Bonn's southern suburb was a fashionable spa resort before it was swallowed by urban growth, and it retains a different character from the university-dominated city centre. During the decades when Bonn was West Germany's capital, Bad Godesberg was where embassies set up their residences, and its tree-lined streets still have an air of calm prosperity.
The Godesburg castle ruin sits on a basalt hill above the Rhine, offering the best views of the river in the Bonn area. Below it, a string of good restaurants and wine bars makes Bad Godesberg the best neighbourhood for an evening out away from the student crowds. The 19th-century Redoute ballroom, where Beethoven once performed, stands near the main square.