The Löwenburg was a hilltop castle on the Middle Rhine, which was probably built around 1200 by the Count of Sayn. Since the 16th century, the complex with its high castle and outer bailey has been falling into ever greater disrepair. Today, only the foundations of the castle remain. The cistern in the castle courtyard and two side walls of the former keep of the high castle have been preserved. There are numerous hiking trails leading to the ruins of the Löwenburg from Rhöndorf, Bad Honnef and the Siebengebirge. An overview of the hiking trails can be found here.

Further information on the Löwenburg ruins

A basalt rock juts out a few kilometres north of the mouth of the Ahr near Erpel on the Rhine: the Erpeler Ley. The rock of the volcanic ruin is in some places shaped like a fan. In good weather, the Erpeler Ley offers a sweeping view that stretches from the Siebengebirge over Unkel and Remagen to the mouth of the Ahr, Linz and the Eifel. The plateau can be reached by car along an asphalted road, but hiking trails also lead there.

More information about the Erpeler Ley and hiking trails can be found here. How to get to the Erpeler Ley is described here.

Two lakes, large lawns for sunbathing, playgrounds and much more are on offer at Rheinbach Leisure Park. The approximately 15-hectare recreational landscape offers playgrounds for children as well as sports fields for young people: Courts for basketball, volleyball and boules as well as a skateboard facility encourage sporting activities. You only have to pay to play mini-golf or rent barbecue areas in the leisure park. The park café is open from April to the end of October.

Further information is available at https://www.rheinbach.de/.

Bonn residents do not have far to go to do outdoor sports. Under the title "Sport in the Park", free sports courses are on offer from 2 May to 15 September. At seven locations, you can get fit with yoga, Tai Chi, Zumba or aqua fitness. The offers are free of charge and you don’t have to register. You only have to pay an entrance fee for one of the aqua fitness courses that take place in Bonn's swimming pools.

In 2020, the first Bonn sports box was set up at the Opera House, and now there is also one at the Post Tower. The box, which can be booked and opened free of charge using an app, contains plenty of material for outdoor training: skipping ropes, kettlebells, yoga mats and speedminton sets invite you to exercise in the fresh air.

More information on Sport in the Park the Sportboxes

If you're not averse to a longer hike, you should check out the Drachenfels. The "Eselsweg" and the "Kutschweg" lead to the Drachenfelsplateau, from where you can climb the ruins of Drachenfels Castle. Hiking is the only free activity; visitors have to pay 12 euros for two rides on the Drachenfels cable car.

More information at www.der-drachenfels.de

Where: If you come by car, you should park at the "Drachenbrücke" car park and take the signposted path to the valley station of the cog railway. From there, you can get to the mountain on foot or with the Drachenfelsbahn. If you take public transport, take the train to the station "Bahnhof Königswinter".

The Skulpturenufer Remagen stretches 14 kilometres from Rolandswerth to the town of Remagen. Fourteen art objects stand on the banks of the Rhine. The project was developed together with the Arp Museum Bahnhof Rolandseck to mark the 2000th anniversary of the town of Remagen.

Further information on the Skulpturenufer

Visitors who come to see the sculptures should also make a stop at the "Secret Gardens Rolandswerth". They are part of the Skulpturenufer Remagen and emerged from the once stately park of Villa Hentzen. The seemingly overgrown grounds are located on the corner of Parkstraße and Weingärtenstraße between Bundesstraße 9 and the Rhine.

Further information on the Secret Gardens Rolandswerth

The plateau of the Godesburg in Bad Godesberg is also worth a visit. The view from the plateau is free, as is a visit to the castle cemetery and St Michael's Chapel, which is 60 metres from the keep of Godesburg Castle, which was built in 1210.

The chapel dedicated to St Michael was built here as early as the 13th century. In the 16th century, however, it was largely destroyed and only rebuilt around 1660.

The castle cemetery is located on the western slope of the Godesburg hill, along the streets Am Burgfriedhof and Auf dem Godesberg. In the 19th century, the cemetery was built on the side of an already existing Jewish cemetery. In 1910, the burial ground was extended for the last time.

Further information about the Godesburg can be found here.

From the city to the forest - it's easy when you visit the Waldau in the Venusberg suburb. The recreation area in the northern part of the Kottenforest offers pure nature. The wild animal enclosure is home to wild boars and deer, which are admired by young and old alike. The "path of biodiversity" leads through the city forest. The 2.3-kilometre-long trail has nine activity stations and 15 boards that provide fascinating information on nature and biodiversity. On a barefoot path you can also explore nature with your feet.

