Things to do in and around Bonn Tips for the long Whitsun weekend with nice weather
Bonn/Region · Traditionally, Rhinelanders are drawn to the North Sea coast for a little getaway on Whitsun weekend. But for those who prefer to spend the long weekend at home, there are many things you can do outdoors in and around Bonn.
Over the long Whitsun weekend, many people travel for a short getaway. The most popular destinations are the North Sea coasts in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. As an alternative, we offer an overview of what to do in the Rhineland when the weather is nice:
Bicycle tours
Apple route: The apple route through the Rhine-Sieg district on the left bank of the Rhine entices cyclists with a stretch of 124 kilometers. It goes through orchards and vegetable fields. There are also shorter routes off to the side of the main one, going to the local communities and providing variety.
Kottenforst: On the bike tour through the Kottenforst there is a lot of nature to marvel at and history to learn. The forest area at the gates of Bonn can be explored in a relaxed way.
Wasserburg route: “Wasserburg” means moated castle and on this route you will see fascinating buildings, nature and a lot of history on stage 1a of this route through the Voreifel. Towers, curved domes and battlements take your mind back in time.
Hiking
Nature Region Sieg: The long-distance hiking trails "Natursteig Sieg" and the circular trail "Erlebniswege Sieg" offer hikers various opportunities to explore nature. Of particular interest to children are the photo safari on the wild meadow trail, the children's adventure trail on the Keltersberg, Melli's bee nature trail, the forest nature trail, the artists' trail and the Blankenberg children's adventure trail. More can be found at naturregion-sieg.de.
Siebengebirge: 327 kilometers of hiking trails from the Erpeler Ley to the Ennert and the famous "Beethovenwanderweg": There are many tours to discover in the hiking guide of Tourismus Siebengebirge GmbH: https://www.siebengebirge.com/index.php/wandern-radfahren
Ahr: Large parts were flooded during the 2021 flood disaster, so some hiking trails are still closed. However, numerous hiking tours are open again or have remained open, as Ahr-Tourism informs on its website. The Ahr-Tourism points out that parking spaces are only available to a limited extent on the hiking trails and public transport can be used. In addition, a few paths may still have obstructions. In addition to tours that connect two places, there are also numerous circular routes in the Ahr Valley: including, for example, the red wine hiking trail.
Experience animals in wildlife parks
“Wald-Wildpark” Rolandseck: Various native, large wild animal species such as mouflon, fallow deer or wild boar live in the Wald- und Wildpark (Forest and wild animal park) Rolandseck. Scottish Highland cattle, domestic donkeys, goats, ponies and rabbits can also be found here. More can be found at wildpark-rolandseck.de.
Brück Game Park: The Brück Game Park is located on the edge of Cologne's Königforst forest. Visitors can marvel at deer, stags and wild boars here and also feed them. Vending machines provide the right food for the wild animals, which can be purchased for one euro.
“Hochwildpark” Rheinland: The Hochwildpark Rheinland is located in the Eifel. It is home to more than 300 animals on an area of 80 hectares. The park can now be explored using an app that can be downloaded to a smartphone free of charge. More can be found at hochwildpark-rheinland.de.
Boat tours
From Bonn you can regularly travel on the Rhine to Cologne, Remagen or Linz. The timetable and tickets are available here: https://www.bonnschiff.de/en/linienfahrten (in English)
The “Bonner Personenschifffahrt” also offers various theme trips: Next Friday and Saturday, "Beethoven's Round Trip to Königswinter" departs from the Alter Zoll (Old Customs). The fare includes a coffee time. Theme tours | Bonner Personen Schiffahrt (in English)
A getaway to the water
Villeseen: Another popular place to go is the Villeseen lakes. These are spread out near Cologne and require a slightly longer drive from Bonn. But swimming is often allowed in the larger lakes of this group, and they offer great beaches and recreational opportunities. For example, the Bleibtreusee, the Heider Bergsee, the Liblarer See and the Otto-Maigler-See are recommended. (“See” is the German word for lake).
Rurtalsperre: Germany's second largest reservoir is located in the district of Düren. The Rurtalsperre (“Sperre” is reservoir) is located in the northern Eifel and offers a beautiful recreational opportunity with many hiking trails, boat rentals and villages on the shore. The Eifel National Park and the Hohes Venn-Eifel Nature Park complete the offer for exciting discoveries.
Wahnbachtalsperre: The Wahnbachtalsperre is not only the big drinking water reservoir of the region, but also offers numerous opportunities for hiking and stopping for a bite to eat.
Orig. text: Sebastian Knauth; Translation: ck
