EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

REMAGEN , 4km north of Sinzig, is a town famous for a bridge which - apart from its support towers - no longer exists. The towers on the Remagen side have been converted into the Friedensmuseum (March-Oct daily 10am-5pm; DM3/¬1.50), which chronicles the story of the bridge by means of old photographs.

In the centre of town, the dominant building is the curious church of St Peter und Paul . At the turn of the century, it was decided that the original Romanesque-Gothic church was no longer sufficiently big for the town's expanding population; accordingly, a new church, imitating the style of the old but on a much larger scale, was tacked on to it at right angles. More directly appealing is the enigmatic Pfarrhoftor , a double gateway forming the entrance to the parish close. It's covered with carvings made by a Romanesque sculptor of limited technique but fertile imagination.

High above Remagen stands the mid-nineteenth-century Apollinariskirche , goal of a popular ten-day pilgrimage at the end of July. The church was built in tandem with the completion of the Dom in Cologne, and is a miniature version of it. Inside, the walls are covered with frescoes of the lives of Christ, the Virgin and St Apollinaris.

With its central location, Remagen is undoubtedly the best base for this part of the Rhine, and there's a campsite , Goldene Meile (tel 0 26 42/2 22 22), right beside the river. The hotels beside the Bahnhof are geared to coach parties and are anyway best avoided, as thundering goods trains pass through all night. Far better to go for a room in a private house (DM60/¬30-DM99/¬49). For a full list, contact the tourist office , Kirchstr. 6 (Mon-Thurs 8.30am-noon & 2-4pm, Fri 8.30am-noon; tel 0 26 42/2 01 87, fax 2 01 27, www.remagen.de ).