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Dusseldorf vs Konigswinter as a day trip from Cologne in June

As I have done more reading, I now feel like I have allocated too much time for Cologne and feel the need to do a day trip (I can no longer change my train tickets so sticking with it). Which of the 2 is recommended? This will be in June

Thanks.

Posted by
2777 posts

We visited Cologne for 3 nights in the winter for the Christmas markets, which were fabulous. It wouldn’t be my choice along the Rhine for general sightseeing. The city was heavily bombed, and not much old-world charm remains, except the cathedral. The city is modern and bustling. Aachen would be an easy day trip to a smaller town with more charm.

I much prefer the area from Koblenz to Bacharach in the summer. Boppard is a great base. Tons of charming towns along the Rhine, tons of castles. I would not allow train tickets to dictate where you spend your time, given the significant investment in getting there.

Posted by
8331 posts

June 1, 2025 will be the monthly "Fishmarket" along the Rhine in Dusseldorf. Trust me, wine, beer, sausages and Oma's Quarkbollen are more important than fish! I really enjoyed one, some years ago.

https://www.rheinlust.de/veranstaltungen-2/dusseldorf/

Dusseldorf is particularly a place to see modern and contemporary art, especially because of the world-influencing Kunstakademie Dusseldorf. But there is at least one nice museum of ... dead artists there. And an incredible number of brewery restaurants. It's a long U-Bahn ride, but I enjoyed the large Botanical Garden.

I presume you considered Monschau and Wuppertal as well.

Posted by
764 posts

I don't think you can compare them at all. A larger city vs. a smaller, cozy one. I would probably take the boat from Cologne to Koenigswinter. Duesseldorf is worth a trip in itself, as there's so much to see and do.

Posted by
10990 posts

I spent a week in Unkel with my cousins who live in Cologne. One day we took a KD boat from Unkel to Konigswinter, and from there we went up to Drachenfels. We returned to Unkel by train. It was a very nice day. Dusseldorf is much larger, so I guess it depends on what you’re looking for.