Bonn travel blog — The fullest Bonn travel guide & what to do in Bonn Germany

When it comes to German tourism, people often think of Germany’s most famous cities such as Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, etc. However, there is another city that is equally beautiful and famous that is Bonn – the first capital of the the Federal Republic of Germany (1949 to 1990). The Nordrhein Westfalen (North Rhine-Westphalia), according to UNESCO, is one of the most important cultural regions in the world along with New York and Paris, with the middle area of ​​the Rhein River flowing through the city of Bonn. But Bonn is an important cultural highlight of this state and of the whole of Germany, even though it has nearly 350,000 inhabitants. So, is Bonn worth visiting, what to do in Bonn and how to plan a perfect budget trip to Bonn, Germany for the first-time? Let’s check out our Bonn travel blog (Bonn blog) with the fullest Bonn travel guide (Bonn guide, Bonn city guide, Bonn Germany travel guide, Bonn tourist guide) from how to get to Bonn, best time to come, where to stay, best places to visit, what to eat and things to do in Bonn to find out the answer!

Bonn is also the place where the famous composer Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770, and then entered the history of world as one of the greatest composers. The image of Beethoven pervades every corner of the city, from squares to street corners, alleys, from restaurants to souvenir shops.

Bonn travel blog: A brief introduction about the gentle and beautiful city of Bonn

The city of Bonn is located in the southern state of North Rhine-Westphalia, on the banks of the River Rhein. Immediately after World War II, the parliamentary assembly decided to choose Bonn over Frankfurt as the seat of parliament. Decades later, Bonn became known as the capital of the federal republic of Germany as most of the presidents, diplomats and celebrities came here. The town on the edge of the River Rhein quickly became the political and cultural center of Germany. In 1991, Berlin was chosen as the capital of Germany. The relocation of national government agencies to Berlin with the two houses of the German parliament, the Bundestag and the Bundesrat. However, there were still about half of government agencies still remain in Bonn. Bonn retains its own charm and the title of federal city (Bundesstadt).

Bonn is located on the banks of the poetic River Rhein, in the state of North Rhine – Westphalia Land, Germany. Bonn was the first capital of the German Federation (from 1949-1990) and the seat of the German government from 1990-2000. This beautiful city is only about 140 square kilometers, located in a rich cultural region, and known as the oldest city of Germany. Historically, Bonn dates back to the first century BC, when the Romans built roads, bridges and fortresses around the city in a region called Bonna. After the departure of the Romans, Bonn was apparently destroyed after the chaos of the Norman invasions, until the Renaissance became part of France before joining the Kingdom of Prussia in 1815.

Bonn is known as the “city of United Nations” with many UN headquarters and offices located here. The gateway to Bonn flies hundreds of flags day and night as a warm welcome to visitors. The colors of the flag are changed according to the theme of the meetings, giving Bonn a youthful appearance and implicitly introducing its new title: the “city of United Nations” by the river Rhein. Not only clean and modern, through 2,000 years of history, Bonn still retains ancient looks of houses, buildings, architecture.

The humanity of this romantic city on the banks of the Rhine is reflected in the smallest details on the street: The sidewalks are not very large, but are clean, tidy, and especially there is always a space reserved for walkers and cyclists alike.

Today, Bonn remains an important political center and one of the United Nations cities in Europe with many international, non-governmental organizations based in Bonn. The city owns a huge treasure of cultural heritage with historical architectures such as churches, Romanesque-style basilicas and ancient city walls imbued with the era. Another outstanding cultural feature in Bonn is the city’s museum system, where visitors can fully learn about the history of Germany as well as the unique features of the culture and art of the city.

Besides, Bonn is also considered a “green oasis” with botanical gardens, beautiful green parks in the city. The rich natural landscape and warm atmosphere, fresh air in Bonn will surely be the perfect stop for visitors.

Bonn blog: When is the best time to travel to Bonn?

However, the best time to visit Bonn is from May to October every year, this time many special cultural festivals are held. The weather at this time is very beautiful, it is cool, often with light sunshine, convenient for tourists to visit many attractions in the city. However, you should bring an umbrella because the city often has sudden showers.

In particular, visitors can also visit Bonn in April, when the Japanese cherry blossoms are in full bloom, stretching the streets of Bonn, very romantic.

From spring to summer, Bonn’s outdoor festivals are take place with Karneval (carnival). Although it’s not as famous as in the city of Cologne (Koln), Bonn has the advantage of being home to the headquarters of the famous Haribo marshmallow company. Therefore, this company always favors Karneval in Bonn with tons of candy for the parades to give to visitors.

Every autumn, artists of all colors and ethnicities converge in Bonn. They gathered at the house where the genius composer Ludwig van Beethoven was born – the best son of Bonn and Germany – to participate in the Beethovenfest. For four consecutive weeks when the ground dyed in red and yellow by fall foliage, Bonn’s space echoed the sound of Beethoven’s immortal songs.

Bonn travel guide: How to get to Bonn?

