Bonn is the former capital of West Germany (1948-1991). The Bethoveen House, the botanical garden at Poppelsdorf Castle and the architecturally stunning Bundeskunsthalle museum are good reasons to visit the city.
You leave the banks of the Rhine at Mehlem and climb towards the Eifel massif. A little before Meckenheim, the town of a thousand apple trees, you pass Gudenau Castle surrounded by its wide moat, and at Rheinbach, you enjoy its pretty little historic centre with its traditional half-timbered houses.