Königswinter
Königswinter is a town at the Rhine in Germany's North Rhine-Westphalia state between Bonn and Bad Honnef at the Siebengebirge near the Middle Rhine Valley.
Get in
By train
The nearest bigger railway stations to Königswinter are in Bonn, Cologne and Siegburg, but Königswinter also has its own railway station. It can be reached from Cologne by a regional train going to Koblenz. But make sure that your train is travelling on the right side of the Rhine, not via Bonn on the left, and that your train stops in Königswinter.
By Regional-Bahn or Tram
From these stations you have to travel by Regionalbahn, Regional-Express or tram (Stadtbahn). Long distance trains might pass Königswinter without stopping. From Siegburg or Bonn you take the tram 66. Be careful that you do not use the train that is just going up to Ramersdorf.
You need a train going to Königswinter or Bad Honnef. From Cologne you can either take a Regional-Express or S-Bahn to Siegburg or Bonn or get Tram (Stadtbahn) that is directly going to Königswinter. Mostly, these are trains from Cologne to Koblenz but only those on the Rhine's right side. You must look for trains passing Deutz, (the airport of Cologne), Troisdorf and Bonn-Beuel. Trains travelling to Koblenz via Bonn Hbf and Remagen won't bring you here.
By boat
By boat, you can reach Königswinter with the tourist boats on the Rhine and by ferry from Bonn Mehlem, but this is not useful only if you live in Bonn.
By car
You can reach Königswinter directly from one of the biggest German motorways, the A3. Just take the exit "Siebengebirge" and follow the signs over the "Margarethenhöhe". If you are coming from Cologne, you might also use the A 59 to Bonn and Neuwied. This motorway is also the way for you if you are coming from Bonn.
Just cross the Rhine and enter the motorway. Then, you will have to take the exit "Königswinter". After you enter the town, signs lead you to parking places.
Get around
Königswinter consists on the one hand of the "main city" directly in the rhine valley and the suburb of "Dollendorf" and on the other hand of many many bigger and smaller villages in the Siebengebirge, such as Ittenbach, Oberpleis, Stieldorf, Heisterbach or Thomasberg to mention the main one's.
See
- 1 Drachenfels (Dragon's Rock) (Either climb up the steep trail or take the Drachenfels train). 'Drachenfels' is a Magma outcrop in Königswinter where, according to legend, Siegfried slayed the dragon that lived on the mountain. Have a coffee there and enjoy the nice view down to the Rhine valley.
- 2 Train to Drachenfels. Train to the Drachenfels - this railway is the oldest in Germany with a cog wheel. €12 round trip, €10 one-way.
- 3 Schloss Drachenburg. Schloss Drachenburg is sort of a fairytale castle built in the late 19th century. If you climb up to Drachenfels by foot, you can take a rest here and stroll through the park gardens. In the castle you'll find a small exhibition on the castle's history €6.
Outside
- Bad Honnef
- Unkel is a town several minutes by Regional-Bahn from Königswinter. The town is noted for its charm, river boat cruises, and as being home to two German chancellors after World War II.
- Siebengebirge many nice places in the forests and many wonderful views on the Rhine valley.
- Heisterbach historic ruin of a church inside the forest.
Do
Next to visiting the City of Königswinter you might go walking in the "Siebengebirge". In here you'll find much more (and sometimes even nicer) places, than the Drachenfels. A good point to start going through the forests is the "Margarethenhöhe". This can be reached by the bus 520 from Königswinter or by car. You'll find parking places here, but you have to pay for then and - especially in the summer and on weekends - have to search them. From here you can go to the Ölberg, the region's highest mountain, with a nice view on the landscape. (about half an hour) You can also walk to the Löwenburg, an old castle from the middle ages - or what you can still see of it, as it's a ruin. (about 1-1½ hour) Or you can go to the Milchhäuschen, a small restaurant in the forest (about an hour) and further to the Drachenfels (another hour). If you take the bus 521 you can visit Oberdollendorf with small old houses and wine restaurants and you can go to Heisterbach, a ruin of a church inside the forest.
- Rhein in Flammen (Rhine in Flames). Between Linz am Rhein and Bonn.
Buy
Essentially all of the shops are located just east of the Rhine River, on the town's main street. Since there isn't a wide variety of shops, most shops are geared toward locals, however, since Königswinter is a noteworthy town in the Siebengebirge region postcards and other souvenirs are available for purchase.
Eat
You will find small fast food stores which offer french fries, sausages, etc. as well as very good restaurants. Most of them can be found in the main street, at the Rhine and on the way to the Drachenfels.
- Italia. An Italian restaurant located in the center of town. The hosts are very hospitable; however, they only speak Italian and German.
- 1 Milchhäuschen (reachable only by foot). opened only in summer. Wandering through the beautiful Siebengebirge mountains, have a rest in this enjoyable beer garden in the middle of nowhere. They also offer home-made cakes and waffles
- 2 Gasthaus auf dem Ölberg (reachable only by foot). Probably the beer garden with the most panoramic view in the region. Sit on the terrace and enjoy the marvelous view on the Rhine valley and Bonn.
Sleep
- 1 Grandhotel Hotel Petersberg (Steigenberger Königswinter/Bonn), Petersberg, ☏ +49 2223 - 74 0, fax: +49 2223 - 74 443. The Grand Hotel Petersberg is the official guest hotel of the German government. All foreign dignitaries in Germany as guests of the German government stay here. The hotel has been the host of numerous historical conferences. Rooms cost between several hundred to a few thousand Euro.
- Hotel Weinhaus Hoff, Löwenburgstraße 18 + 35, ☏ +49 2224-2342, fax: +49 2224-75 091, hotel.hoff@t-online.de. Check-in: between 08:00-12:00 and 17:00-20:00. Otherwise call and reserve another check in time. Rooms start at €49 for a single up to €114 for an apartment.
- Hotel Haus Bergblick, Gebrüder-Grimm-Straße 11 (several minutes away by S-Bahn in the town of Bad Honnef), ☏ +49 2224 56 01, fax: +49 2224 710 60, info@hotel-haus-bergblick.de.
- Hotel Ölberg, Gustav-Freytag-Straße 1, ☏ +49 2244 - 8 17 27, fax: +49 2244 - 903048. Check-in: M-F 09:00-18:00. If you need to check in after 18:00 or on Saturdays, Sundays, or on holidays you need to make an appointment to do so. Single €37.50, double €45, triple €57.40.
Go next
- Bonn is a half hour Stadt-Bahn ride from Königswinter.
- Cologne is easy to get to by train from Königswinter's train station.
- Bad Honnef
- Middle Rhine Valley
- Unkel
- Linz am Rhein
- Koblenz is easily accessible from Königswinter, however, the ride is a bit long by train.
- Eifel