From Noi Bai (Hanoi) and Tan Son Nhat (Ho Chi Minh) airports, there are many reputable airlines operating routes from Vietnam to Bonn city such as: Cathay Pacific, Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Ryanair, etc. The flights will transit at least in 1-2 countries and fares vary depending on flight hours. You should book flight tickets about 1-2 months in advance to save costs. For other cities, you can access Google Flights, SkyScanner or Kayak to find best routes as well as cheap airfares to get to Bonn.

Bonn International Airport is located about 16 km northeast of the city center. From here you can take a taxi, bus or train to your hotel.

You also catch the trains or buses to get to Bonn, you can find them here.

Bonn Germany travel guide: Getting around Bonn

The city of Bonn has a fairly complete, modern and convenient public transport system for everyone to use. The two main types of public transport in this city are buses and trains. You should use these two types of vehicles because their prices are quite cheap.

There is also another type of vehicle that is quite interesting to move around in Bonn, which is a bicycle. You can easily rent a bicycle at a very cheap price at bike rental shops in the city. If you do not know where to rent, you can also ask the hotel staff where you stay to help.

In Bonn, bicycles are the most popular means of transport for its citizens. People ride bicycles everywhere, anytime even when going out or going to work. In the squares, restaurants, cinemas, schools … there are parking spaces for bicycles everywhere and the image of beautiful bicycles neatly parked is a unique feature of this city, as are the objects decorate the streets.

Bonn travel blog: Where to go, what to do in Bonn & things to do in Bonn

Poppelsdorf Palace

Address: Meckenheimer Allee 171, 53115 Bonn, Germany
Hours: 10AM–4PM/Saturday, Sunday: Closed

This beautiful palace was built in the 18th century in Baroque architectural style. Today, the building is used as a study of Bonn plants, the palace is still known as the Bonn Botanical Garden. This place now is home to more than 8,000 species of plants from around the world with countless unique plant species, including the giant Victoria lily. Every year, thousands of tourists come here to see rare plants.

Art and Exhibition Hall of Bundeskunsthalle

Address: Helmut-Kohl-Allee 4, 53113 Bonn, Germany
Hours: 10AM–7PM/Monday: Closed

The next attraction that is also very attractive to visitors in Bonn is the Bundeskunsthalle art gallery. This gallery was opened in 1992 and currently displays a lot of valuable art collections not only from Germany but from many different countries around the world.

The Bundes Kunsthalle Art Gallery is a popular attraction in Bonn. This gallery was opened in 1992 and is currently hosting a wide variety of exhibitions on art, culture, science, technology and the environment of value not only from Germany but also from many other countries. different countries in the world.

Bonn Minster

Address: Gerhard-von-Are-Straße 5, 53111 Bonn, Germany
Hours: 7:30AM–7PM/Saturday: 8:30AM–7PM, Sunday: 11AM–7PM

This is one of the most famous and ancient churches in Bonn. Bonn Minster is the oldest Roman Catholic church in the city, built between the 11th and 13th centuries. This structure was originally a Roman temple, then a temple to the martyrs Cassius and Florentius.

Interestingly, in front of the church there are two granite statues of Cassius and Florentius, two legendary Roman warriors, who died of persecution by Christians in the 3rd century.

Beethoven’s House

Address: Bonngasse 22-24, 53111 Bonn, Germany
Hours: 10AM–6PM/Tuesday: Closed

Traveling to Bonn without visiting the house of the famous composer Beethoven is a complete mistake. This is a small house, established in 1889, 3 floors and built in the shape of an L. The house is still preserving and displaying sculptures, paintings, letters, documents, musical instruments, the image of the composer Beethoven when he was alive. The house of the Beethoven family has been around for nearly 300 years but still retains its ancient features and is still being preserved to serve hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.

Town Hall

Around the Market Square are many picturesque, cafes, restaurants and shops. This place is the perfect combination of sightseeing and shopping place. The old town hall is a famous attraction here. This building is designed in Rococo architecture, inside are the offices and rooms of the Mayor.

Museum Koenig

Address: Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany
Hours: 10AM–6PM/Monday: Closed

The museum’s full name is Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, this is the largest natural history museum in the world. The museum was opened in 1934, keeping and preserving the ecosystems of wildlife as impressive as the rainforest, the African Savannah, and so on.

Phantasialand Theme Park

Address: Berggeiststraße 31-41, 50321 Brühl, Germany
Hours: 9AM–6PM

Phantasialand theme park located in Bruhl town is a paradise for children and adults alike. Phantasialand is in the top 15 theme parks that are loved and attract many tourists to visit in Europe. Coming here, you will have the opportunity to experience the feeling of traveling around the world, to Asia, Africa…

Sterntor

Sterntor was once a medieval gate and wall of an old castle. You can easily find Sterntor from one of the city’s prettiest squares.

Bonnsch

Cologne has Kolsch, Dusseldorf has Alt and Bonn has Bonnsch. Visit the breweries, learn about the brewing process and see the special beer mugs. If you travel to Bonn Germany, you must definitely enjoy a glass of Bonnsch beer with German specialties.

