This probably explains why the Ahr valley only landed in ninth place for Bonn residents. For day trips, the numbers would likely be much higher.

Of Cologne resident bookings, nine percent had the Ahr as their top mini-vacation destination, putting it in fifth place. Also popular in Cologne was the Eifel (16 percent), the Mosel Valley (15 percent), Westerwald (14 percent) and Sauerland with 13 percent.

While the Lower Rhine is not considered an important recreation area for Cologne residents (2 percent), Düsseldorfers are very attracted to the area (15 percent). Inhabitants of those two cities are known for their traditional “love-hate” relationship and that statistic certainly keeps them apart north of Cologne. But in the Eifel, they can come together. This is also a popular destination for Düsseldorf residents (14 percent), putting it at second place in their rankings.

The distance traveled on average for Bonners in pursuit of a mini-vacation is 95 kilometers in one direction. For Düsseldorfers, 110 kilometers is the average and Cologne residents travel 120 kilometers on average to their short destination getaways. According to the study, Bonners also appear to be connoisseurs (and just a little less natural born athletes): The most popular mini-vacation theme is “wellness” (33 percent), followed by “activities and nature” (31 percent). In Cologne and Düsseldorf, that result was reversed.

Rheinland Tourismus GmbH is the operator of the short vacation website portal Auszeit-Hotels.de. It evaluated the most popular travel destinations, holiday regions (no cities) and other criteria over a six month period. English language website for the Castle of Reinhardstein featured in the photo.

Orig. text: Rüdiger Franz. Translation: ckloep