Bonn (Germany)

Bonn Reviews

Bonn Photos

Bonn Information

Overview

Things to do

Country Info (Germany)

Slideshow of Photos

Bonn, set in the beautiful Rhine valley between the Siebengebirge hills and the Eifel, embodies the pleasant sides of life in Germany more than almost any other city. Bonn enjoys a rich heritage from its 2,000-year history. Baroque royal seat of the former princes elector, site of a major university and the birthplace of Beethoven - Bonn is naturally also committed to the arts.

Visitors are often pleasantly surprised by the contrasts between magnificent historical buildings, small village charm, cosmopolitan urban life and high-quality cultural attractions.

Suggest a change to the Bonn Overview section (click to dropdown)

Bonn's city centre is characterised by the pedestrian zone, with its many shops and the weekly market, the basilica and university. Numerous pubs, breweries and restaurants also make the city centre a popular place. The city district on the eastern side of the Rhine, Beuel, is connected to the city centre by the Kennedy Bridge. It is well known because of the "fifth season", carneval.

If you're attracted by nature, then the Ippendorf area should please you; the Bonn city forest can be found here. The forest is a recreation area, containing a children's centre, Waldau, in which the animal enclosure is the most popular attraction.

A visit to the Haus der Natur (House of Nature) is also delightful. The Bonn Altstadt (Old Town) extends to the council offices buildings to the north, and has an urban feel. Here there is a multitude of pubs and restaurants for those who like a bit of fun. If you're inclined towards art, then you should visit the Kunstcarré, the artists' square, as well as the Bonn Art Society, Art Forum, Women's Museum and the August-Macke-Haus. The Plittersdorf district has rather different sights to offer. The Deutsche Museum Bonn for one is found here, as well as the headquarters of the Voluntary Organisation of the United Nations, which is situated right by the rhine.

Bordering Plittersdorf is the Rheinaue Freizeitpark (Leisure park) with the Ausee (lake). A big flee market takes place here every third Sunday of the month. Another popular market is held in the Pützchen district. Poppelsdorf is a classical Bonn district. With its lovely houses dating from the 1871-3 and art nouveau periods, this area is one of the most popular residential areas. Around the Poppeldorfer Castle and Botanical Gardens there are many nice cafes, restaurants and pubs. The neighbouring Südstadt is also lovely and just as popular, with many nice student pubs. Schwarzrheindorf is one of Bonn's oldest city districts, famous for the Doppelkirche (church) . Often undiscovered, since it lies some way away from the centre, is the magical city district of Muffendorf, with pretty half-timbered houses and picturesque courtyards. This district was once a wine growing industry, though today only a few wine bars are reminders of this time. A look at the Kommende is also worthwhile. Schweinheim is west of the Kottenforst nature park and east of Bad Godesberg, and you can go for a nice walk or visit the Marienforst cloister here. Bad Godesberg itself, known as a health resort, is also of course worth a visit, and the Godesburg is not its only attraction. The Kurpark (spa gardens) lies close to the city and the dem Kurfürstenbad (spa) borders the nice facades of the Ballrooms and Town Hall. In addition, Bad Godesberg has a popular chamber theatre and the small theatre in the park. A side trip to the Aennchenplatz and a break at the Lindenwirtin is also delightful. The Museum mile and government quarter features a multitude of museums and political institutions. The Museum Alexander Koenig, Haus der Geschichte (House of History), Art Museum and the Federal Art Exhibition Hall can be visited here, or visit the Konrad Adenauer memorial on the Bundeskanzlerplatz, the Palais Schaumburg and the Villa Hammerschmidt. Helen Earis

Bonns main tourist attraction include:

Beethoven House: Birthplace of the famous composer Ludwig van Beethoven, with museum

Museum Mile: In addition to the Kunstmuseum Bonn (Art Museum) and the Alexander Koenig Museum, the "Mile" (german only) also includes two of Germany's most visited museums: the Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle (Art and Exhibition Hall) and the Haus der Geschichte German History Museum).

Historical Town Hall: in the Rococo style, built in the time of the Wittelsbach princes elector
Schloss Poppelsdorf with the Botanical Gardens

The 12th-century cathedral

Twin chapel of Schwarzrheindorf

Suggest a change to the Bonn Things to do section (click to dropdown)

Population: 82.431.400
Languages: German
Currency: euro
Currency code: EUR
Local Times:
Germany - Berlin - Berlin

Germany - Hesse - Frankfurt

Country Dialling Code: +49
Voltage: 230V 50Hz
Electrical plugs:
'Schuko' type with two earth connectors on the sides

'Schuko' type with two earth connectors on the sides

Situated in the heart of Europe and bordering nine other countries, Germany provides an ideal gateway to any tour of the subcontinent. From Charlemagne and the Holy Roman Empire to Otto von Bismarck's German Reich, Nazism and the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall, no other nation has moulded Europe the way Germany has - for better or worse. Its land is wide and varied with turreted castles nestled below snow-capped mountains, lush river valleys, dark and mysterious forests and bustling medieval villages. This is the land of fairy tales, where farmland minstrels headed to Bremen to become musicians, where Sleeping Beauty was woken and Little Red Riding Hood ventured into the woods.

Germany wears its riches well: elegant big-city charm, small picture-postcard towns, pagan-inspired harvest festivals, a wealth of art and culture and the perennial pleasures of huge tracts of forest, delightful castles and fine wine and beer are all there for the savouring.

Germany is made up of the North German Plain, the Central German Uplands (Mittelgebirge), and the Southern German Highlands. The Bavarian plateau in the southwest averages 1,600 ft (488 m) above sea level, but it reaches 9,721 ft (2,962 m) in the Zugspitze Mountains, the highest point in the country. Germany's major rivers are the Danube, the Elbe, the Oder, the Weser, and the Rhine.

As Germany moves forward into the 21st century, leaving behind a history of division and tyranny, it is a nation embracing its newfound liberalism and redefining a modern cultural identity. Yet even today, visitors to the country can't escape feeling profoundly moved by this country's past and the effects it still has on its people.

Germany's cities each have something unique to offer the visitor. Each year millions of litres of beer is consumed in Munich during the city's Oktoberfest, where locals and visitors discover true German revelry and 'gemutlichkeit' (a word the locals use to describe a comfortable, sociable environment). Berlin, while still recovering from some of the scars of division, contains many sights from the iconic Brandenburg Gate, to the path of the old Berlin Wall. The city's vibrant nightlife is still evocative of its height in the 1920s and 30s, as characterised by the songs of Marlene Dietrich, the theatre of Brecht and the Film Cabaret .

Discover the country that gave us Beethoven and Bauhaus, Goethe and Glühwein, Lager and Lederhosen - you won't be disappointed.