One of my favorite parts about exploring Europe is the large number of awesome museums…read more Wallraf-Richartz Museum is no different. Located in Cologne, I spent a good three hours or so exploring this museum of fine arts. When it comes to museums, I look for several different things, and Wallraf delivered on all fronts. Logistics: museums are typically large. There's a lot to see. I like when a museum is easy to navigate. Where you don't have to use a lot of brainpower to make sure that you don't miss anything. In addition to a map of the museums, the way the museum is laid out makes a difference. It adds to my comfort, along with A/C which you have here. And which is by no means guaranteed in Germany. More importantly, the artwork. Wallraf has an impressive collection of international art spanning various periods and styles including French impressionism, pointillism, and much, much more. You'll find paintings by Monet, Rembrandt, and many other famous artists. I've been lucky enough to learn a lot about art history since I was a kid. I know I'm at a good museum when I'm snapping pictures left and right. This is what happened here. Wallraf-Richartz Museum is one of the top attractions on TripAdvisor in Cologne. Don't miss it when visiting!

This seems to the the museum where you find the not so modern art - that is the art that doesn't…read moreconsist of weird paintings and sculptures but rather the more traditional works. The museum is set on three levels, with the upper levels having the older works and the lower levels having the newer works. I do admit that I liked the museum, but it didn't come across as great as some of the other museums that I visited. However, there was a pretty decent selection of art from across the centries, and it was an enjoyable visit. Also, it isn't that huge so you can complete it in an hour or so, depending on how fast you breeze through the rooms.

We visited the castle during a trip up the mountain with the Drachenfelsbahn with a combined…read moreticket. Not knowing what to expect, we spend first money in an excellent giftshop before entering the castle. What a nice place. A lovely location with great views, nice furniture and wall paintings, but, above all, fantastic stained glass windows. A great place to visit.

Such a beautiful, but eccentric, castle near Bonn!…read more Schloss Drachenburg is definitely reminiscent of Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, but has its own uniqueness. The castle is a crazy mix of architectural styles and has an over-the-top, display of wealth, but, again, it's a castle. They were built to impress and impress it does! It's funny to learn that, although it has a very medieval feel, the castle was only built in the late 1800s. The decorations are gorgeous and make you feel like you're living in a fairy tale! Although the castle suffered some damage during the war, it has been beautifully restored and the grounds are still well-maintained. Our visit came a little too early and we just missed out on the start of a Christmas market at the castle. Regardless, it was a magical visit and worth the trip out of Bonn! Definitely pay the extra couple euros and enjoy a ride on the funicular too!

This is a great museum for maths aficionados. Captures incredible history of Arithmetic in general…read moreand its cryptographic and more sophisticated discrete maths in particular. Several exhibits and all for about three euros fee. You can spend many hours on the four floors with some original but some replicas of some of the rarest calculation machines ever built. For English users, you have enough in English in terms of supplementary cards. Must visit if you are in Bonn.

Mechanical calculators? I literally cranked out numbers in this place. The old-school calculators…read morehad hand cranks to drive the mechanism. It was a lot of fun to be able to play with some of the display calculators. Most of the calculators that you can play with come with quite detailed instructions in case you want to follow along and understand the mechanism. A beautiful space, reasonably well documented displays (even with English info), and just the right size to spend about two hours museum-ing. The focus is clearly calculating machines, but there's art as well as modern furniture on display. In some cases, the modern chairs slightly upstage the calculators. The floors are laid out such that the top floor contains the most ancient calculators and each floor down gets us closer to the present day. Worth a visit.

This museum was so empty we could hear ourselves walk. They…read moredisplay one artist at a time, in my case Cody Choi. Protest art, straight anti consumerism philosophy, but in 20min you've seen it all and it doesn't enrich you like art should do. It doesn't add up to the moderb art it's being showed elsewhere. There's definitely room for improvement.

The Kunsthalle Düsseldorf is a museum of contemporary art from the Rhineland and throughout Europe…read more It is an interesting museum to visit if you enjoy modern art as it has a good mix of different temporary exhibitions, which change frequently. Entry cost is EUR5.50 (EUR3.50 for concessions).

