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00; Am Schloss 4; www.moyland.de; adult/concession/family €7/3/15; 11am-6pm Tue-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun Apr-Sep, 11am-5pm Tue-Sun Oct-Mar) is a most unexpected sight amid the sweeping pastures and sleepy villages of the Lower Rhine flatlands. Medieval in origin, the palace got its fairy-tale looks in the 19th century and since 1997 has housed a private modern-art collection that includes the world’s largest assortment of works by Joseph Beuys. ‘Less is more’ is definitely not a curatorial concept here, as every wall of the labyrinthine interior is smothered in drawings, paintings and etchings. If you need to clear your head, take a spin around the lovely park with its old trees and wacky sculptures.

The Schloss is about 4km northwest of Kalkar off the B57 and well signposted. Bus 44 heads out here from the Xanten Bahnhof or the Markt in Kalkar, but service is sketchy at weekends.

WUNDERLAND KALKAR

What do you do with a decommissioned nuclear power plant? Turn it into a convention hotel and amusement park, of course. So was the vision of a wily Dutchman who, in 1995, bought the so-called Schneller Brüter (Fast Breeder) reactor on a field in Kalkar. The behemoth never went live on account of opposition from environmentalists who convinced the authorities that it was unsafe. Reborn as Wunderland Kalkar ( 02824-9100; www.wunderland-kalkar.de), it offers utterly bizarre cruise-ship-meets-Vegas ambience where you can climb the cooling tower, ride a Ferris wheel and get wet on a log ride. A day pass, including unlimited rides, snacks and soft drinks, costs €22.50 for adults and €20.50 for kids (€2 more in July and August). Various hotel and dinner packages are also available. The park is about 6km northeast of Kalkar and not served by public transport.

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COLOGNE

0221 / pop 995,500

Cologne (Köln) is like a 3-D textbook on history and architecture. Drifting about town you’ll stumble upon an ancient Roman wall, medieval churches galore, nondescript postwar buildings, avant-garde structures and now also a brand-new postmodern quarter right on the Rhine. Germany’s fourth-largest city was founded by the Romans in 38 BC and given the lofty name Colonia Claudia Ara Aggripinensium. It grew into a major trading centre, a tradition it solidified in the Middle Ages and continues to uphold today. Cologne is also Germany’s ‘media capital’, home to numerous TV and radio stations and over 600 production companies that collectively churn out over a third of all national programming.

For visitors, the city offers the mother lode of sightseeing attractions, led by its famous cathedral whose filigree twin spires dominate the Altstadt skyline. It’s twice been voted the country’s single most popular tourist attraction in polls conducted by the German Tourism Association. Cologne’s museum landscape is especially strong when it comes to art but also has something in store for fans of chocolate, sports and history. Its people are well known for their liberalism and joie de vivre and it’s easy to have a good time right along with them year-round in the beer halls of the Altstadt and especially in spring when everyone gets dressed up and drunk during one of Germany’s most raucous Carnival celebrations.

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Orientation

Köln Bonn Airport (Cologne Bonn Airport) is about 18km southeast of the city; Click here for details on transport to/from the airport. Cologne’s Hauptbahnhof sits just a Frisbee toss away from the landmark Dom. The pedestrianised Hohe Strasse – the main shopping strip – runs south of the Dom, as does the Altstadt, which hugs the river bank between the two bridges, Hohenzollernbrücke and Deutzer Brücke. Student-flavoured Zülpicher Viertel and the more grown-up Belgisches Viertel about 1.5km west of here are zinging bar and pub quarters.

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Information

BOOKSHOPS

Gleumes (Map; 211 550; Hohenstaufenring 47-51) Travel and map specialist.

Mayersche Buchhandlung (Map; 203 070; Neumarkt 2) There’s another branch at Schildergasse 31-37.

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