3 Amazing Capitals, One Hub: Cologne’s New Routes Put Tbilisi, Belgrade and Pristina on the Map
3 Amazing Capitals, One Hub: Cologne’s New Routes Put Tbilisi, Belgrade and Pristina on the Map
There’s a particular satisfaction in being the person who proposes somewhere nobody expects. Who gets to say, “No, not Lisbon — Tbilisi,” and watches the room sit up a little straighter. If you’ve ever wanted to be that person, Eurowings’ latest network expansion out of Cologne/Bonn Airport might just be your moment.
Three new direct routes have launched from Cologne/Bonn this summer: Pristina, Belgrade, and — the one worth writing home about — Tbilisi, capital of Georgia and arguably one of the most underappreciated destinations in the whole of Europe. Whether you’re a seasoned traveller looking for something genuinely different, or simply someone who’s exhausted by the same five city breaks everyone else is doing, this is the kind of route news that should have you opening a new browser tab.
Why Cologne/Bonn Works as a Starting Point
Before we get to the destinations themselves, it’s worth appreciating just how well-placed Cologne/Bonn Airport actually is. Sitting in the heart of Western Europe, it draws easily from Germany’s most densely populated region and is comfortably accessible from the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. For travellers connecting from across Europe, it’s a quietly brilliant hub — the kind of place that makes the logistics of getting somewhere new feel surprisingly simple.
Tbilisi currently operates once weekly on Thursdays, increasing to Mondays and Thursdays from 20th July, so it rewards a bit of forward planning. But honestly? The destinations waiting at the other end are more than worth it.
Tbilisi: The City That Surprises
Let’s be honest with each other: Georgia has been quietly building a case for itself as one of Europe’s most extraordinary travel destinations for years, and most people still haven’t caught on. Which, if you’re someone who loves getting somewhere before the crowds do, is very good news.
Start with the wine. Georgia is home to the world’s oldest winemaking tradition — dating back 8,000 years — and the Kakheti wine region produces varieties you simply won’t encounter back home. Imagine spending an afternoon at a family-run winery, tasting barrel-aged amber wine poured by the people who actually made it, in a vineyard that’s been doing this since before the Roman Empire. That’s not a tour. That’s a memory.
The food scene in Tbilisi has blossomed from hidden gem to genuinely celebrated destination, with natural wine bars, contemporary Georgian kitchens, and ancient recipes given fresh life by seriously talented chefs. Think khinkali dumplings, slow-cooked lamb stews, and flatbreads pulled from a clay oven called a tone — the kind of food that makes you want to cancel your flight home.
Then there’s the city itself. Tbilisi’s architecture is its own spectacle — a jaw-dropping mix of Soviet modernism, Persian-influenced Old Town wooden balconies, and sleek contemporary buildings perched above the Mtkvari River. Walking through the Old Town on a warm evening, with the ancient Narikala Fortress lit up above you and the smell of churchkhela from the market stalls drifting past, is the kind of experience that makes you understand why some travellers come here once and end up staying for months.
Accommodation has kept pace too, with properties like Radisson Collection, Rooms Hotel, and the former printing house turned design hotel Stamba offering genuine luxury at a price point that tends to raise eyebrows — in the best possible way.
Belgrade: Europe With the Volume Turned Up
Belgrade has long seduced the travellers who find it. The city moves at its own pace — confident, a little rough around the edges in the most charming way, and possessed of a hospitality culture that takes the concept of “welcome” seriously.
Spend a morning exploring Kalemegdan Fortress, where the Sava and Danube rivers meet in a view that genuinely stops you mid-sentence. Follow it with lunch in the Skadarlija cobblestone quarter, Belgrade’s answer to Montmartre, where traditional kafanas have been serving grilled meats and live folk music since the 19th century. Come evening, the city shifts again — Belgrade’s nightlife is the stuff of legend, and even if clubbing until sunrise isn’t your thing, a sunset boat cruise on the rivers is as good a way to see the city as any.
It’s the kind of place that reveals itself slowly, rewarding curious travellers who wander beyond the guidebook highlights.
Pristina: Get There First
Pristina is the newest name in this conversation, and that’s precisely what makes it interesting. Kosovo’s capital is still writing its story — a city of street art, strong coffee culture, and a young population with genuine creative energy. The National Library alone, with its extraordinary brutalist architecture, is worth the visit for anyone with even a passing interest in buildings that make you tilt your head and say “what exactly am I looking at?” in the best possible way.
Getting there first has always been part of the appeal of travel. Pristina is that kind of destination right now.
Three Capitals. One Hub. Go.
What Eurowings has done with these three routes is open a door to a corner of Europe that rewards the curious, the adventurous, and the traveller who’s ready to swap the familiar for something genuinely memorable. Tbilisi, Belgrade, and Pristina each offer something distinct — but what they share is the feeling that you’ve arrived somewhere real, somewhere with its own identity, somewhere that hasn’t been smoothed flat by overtourism.
Cologne/Bonn is your starting point. Three extraordinary capitals are waiting at the other end. The only question is which one you book first — though if you’re asking for a recommendation, Tbilisi on a Thursday has a certain ring to it.
Check out DMC’S across these destinations and start dreaming. Your next adventure is waiting.
