Germany's Christmas markets: carry-on, trains and bag rules

Cologne Cathedral: no storage, and cabin trolleys named

The cathedral's house rules (§3(1), no date shown, read 22 Oct 2026) close off the bag question with a line on storage: "Rollkoffer, Kabinentrolleys, Wanderrucksäcke und andere große Gepäckstücke sind im Dom und in seinen Sonderbereichen weder gestattet noch können sie dort verwahrt werden." In our translation: wheeled suitcases, cabin trolleys, hiking backpacks and other large luggage are not allowed in the cathedral or its special areas, and they can't be left there either.

The sentence before it sets what may come in: "Nur kleinere Taschen und Tagesrucksäcke bis zu einer Größe von 40x35x15cm (HxBxT)", taken into the cathedral, the treasury and the tower climb. In our translation, that's smaller bags and daypacks up to 40 × 35 × 15 cm, height by width by depth.

By our reading, a cabin-size wheeled bag or a full travel backpack stays at the hotel on the day you visit, and the daypack goes in with you. Measure the daypack packed, pockets full, against all three numbers. The daypack guide covers what a second, smaller bag adds to a one-bag trip.

Deutsche Bahn: hand luggage, one larger item and rack size

Deutsche Bahn's English luggage page (no date shown, read 22 Oct 2026) says: "In addition to your hand luggage, you are allowed to carry one additional larger piece of luggage or item free of charge, provided this load can be carried by one person alone." It adds: "The information provided here is applicable to long-distance trains operated by Deutsche Bahn. It also applies to local transport and international services."

For the racks, DB gives the size they were built around, not a maximum: "The following standard dimensions were assumed when dimensioning the luggage racks and almost always fit: 700 x 500 x 300 mm (height x width x depth)." By our sums that's 70 × 50 × 30 cm, and DB doesn't present it as a bag limit.

The German luggage page (read 22 Oct 2026) answers "Gibt es Besonderheiten bei internationalen Reisen?" (are there special points for international journeys?) with "Grundsätzlich können bis zu drei leicht tragbare Handgepäckstücke im Zug mitgenommen werden." In our translation: as a rule, up to three easily carried pieces of hand luggage may be taken on the train, and they "müssen über, unter dem Sitz oder/und in den vorhandenen Gepäckregalen verstaut werden können" (must fit above or under the seat and/or in the luggage racks). The answer goes on: "In einzelnen Ländern gibt es darüber hinaus bestimmte Maße und Gewichte" (in some countries there are also set sizes and weights; our translation), published on each railway's own site. The same page says its tips are written for DB long-distance trains and apply "sinngemäß" (by analogy) to local and international services. It also says "Sie brauchen keine Reservierung für Ihr Gepäck": you don't need a reservation for your luggage.

By our reading, the three-piece line is DB's answer for international journeys; on a trip inside Germany, the English page's hand luggage plus one larger item is the line to plan by. A carry-on backpack and a daypack fit it, as long as one person can carry both and each fits above or under the seat or in a rack.

December by DWD's numbers: Köln/Bonn and Frankfurt/Main

DWD's glossary (read 22 Oct 2026) defines a Frosttag as "ein Tag, an dem das Minimum der Lufttemperatur unterhalb des Gefrierpunktes" lies, "ohne Beachtung des Lufttemperatur-Maximums". In our translation: a day on which the air temperature drops below freezing (0 °C) at some point, whatever the day's maximum. By our reading, that means an average December of those 30 years had 11.9 such days at DWD's Köln/Bonn station and 13.6 at Frankfurt/Main, out of the month's 31.

The temperature column is DWD's monthly mean air temperature, 3.8 °C and 3.1 °C for December. It describes past decades and can't forecast a trip.

What goes in the bag

Layers carry most of the warmth, and the cold-weather carry-on guide covers which to wear and which to pack. Market visits mean time on your feet outdoors, so by our reading the pair of shoes to plan around is a warm, closed walking pair worn on travel days; the shoes guide helps decide if a second pair is worth packing. Wear the hat and gloves rather than packing them, so they're on when you step off the train.

The daypack stays inside the cathedral's 40 × 35 × 15 cm and carries what you want all day: water, a spare layer and a charger. For the flight, the liquids guide covers gels, pastes and sprays in the cabin bag.

Example: Frankfurt in, train to Köln, cathedral and market

This is an example plan built from the rules above. You arrive at Frankfurt airport with a carry-on backpack and a daypack. On a DB long-distance train to Köln Hbf, by DB's English page the daypack is your hand luggage and the backpack the one larger item, and the backpack goes in a rack sized for 700 x 500 x 300 mm. At Köln you drop the backpack at the hotel first, because the cathedral doesn't store luggage, and take in only the daypack, measured packed against 40 × 35 × 15 cm. December at DWD's Köln/Bonn station has a mean of 3.8 °C and 11.9 frost days, so the hat and gloves are worn from the station on. The market comes after the cathedral, with the same daypack, and the same two bags ride the train back to Frankfurt for the flight home.

Sources, each read on 22 October 2026: Kölner Dom house rules · Deutsche Bahn luggage (English) · Deutsche Bahn Gepäck (German) · DWD multi-year means 1991–2020 · DWD glossary: Frosttag. Each page is undated; the DWD files' dates are in the table caption.

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