Cologne or Bonn for 3 days 2 nights?
 

We are arriving Friday in Frankfurt at 11:00AM and would like to go to Cologne by train. We noticed that the train to Bonn is a lot cheaper. Does it make sense to take the train roundtrip to Bonn and then go from there to Cologne by train or bus?

Any recommendation for hotels will be appreciated.

Thanks

Epaulino

I like to save money as much as anyone (according to my husband, even more) but at some point you have to figure your vacation time vs money. These are the questions that I'd be asking myself:
How much cheaper can it be?
Why is it cheaper? Is there a sale?
How much time more time will it take to go to Bonn? Is it a big detour?
If it was significantly cheaper and not that much more time, I might consider it.

Bonn is about 15 minutes away from Cologne. The train may be cheaper because you are looking at the slower train. The ICE goes from Frankfurt to Cologne in 55 min. compared to the slower train that takes 2 hours and 15 min. The ICE is of course more expensive. The slower train will also give you a marvelous view of the Rhein river, something you will not get on the ICE. Check those slower train prices going all the way to Cologne as I cannot imagine it can be much more than going to Bonn, since you could technically get off the train in Bonn and take an S-bahn into Cologne for a few euros.

Fully agree with Mainhattengirl. The station for the fast train (ICE3) is Siegburg/Bonn (other side of the Rhine) and the price difference between going there or Cologne is just a few euros.

I also agree that the train ride with the slow train takes you along one of the most scenic train rides I know along the Rhine and it's worth it if you can travel by day light. The ICE is also fun, going up to 300 km/h. Part of the track is parallel to the highway and the train leaves the cars standing :-)

What are the price differences you see?
Often very good deals are available through www.bahn.de if you book in advance.
I think Cologne has more to offer than Bonn, but both are worth visiting. I really like Aachen, so either way you must visit Aachen, is my advice.

If there is anything interesting in Bonn, I never found it. Yes, I was there on business, but I found Cologne to hold much more. Museums, galleries, the cathedral, etc.

In Bonn, there's Beethoven's house, and the old town, and museums, off the top of my head. Unfortuantely the day I was there, the Arithmeum (mathematics museum) was closed, so I didn't get to see that. Actually I was pressed for time, so I didn't get to see any open museums other than Beethoven's house. Here is a list of Bonn museums:
http://www.germany-tourism.de/ENG/de...adt_museen.htm
Just from a historical point of view, Bonn is interesting, as it was the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany, back when Germany was divided.