In Germany, you’ll be driving on the right and overtaking on the left and you’ll find an extensive, modern and well-maintained road network throughout the country. Information about speed limits, seatbelts, passengers and more can be found online, and it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with local driving laws before arrival. However, our pick-up branch team will also be able to answer any questions you may have.

From the airport, you can head straight to Cologne by taking the A559 north-west. The city itself has a low omission zone where you’ll need to display the relevant green sticker to enter (our team can advise you on this), but you’ll also find ample garage parking and park-and-ride schemes. The city is easy to navigate using the Cologne Ring (Koelner Ringe), which runs for 6km in Innenstadt. It’s not a true ring, but a semi-circle enclosing the city on the west side of the Rhine.

For Bonn, drive south on the A59 from the airport. It’s another city with a low emission zone, and your best bet for parking is to use garages and car parks, as there is little free street parking. Again, the city is split in two by the Rhine, with crossing bridges on the 565, 56 and 562.

As in Cologne, you’re well situated to explore the north and west of Germany from here, with autobahns leading to Leverkusen, Dusseldorf, Duisburg, Essen, Monchengladbach and Dortmund. Frankfurt lies about a two hour to the south-east along the A3, while the A1 leads north-east from Cologne through Munster and Bremen before taking you to Hamburg.

Whether you're heading to Bonn or Cologne – or you plan to take in both cities – you'll find this an architecturally awe-inspiring corner of Germany. Cologne attracts tourists from across the globe, while Bonn is its quieter cousin, hiding its light under a bushel but still with much to see and do in the former West German capital.

Gothic Grace

Cologne Cathedral will probably be the first sight that greets you as enter this graceful city. No other landmark in Germany gets as many visitors, and its inner and outer beauty ensures it never disappoints. Work started on it in 1248 but paused in 1473 until the 19th century. Eventually it was completed in 1880 and it's now seen as a key piece of Gothic architecture. Inside you’ll find incredible stained glass windows and the Shrine of the Three Holy Kings. Those who can brave the 533 steps (sorry, no lifts) will find a wonderful view from the 100m platform in the South Tower.

Bonn and Beethoven

While Bonn doesn't have a building as iconic as Cologne Cathedral, it can claim to be the birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven. The composer was born in 1770 and lived in Bonn until he relocated to Vienna at the age of 21. Bonngasse, where he was born, now forms part of the Beethoven House museum. Original exhibits nestle next to a library and a beautiful chamber music hall.

The other Ludwig

It isn't Beethoven who lends his name to Cologne's Museum Ludwig, but chocolate manufacturer Peter Ludwig. His endowment of some 350 pieces of modern art form the backbone of this collection situated near to the Cathedral. There are around 900 Picasso pieces, as well as works by Warhol, Lichtenstein, Chagall and Dix.

Shopping and scoffing

As you might expect in Germany, both Cologne and Bonn have vibrant street markets. Bonn's old town hall sits in their marketplace, a Rococo confection dating from 1780. It contrasts with the fruit and veg market and relaxed cafes that ply their trade throughout the week.

In Cologne, the markets come into their own at Christmas, with seven different ones jostling for attention. They all have their allure, but the one next to the cathedral is perhaps the most romantic and impressive, in the shadow of a building that takes on a more stark beauty in winter.

Local crafts and food are in abundance, while those with children will find a picture postcard Christmas at the Alter Markt – complete with its Santa Claus quarter and stalls full of handmade toys. Chocoholics, however, may well gravitate to the Harbour Market, which takes place at the Chocolate Museum and has a pirate theme.

With much to recommend both Bonn and Cologne, and lots more to see in this part of Germany as you follow the lazily winding Rhine on its path through this part of the world, make car hire at Cologne Bonn Airport your first port of call.