Germany Bonn

Settled on the banks of the Rhine, Bonn was West Germany’s temporary capital until the country reunited in 1991 and the government centralized itself in Berlin. The city’s stint as capital did much to expand its culture and diversity, and that growth can still be seen in Bonn today. There are so many top-rated museums here, like Museum Koenig, the Arithmeum, and Deutsches Museum Bonn. Visit the beautiful Bonn Minster, one of Germany’s oldest churches with giant statues of the heads of saints just outside the front doors.

Bonn is the birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven, and the city proudly honors the great composer with a statue in the Münsterplatz. Visitors can also see Beethoven’s birthplace at Beethoven House, a museum dedicated to his memory. For an outdoor adventure, take a ferry down the Rhine to the Drachenfels (Dragon’s Rock), a small mountain containing the remains of a ruined castle, for a great view over the river and the center of Bonn.