Geography | History | Leisure Activity | General Tourist Attraction]

The legend of Loreley is known throughout the world. As well as admiring this alluring sight from the river, a visit to the site itself allows for greater understanding of the history, culture, and myth of Loreley. The visitor centre is informative and has spectacular views of the Rhine with its vineyards and barge traffic.

Round Trip (Ring Ticket)

[Culture | History | Leisure Activity | General Tourist Attraction]

This is a wonderful way to spend half a day appreciating various aspects of the Rhine Valley. From Rüdesheim, you take the cable car over the vineyards to the Niederwalddenkmal, then walk back down through the vineyards to Assmannshausen before taking the ferry back to Rüdesheim.

Marksburg Castle

[Culture | History | General Tourist Attraction]

This is the only castle on the Rhine that has never been destroyed and it has been inhabited for over 700 years.

Koblenz

[Culture | Geography | History | Leisure Activity | General Tourist Attraction]

The town of Koblenz stands at the confluence of the Rhine and the Mosel rivers. The confluence is dominated by the fortifications of Ehrenbreitstein, which is well worth a visit. Cable car access was installed for the National Flower Festival in 2011. Both the cable car and the site give unrivalled views of the confluence and offer an excellent geographic resource. There is also an excellent youth hostel within the fortifications.

Cochem

[Culture | Geography | History | Leisure Activity | General Tourist Attraction]

At the heart of the Mosel valley, Cochem is a great destination for your day out. As well as the starting point for the Mosel cruise, there is the small town, the castle, and the swimming pool to visit.

Rüdesheim

[Culture | Geography | History | Leisure Activity | General Tourist Attraction]

Rüdesheim is the best-known town in the Rhine Valley. Its bustling waterfront, quaint alleyways (including the lively ‘Drosselgasse’), its chairlift access to the vineyards and the unmistakeable landmark of the Niederwalddenkmal.

Trier

[Culture | History | Leisure Activity | General Tourist Attraction]

Germany’s Roman city is well known for its heritage and the dominant Porta Nigra. Before reaching Trier, the Mosel flows through Luxemburg so this frontier town has strategic as well as historic significance as the German limit of the Mosel Valley.

Vineyards and Tasting

[Culture | Geography | Leisure Activity | Science, Technology and Engineering | General Tourist Attraction]

In both the Rhine and Mosel valleys it is possible to organise visits to vineyards with an explanation of the wine making process and a chance to taste grape juice or wine as it is age appropriate. There are many tasting opportunities available, so if you are interested just give us a call to see which would work best for your group.

Phantasialand

[Culture | Leisure Activity | General Tourist Attraction]

The Rhineland’s theme park always proves popular with students when the teachers think they have earned a day of fun on the rides.

Aachen

[Art and Architecture | Culture | History | Leisure Activity | General Tourist Attraction]

Alternatively known as Aix la Chapelle, this border town is known to historians for its treaties. Its cathedral, origins associated with Charlemagne, and being one of Germany’s first spa towns all combine to make this an interesting stop on your way back from the Rhineland. In the winter it has an extremely popular Christmas Market, and the youth hostel here fills up quickly in that season.

Accommodation

There’s a multitude of really good options in Cologne which is why we recommend basing your group here but longer stays may prefer to be outside of the city and more into the Rhine or Mosel Valleys.

With an area as widespread as the Rhine and Mosel valleys, we can only give a selection of the possible accommodations available. Here are some of the most popular areas around the main area, with access down to both valleys.

Hostel Koln: This is superb for youth groups. In a vibrant location, this modern youth hostel is very popular with our groups due to the service provided and the excellent quality accommodation with en-suite rooms throughout

• Boppard l’Europe – (Click for more information): This is excellent quality accommodation for youth groups. It is on the edge of the town of Boppard and the Rhine laps at its foundations. Groups can have their own area of the hotel and there are plenty of rooms for socialising and learning. The panoramic dining room is directly next to the river.
• Bad Salzig Apostelhof – (Click for more information): The small spa town of Bad Salzig is next to the Rhine to the south of Boppard. Apostelhof is a family run traditional hotel offering hearty food and a heartier welcome. They also have their own bowling alley!
• Bad Salzig Zur Alten Post – (Click for more information): Also, in Bad Salzig, Zur Alten Post offers an annex for the exclusive use of school groups. You can be self-contained, whilst having your meals in the main building directly across the street. Being independent and having the whole building to yourselves, you can use the public areas for socialising or teaching.
• Koblenz Scholz – (Click for more information): For those who prefer a larger town, the Scholz family run their hotel on one of the main roads leading out towards the Mosel Valley. This hotel will give your students the opportunity to meet with other German school groups.
• Koblenz Youth Hostel – (Click for more information): This large and well-run hostel offers plenty of opportunities to mix with German young people. It also has two unique features: the terrace in front of the hostel gives unrivalled views of the Rhine-Mosel confluence and the only access is on foot through the fortress of Ehrenbreitstein
• Kamp Bornhofen Wagner – (Click for more information): On the eastern shore of the Rhine, the Wagner hotel has been successfully run by the same family for many years. It offers traditional Rhineland hospitality but has the unique feature of benefiting from Austrian furnishing influences. Another interesting aspect of this hotel is that it is built on the hillside, so has safe exits at all levels.
• Andernach Zum Anker – (Click for more information): This splendid hotel sits majestically overlooking the gardens on the bank of the Rhine. As Andernach is a larger town, this hotel sits quietly by the river but with easy walking access to the centre of the town.
• Aachen Youth Hostel – (Click for more information):  Being on the Dutch border, Aachen is the easiest destination for a quick taste of Germany. Also, the Christmas Markets here are extremely popular. With this being an extremely popular hostel, and demand for this period being so high, you need to book early!

Other variations on numbers and duration available plus day trips available on Request.