Bonn

The Beethoven-Haus, the Museumsmeile and sunset at the Alter Zoll

A weekend covers Bonn well. Spend Saturday at the Beethoven-Haus on Bonngasse, the Markt and Münsterplatz, then take Stadtbahn 16 or 63 to the Museumsmeile and end at the Alter Zoll for sunset. On Sunday, walk to Poppelsdorf Palace and its botanic garden, then cross to Königswinter for the Drachenfels.

Saturday morning. Be at the Beethoven-Haus on Bonngasse when it opens; the rooms are small and fill by late morning. Walk on to the Markt for the rococo Altes Rathaus and the stalls of the daily market, then to the Münsterplatz, where the bronze Beethoven monument has stood since 1845. Step into the Bonner Münster and its quiet Romanesque cloister.

Afternoon. Cross the Hofgarten lawn in front of the Kurfürstliches Schloss and take Stadtbahn 16 or 63 to the Museumsmeile. Choose one or two: the Haus der Geschichte for post-war Germany, the Bundeskunsthalle for big touring shows, the Kunstmuseum for August Macke and the Rhineland Expressionists. Finish with a walk through the old government quarter past the Langer Eugen tower and down to the river.

Evening. Walk north along the Rhine promenade to the Alter Zoll, an old bastion with cannon and a view of the Siebengebirge, and stay for sunset over the water.

Sunday. Walk the chestnut avenue (Poppelsdorfer Allee) to Poppelsdorf Palace and the university botanic garden behind it. In the afternoon, take line 66 or the ferry from Bad Godesberg to Königswinter for the Drachenfels (see below), or climb the baroque Kreuzbergkirche with its Holy Stairs, built for pilgrims to ascend on their knees.

Bönnsch on tap, Himmel un Ääd and Reibekuchen at the Markt

Bonn eats Rhineland brewhouse food with its own beer, Bönnsch, poured at the Brauhaus Bönnsch near the Sterntor. Order Himmel un Ääd, Rheinischer Sauerbraten or a Halve Hahn cheese roll, and buy Reibekuchen potato fritters on the Markt, where the daily market runs Monday to Saturday. Haribo started here in 1920.

Bonn eats like the rest of the Rhineland: generous, cheap and best with beer. The local brew is Bönnsch, a cloudy top-fermented beer served in curved glasses at the Brauhaus Bönnsch near the Sterntor. Like Kölsch in Cologne, it arrives automatically until you put a beer mat on top of your glass.

Brauhaus menus stick to the classics. Himmel un Ääd (heaven and earth) pairs mashed potato and stewed apple with fried black pudding. Rheinischer Sauerbraten is beef marinated for days and served in a sweet-sour gravy with raisins. A Halve Hahn sounds like half a chicken but is a rye roll with a thick slice of Gouda, mustard and raw onion. On the Markt and at winter fairs you will smell Reibekuchen, crisp potato fritters eaten with apple sauce.

The daily market on the Markt, from Monday to Saturday, is where to buy fruit, Rhine-valley asparagus in spring and flowers. The streets around the Friedensplatz and the Altstadt hold the student-friendly places: Korean snacks at Mandu on Franziskanerstraße, long-running pizzerias and Middle Eastern grills. For cake, Bonn still has old-fashioned cafes around the Markt.

One more local product: Haribo started in Bonn in 1920, its name built from Hans Riegel Bonn, and the company's shop in the centre is a reliable stop with children.

Drachenfels, Rhein in Flammen and Pützchens Markt across the Rhine

The east bank of the Rhine gives Bonn its best day trip and its biggest events. Take Stadtbahn 66 or the Bad Godesberg ferry to Königswinter to climb the Drachenfels or ride its 1883 rack railway. Rhein in Flammen fireworks come in early May, Pützchens Markt in September and Karneval from 11 November.

The east bank changes the view of Bonn. The Siebengebirge, a cluster of old volcanic hills, starts just upriver at Königswinter, reached by Stadtbahn 66 or the ferry from Bad Godesberg. The classic climb is the Drachenfels, where a ruined castle stands above vineyards. Walk up the old donkey path past the neo-Gothic Schloss Drachenburg, or ride the Drachenfelsbahn, a rack railway running since 1883. The summit view runs down the Rhine to Bonn and Cologne Cathedral on clear days.

The calendar is busy. On a Saturday in early May, Rhein in Flammen opens the region's fireworks season: boats sail up from Linz past illuminated banks to a display above the Rheinaue park, and the park fills with crowds and food stalls. In September, Beuel holds Pützchens Markt, one of the largest funfairs in the Rhineland. The Beethovenfest brings orchestras and chamber concerts from late summer into autumn.

Karneval belongs to winter. The season opens on 11 November at 11:11, and the street days run from Weiberfastnacht, when Beuel's washerwomen symbolically storm the town hall, to the big Rosenmontag parade through the centre. The Beuel parties draw the crowds, but suburban parades are calmer and better for collecting sweets.

Climate figures favour the warm half of the year: highs reach 23-24C from June to August, while January sits around 6C.