Aachen
The Suermondt Ludwig Museum is especially proud of its medieval sculpture but also has fine works by Cranach, Dürer, Macke, Dix and other masters. An…
Must-see attractions in Cologne & Northern Rhineland
Cologne
The most eccentric looking of Cologne's many Romanesque churches, St Gereon grew from a late-Roman chapel into this massive complex lidded by a 10-sided…
Ostwestfalen
Paderborn's most important house of worship is also its smallest. The twee Bartholomäuskapelle was consecrated in 1017 and is considered the oldest hall…
Cologne
If Aalto, Eames and Olivetti are music to your ears, you should swing by the Museum of Applied Arts, which displays a prestigious and extensive collection…
The Ruhrgebiet
This hugely popular museum will remain closed until 2020 while getting a much needed refurb and completely updated permanent exhibition. It's still worth…
Bonn
The landmark Münster Basilica was built on the graves of the two martyred Roman soldiers who later got promoted to be the city’s patron saints. It got its…
Düsseldorf
This early baroque church, built from 1622 to 1629, is drenched in fanciful white stucco. Six baroque saint sculptures from the original altar are…
Cologne
The noise of the city fades to a quiet hum on the viewing platform located at a lofty 103m atop the KölnTriangle office tower on the right Rhine bank…
Cologne & Northern Rhineland
Ahrweiler’s Roman roots spring to life at the Museum Roemervilla on the northwest edge of town. Protected by a lofty glass and wood structure are the…
The Ruhrgebiet
Werden’s main sight is the solid stone St Ludgerus (1175), a beautiful late-Romanesque church named for the Frisian missionary buried here. It has an…
Ring°Werk Motorsport Erlebnismuseum
Cologne & Northern Rhineland
At this indoor theme park at the Nürburgring race car track, you can get misty-eyed over legendary cars, learn about 80 years of racing history, discover…
Historisches Rathaus & Friedenssaal
Münster
Dominating Prinzipalmarkt, Münster's city hall played a key role in ending the calamitous Thirty Years' War when an important sub-treaty of the Peace of…
Ostwestfalen
Petrikirche has Romanesque origins in the 8th century and a choir from Gothic times, all topped by a baroque onion dome. It’s adorned with wall murals and…
Dortmund
The 14th-century Petrikirche's showstopper is the massive Antwerp altar (1520), featuring 633 individually carved and gilded figurines in scenes depicting…
Düsseldorf
A short detour off the Rheinuferpromenade takes you to the Hetjens Museum, famous for its comprehensive survey of 8000 years of ceramic art from around…
Düsseldorf
Young artists – many from the local art academy – get the nod in this underground exhibition space housed in a spectacularly adapted tunnel below the…
Erich Maria Remarque Friedenszentrum
Cologne & Northern Rhineland
The novelist Erich Maria Remarque, whose most famous work All Quiet on the Western Front deals with the horrors of WWI, was born in Osnabrück in 1898…
Düsseldorf
For innovative artistic expression, head to the NRW-Forum Düsseldorf; it primarily deals in cutting-edge media, including digital art, and mounts…
Ostwestfalen
The tiny Nikolaikapelle enjoys mystical simplicity enlivened by a masterful altar painting attributed to 15th-century master Conrad von Soest (who,…
Düsseldorf
Burgplatz marks the northern end of the Rheinuferpromenade, where cafes and benches fill with people in fine weather, creating an almost Mediterranean…
Düsseldorf
When you've had your shopping fill, head on over to the pleasant Hofgarten, dotted with statues of Heinrich Heine, Robert Schumann and other German greats.
Cologne & Northern Rhineland
Westphalian writer Annette von Droste-Hülshoff penned some of her finest work at the petite Haus Rüschhaus, where she lived for 20 years from 1826. Her…
Dortmund
The Zollern II/IV Coal Mine was considered a 'model mine' when operation began in 1902. It boasted state-of-the-art technology and fantastic architecture,…
Cologne & Northern Rhineland
In Havixbeck, about 10km west of Münster, Burg Hülshoff is a red-brick Renaissance chateau and the birthplace of one of Germany’s pre-eminent women of…
Cologne & Northern Rhineland
The Nibelungenlied (Song of the Nibelungs) is an epic medieval poem about love, jealousy, murder and revenge that shot to international stardom in the…
Cologne & Northern Rhineland
The 1913 Nibelungenhalle is a temple-like shrine to the composer Richard Wagner, decorated with scenes from his opera cycle Ring of the Nibelungen. Part…
Cologne
The square in front of Cologne's historical town hall has for years been ripped open as archaeologists unearthed fabulous finds from Roman times and the…
Cologne
Credit for inventing eau de cologne is usually given to Johann Maria Farina and dated to 1709. This private museum in the original factory building takes…
Cologne & Northern Rhineland
The neo-Gothic Schloss Drachenburg looks medieval but was actually built in the 1880s. It houses exhibits on the building's history, the ongoing…
Düsseldorf
Spearing the sky at the southern end of the Rheinuferpromenade, the Rheinturm, which is brilliantly lit at night, and has an observation deck at the 164m…
The Ruhrgebiet
The grand Alte Synagoge served as the hub of Essen's Jewish community between 1913 and 1938 and miraculously survived WWII largely intact. A memorial site…
Deutsches Sport & Olympia Museum
Cologne
In a 19th-century customs building, this museum is an imaginative Germany-focused tribute to the sporting life from antiquity to today. There are exhibits…
Bonn
If memories of math class give you nightmares, this museum may not be for you. If they don't, you may well find this expansive collection of mechanical…
Aachen
It's worth finding a comfy spot in which to sit and contemplate this deeply historic square. At the north end is the backside of the Rathaus; across from…
Münster
The Erbdrostenhof is a lavish mansion commissioned by a local baron and designed by Johann Conrad Schlaun (1695–1773), a master of the Westphalian baroque…
Bonn
The LandesMuseum charts the cultural history of the region back to the days of the Neanderthals. Each of the seven themed galleries brims with fascinating…
Siegerlandmuseum im Oberen Schloss
Cologne & Northern Rhineland
From Markt, Burgstrasse slopes up to the Oberes Schloss, a classic medieval fortress and the ancestral home of the rulers of Nassau-Oranien. Its labyrinth…
Dortmund
Dortmund is not only famous for its football team but also has a long tradition of beer-making. This museum is in the machine and production halls of the…
Cologne
Dating to the 15th century and much restored, the old city hall has fine bells that ring daily at noon and 5pm. The Gothic tower is festooned with statues…
Cologne & Northern Rhineland
This museum in the 1000-year-old abbey near the Dom brims with church treasures going back as far as the 5th century, including sculptures and paintings,…
