By Michelle Martin
LONDON, April 6 (Reuters) – Got 48 hours to spare in Bonn?
This sleepy city perched on the banks of the romantic River
Rhine offers history, culture, and beautiful scenery galore.
Located about 30 km south of Cologne, the city of around
325,000 prides itself on being the birthplace of influential
German composer Ludwig van Beethoven.
But Bonn is perhaps most famous for being the capital of
West Germany from 1949 to 1990 after the country’s division in
the wake of the Second World War.
When East and West Germany reunified in 1990, Bonn became
the official seat of German government until 1999, after which
Berlin took its place.
Being relatively small, Bonn can be easily traversed on foot
and is an excellent base for exploring the surrounding
Siebengebirge (Seven Mountains) – a range of more than 40 wooded
hills formed by volcanic eruptions millions of years ago.
Reuters correspondents with local knowledge help visitors
get the most out of a short stay in this beautiful city.
FRIDAY
7 p.m. – Take the Airport Express SB 60 bus from
Cologne-Bonn Airport’s Terminal 1 to Bonn Hauptbahnhof (Bonn
Central Station).
Choose a hotel in central Bonn – if you’ve got plenty of
money to spare, check into a riverside room at the Hilton Bonn
Hotel (+49 228 72690) for spectacular views of the Rhine. If
you’re on a tighter budget, try Sternhotel Bonn (+49 228 72670),
which looks out over the market square.
8.30 p.m – Tuck into a hearty dish of Rheinischer
Sauerbraten (German pot roast), Schweinshaxe (pork knuckle) or
Reibekuchen mit Apfelkompott (potato fritters served with apple
sauce) at Em Hoettche to acclimatise. This historic restaurant,
which lies in the shadows of Bonn’s Rococo-style pink town hall,
is where Beethoven is said to have danced with his first love,
Barbe Koch.
10:30 p.m. – Head to Brauhaus Boennsch brewery for your
first taste of the local Boennsch beer, served in a specially
crafted glass which fits around your fingers.
11:30 p.m. – This city is not well-known for its nightlife.
When it was capital of West Germany, Germans often joked that
Bonn was an acronym for Bundeshauptstadt ohne nennenswertes
Nachtleben (federal capital without any nightlife to speak of).
But while it is not exactly a clubbing hotspot, there are enough
places to party if you’re in the mood. Try the Hausbar club in
Bonn’s opera house for house music, Carpe Noctem for indie music
or the Jazzgalerie for theme nights.
SATURDAY
10 a.m. – Start your day by wandering around the market in
front of the town hall, where you can sample local specialties,
including German sausage. If you go between April and June, make
sure you try some locally cultivated “Spargel” (white
asparagus), which is very popular in Germany.
11 a.m. – Stroll down the pedestrian-only highstreet until
you reach Bonn Minster, one of Germany’s oldest churches.
Completed in the 13th-century, it was built over the graves of
the city’s patrons and boasts the best preserved Romanesque
cloister north of the Alps.
11:30 a.m. – Pay homage to the Beethoven statue on
Muensterplatz before making your way to Bonngasse 20, where the
German composer was born in 1770. Now a museum, this pink house
with green shutters contains his grand piano and other
possessions including stringed instruments, letters and sheets
of music.
12:30 p.m. – Walk to the end of Bonngasse, turn right and
keep walking until you reach
Bertha-von-Suttner-Platz/Beethovenhaus station. Jump on the 67
tram down to the district of Bad Godesberg and treat yourself to
lunch in the ruins of a hilltop medieval fortress while enjoying
unparalleled views over the River Rhine and Seven Mountains (http://www.godesburg-bonn.de/).
2 p.m. – After filling up on German fare, climb the tower of
the 800-year-old castle, most of which was destroyed during a
siege in 1583.
As you walk back down the hill towards the station, keep
your eyes peeled for small memorial plaques set into the
pavement. These mark the houses where Jews lived in the early
20th century before they were deported to concentration camps
during the Nazi era.
3 p.m. Catch the 63, 67 or 16 tram from Bad Godesberg back
towards Bonn Central Station. Hop off at Wurzerstrasse to pop
into the Haribo factory shop for a spot of holiday gift-buying.
The chewy sweets hail from Bonn, where Hans Riegel set up the
confectionary firm in 1920. Haribo stands for Hans Riegel Bonn.
4 p.m. – Get back on the tram and step off at
Heussallee/Museumsmeile, where a range of museums caters for all
tastes. Head to Haus der Geschichte (Museum of Contemporary
History) if you’re interested in postwar German history.
