Some people love the cold, clear air and the red nose it gives them - and also enjoy being outdoors on winter days: a leisurely walk with a breath of fresh air and a winter picnic, for example, or sporty skiing and sledging when the snow has fallen. Others can think of nothing better than being cosy in the warmth in icy temperatures or miserable rainy weather, relaxing in thermal water, drinking a hot chocolate in an old town café or tasting sweets and chocolate elsewhere. We have put together some suggestions for a perfect winter's day for outdoor and indoor fans - including tips on where to stay for an extra night.
Tip 1... Frostbite
If you don't like icy temperatures, you must love Aachen: The hottest thermal springs in Central Europe, which have been used for healing purposes since Roman colonisation, bubble up here. Today, the beneficial effects of the 75 degree Celsius water can be tested in the Carolus thermal baths, for example, continuing a long tradition: even the ancient Romans were aware of the healing powers and positive effects of the water on body, mind and soul and built magnificent, ornately decorated bathhouses.
Fortunately, there are many places to warm up in the streets and alleyways of the historic old town, and not just at Christmas market time. Numerous quaint cafés and bakeries not only offer hot drinks, but also original Aachener Printen biscuits throughout the Advent season.
Overnight tip: After dark, it gets particularly cosy just outside the city gates. In the Eifel region, the Vogelsang IP International Place offers new and unusual accommodation options: Small houses for two to four people with panoramic windows, Finnish sauna and fireplace offer an undisturbed winter idyll in the middle of the Eifel National Park - and are starting points for hikers who are travelling along the Eifelsteig trail and want to visit the former Nazi Ordensburg castle and exhibition.
www.neugrad-eifel.de
Tip 2... Hard-boiled
Picnics in summer are a popular leisure activity, but in Münsterland, the sociable meal without a table is also recommended in winter: Be inspired by tips for a no-waste picnic, indoor and outdoor versions and treats such as Münsterland winter punch. And if the temperatures stay below freezing for longer, the region offers a special winter highlight: as soon as the moats around the many castles and palaces freeze over, they become ice skating rinks against a stylish backdrop.
Overnight tip: There is also a special flair here for the night. The Factory Hotel in the centre of Münster, for example, is housed in the listed building of a former brewery. Hotel guests and Münster residents alike meet in the design hotel with its bar and two restaurants. In the countryside between Münster and Osnabrück, the Hotel Beverland offers over 60 different themed rooms and suites to suit every sleeping taste: you can stay in a beer barrel, a minicooper, a sailing boat or an igloo. Those who prefer a more classic style can spend the night in the farmer's room with hand-painted furniture or in the baroque King Ludwig room.
www.muensterland.com|www.hotel-beverland.de|www.factoryhotel-muenster.de
Tip 3... Sugar sweetness
In winter, the body needs more energy - and if it's handmade and sweet, the intake even makes you feel happy. Cologne is a paradise for sweets fans of all kinds: the Chocolate Museum on the Rhine is the first port of call for all chocoholics. In addition to all kinds of interesting facts about the history and production of the former luxury product, including a cocoa tree in the museum's own tropical house, the main attractions for visitors are the wonderfully fragrant chocolate fountain with tasting facilities and the glass chocolate factory. Until 23 December 2023, there will be more treats on offer at the harbour Christmas market around the museum, while a Ferris wheel ensures that no one has to lose track of what's going on.
In Cologne's Südstadt district, just a short walk away, there is another magnet for sweet tooths: Sweets and lollipops are handmade several times a day in the glass show kitchen of the Kamellebüdchen. Participants can also chop sweets, twist lollipops and shape candy canes themselves in workshops. The Rock & Roll candy factory in Cologne's Ehrenfeld district also combines tradition and contemporary trends: the sweets, lollies, fudges and liquorice there are handmade, sugar-free and made from the most sustainable raw materials possible. Spices, fresh herbs, candied fruit, fresh cream or coffee and sugar substitutes made from beetroot are used.
Accommodation tip: Guests will also find attention to detail in the hostel "Die Wohngemeinschaft", where each of the 16 rooms is individually furnished just like in a real shared flat. The selection ranges from a spaceship to a stylish cube room, from a ballet-style women's dormitory to a Bollywood four-person room.
www.bringsl.com/maker/rockrollbonbonmanufaktur|
www.kamellebuedchen.shop |www.die-wohngemeinschaft.net
Tip 4... Sporty
With or without snow: the Sauerland brings movement into play, on foot, on snowshoes or on skis. With warm boots and a thick jacket, hiking in winter is great fun here, with very different lengths and levels of difficulty. A list of around 70 winter hiking trails contains many different suggestions for the region. As soon as the landscape is covered in a thick blanket of snow, snowshoes or skis are the way to go. The winter sports arena, which includes ski resorts in Hochsauerland and Olpe as well as in Siegen-Wittgenstein and Willingen, is known as the "most important winter sports region north of the Alps" and offers pistes, cross-country ski trails and toboggan runs.
A ride on the guest bobsleigh in Winterberg promises icy thrills: at speeds of up to 130 km/h, a four-man bobsleigh goes through the 1600 metre-long ice channel, with an experienced bobsleigh pilot and three guests forming a team.
Overnight tip: After so much sport and action, it's good to relax, for example in the tree houses on Lake Sorpe. They are located directly on the shore and offer a marvellous view of the water.
www.touren.sauerland.com|www.wintersport-arena.de|www.olympic-bob-race.de|www.sorpesee.de
