Bonn to Bochum train

Located on the banks of the Rhine river, Bonn is known for being the birthplace of the legendary composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The city was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990, before the German Reunification moved the capital back to Berlin. Bonn is full of cultural landmarks and architectural marvels in line with its rich history and traditions.

The Old City Hall of Bonn is an architectural marvel with lavish Rococo style. The square in front of the building, Marktplatz, is the site of a local outdoor market with stalls selling fresh produce, bread, and other delicacies. Several restaurants and bars surround the plaza, so you can grab an outdoor table to people-watch in the center of Bonn.

The historical sights in Bonn are nearly endless, but you definitely shouldn't miss Drachenburg Castle, Catedral de Bonn, and Poppelsdorf Palace; the latter includes botanical gardens and a mineralogical museum! Or engage with more recent history at the Kunstmuseum Bonn, a modernist art museum focused on post-war German art.

Bonn shares an airport with its neighbor to the north, Cologne. Buses connect travelers from the city to the airport, but you can also take a bus to your next destination in Germany, or even farther. For example, FlixBus and Sindbad serve routes to Berlin, Prague, Paris, London, and more. The train network is similarly robust, and Deutsche Bahn provides the bulk of train trips to and from Bonn.

Bochum is a city in the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Region in western Germany. Like many of the cities in the Ruhr Valley, Bochum grew thanks to its industrious history, particularly via coal mining and steel manufacturing facilities.

To learn more about the industries that made Bochum, visit the German Mining Museum, the largest mining museum in the world. It displays the lasting effects mining had on the community, from its social and cultural impact to its economic and ecological consequences. You can't miss the green winding tower rising above the museum; this industrial structure was once part of a coal mine but now offers visitors panoramic views over the Ruhr.

For those who prefer the outdoors to the underground, visit the Ruhr University Bochum Botanical Garden. Opened in 1968, this garden has numerous greenhouses, each housing an impressive display of plants and shrubs from around the world. The Tierpark und Fossilium Bochum is another great outdoor activity, home to almost 4,000 animals and an impressive fossil collection.

Many ICE trains connect Bochum to the rest of Germany and Europe via the city's main railway station. Regional trains also depart and arrive frequently. Book a bus on Sindbad or FlixBus into Bochum for travel by road from various destinations around the continent.