(15 Bertha von Suttner Platz, Bonn. Tel. ) Healthy, oriental fast-food. Give this Asian-style joint a try for quick, cheap, fresh and delicious dishes.

  (10 Von-Sandt-Platz, Cologne. Tel. 0221 241 136) This Soviet-style restaurant serves a selection of East European specialities and an extensive vodka menu. Its warm, retro interior will take you back to the days of Glasnost.

  (Kaiser Karl Hotel, 56 Vorgebirgsstrasse, Bonn. Tel. 0228 985 570) Situated in one of Bonn’s finest hotels, this corner bistro is cosy and intimate, serving some of the very finest French cuisine.

  (52 Komödienstrasse, Cologne. Tel. 0221 922 7652) One of Cologne’s best French restaurants: the food, service and atmosphere never fail to create a first-class dining experience.

  (62 Friesenstrasse, Cologne. Tel. 0221 133 898) A dark and rather kitsch bar, but out the back you’ll find The Lovers Club which, with its retractable roof, is the perfect evening hang-out.

  (16 Kreuzstrasse, Bonn-Beuel. Tel. 0228 421 310) There’s something for every taste at the Brotfabrik, including jazz, pop, classical and world music, as well as theatre, cinema and dance.

  (3 Breite Strasse, Bonn. Tel. 0228 657 162) For a taste of the land Down Under in Germany, pop along to Billa-Bonn and enjoy a beer with some laid-back Aussies.

For something a little different, visit the Schauplatz, where owner Reiner Kutscheidt has brought together some of the best young designers in the city to showcase their fashion accessories, from bags to hats, jewellery to scarves (6 Engelbertstrasse, Cologne).

If you’re lucky with the weather, there's no better place to go for a fantastic view of the city skyline than Sandburg, a beach bar on the other side of the river on Hafenstrasse. Enjoy a cocktail surrounded by palm trees.

Beautiful Poppelsdorf is a district full of lovely art-nouveau buildings. After walking around the castle and botanical gardens, you’ll find plenty of cafés, restaurants and pubs where you can stop for a rest.

The river bursts into a fiery, fireworks display with more 2,000 Bengal Lights on 5 May. This annual event runs along the stretch of river from Linz to the Lorelay.

 – The city of Wuppertal is made up of a number of smaller towns that were joined together in 1929. The main attraction is the Schwebebahn—or Floating Railway—a train suspended under a track, which runs along the river. It transports about 50,000 passengers a day. Noisy, old and great fun.

Bonn's most popular Archbishop-Elector, Clemens August, was a man as charming as he was dim: he built many castles and finally danced himself to death. In the 18th century he held the most glittering court in West Germany and received many famous guests, including Casanova—who paid court to the ladies-in-waiting in Bonn before moving on to Cologne, where he seduced a famous major's wife.