Hi my dearies ! So our second travel tale or much rather 'A Day Trip' is about this beautiful little hilly town near Cologne called "Königswinter". Its the cutest city and summer town I had so far seen. The narrow enigmatic lanes bending into the uncharted and lined with pretty houses which had beautifully dressed facades decked up with flowers, stones, quotes and the years they were made in, makes this a very romantic place.
There are various ways to reach Königswinter. One can drive from Cologne (takes about 35 mins), take one of the trains (also takes about 40-50 mins) or take one of the ferries which keep going up and down the river (may take longer depending on the one you choose). We visited this in mid of September 2013 and chose to take the ferry for our journey to Königswinter since the weather is still not so cold and if you are lucky the sun may shine too. The ferry ride was a pure delight since it was sunny for a while and we chose to sit on the top open deck enjoying a coffee to start with , then some beer , then some wine and later favourite german cold meat platter and Brötchens (German bread rolls). The ferry moves slowly so as to let passengers enjoy the view of towns on the river-side. The idea is really to have a good time on-board, soaking in the beauty and then reaching Königswinter. Upon arrival, we had a another coffee since my Indian genes make me feel super cold brrrr !! in even the "supposedly" mild weather here (well that's always according to my husband Manish ;) ) and then headed off to explore the town its churches, small and gorgeously tucked away shops, lanes and finally towards the Drachenfels Railway station from where we took the ages old Cogwheel train upto the summit of hill where Castle ruins are and once on top I was totally in admiration of various view of Rhein Valley. After spending a little time there, Manish and I decided to walk down and checkout the Drachenberg Castle, which had this gothic facade and many more legends and history associated with it. Before catching the train back, we had some lovely hot waffles with strawberries and a coffee and headed to wait for our train back.......
There are various ways to reach Königswinter. One can drive from Cologne (takes about 35 mins), take one of the trains (also takes about 40-50 mins) or take one of the ferries which keep going up and down the river (may take longer depending on the one you choose). We visited this in mid of September 2013 and chose to take the ferry for our journey to Königswinter since the weather is still not so cold and if you are lucky the sun may shine too. The ferry ride was a pure delight since it was sunny for a while and we chose to sit on the top open deck enjoying a coffee to start with , then some beer , then some wine and later favourite german cold meat platter and Brötchens (German bread rolls). The ferry moves slowly so as to let passengers enjoy the view of towns on the river-side. The idea is really to have a good time on-board, soaking in the beauty and then reaching Königswinter. Upon arrival, we had a another coffee since my Indian genes make me feel super cold brrrr !! in even the "supposedly" mild weather here (well that's always according to my husband Manish ;) ) and then headed off to explore the town its churches, small and gorgeously tucked away shops, lanes and finally towards the Drachenfels Railway station from where we took the ages old Cogwheel train upto the summit of hill where Castle ruins are and once on top I was totally in admiration of various view of Rhein Valley. After spending a little time there, Manish and I decided to walk down and checkout the Drachenberg Castle, which had this gothic facade and many more legends and history associated with it. Before catching the train back, we had some lovely hot waffles with strawberries and a coffee and headed to wait for our train back.......
Notes: For using the Cog Railway and visiting the Castle you need tickets which can be purchased on the spot. The ferry bookings should ideally be made in advance online. We used this one for booking our tickets: http://www.kdrhine.com/ and if you wish to know more about Drachenfels Cog Railways then visit this website: http://www.drachenfelsbahn-koenigswinter.de/index.php/en/
Must Do Things in Königswinter:
- Travel at least one side by Ferry
- Take a ride on the historic Drachenfels Cog Railway to go on top of the summit
- Trek around the ruins and Castle
- The waffles, ice cream and coffee at various cafes are a must have
- The waffles, ice cream and coffee at various cafes are a must have
In the pictures here, my outfit was a Nude-pink pullover from Zara which I paired with woolen tights and accessorized with a Guess Watch, Handbag which I picked from a boutique in Cologne, Nude-pink ballerinas and just a plain Jane black scarf. Until the next one XOXO
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| Soaking in some sun whilst drinking coffee |
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| View from Top Deck of ferry, minutes after starting from Cologne, Cologne's Dom cathedral in the background |
Gorgeous Rhein Valley as seen from the summit
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