Overlooking the triangular Markt square, the rococo Altes Rathaus absolutely glistens with silver and gold trim. Politicians from Charles de Gaulle to John F Kennedy have waved to the crowds from its double-sided staircase.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
15.6 MILES
Cologne’s geographical and spiritual heart – and its single-biggest tourist draw – is the magnificent Kölner Dom. With its soaring twin spires, this is…
23.92 MILES
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…
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15.54 MILES
Sculptures and ruins displayed outside the entrance are merely the overture to a full symphony of Roman artefacts found along the Rhine. Highlights…
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10.7 MILES
The favourite palace of archbishop and prince-elector Clemens August, Schloss Augustusburg is a precious rococo symphony designed by François Cuvilliés…
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Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud
15.35 MILES
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…
0.14 MILES
Star composer Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770 in this rather humble townhouse, where today original scores, letters, paintings and instruments,…
1.41 MILES
The Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland presents a smart, fun romp through recent German history, starting from the end of WWII. Walk…
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Dokumentationsstätte Regierungsbunker
13.43 MILES
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…
Nearby Bonn attractions
0.1 MILES
The palatial 1705 Kurfürstliche Residenz was once the immodest home of the prince-electors of Cologne and has been part of Bonn’s university since 1818…
0.14 MILES
Star composer Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770 in this rather humble townhouse, where today original scores, letters, paintings and instruments,…
0.17 MILES
A buttercup-yellow baroque Palais (palace; now the post office) forms a photogenic backdrop for the Beethoven Monument, unveiled in 1845, 75 years after…
0.18 MILES
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…
0.31 MILES
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…
0.49 MILES
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…
0.74 MILES
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…
1.01 MILES
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…