Hello, We have booked a barge cruise of the Christmas Markets for December, 2019. It ends in Cologne. Any ideas on things to do for a few days following? Ages range from 57-69. We do not ski. No flights are booked so we are free to travel to any airport and willing to go to another country. there is an interest in Belgium. Cruise begins in Basel, Switzerland then goes to Breisach, Germany, Strasbourg, France, then back to Germany: Speyer, Rudesheim, and ending in Cologne.
From Cologne to Belgium the city of Aachen is a worth a stop in between. There is also a traditional oriented Christmas market.