Bonn, the former capital of the Federal Republic, is a popular and easy 27km (16-mile) side trip from Cologne taking 25 minutes by train. Highlights include the 18th-century old town hall, the market square, Beethoven's house and the Bonn Museum of Art.

Boat trips run to Zons, 25km (15 miles) downstream, which retains enough of its medieval charm to keep visitors occupied for the 2 hour 30 minutes they have before they set sail back to Cologne. Contact Köln-Düsseldorfer (KD) (tel: (0221) 208 8318; website: www.k-d.com) for further information.

If you have children in tow, Phantasialand at Brühl, 15km (9 miles) from Cologne, is Germany's biggest and best theme park (open April to October) (website: www.phantasialand.de). Brühl itself is a pleasant town boasting two UNESCO World Heritage listed palaces.