Starting in Bonn, the former German capital and birth town of Beethoven, you can visit the world-class museum mile close to UN City Bonn where more than 1000 people from 130 nations are working t o shape a sustainable future. During the blossoming of the cherry trees in spring you find the old town immersed in brilliant colours. You can stroll along elegant villas in Bonn`s Südstadt and merge into a lively pub and restaurant scene.

Go to the innovative university and spa city Aachen, a strikingly European city close to the Belgian border. Check digitalCHURCH - an abandoned church turned co-working space and digital hub (featured in this book) - to see how state of the art this region can be.

Bike the student city Münster through its historically photogenic and lively centre. We have put a decent gastronomic focus on this beauty queen on the following pages.

Wuppertal, Bielefeld and many more are also waiting for you to come and explore. All these NRW cities are a kaleidoscope in themselves, complex individuals with all the necessary infrastructure you need. They each have their highlights and creative districts. At the same time the next retreat into nature is never far away.