Flight to Paderborn/Lippstadt (PAD) starting at €29.99*

Paderborn's landmark is a stone window on the imposing cathedral, the Three Hares Window, which dates back to the beginning of the 16th century. Even today, every visitor to Paderborn knows the verse, "Three are the spoons and three are the hares, and yet each one has a pair". Directly next to the cathedral are the remains of old imperial strongholds from the Ottonian and Carolingian age. Charlemagne often stopped off in Paderborn. All around the cathedral, more than 200 fountains trace back to the Pader, which empties into the Lippe only four kilometres downstream. The Pader is therefore the shortest river in Germany.

Paderborn's history is beautifully illustrated in the Adam and Eve House, the Museum of Municipal History. The house itself is the oldest half-timbered house in the city and is richly decorated. The sumptuous city hall, which towers over the Rathausplatz, is somewhat newer. One of the mayors had a residence – the Heising House on Marienplatz – built in the same style, and it remains intact to date. Some distance outside the city is the Neuhaus castle, a lovely moated palace from the Renaissance era with a baroque garden. Wewelsburg, the second home of the prince-bishops of Paderborn, is one of no more than two triangular fortresses in Germany.

According to legend, Teutoburg Forest was the scene of the Battle of Varus between the Romans and the Teutons. And in fact, there are Roman villas in the surrounding area. However, the forest is also a popular tourist destination, and many paths tempt visitors to explore the environs. The Externsteine rock formation is especially well-known. Monks carved caves, reliefs, sculptures and niches into the rocks, giving them an even more mystical appearance. After a day of fresh forest air, a good dinner of Westphalian specialities will hit the spot.