After visiting a fair few mediocre palaces whilst UNESCO hunting, these came as a welcome surprise, they were a lot more lavish than I expected them to be, and the level of decoration was very high. The high point of the two palaces inscribed is Balthasar Neuman’s staircase in Augustusburg, which is stunning. It is everything you expect of Rococo, massively over the top but impressive none the less. The level of decoration continues into many of the other rooms, and is consistently high.

The formal gardens (pictured) and forest are very nice to walk around and lead you to the hunting lodge Falkenslust. On the way there as it was a national holiday in Germany there was a man demonstrating Falcon keeping, which added a nice authentic touch to the surroundings. The walk was very nice, though a little longer than I thought, but it helped to clear my hangover!

Brühl is very close to Cologne about 20 minutes by train, and Augustusburg’s grounds begin on the other side of the road from the station, it was well worth the trip out from Cologne. The castles are closed on Mondays.