Cherry Blossom Avenue

Not only Japan is famous for its stunning cherry blossoms, if visitors come to Bonn in April, Heerstrasse street in the ancient German city of Bonn is also known as the Cherry Blossom Avenue because of its magnificent scenery.

Kennedy Bridge

Address: Kennedybrücke, 53111 Bonn, Germany

Next to the theater is the Kennedy bridge with a length of 394m that spans the Rhein to the other side of the half city of Bonn. The bridge can be considered a great spot on the days of fireworks and New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Rheinaue Park can be considered a rare ecological population in a modern country like Germany. And this is also the main venue for festivals, fairs and fireworks. Standing from the Rheinaue, visitors can see the old castle atop a small mountain. This is also the place where the politicians used to work and rest.

Drachenburg Castle

Address: Drachenfelsstraße 118, 53639 Königswinter, Germany
Hours: 11AM–6PM

Drachenburg Castle sits atop a hill in Königswinter. The castle was originally built as a private mansion in the 19th century, has undergone tumultuous events and has been renovated many times.

In 1940, the Nazis purchased Drachenburg as a training base for future leaders. Damage from World War II was only partially repaired and the building was nearly demolished in the 1960s. A private investor saved the castle at the last minute and opened it to the public many years later. Today, the castle is considered a tourist magnet and hosts many exhibitions and Christmas markets in the winter.

Flohmarkt

Address: Address: Siemensstraße 25, 53121 Bonn, Germany
Hours: Saturday: 7AM–2PM

Every third Saturday of the month, the Flohmarkt (Germany’s largest antique and second-hand market) opens. The market stretches for many kilometers along the paths of Rheinaue Park. There, people sell and buy with the funny joke “People who are bored sell to people in need”. The goods here are really high and low, from paintings, works of art, rare, precious and expensive antique items to ordinary objects and even things that do not know how to use… for what!

Bonn blog: What to eat?

The city of Bonn has many traditional German dishes for you to enjoy such as: Bavarian white sausage (Weisswurst), Schweinshaxe (German Pork Knuckle) with pickled cabbage, Meatballs (Frikadelle)… Come to Bonn, taste a unique local red wine called Dragon’s Blood. This wine has its own distinct flavor and is produced in the mountains.

A few restaurants serving delicious, quality food at cheap prices in Bonn you can visit such as: Taj India Restaurant, Mandu, Burrito Rico, Kooki Asian Kitchen, Da Sasa, Frittebud,…

Bonn travel blog: Where to stay?

Below we recommend more best budget, mid-range and upscale hotels with good ratings and reviews you can refer to.

• Kameha Grand (Agoda, Booking)
• IntercityHotel Bonn (Agoda, Booking)
• Boutiquehotel Dreesen – Villa Godesberg (Agoda, Booking)
• Hilton Bonn Hotel (Agoda, Booking)
• Bonn Marriott Hotel (Agoda, Booking)
• AMERON Bonn Hotel Konigshof (Agoda, Booking)
• Mercure Hotel Bonn Hardtberg (Agoda, Booking)
• SternHotel Bonn (Agoda, Booking)

Check out more top and best hotels in Bonn via Agoda.com or Booking.com

Bonn guide: Some useful tips before you go

• For the convenience of traveling to Bonn, you should buy guide booklets at tourist offices in the city. The Bonn Regio Welcome Card is pretty cheap. The card will guide you in detail about buses, trains around the city, museums, attractions of Bonn and services such as sauna, massage…
• Most people only know German, so if you get lost, it will be difficult for you to ask for directions. In such a case, you should find students because they know English and can help you. Remember to bring your hotel business card with you.
• The euro is widely used in Bonn. The ATM system in the city works very well. Anyone can exchange or withdraw money conveniently and quickly. Almost all shops accept credit cards.
• Germans respect traffic laws, so even if you walk, you have to wait for a red light when crossing the street.

Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in, from and to Berlin you can refer to

• Berlin Welcome Card with Optional Museum Island Pass
• Discover Berlin Half Day Walking Tour
• Potsdam Half Day Tour from Berlin
• East Berlin Half Day Walking Tour
• Berlin Friedrichstadt-Palast: Vivid Grand Show Ticket in Berlin
• LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Ticket in Berlin
• Berlin Red Buses Hop On Hop Off Sightseeing Bus
• Berlin Big Bus Hop-On Hop-Off Tours (Open-Top)
• 4G WiFi (SG Delivery) for Europe
• 3G/4G SIM Card for Multiple European Countries (HK Airport Pick Up)
• 4G Portable WiFi for Europe from Uroaming
• Bonn: 1.5-Hour River Cruise on the Rhine
• Bonn Regio WelcomeCard with Guidebook

Are you looking for more top things to do in Berlin: Tours, activities, attractions and other things? Let’s check it out here. And guide to Hamburg, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Postdam, Bremen and Germany.