Königswinter Travel Guide

Königswinter Overview

Königswinter is a town and summer resort in the Rhein-Sieg district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Rhine, opposite to Bonn (Bonn vacation rentals | Bonn travel guide), at the foot of the Siebengebirge.

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 ones.

Things to See in Königswinter

Drachenfels is a mountain in Königswinter where, according to legend, Siegfried slayed the dragon that lived on the mountain. The train to the Drachenfels this railway is the oldest in Germany with a cog wheel. The castle of Drachenburg, built in 1883, is on the north side of the hill.

Unkel is a town several minutes by S-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 has many nice places in the forests and many wonderful views on the Rhine valley.

Heisterbach is a historic ruin of a church inside the forest.

Königswinter has a Roman Catholic (St. Remigius) and an Evangelical church, some small manufactures and a little shipping. It has a monument to the poet Wolfgang Müller.

Near the town are the ruins of the Abbey of Heisterbach.

What to 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 - espacially 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 to 1 and a half 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.

Shopping

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.

Cuisine

You will find small fast food stores which offers french fries, saussages, etc. as well as very good restaurants in here. Most of them can be found in the main street, at the rhine and on the way to the Drachenfels. Italia is An italian restaurant located in the center of town. The hosts are very hospitable, however, they only speak Italian and German.

[ source: Wikipedia ]

The nearest bigger railway stations to Königswinter are in Bonn, Cologne and Siegburg. But Königswinter also has its own railway station. It can by 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 and not via Bonn on the left and that your train stops in Königswinter.

By boat you can reach Königswinter with the tourist boats on the rhine, e.g. the KölnDüsseldorfer. And you can also reach Königswinter by ferry from Bonn Mehlem - but this is not quite useful if you're not living in Bonn.

You can reach Königswinter directly from one of the biggest German motorway, 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 right 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 entering the town signs lead you to parking places.