If art is more your thing, visit the Kunstmuseum (Art
Museum), which houses the works of 20th-century German artists
like August Macke, who lived in Bonn. The adjacent
Ausstellungshalle (Exhibition Hall), which houses temporary
exhibitions, is also worth a visit.
Those with a zoological bent should make a beeline for
Museum Alexander Koenig (Alexander Koenig Museum) to learn about
biodiversity in environments ranging from rainforests and
deserts to the Arctic.
Alternatively, if you’re visiting between Easter and
October, head down to the river and take a boat trip along the
Rhine.
6 p.m. – Work up an appetite for dinner by strolling along
the riverside promenade towards the city centre.
6:30 p.m. – For dinner with a difference try Ocean Paradise,
a floating Chinese restaurant moored on the banks of the Rhine.
Otherwise go to Zur Lese, a contemporary riverside restaurant
which serves a good selection of seafood, meat and vegetarian
dishes. Sit in the covered terrace area and watch a constant
stream of cargo boats loaded with colourful containers sail
past.
8 p.m. – If the Beethoven Orchestra is playing while you’re
in town be sure to get tickets as this is one of Germany’s best
orchestras. If not, take a stroll through the Hofgarten park in
central Bonn and admire the city’s elegant university, housed in
a former palace. Then make your way to Alter Zoll, a beer garden
on the site of an old customs house, and relax under the shade
of chestnut trees as you watch the world go by.
SUNDAY
9 a.m. – Catch the 66 tram towards Bad Honnef from Bonn
Central Station. Look right for breathtaking views of the Rhine
and left for spectacular views of the Seven Mountains. Hop off
at Rhoendorf, where a delicious German breakfast awaits at Cafe
Profittlich. This delightful little eatery offers a buffet of
cold meats, cheeses, scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage with
rolls and croissants for 10.50 euros ($13.97). Overlooking the
Drachenfels (Dragon’s Rock mountain) and a tranquil village
square replete with fountain, this is the perfect place for a
peaceful start to the day.
11 a.m. – Once you’ve had your fill of breakfast wander
around this traditional German village full of centuries-old
timber-framed houses nestled into the hillside. Take a (free)
guided tour of the house which was once home to Konrad Adenauer,
West Germany’s first postwar chancellor. You’ll see where he
played bowls, wrote his memoirs and died. Take in stunning views
over the village of Rhoendorf and surrounding hills at the same
time.
1 p.m. – Take the 66 tram two stops back towards Bonn
Central Station and alight at Koenigswinter Faehre/Sea Life
Aquarium. If you’re still hungry after that big breakfast, pop
into Altes Faehrhaus for lunch. This restaurant oozes rustic
charm and offers regional dishes like herring with cream and
fried potatoes, as well as steak, salad and meat loaf.
2:30 p.m. – Stroll around the picturesque town of
Koenigswinter with its old churches, quiet cafes and souvenir
shops before walking to the foot of Dragon’s Rock and ascending
its mighty heights on Germany’s oldest rack railway. You’ll
enjoy dramatic views of Bonn, the River Rhine and the Seven
Mountains from the top.
If you’re feeling energetic, start the descent by foot
(sensible walking shoes are required). If you prefer, take the
train and get off halfway down, where you can visit Schloss
Drachenburg, a neo-Gothic castle replete with blue roof and
pointed turrets that would not look out of place in a fairytale
book. Marvel at the 19th century castle’s recently restored
interior, with its vaulted ceilings, murals and stained glass
windows and take in panoramic views of the region as you stroll
around the gardens.
Continue your descent and, if you’re feeling thirsty after
this afternoon’s exertions, stop at the charming Weinhaus
Winzerhaeuschen for a drink. Built in 1661, it boasts a terrace
with wonderful views but if it’s chilly you can always grab a
table by the fire inside for a cosy afternoon tea.
Head further down the mountain until you come to the
Nibelungenhalle, a memorial temple built in 1913 to commemorate
the 100th birthday of German composer Richard Wagner. Inside
you’ll find 12 huge paintings of the Nibelungen saga, a medieval
German legend which Wagner turned into a cycle of operas called
The Ring.
Venture into the dragon’s lair behind the memorial temple if
you dare — there you will find a 13-metre long stone dragon —
and a reptile zoo full of crocodiles, iguanas and snakes.
6 p.m. – Trek down to the bottom of the mountain and choose
one of the many restaurants, hotels or cafes overlooking the
Rhine for a well-deserved dinner before heading back to the
airport.
($1 = 0.7518 euros)
(Reporting by Michelle Martin, editing by Paul Casciato)
