The Best Cities in North Rhine-Westphalia for a Short City Trip
North Rhine-Westphalia is not always the first region people imagine when they think about a city trip in Germany. Bavaria gets the castles and mountains. Berlin gets the history and nightlife. Hamburg gets the harbor. Saxony gets Dresden and Leipzig. NRW, meanwhile, is often seen as too industrial, too dense, too practical. That view is outdated. North Rhine-Westphalia is one of the most interesting regions in Germany for short urban trips. The cities are close to each other, trains run frequently, and every place has its own character. You can visit a cathedral city, a former capital, a football city, an industrial heritage site, a fashion-focused Rhine city, a student city or a city with a suspended railway - all within one federal state. That is what makes NRW so useful for travelers. You do not need two weeks. Often, one weekend is enough to get a strong impression. Below are some of the best cities in North Rhine-Westphalia for a short city trip, depending on what kind o...