Brühl
Brühl is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, almost a suburb of Cologne.
Understand
Brühl is mostly known for its two palaces, built for Duke Clemens August in the 18th century.
Multiple times a year, the pedestrian center becomes host to markets where you can shop for various handycraft items.
Get in
By train
Line RB 11315, operated by Deutsche Bahn from Wuppertal to Bonn, stops at Brühl station. You can also board the train at Cologne (Köln Hauptbahnhof). There is also Brühl-Kierberg, where some trains stops. It could happen you land there on diversion. Take a bus to the city center from there.
By U-Bahn
Take U-Bahn line 18 from Bonn Hauptbahnhof or Köln Hauptbahnhof/Dom stations. However, make sure that the train is going as far as Brühl, as not all journeys on the line do. This is much slower than travelling by train.
Get around
The center of Brühl is entirely walkable. To reach other parts of town, take one of many buses or use the line 18 tram. The central station for buses and trams is Brühl Mitte.
If you do not have a car and want to visit Phantasialand, take the "Phantasialand Shuttle" bus. It stops at both Brühl Bahnhof and Brühl Mitte, and is much cheaper than parking at Phantasialand.
See
- 🌍 Augustusburg Palace (Schloss Augustusburg). Tu-F 9AM-5PM Sa-Su 10AM-5PM. The Augustusburg Palace has been placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The palace is one of the key works of Balthasar Neuman, and contains one of the finest Rococo interiors in the world, the highlight being the main staircase. Entry to Augustusburg is only by guided tours that are on the hour. Also in the grounds is the magnificent hunting Lodge of Falkenlust, roughly 2km from Augustusburg. Tickets are available for each palace independently. Tickets to Falkenlust include an audio guide. Both palaces: €14/adult, €11/concession, €29/family, €7/student.
- 🌍 Max Ernst Museum, Comesstraße 42/Max-Ernst-Allee 1, 50321 Brühl. The Max Ernst museum is a short walk from both the Augustusburg Palace and Brühl station. It contains six rooms of paintings, sculptures and characteristic mixed-media collages covering the surrealist artist's extensive career. The staff are both helpful and knowledgeable and provide guided tours. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions. You can buy combined tickets for the Palace and museum from the main desk.
Do
- 🌍 Phantasialand, Berggeiststraße 31-41 (Dedicated shuttle buses from both Brühl railway station and Brühl-Mitte U-Bahn station). Daily 09:00–18:00 Summer, 11:00–18:00 or 20:00 Winter. Second largest amusement park in Germany with rides and entertainment shows. Day ticket €57 adult, €47 concessions. Two-day and one-year passes also available.
Eat
The Wirtshaus restaurant, directly at the train station, offers good German cuisine with a lot of different meat dishes and a few vegetarian options. It features a traditional interior, big portions and above-average prices.
Brühl has quite a few Döner-Shops to satisfy all cravings for Kebab and other Turkish food items like Baklava.
The city center hosts two hamburger restaurants: Schlossburger, a single establishment, as well as Golden Burger 1, which is part of a local chain. It is up to debate which one is superior but if you're into unique burgers, you should definitely try both and decide for yourself.
For Dutch fast food, go to PommStop. It is probably the most well-known and sympathetic fast food store in the entire city. It offers all kinds of Dutch deep fried snacks and the staff is known for their friendliness.
Sleep
- Hotel Matamba, Berggeiststraße 31 (Phantasialand), ☏ +49 2232 3690410.
- 🌍 Ramada Hotel Bruehl-Koeln, Römerstraße 1, ☏ +49 2232 2040.