Dusseldorf & Cologne are only 40 km away from each other. Despite its immediate proximity, these two cities differ substantially from each other. Even though both cities host the carnival, you will see differences in the festivities. Still, Apartment Hotels Europe recommends its guest to join the carnival and join the Rhenish people in the fifth season of the year.
Carnival close to our apartment hotels in Dusseldorf and Cologne
The tradition of the carnival started back in the middle age. The Germanic people celebrated on the streets disguised with masks between the months of November and February in order to dispel the bad ghosts, who put the harvest at risk and to call up the good ghosts, who are responsible for a prosperous spring. Christians, who do not believe in ghosts, celebrate carnival for different reasons. Carnival is seen as the last chance to celebrate and eat before the fasting period, which starts 40 days before easter. Officially carnival starts every year on the 11th of November at 11:11 am. The street celebrations start on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday, on the so-called “Weiberfastnacht”. Many visitors in our apartment hotels in Cogne and Dusseldorf come to these two cities for this event of a special kind.
Carnival in Cologne
This year Weiberfastnacht, the official start of the street festivities, is going to take place on the 12th of February. People gather together in the Old Town, the Südstadt and on the Zülpicher Straße and celebrate the whole day & night in close vicinity to our apartment hotel in Cologne. These celebrations are going to last for another 5 days. For more information visit the official page of the city of Cologne.
Carnival in Dusseldorf
Between the 11th of November and the Ash Wednesday more than 300 carnival sessions and costume balls are celebrated in Dusseldorf. The highlight is the Rose Monday Parade or Mardi Gras, which is more than 2 km long with more than 60 floats and thousands of dressed up people. Another highlight is the Altweiberfastnacht on the Thursday before Rose Monday, when women storm the city hall in order to show the counselor, who is the real master in the house. For more information on the carnival in Dusseldorf, take a look at the official page of the carnival in Dusseldorf.
Apartment Hotels in Dusseldorf & Cologne
Apartment Hotels Europe currently has one apartment hotel in Dusseldorf and one in Bonn, which is also located close to Dusseldorf and Cologne, featured on its site. Another apartment hotel in Cologne will be listed soon. Check them out:
We wish you a pleasant stay in these apartment hotels and an awesome time at the carnival celebrations of Cologne and Dusseldorf.