Essential German phrases

Both the local beer and the local dialect. The beer is a top-fermented ale served in a dimpled glass with a handle — Bonn's quiet answer to Kölsch, and ordering it here rather than a Kölsch is noticed.

The Rhenish goodbye, often extended to 'Tschö mit ö'. It is warmer and more informal than 'Auf Wiedersehen' and you will hear it in every shop.

The carnival cry here as in Cologne — never Helau, which belongs to Düsseldorf. Bonn's carnival is its own affair with its own societies and it is taken seriously.

Federal city — Bonn's formal title since the 1994 Berlin/Bonn Act, and not honorary: six federal ministries still have their first official seat here.

The cherry blossom. For roughly two weeks between late March and mid-April, Heerstraße and Breite Straße in the Altstadt turn into pink tunnels and the whole region comes to look.

The former government quarter along the Rhine, now the UN Campus, the World Conference Center and most of the federal offices left in the city. Half of Bonn's professional life happens in one square kilometre.

The tower built for parliamentarians' offices in the 1960s and now the centrepiece of the UN Campus. Locals still use the nickname, and it is the landmark everyone navigates by.

Registering your address, legally required within two weeks of moving in, and the gate to your tax ID, bank account, health insurance and residence permit.

Cold rent versus warm rent — base rent versus rent plus heating and service charges. Listings quote cold; your standing order is warm.

The credit scoring agency. Landlords, phone operators and instalment sellers all check it, and a newcomer's file is empty — which matters here, because Bonn's rental market is genuinely competitive.

The Stadtbahn line to Siegburg, where the high-speed line stops. 'Ich nehm die 66' means someone is catching an ICE — Frankfurt airport is about forty minutes from there.

112 for ambulance and fire, 110 for police. 112 works across the EU.