Cologne
Cologne’s geographical and spiritual heart – and its single-biggest tourist draw – is the magnificent Kölner Dom. With its soaring twin spires, this is…
Must-see attractions in Cologne & Northern Rhineland
Aachen
It’s impossible to overestimate the significance of Aachen’s magnificent cathedral. The burial place of Charlemagne, it’s where more than 30 German kings…
Cologne & Northern Rhineland
Serenely tucked within beautiful Eifel countryside, Abteikirche Maria Laach is one of the finest examples of a Romanesque church in Germany. Part of a 900…
The Ruhrgebiet
The former coal-wash plant at the Unesco-listed Zeche Zollverein provides a suitably atmospheric setting for accessible and engaging exhibits on the…
The Ruhrgebiet
A key site along the Ruhr area's Industrial Heritage Trail, the former Zollverein coal mine was a marvel of efficiency while in operation from 1932 until…
Cologne & Northern Rhineland
The Roman Colonia Ulpia Traiana has been reborn as an archaeological park, an open-air museum that features faithfully reconstructed buildings to help…
Cologne & Northern Rhineland
Osnabrück-born Jewish painter Felix Nussbaum (1904–44), who emigrated to Belgium and was murdered at Auschwitz, hauntingly documented life, exile,…
Cologne
Sculptures and ruins displayed outside the entrance are merely the overture to a full symphony of Roman artefacts found along the Rhine. Highlights…
The Ruhrgebiet
A grand dame among Germany’s art repositories, the Museum Folkwang has sparkling digs designed by top British architect David Chipperfield. Galleries…
Düsseldorf
A stately 19th-century parliament building forms a fabulously dichotomous setting for the cutting-edge art of the K21 – a collection only showcasing works…
Aachen
Aachen's cathedral treasury is a veritable mother lode of gold, silver and jewels. Of particular importance are the silver-and-gold bust of Charlemagne…
Düsseldorf
A collection that spans the arc of 20th-century artistic vision gives the K20 an enviable edge in the art world. It encompasses major works by Picasso,…
The Ruhrgebiet
Molten iron used to flow 24/7 from the fiery furnaces of this decommissioned ironworks that is now an urban oasis, performance space and all-ages…
LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur
Münster
After a harmonious fusion of the 1908 neo-Renaissance original with an airy postmodern wing, Münster's main museum for art and culture now has the proper…
Cologne & Northern Rhineland
The favourite palace of archbishop and prince-elector Clemens August, Schloss Augustusburg is a precious rococo symphony designed by François Cuvilliés…
Ostwestfalen
Close to the train station, this exquisite late-Gothic church is easily recognised by its neo-Gothic twin spires, which are undergoing restoration. One is…
Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud
Cologne
One of Germany's finest art museums, the Wallraf-Richartz presents a primo collection of European art from the 13th to the 19th centuries in a minimalist…
Bonn
Star composer Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770 in this rather humble townhouse, where today original scores, letters, paintings and instruments,…
Bonn
The Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland presents a smart, fun romp through recent German history, starting from the end of WWII. Walk…
Cologne & Northern Rhineland
For a deeper understanding of the Roman presence in the region and the ruins in the adjacent Archaeological Park, the engaging RömerMuseum is a must. In a…
Cologne & Northern Rhineland
Dating from the 13th century, St Nikolaikirche is famous for its nine masterful altars chiselled by members of the Kalkar woodcarving school. Top billing…
Dortmund
This vast shrine to the nation's passion and obsession is a place of pilgrimage not only for German football fans. Inside a futuristic building next to…
Dortmund
The 4th and 5th floors of the Dortmunder U creative complex are home to the Museum am Ostwall, an art-world star thanks to its far-reaching collection of…
Ostwestfalen
In the 1960s, archaeologists stumbled upon remnants of the Carolingian palace where Charlemagne met with Pope Leo III, as well as the much better…
Cologne & Northern Rhineland
The quintessential medieval moated castle, Burg Vischering is Westphalia’s oldest (1271), and the kind that conjures romantic images of knights and…
Düsseldorf
About 10km south of the city centre, Schloss Benrath is a park-and-palace ensemble where elector Carl Theodor, a man of deep pockets and good taste, came…
Dokumentationsstätte Regierungsbunker
Cologne & Northern Rhineland
During the Cold War, there was no vast top-secret bunker complex bored into the Ahr Valley hillside – at least not officially. Now, however, you can see…
Cologne
A mecca of modern art, Museum Ludwig presents a tantalising mix of works from all major genres. Fans of German expressionism (Beckmann, Dix, Kirchner)…
Cologne & Northern Rhineland
A short stroll from the palaces is the Max Ernst Museum, where nine rooms trace all creative phases of the Brühl-born Dadaist and surrealist (1891–1976)…
Cologne
Reliquaries, robes, sculptures and liturgical objects are handsomely presented in medieval vaulted rooms below the main floor of the Dom. Standouts…
Bonn
Beyond its dramatic foyer, the Kunstmuseum Bonn presents 20th-century works, especially by August Macke and other Rhenish expressionists, as well as such…
Bonn
Adjoining the Kunstmuseum Bonn, the Bundeskunsthalle (Federal Art Hall) is another striking space that brings in blockbuster exhibits from around the…
Bonn
Did you know that the airbag and MP3 technology were invented in Germany? You will, after visiting the Deutsches Museum Bonn. This pint-size subsidiary of…
Bonn
The 12th-century Doppelkirche Schwarzrheindorf is a magnificent ‘double church’ where the nobility would sit on the upper level and peek down on the…
Bonn
The Museum Koenig is a natural history museum but it’s hardly your usual dead-animal zoo. The ‘Savannah’ exhibit re-creates an entire habitat with…
Bonn
The expressionist painter August Macke (1887–1914) lived and worked in this house in the three years before his untimely death on the battlefields in WWI…
Münster
The two massive towers of Münster’s cathedral match the proportions of this 110m-long structure and the vast square it overlooks. It’s a three-nave…
Cologne & Northern Rhineland
In the middle of the serene Eifel National Park looms a hulking modern castle with a dark history. Ordensburg Vogelsang was built by the Nazis as a party…
Varusschlacht Museum & Park Kalkriese
Cologne & Northern Rhineland
You don't need to be a history buff (or even a fan of Russell Crowe in Gladiator) to come to this museum and park, although by the time you leave you'll…
Cologne & Northern Rhineland
Wild cats, beavers, kingfishers, bats and owls are just some of the critters you might spot in Eifel National Park, about 20km east of the border with…