I had a few hours before my flight and Museum Ludwig was the perfect activity to fill in that time…read more This place is massive (3 floors!), so wear your comfortable walking shoes as there is a giant staircase (elevators too of course). It's next to the main train station as well, so it's a great spot to burn time before a flight or train. I only had about 2 hours and it wasn't enough--give yourself the full afternoon or at least 3 hours! They offer a free service desk for jackets and purses. However, don't bring a large tote--they have a strict size limit and you'll have to leave it at the desk. Even if you aren't an "art person," the sheer variety here from Pop Art to Surrealism keeps it from feeling boring. Each room felt well-curated and combined with the high ceilings, there was an openness that allowed each art piece to breathe and have it's moment. Do not sleep on the gift shop. I found some nice trinkets for my desk and souvenirs for friends + family.

Museum Ludwig is the most popular museum in Cologne on TripAdvisor and one of the top attractions…read moreoverall in the city, and for good reason. I stopped by on a Sunday evening for two hours before they closed. Ideally, you'd like to spend 3-4 hours here, especially if you do the audio guide. Museum Ludwig is Cologne's preeminent museum of contemporary art. You'll find works of art from pretty much every major artist who painted in this style. Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, Paul Klee, Piet Mondrian, Rene Magritte, etc. It's a feast of riches so I'm only scratching the surface. Beyond the quality of the art, something else I care about at museums is how the exhibitions are laid out. Here, it's intuitive. It's pretty easy to go from room to room without worrying about missing something. Some museums aren't laid out in the best way logistically---Museum Ludwig is. There are three floors. Start at the top and then make your way down. Outside of the layout and the artwork, the final piece for me is comfort. You have that here, too. There's air conditioning which certainly is not a guarantee in Europe. You have free lockers. You have free WiFi. Well done all-around. If you're visiting Cologne, Museum Ludwig should definitely be part of your itinerary.

the EKO haus is the Japanese house of Culture and Buddhist Understanding. In it, the Japanese…read moreliving in the area are able to practice and cultivate their customs and culture. But also locals can have an opportunity to learn about Japanese culture and actively participate in it. Among the events of the centre there are: Buddhist festivals, tea ceremonies, garden parties with musical or theatrical performances, music events, reading circles for Buddhist texts, exhibitions, courses in traditional Japanese arts, lectures , film presentations, etc. Anyhow, they have this beautiful Japanese garden in the Temple grounds, a peaceful oasis and a must visit in Düsseldorf, makes you think you're in Japan. To get there you can take the U-bahn to Heerdter Sandberg and walk for about 10 minutes. Otherwise you can take a bus to Niederkasseler Kirchweg and walk for 3 minutes (I saw the City tour hop-on hop-off bus also stops here).

A beautiful and serene patch of Japan in Oberkassel - perfectly manicured lawn, landscaped and well…read moreproportioned garden with water features and a temple in the background (which you have to pay to get in but can enjoy from outside). A very peaceful place most of the time, great for a bit of stillness and meditation

I really enjoyed my visit at the Bundeskunsthalle, beyond the nice architecture of the building…read moreitself, the widely open space of the whole area invites for a nice walk. The exhibition varies and thus inform yourself before hand it it suits your interests from my point of view it is definitely worth visiting.

They change their special exhibits, but the "Window" themed exhibition on the ground floor was an…read moreinteresting collection of work. Upstairs is the lasting collection with works from Picasso and Matisse to Richter. So a wide array of more "modern" art. Despite the great collection, it wasn't crowded at all, which really helped enjoying the artwork. It's not a huge museum, so if you have a few days in Dusseldorf, check this out while you're doing the Old Town. It'll only take a few hours. (Tip: Pictures are not allowed unless you sign a form at the front at get a sticker showing you can take pictures. It's barely an inconvenience.)

It's a museum on the smaller side with some big name artists like Warhol and Pollock. I definitely…read morethink it's worth a visit if it's convenient for you! It took us less than an hour to go through and look at every exhibit and there some interesting ones. I remember it being fairly reasonably priced.

I love this museum. They have great programs for kids in German. They will do parties and grips in…read moreEnglish. I have brought at least 150 students for English language tours.

Smallish modern art museum. Not stroller or wheel chair accessible. Close to downtown. It's okay…read more If you like Jawlensky you might dig it.