Help me plan my Xmas Market trip please

I think 4 nights spread between Cologne and Aachen might be slightly more time than you need. I could see Aachen as a day trip from Cologne, with the first 3 nights in Germany in just one place. That way you can play it a bit more by ear, seeing Aachen on whatever day suits you.

I have never even heard of Merode.

Drachenburg and Merode are more accurately referred to as palaces than castles, which in Germany is reserved for those medieval-era structures that served purposes of security and defense against invaders.

I'm fairly sure Burg Eltz (a genuine castle) was on your list since it's Rick Steves' favorite castle in Europe. While it is an interesting castle and worth seeing for sure, it's a slightly odd-duck for a medieval castle, with all its fancy furnishings from much later periods. If you'd like to tour a true castle that is, looks, and feels medieval, then Marksburg should be on your list. Personally, I think it's a shame that Rick can't muster up a little more enthusiasm for Marksburg. Many of his readers seem not to know about Marksburg. Like Eltz, it has never been toppled or badly damaged. And like Eltz, it gets around 250,000 visitors per year. But here is where Marksburg differs from Eltz:

• Its location is much quicker to reach from Cologne and the other popular Rhine towns than Eltz. Marksburg lies within the town limits in of Braubach, on a promontory that overlooks the the rest of the town, and is only about 12 train minutes from "big-city" Koblenz, the area's train hub. You can walk up from Braubach's train station to the castle in less than 30 minutes. If the uphill walk isn't what you had in mind, it's a short taxi ride.

• The town of Braubach has restaurants, rooms, and other services right in town.

• Marksburg is open year-round.

Some photos of Braubach (3 pages of them) from 7 years back, and the Marksburg website:

https://www.stadtbild-deutschland.org/forum/index.php?thread/7322-braubach-am-rhein-und-marksburg-galerie/

https://www.marksburg.de/en/circuit/#/

So I could see you spending 3 nights in Cologne and 2-3 nights in Koblenz, with a small detour to Braubach for Marksburg.

Koblenz, besides being a major rail hub, has its own Christmas Market as well as a Christmas Garden at Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. There's an aerial cable car that gets you across the Rhine River and up to the fortress.

https://www.christmas-garden.de/en/koblenz/
https://www.seilbahn-koblenz.de/homepage.html

Depending on the time you have, other nearby towns might make for good day trips as well. Rüdesheim, Cochem, and Trier can all be reached by direct regional train from Koblenz, and all 3 have markets and other things to see/do.

I second the Marksburg recommendation. You won’t be disappointed. Also Trier is an amazing town. Fantastic churches and some of the best Roman ruins/sites north of the Alps. Be sure to drink some local wine, too.

I like Haarlem quite a lot. It's where I stay when I go to Amsterdam first and foremost because I have friends who live there, but the town also is a lot more quaint and a lot smaller than the chaos of Amsterdam. The Central Market is great during the summer and high recommended. I haven't been there in December, so I don't know what it is like then. The architectures is cool. There is an old windmill that can be toured. There are a few museums. You could easily fill a whole day there, so you should find plenty for your half day.

While Amsterdam has the Anne Frank House, Haarlem has the Corrie ten Boom House. The house was owned by a Dutch family and served as a safe house for Jewish people and resistance members. The family was eventually ratted out, and its members went to concentration camps. Corrie ten Boom survived her camp and went on to be a Christian evangelist. A tour of the house allows you to see it in its original condition. If this sounds of interest to you, reservations have to be made well in advance. For example, next available tour right now is June 27, with a smattering of availability in July, and good availability in August.

I will also add my endorsement to everything Russ said. I have been to both Burg Eltz and Marksburg Castle. The exterior of Burg Eltz is cool, but the interior struck me as a glorified version of the Biltmore House, the late 19th century home of the Vanderbilt family that is up the road from me. Marksburg had a true medieval feel inside and out. I loved it.

I neglected to mention MAINZ, another outing option from Koblenz with good sights and a good Christmas market too.

BTW, Germany's most scenic train ride lies just south of Koblenz. The trip from Koblenz to Rüdesheim takes you along the Rhine's east bank. The trip to Mainz shows you the same scenery from the west bank.

The reporter in the video below makes two of several possible west-bank stops on the way from Cologne to Mainz:

https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-most-scenic-railroad-line/video-64603096

Hi Everyone, thanks SO MUCH for your prompt and detailed responses! I am now very much looking forward to Marksburg Castle. At some point I'll see Eltz, but knowing that there's a great castle on our trip makes me smile. I have learned that we'll miss the Haarlem Christmas market, as it's only one weekend, but the city looks so interesting, I don't mind, as we'll get enough Christmas markets in the rest of the trip. I would love to see Rudischeim and Mainz, but that would mean continuously hopping from city to city and I'd rather try to do day trips from a hub vs packing up every few days. I think that I will come back in the summer sometime to do some biking and hiking and see that section south of Koblenz- it looks beautiful. The Christmas market and show in the Fortress (which I was not aware of) look to be a nice addition (albeit very long day trip) from Cologne. You've all been so very helpful - thank you!

You don't have to go all the way to Marksburg to see a castle. Go to Koblenz. The Fortress Ehrenbreitstein is a huge castle, that actually was used and fought over, and they have a fantastic Winter Garden light show at Christmas time. Add in the Eck, and the city's Christmas market, and you'll have a full day. It's about 1-1.5 hours by train, and they have 2-3 trains an hour between Koln and Koblenz.

Thank you for the suggestion about the fortress!! I am getting so excited for our trip.... can't wait til December!!

The tourist office of NRW state is working on a list of Christmas Markets next to castles - hope they have content soon.
https://www.nrw-tourism.com/christmas-markets/castles

I recommend to visit also a Christmas Market of a smaller town.