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Bonn in February? Really????

I have to go to Bonn in mid February. Right now everything is sort of flexible except i have to be in Budapest on the 5th, 6th and 7th and i will need to be in Bonn for about 3 full days sometime between the 11th and 16th. Don't have firm dates yet. Does anyone have any ideas for frigid things to do while in Germany?

Posted by
2297 posts

Bonn has the headquarter for Haribo :-) you can buy all sorts of gummy bears here, either right at the production site with special deals (usually on packages that have minor defects) or in the one and only Haribo store:

https://www.haribo.com/deDE/shops/haribo-store-bonn.html [Haribo store]
https://www.haribo.com/deDE/shops/fabrikverkauf/bonn.html [production site]

Bonn is also Beethoven's birthplace. If you are interested in music, do visit some of the sites connected to him.
https://bonn.de/tourismus_kultur_sport_freizeit/tourist_information_aktuell/tourismus_und_hotels/sehenswuerdigkeiten/01323/index.html?lang=en

The highlight of the Carnival season is Feb 8/9, with a huge parade in Cologne on the 8th. It is a street festival but people manage to dress up anyways.
http://www.cologne-tourism.com/whats-on/carnival.html

I always like to recommend Berlin for visits in the middle of winter because the museums there are exceptional and keep you warm.

Posted by
17639 posts

I don't really have any options. My presence in Bonn is sort of a mandate. But I will have time to travel within maybe an hour of Bonn each day.

Posted by
12040 posts

It may be warmer than you'd expect in February, so don't think you'll definately need to stay indoors the entire time.

I like the twin wine-spa town of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, which is just to the south. The Ahrweiler section of is walled and fairly well preserved. The entire community sits in a lovely valley surrounded by terraced vineyards... which, of course, will be bare during your visit, unfortunately. Remagen is nearby.

If you have the time, go a little further to the abbey of Maria Lach, which in addition to being very old, played a very important role in modern German history. It was here that future German chancellor Konrad Adenauer took refuge during the NS period, emerging after the war as one of the few prominent pre-war German leaders who was neither compromised nor killed by the Nazi regime.

The town of Andernach is also quite attractive, but I wouldn't bother checking it out unless you're passing through going to or from the more famous sites of the Mittelrhein.

Posted by
19653 posts

La Boheme at Oper Koeln on Feb 13.

PS. In Bayreuth now. FYI, VERY formal!

Posted by
12040 posts

PS. In Bayreuth now

Is the Festival going on right now? Be sure to file a trip report!

Posted by
8934 posts

The best Fasching/Fastnacht parties and parades are in Cologne, Mainz, & Frankfurt. Smaller towns may have them too. Some parades will be on Sat. or Sun. others on Rosen Montag and at the very last on the Tuesday. Be prepared for a lot of drunkenness in Cologne though.

Museums, Theater, Concerts are the things to see and do in Germany in the winter. Come visit Frankfurt, just a hop and a skip away from Bonn.

Posted by
19653 posts

@ Beatrix, Thanks for posting the Haribo info. We will be in Cologne on Tuesday and will be able to head down to the store. We have been combing the Aldis here looking for Haribo Kinder, which apparently have a special tart flavor not available in the US. Wifey very keen to find some.

@ Tom, Will do. I thought it might be a bit esoteric for the forum, but it really is quite amazing here.

Posted by
17639 posts

Beatrix and all. Thank you. Great ideas. Okay, looks like I can get to Cologne by 10:45 am on the 8th (Rose Monday). German Wings has a direct flight from Budapest for $175 round trip. Anyone have anything good to say about German Wings? I will be traveling with Black Tie because of an obligation in Budapest. So maybe someone knows of an appropriate venue in Cologne/Bonn??

Or maybe Ms. Jo has better ideas in Frankfurt. Been there more than a dozen times, but never left the airport.......