Bad Honnef combines routes along the Rhine with the Siebengebirge hills and historic sites in Rhöndorf. The town lies between the Rhine and the Siebengebirge Nature Park, on the river’s right bank and around 20 kilometres southeast of Bonn. Three distinct themes can guide your plans: hiking, cycling along the river and culture.
Hiking and Cycling along the Rhine
The Rheinsteig Trail runs directly along the outskirts of Bad Honnef. A connecting route leads from Rommersdorf to the Rheinsteig. A hike over Leyberg and Himmerich offers a different focus: the tour’s listed highlights include a basalt cone with views of the Siebengebirge and a viewpoint on Himmerich. This makes it easy to distinguish between the two viewpoints when choosing a route. Around Bad Honnef, hiking trails have bus connections at regular intervals. If you are planning a specific hike, it is a good idea to check the route and current timetable together.
The Rhine Cycle Route follows the river south towards Linz or Remagen and north towards Bonn. Choosing a direction gives your cycling trip a clear framework: you can plan around destinations south or north of Bad Honnef. Hiking and cycling plans therefore centre on different ways of getting around: routes on the outskirts and in the Siebengebirge on the one hand, and a route along the Rhine on the other.
Grafenwerth: City Park and Island Trails
Grafenwerth Island is Bad Honnef’s main city park. It has accessible walking paths, playgrounds and open spaces. Grafenwerth Bridge provides barrier-free access to the island from public transport connections, visitor car parks, and walking and cycling routes to the town centre. The island has park paths and open spaces, while the bridge connects it to other routes towards the town. Grafenwerth is also located within a nature conservation area that is home to rare animal and plant species.
The bridge itself has a history of its own: it was built in 1911 and 1912 and is considered one of the oldest concrete structures in Germany and the world. A visit to the island thus combines its use as a city park with a structure dating from the early days of concrete construction.
Rhöndorf and the History of Bad Honnef
In Rhöndorf, half-timbered houses around Ziepchensplatz define the historic town centre. The Konrad Adenauer House has a permanent exhibition about the life and work of the former Federal Chancellor. In the Rhein-Sieg district, the Adenauer House in Bad Honnef-Rhöndorf is also a museum and a memorial site for the history of democracy in Germany and Europe. The museum includes the former residence, the garden and an exhibition; objects and media convey the story of Adenauer’s long life. The town centre and the museum offer different points of interest: the half-timbered houses around the square on the one hand, and the political life story on the other.
St. Johann Baptist also reaches far back in time: the oldest traces of the church lead to a basilica dating from the mid-8th century. The Jewish cemetery in Selhof was established in the 1660s. These two sites represent different chapters in the town’s history.
The history of the spa town can be traced through two mineral springs. Bad Honnef’s first mineral spring, the 249-metre-deep Drachenquelle, was drilled on 12 December 1897. Another mineral spring on Grafenwerth was created by a borehole in 1938 and helped Bad Honnef gain recognition as a spa town.
Discover more destinations: Meckenheim, Sankt Augustin, Hennef, Rheinbach, Ruppichteroth, Bornheim, Much, Alfter
For the overview of the wider region: Rhein-Sieg district.
