Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [508]
Villa Esplanade ( 983 800; www.hotel-villa-esplanade.de; Colmantstrasse 47; s/d/tr from €74/103/118; ) Inside a stately late-19th-century building, this charming hotel has 17 bright rooms with soft, feminine decor: think wicker chairs, pink bedspreads and lacy curtains. Days start with a heaping breakfast buffet served in a lovely room with ornate stucco ceilings.
Domicil ( 729 090; www.domicil-bonn.bestwestern.de; Thomas-Mann-Strasse 24/26; s/d from €85/120; ) This classy hotel sprawls over several buildings grouped around a central courtyard. For something a little special, book the larger deluxe rooms, some of which have romantic stucco ceilings or a courtyard-facing terrace. The Jacuzzi and sauna are good unwinding options after a day of pavement-pounding.
Collegium Leoninum ( 629 80; www.leoninum-bonn.de, in German; Noeggerathstrasse 34; s €100-160, d €120-180; ) Until the late ’90s, young men trained for the priesthood in this rambling neo-Gothic mansion near the Hauptbahnhof. Now parts of it have been converted into a comfortable, completely wheelchair-accessible hotel that cleverly mixes retro and modern touches.
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Eating & Drinking
Bonn has several lively gastro zones. The largely pedestrianised historic Altstadt brims with mainstream options, but for less-touristed flair head to the Nordstadt (Breite Strasse, Heerstrasse), Poppelsdorf (Clemens-August-Strasse) or Endenich (Frongasse). The last is about 1.5km west of the Altstadt; take bus 634 from Hauptbahnhof to Frongasse.
Der Spanier ( 184 1542; Bornheimer Strasse 76; dishes €2-10; dinner) It’s a food store. It’s a restaurant. It’s both. Conversation flows as freely as the wine at this convivial eatery whose eclectic clientele shares a passion for chef Luis’ grilled gambas (shrimp), crunchy fried calamari and other Iberian staples. If you help yourself to a bottle of wine from the shelf, the corkage fee is just €3.
Harmonie ( 614 042; Frongasse 28-30; mains €5-13; 6pm-1am Mon-Sat, 5pm-1am Sun) The well-prepared comfort food – pizza, pasta, salads and meaty mains like schnitzel and pork chops – has vaulted this low-key pub to the top of many a local’s fave list. In fine weather, the beer garden tables are the most coveted.
Cafe Spitz ( 697 430; Sterntorbrücke 10; mains €5-16; 9am-1am Mon-Thu, to 2am Fri & Sat, 10am-midnight Sun) This place is often busy as a beehive, especially during the after-work cocktail happy hour. The menu revolves around salad, pizza and pasta supplemented by changing – and somewhat more inspired – blackboard specials.
Havana ( 721 8884; Clemens-August-Strasse 1; mains €6-12; 10am-1am) This friendly contender in Poppelsdorf is a lively meet-and-greet zone that always hums with activity. Despite the name, the menu is more Italian than Cuban, but the cocktails are strong enough to give you the guts to chat up that cute guy or girl at the bar.
Brauhaus Bönnsch ( 650 610; Sterntorbrücke 4; mains €7-15; 11am-1am) The unfiltered ale is a must at this congenial brew-pub adorned with photographs of famous politicians: Willy Brandt to, yes, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Schnitzel, spare ribs and sausage dominate the menu, but the Flammkuchen (Alsatian pizza) is still a perennial bestseller.
Zum Gequetschten ( 638 104; Sternstrasse 78; mains €8-17; noon-midnight) This traditional restaurant-pub is festooned with eye-catching blue tiles and is one of the most storied inns in town. The menu is back-to-basics German, all delicious and served in belt-loosening portions.
Pawlow ( 653 603; Heerstrasse 64; 11am-1am Sun-Thu, 11am-open end Fri & Sat) Generations of bon vivants have followed the Pavlovian bell to this northern Altstadt institution. A cafe in the daytime, it morphs into