Bonn

Beethoven's hometown and the former West German capital on the Rhine, where the old town's cherry blossom avenue, Beethoven's birthplace, and the Museum Mile are joined by a trip across the river to the Drachenfels for views over the Rhine Valley.

Bonn lies in the southern part of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, on the left bank of the middle Rhine, about 25 km south of Cologne. It is Beethoven's birthplace. From 1949 to 1990, it served as the capital of West Germany, and today several federal ministries and United Nations agencies are still based here. The city is small, and its old town, palaces, and Museum Mile line the Rhine from north to south at a relaxed pace.

Key areas: the old town has Beethoven's birthplace, Bonn Minster, the rococo Old Town Hall, and the market square, and in April the northern old town is famous for its cherry blossom avenue. To the south, the Electoral Palace (the main building of the University of Bonn) and the palace gardens, and a tree-lined avenue leads on to Poppelsdorf Palace and the botanical garden. Further south is the 'Museum Mile': the free House of History, the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Bonn Art Museum, and the Koenig Museum, beside the former federal government district and the Rhine Park. In the southern suburb of Bad Godesberg stands Godesburg Castle. Across the Rhine, Königswinter offers a cogwheel railway up the Drachenfels and a visit to Drachenburg Castle, or you can hike through the Seven Mountains to Petersberg and the ruins of Heisterbach Abbey.

Seasons: April brings cherry blossoms, May–September is suited to Rhine cruises and mountain hikes, and in May there is the 'Rhine in Flames' fireworks display. September hosts the Beethoven Festival, and December brings Christmas markets.

Transport: Cologne/Bonn Airport is about 20 minutes away by car, the regional train from Cologne takes about 20–30 minutes, and the ICE to Frankfurt takes about 1.5 hours. Within the city, the U16, U63, and U66 light rail lines connect the old town, the Museum Mile, and Bad Godesberg, and the U66 runs directly to Königswinter. Plan 1–2 days, which can be combined with a visit to Cologne. Most museums close on Mondays.

Top sights

Haus der Geschichte – A free museum of contemporary German history, tracing the story from postwar ruins to German reunification. Exhibits such as the old Bundes…
Beethoven House, Bonn – The birthplace of Beethoven, where he was born in 1770, showcasing his manuscripts, instruments and hearing aids; an easy half-day trip fro…
Bonn Minster – A thousand-year-old Romanesque church in the heart of Bonn, with five soaring towers; reopened in 2024 after restoration and often visited…
Drachenfels – The castle ruins on Drachenfels, one of the Seven Mountains along the Rhine, reached by Germany's oldest cog railway for views over the Rhi…
Schloss Drachenburg – A 19th-century Neo-Gothic castle halfway up Drachenfels, with lavish stained glass and murals inside and terraces overlooking the Rhine Val…
Bundeskunsthalle – A national exhibition centre on the Museum Mile with no permanent collection, rotating major shows on art, architecture, history and scienc…
Kunstmuseum Bonn – A modern art museum known for works by August Macke and other Rhenish Expressionists as well as postwar German art, set in a bright, airy b…
Cherry Blossom Avenue (Heerstraße) – The Japanese late-flowering cherry trees along Heerstraße and Breite Straße in the northern old town bloom pink every April, forming German…
Botanic Gardens Bonn (Poppelsdorf Palace) – A university botanic garden in front of the Baroque Poppelsdorf Palace, with greenhouses housing giant voodoo lilies and Amazon water lilie…
Old Town Hall & Market Square – A pink Rococo town hall completed in 1737, with a daily produce market on the square in front and home to the Christmas market in winter.
Electoral Palace & Hofgarten – The Baroque palace of the Electors of Cologne, now the main building of the University of Bonn, with the Hofgarten lawns in front, a favori…
Alter Zoll – An observation terrace on the old city walls by the Rhine, with an old battery of cannons, views of the Seven Mountains and a popular beer…
Museum Koenig – One of Germany's largest natural history museums, where the African animal specimens in the "Savanna" hall are impressive, and also a site…
LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn – A museum of archaeology and art history for the Rhineland, whose greatest treasure is the first Neanderthal skeleton, discovered in 1856.
Rheinaue Park – A large riverside park left over from the 1979 Federal Horticultural Show, with a Japanese garden, lakes and lawns, and views of the Post T…
Godesburg – The ruins of a 13th-century castle on a volcanic hill in Bad Godesberg, where you can climb the main tower for views of the Rhine Valley an…
Petersberg – A plateau in the Seven Mountains that was once the German government's guesthouse, with an observation terrace overlooking Bonn and the Rhi…
Kreuzberg Church – A 17th-century pilgrimage church on a hill to the west of the city, with a Baroque "Holy Staircase" modeled on the Scala Santa in Rome's La…
Deutsches Museum Bonn – A branch of the Deutsches Museum in Munich, focusing on German science and inventions after 1945 and artificial intelligence, with interact…
Double Church of Schwarzrheindorf – A 12th-century Romanesque double-storey church on the east bank of the Rhine, whose two chapels contain some of Germany's most complete Rom…
Heisterbach Abbey – The ruins of a Cistercian abbey in the forested valleys of the Seven Mountains, where the surviving Gothic choir wall is both romantic and…

Where to eat

Bönnsch Brauhaus – A brewhouse in Bonn's Old Town that brews its own unfiltered Bönnsch beer and serves Rhineland home cooking, loved by l…
Em Höttche – An old tavern beside the market square, dating to 1389, one of Bonn's oldest restaurants, specializing in traditional R…
Gasthaus im Stiefel – A traditional Old Town tavern near Beethoven's birthplace, famous for fried pork cutlets and Rhineland snacks at afford…
Halbedels Gasthaus – A Michelin-starred French restaurant in Bad Godesberg, where chef Halbedel has held a star continuously since 1984.
Biergarten Alter Zoll – A beer garden in an old riverside fortress, with views of the Siebengebirge (Seven Mountains); beer, pizza and sausages…

Itineraries

Cologne, Bonn, Aachen & Rhineland – Stay in Cologne's Old Town and take day-trip trains to Bonn, Drachenfels, Aachen, and the palaces of Brühl.