Tourism in Düsseldorf

One of the most chic cities in Germany is Düsseldorf. Here historical sites are combined with green parks, with medieval churches, art museums and cultural centers, shopping, gastronomy and an Oktoberfest worth enjoying.

Today our great destination is Düssledorf. Let's see what we can do in this old European city.

Düsseldorf

The river Rhine runs through it and although It's an old city for centuries it was a poor city, until the momentum of the Industrial Revolution carried it towards the future and development. Unfortunately little has remained of original buildings because the allied bombs of the Second War reduced the city to rubble, but we already know the German resilience so Düsseldorf is another example of a phoenix.

Düsseldorf is in North rhine, occupies an area of ​​about 217 square kilometers and its population is around 600 thousand inhabitants. Among them, and just adding a curious fact, there are several thousand Japanese so it is known as the «Japanese capital of Europe«. Did you know?

Düsseldorf is 564 kilometers from Berlin and both cities are linked by plane, road and train. A train ride takes around four hoursThere are several services per day and you can get tickets for five euros. You can also go by bus with fares from 9 euros, although the trip is a bit longer.

Tourism in Düsseldorf

We can start by touring the most historical part of Düsseldorf, that is to say the old town or Altstadt. Many of their residences are today museums (the Ceramics Museum, the Maritime Museum, the Heinrich Heine Institute), there are beautiful churches, views of the Rhine and charming little streets with shops and bars. It does not have more than half a square kilometer but you can find everything.

There is the Town Hall, St. Lambertus Church, Burgplatz and the popular statue of Jan Wellem. They are the footprints of old Düsseldorf. This part of the old town is full of bars, around 250 pubs, bars and restaurantsSo it is popular to say that it is the "longest bar in the world." After walking through here visitors always end their tour in the Rhine embankment from which you can see the picturesque district of Oberkassel.

Düsseldorf also offers a tour of the old port on the Rhine that in recent years has undergone a great transformation: its silos and warehouses in the best Liverpool or Buenos Aires style, have mutated into building complexes that house offices of various kinds. Here the old meets the new, from the hand of international architects: Stadttor, Kniebrücke, Landtag, the Rheinturm or the Gehry buildings, true icons of the city.

This architectural mix You can learn about it from the hand of experts, if you sign up for a tour of the port area. There are guided tours with different leitmotifs, and between April and October you can add a boat trip. Amen, of course, to the bars and restaurants that have opened here and that have turned this area into a top area when going out to bars or dancing.

When shopping, on the other hand, you can walk through the popular Konigsalle, which the locals simply call "Ko". The main international houses are here but there is more than luxury shopping, usually far from our pockets, the street it's a popular walk in itself Well, there are beautiful fountains, bridges, restored buildings, lamps, clocks, phone booths, kiosks, and a lot of charm in the kilometer and a half that lasts.

The street stretches for a kilometer and a half from north to south from the Hofgarten to the Friedrichstadt district. It is characterized by a 580 meter long moat with green borders with swans and ducks, almond trees, more than a hundred, and other beautiful trees that make the walks more special. