Things to do in Bonn
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Bonn
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best weather, beer gardens open, long evenings and festivals without August heat.
A gamble that pays off in cherry blossom years, peak usually early to mid April.
Wine harvest gold in the Siebengebirge and Ahr, with forest colour late in the month.
Grey, short days and Rhine fog, the worst month before the Christmas market.
Cold and damp except Karneval, museums are the trip and hotels can be bargains.
What's on
- Cherry Blossom Altstadt early to mid April
Pink blossom tunnels on Heerstraße and Breite Straße for about 10 to 14 days.
- Rhein in Flammen first Saturday in May
Fireworks fleet from Bonn to Linz with illuminated boats and a Rheinaue festival.
- Jazzfest Bonn typically May to June
Jazz festival listed among Bonn's late spring music events.
- Museumsmeilenfest June
Museum Mile festival with museums open late and free programmes.
- Rheinaue Flea Market third Saturday monthly, April to October
One of Germany's largest flea markets in the Rheinaue park.
- Beethovenfest roughly late August to September
Bonn's flagship festival, international orchestras in Beethovenhalle and across the city.
- Pützchens Markt September, 5 days
Large historic funfair in Beuel, beloved locally and noisy nearby.
- Bonner Weihnachtsmarkt late November to 23 December
Smaller, more local Christmas market on Münsterplatz, Marktplatz and Bottlerplatz.
- Karneval Weiberfastnacht Thursday to Ash Wednesday, peak February or March
Serious Rhineland carnival with Rosenmontag parade, costumes and surging hotels.
Worth the trip for
Best things to do in Bonn
Haus der Geschichte
Free museum that explains post war Germany through objects you walk through, from 1945 to reunification.
Beethoven-Haus
Beethoven's birthplace museum, small and dense with his instruments, manuscripts and family rooms.
Kunstmuseum Bonn
Bonn's art museum for Rhineland Expressionism and major post war German art in a calm, light building.
Bundeskunsthalle
Big temporary exhibitions plus a free rooftop park with views over the government quarter to the hills.
Poppelsdorfer Allee
Chestnut lined boulevard of grand houses and cafes, Bonn's most beautiful walk toward the palace.
Botanischer Garten Bonn
Old botanical garden by Poppelsdorf Palace with tropical houses, water lilies and rarely crowded paths.
Bonner Münster
Romanesque basilica at Bonn's heart, with a quiet cloister that surprises most visitors.
Rheinaue
Huge Rhine meadow park with lakes, boats, gardens and beer gardens, built for locals' weekends.
Where to stay in Bonn
Zentrum and Südstadt
first trip, all-round base
Walk to Beethoven-Haus, Minster, market and Museum Mile tram, with quieter grand streets in Südstadt.
Poppelsdorf
character and longer stays
Leafy village within the city along the Allee, with palace, gardens and local restaurants.
Altstadt and Nordstadt
cherry blossom and nightlife-lite
Blossom streets, brewpubs and cheaper stays, ten minutes walk to Münsterplatz.
Bad Godesberg
quiet, Rhine and space
Former spa town feel with its own centre, Kurpark and Rhine promenade, 15 minutes from the centre.
Beuel
local value alternative
East bank local high street and sunset views back to Bonn, a short tram ride over Kennedy Bridge.
Bundesviertel and Gronau
business and museums
Practical for conferences and Museum Mile, residential and quiet at night, tram to centre in minutes.
Think twice about
- Tannenbusch and Dransdorf
Large high rise estates with higher recorded crime and poor tourist infrastructure, far from sights.
- Immediate Hauptbahnhof underpass and Maximilianstraße edge at night
Small open drug and street drinking scene concentrates here after dark, noisy and seedy late.
- Duisdorf and Hardtberg industrial edges
Not unsafe but soulless and car dependent, sold as Bonn when they are a bus ride from Bonn life.
Best restaurants in Bonn
Yunico
Bonn's starred Japanese fusion restaurant atop Kameha Grand, with Rhine and hill views.
Kaspar's
Modern European fine dining with seasonal tasting menus, often locals' pick for Bonn's best dinner.
Redüttchen Weinbar & Restaurant
Wine bar and restaurant in the historic Redoute park, strong on Ahr and Middle Rhine wines.
Halbedel's Gasthaus
Godesberg institution for proper Rhineland cooking like Sauerbraten, game and seasonal asparagus.
Oliveto
Elegant riverfront Italian with house pasta and Mediterranean fish, a date night favourite.
Strandhaus
Family run Mediterranean restaurant with a garden terrace that feels like a holiday in summer.
Ludwig's Restaurant
Modern German cooking in the Rhine side business quarter, with river views and good value lunches.
Il Punto
Enduring Südstadt Italian loved by regulars for reliably excellent pasta, veal and service.
Outdoor things to do in Bonn
Drachenfels
Volcanic peak with a ruined castle and Rhine views to Bonn and Cologne, Bonn's essential excursion.
Schloss Drachenburg
Fairy tale 1880s castle halfway up Drachenfels, worth an hour for interiors, gardens and terraces.
Drachenfelsbahn
Germany's oldest cog railway, climbing from Königswinter toward the Drachenfels summit since 1883.
Löwenburg
Castle ruin on a Siebengebirge peak, reached on forest trails with Rhine views throughout.
Ölberg
The highest Siebengebirge peak, quieter than Drachenfels with the best panorama in the reserve.
Oberdollendorf
Short vineyard walk above the Rhine, best at harvest, ending at a village wine garden.
Köln-Düsseldorfer Rheinschiffahrt
Rhine day boat from Bonn toward Königswinter and Linz, the scenic way to see the Siebengebirge.
Rhine Cycle Route
Flat paved cycle path on both Rhine banks, ideal for Bonn to Königswinter and Bad Honnef rides.
Best hotels in Bonn
Kameha Grand Bonn
Design landmark five star on the east Rhine bank with a rooftop infinity pool and Bonn's best hotel view.
AMERON Bonn Hotel Königshof
Renovated grande dame directly on the Rhine by Alter Zoll, the luxury pick in the centre.
Rheinhotel Dreesen
Art Nouveau Rhine palace hotel from 1894 with a huge garden terrace on the promenade.
Dorint Hotel Bonn
Hilltop hotel above the centre in forest, with panoramic views and a wellness focus.
Collegium Leoninum
Former seminary turned serene hotel with cloister garden and pool, five minutes from the station.
Bonn Marriott Hotel
Reliable international hotel on Museum Mile by the Rhine, handy for the conference centre.
Sternhotel Bonn
Historic hotel right on the market square, where location is the luxury and breakfast overlooks the market.
Living Hotel Kanzler
Practical hotel by Museum Koenig station with balconies and garden views, good for Museum Mile trips.
Is Bonn expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €65 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €130 a person |
| Splurge | €300 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Beethoven-Haus: a few days ahead
- Drachenfels: a few days ahead
- Drachenfelsbahn: a few days ahead
- Köln-Düsseldorfer Rheinschiffahrt: a few days ahead
- Golfclub Bonn-Godesberg e.V.: a few days ahead
- Schloss Miel Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Golfplatz Bonn: a few days ahead
- Yunico: weeks ahead
- Yunico, Kaspar's and Redüttchen need two to four weeks for prime Saturday slots.
- Book Beethoven-Haus timed tickets online at weekends and in Beethovenfest weeks.
- Book Beethovenfest concerts, opera premieres and blockbuster shows when programmes drop.
- Chancellor's Bungalow tours have limited guided slots and are not walk up.
- Hotels surge in Karneval, Beethovenfest, fair weeks and blossom peak, book refundable early.
Is Bonn safe?
- Bonn is low crime and well lit in the centre and Südstadt, main risks are bike theft and fare fines.
- Watch for pickpockets in Karneval and Christmas market crowds.
- Emergency numbers are 112 for fire and ambulance and 110 for police.
Bonn travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Shops close on Sundays by law, plan museums, parks and the Rhine.
- Most museums close on Mondays, use Monday for Drachenfels, Cologne or the Ahr.
- Carry small cash for market stalls, small taverns, bakeries and beer gardens.
- Do not swim in the Rhine at Bonn, strong current and shipping make it dangerous.
- Beethoven souvenirs outside the museum shop are mostly markup kitsch.
Getting around Bonn: public transport and more
- Walk first, the centre to Museum Mile area is a 30 minute walking city.
- Trams 16 and 18 go to Cologne, 66 is the Drachenfels tram, and inspections are frequent.
- Deutschlandticket usually beats single tickets if you stay five days and day trip.
- Bus SB60 links Cologne Bonn Airport to Bonn Hauptbahnhof in about 30 minutes.
- Respect cycle paths, bikes have priority and Bonn cyclists are fast.
Who Bonn suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Great |
Make Bonn your trip
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