← Rhein-Ruhr-Marathon·3 nights

The Rhine-Ruhr Circuit: Düsseldorf, Cologne and Bonn

A rail-only circuit down the Rhine from Duisburg through Düsseldorf and Cologne to Bonn, giving a full week's worth of contrast between industrial Ruhr and the old West German capital without ever needing a car.

Duration3 nights
TransitRegional and Intercity trains throughout, no hire car required
DepartsDuisburg Hauptbahnhof

After the Rhein-Ruhr-Marathon: The Rhine-Ruhr Circuit

The Route: Duisburg Hauptbahnhof → Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof → Köln Hauptbahnhof → Bonn Hauptbahnhof → Cologne Bonn Airport (optional fourth night in Bonn) Logistics: Regional and Intercity trains link every stage of this route directly, with no stage longer than an hour. No hire car is needed at any point. Marathon Month: May Duration: 3 nights (a fourth night in Bonn extends the trip comfortably)

Duisburg Hbf ──(15-20 mins RE/S1)──> Düsseldorf Hbf
                                            │
                              ──(45-60 mins ICE/IC/RE)──> Köln Hbf
                                                                │
                                                  ──(20-25 mins ICE/IC/RE)──> Bonn Hbf
                                                                                    │
                                                              ──(30-40 mins bus 670)──> Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN)

A runner who has come some distance for the Rhein-Ruhr-Marathon and has the best part of a week free afterwards can turn the Rhine's lower stretch into a single continuous journey, moving downstream from Duisburg through Düsseldorf and Cologne to Bonn, the modest city that spent four decades as the seat of West German government by historical accident rather than design. May suits this route well: the Rhine promenades that anchor each stop are at their most walkable, before the heavier summer crowds arrive, and every leg of the journey runs on frequent regional or Intercity trains with no need to book weeks ahead, since none of these city pairs sees the kind of demand that pushes German rail fares up sharply on short notice.

Night One: Düsseldorf

The circuit's first stop is the shortest hop, fifteen to twenty minutes by regional train or S1 S-Bahn from Duisburg Hauptbahnhof. Düsseldorf's Rheinuferpromenade, a flat, fully paved walkway running past the Altstadt to the Rheinturm, is the obvious first outing on legs that are still, at this point, only a day removed from 42.195 km. The Altstadt's traditional Altbier houses, Uerige among the better known, pour their own dark beer from the cask, and a single glass with a plate of Currywurst is a reasonable first-night dinner. Stay centrally near the Hauptbahnhof or the Altstadt itself; Düsseldorf's hotel supply is broad enough that same-week booking is rarely a problem outside major trade fair dates.

Nights Two and Three: Cologne

A 45-60 minute direct train brings the circuit to Cologne, where the cathedral rises directly beside the Hauptbahnhof exit. Two nights here allow for both the outdoor and indoor halves of the city: the Rheinuferpromenade for a flat riverside walk past the Hohenzollernbrücke, and the Museum Ludwig or the Schokoladenmuseum for a wet-weather alternative, both reachable on the same level paths. Stay near the cathedral for the first of the two nights, the Excelsior Hotel Ernst is about as central as it gets, and consider the Hyatt Regency Cologne on the opposite bank for the second, which trades a few minutes' extra walking for a clear view back across the river to the Dom's twin spires. Früh am Dom, a short walk from the cathedral, serves Kölsch in the traditional small glasses alongside Rhineland dishes like Himmel und Äd.

Night Three or Four: Bonn

A further 20-25 minutes south by direct train reaches Bonn, the former West German capital and Ludwig van Beethoven's birthplace, a fact the city has built an entire museum quarter around. The Beethoven-Haus, the composer's birth house on Bonngasse, is compact and level throughout, a short visit rather than a full afternoon. Rheinaue, the large riverside park south of the centre, gives the best recovery walk in Bonn: broad, flat gravel and paved paths run for kilometres along the water, popular with local runners and families alike, with benches at regular intervals and no meaningful incline anywhere in the park. Stay near Bonn Hauptbahnhof for straightforward access both into the centre and out again; the compact old town within walking distance holds a reasonable spread of casual restaurants for a final dinner, with Rhineland and international options both well represented around the Markt square.

Getting Home

Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN) is the natural exit point from Bonn, reachable by the 670 bus from Bonn Hauptbahnhof in roughly 30-40 minutes, or from Köln Hauptbahnhof by the SB60 bus or a taxi if returning via Cologne instead. For a wider choice of onward routes, Düsseldorf Airport (DUS) remains reachable by direct train from any point on this circuit, typically under an hour, and is worth checking against CGN's more limited network before booking the return flight.