Red gold leaves, mellow sunsets, ripe acorns, busy squirrels, and delightfully cool evenings….we celebrated autumn in Bad Honnef. It is a kind of a place, where you go just to relax and apart from the Drachenburg Castle, there is no other attraction around. Unwinding, giving in to nature is extremely easy there and evenings can be enjoyed thoroughly by simply taking long quiet walks. Idyllically situated in the Siebengebirge (a hilly region called the ‘Seven Mountains’), Bad Honnef is conveniently close to the cities of Bonn, Cologne, and Düsseldorf. Considered as one of Germany’s most beautiful tourist regions, the little town is very popular for weekend getaways and it draws many visitors from the neighbouring countries of Holland, Belgium, France, and Luxembourg. Home to a mineral spring called the Drachenquelle (Dragon Spring), the little spa town was built around 1897 and this therapeutic discovery led the wine-growing region to be transformed into a tourist spot. Most visit Bad Honnef for rejuvenation by the Rhine and it is at its prettiest in autumn.

autumn at bad honef is very relaxing

Bad Honnef family time

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Relaxing by the Rhine

We were there just before moving to Egypt from Germany for the next 4 years and Bad Honnef gave us a much deserved intimate family time. The days were spent in quiet lush nature and all around us, the foliage was changing into gorgeous autumn colours. Acorns and golden fallen leaves carpeted the walking tracks in the forests and the last blooming roses scented the air sweet. Dusk fell immediately after the last golden rays of the sun set on the Rhine and our nights were cocooned in cotton wool silence. Luckily, we had sunny days during our entire stay and we took advantage of the autumn warmth by walking along the Rhine. Walking also took off much of the pounds we piled on from our dinners at the fantastic Portuguese restaurant by the river and Akash chased some busy bunnies across the forest floors. Often, the most enjoyable times are spent doing nothing and sadly, with the growing popularity of travel blogging, this has become a rare pleasure. Bad Honnef thankfully gave us that undiluted leisure and we basked in the golden days of autumn, when the world looked coated in a cobbler crust of brown sugar and cinnamon.

Leaves changing colours at bad honnef

Changing fall colours

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Travel tip to Bad Honnef in Germany

Though Bad Honnef also has its own railway station, the bigger railway heads at Bonn, Cologne, and Siegburg offer better connectivity. The little spa town can be easily reached from Cologne by regional train going to Koblenz. However, it makes sense to still check that your train stops at Bad Honnef, since it is not a scheduled stop for all connections. For enjoying autumn to the fullest, move on to Königswinter from Bad Honnef.

Autumn at Bad Honnef

Golden autumn

Bad Honnef is near Bonn

Tranquil days

Bad Honnef is great for recreation

With lunches in the sun

Bad Honnef is on the Rhine

Cool evenings spent by the Rhine.

P.S – This blog post is part of the weekly series called the Cologne Diaries. Every week, Maverickbird will take on a new theme, emotion, and beauty of an expat life in Cologne.

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