More information is available here.

If you want to get to grips with the city of Bonn and Germany's political history, you can take the "Weg der Demokratie" (Democracy Trail). The walk begins at the Haus der Geschichte (House of History). It takes about 100 minutes and leads past stations in Bonn that have a connection with the theme of democracy. Text panels refer to the former political significance of historical buildings.

Further information on the tour here

Since its completion for the Bundesgartenschau (Federal Horticultural Show) in 1979, the Rheinaue Recreation Park has become the local recreation area of the people of Bonn. In good weather, you can relax on the lawns here and sit by lakes or on the Rhine. The leisure park covers an area of 160 hectares. There are barbecue spots in many places that can be used for free. In spring and summer, various events such as the concerts on the KunstRasen and the Rheinauen flea market attract visitors to the local recreation area.

Further information is available here.

The Haus der Geschichte (House of History) on Bonn's Museum Mile takes visitors on a journey through German history since 1945. The permanent exhibition covers the post-war years, the new beginnings and the division of Germany, the development of West Germany and the GDR, and the consequences of reunification. The permanent and temporary exhibitions are free. The exhibitions "#DeutschlandDigital" and "Schattenseiten der Digitalisierung" (the negative side of digitalisation) runs until spring 2024.

In addition to the Haus der Geschichte, there are nine other museums in Bonn that are free. These include the Waldinformationszentrum (Forest Information Centre) at the Haus der Natur (House of Nature), the Schumannhaus and the Rheinische Malermuseum (Rhineland Painters' Museum) in Bonn.

More information on the Haus der Geschichte can be found at www.hdg.de and an overview of museums that do not charge admission can be found here.

Where: Museumsmeile, Willy-Brandt-Allee 14, 53113 Bonn.

Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Planetenlehrpfad in Bonn is particularly interesting for astronomy fans. It represents a model of our solar system and was created by the comprehensive schoolteacher Till Habel-Thomé and his students. Spanning 5946 metres, the Planetary Learning Path reproduces the solar system to scale 1:1 billion. The starting point is an installation of the sun below the Old Waterworks. The path leads along the Rhine, and there are many benches along the way where you can take a rest.

Further information on the Planetary Learning Path Bonn here.

If you like it sporty, we recommend a bicycle tour through the Siebengebirge. Several hundred metres of altitude can be climbed here on a mountain bike. It's worth the effort, because the seven summits reward you with a wonderful view of the romantic Rhine valley and the surrounding landscape. The Stenzelberg off the Rhine is particularly scenic with its weathered and overgrown rock.

Further information is available here.

A warm welcome and God's blessing can be found on the Martinsweg on the Middle Rhine. This pilgrimage trail is comparatively short, with 10 stages covering around 40 kilometres. It links the Catholic parish church of St. Martin in the Neuwied district of Engers and the Catholic church of St. Martin in Linz am Rhein. It is up to each person to determine the length and duration of the sections.

Walkers can reach the start and finish of their stages by public transport. Families with children, pilgrims with a walker or wheelchair, the slow and the less able also find their way along the path with moderate gradients. Steeper climbs of the Rheinsteig and further detours to more difficult sections to the pilgrimage route are possible. The trail is not signposted, detailed maps are available on the Martinsweg homepage. Vineyards, wineries and restaurants in the villages offer plenty of variety.

Further information is available here.

The city of Linz offers the perfect mix of history, sporting activity and a dose of art. Strolling through the romantic alleys of the old town, visitors can let themselves be transported into the history of the Rhineland. Visitors can take their first hiking steps on the well-known Rheinsteig trail. This ends at St. Martin's Church. In addition to the architectural features of the church, the murals dating from around 1230 are an eye-catcher. With a walk through the old churchyard, now Tilmann-Joel Park, with its grave slabs and old tombs, you can return to the town and its culinary delights, or tackle the climb up the Kaiserberg, Linz's local mountain, to end the day with a distant view over the Rhine and Ahr valleys.

Further information on the Rheinsteig

This is a list of free excursion destinations that does not claim to be complete or to follow objective criteria. It is also not a ranking. The order is arbitrary. Is a place missing from the list? Send us your suggestions by e-mail to online@ga.de.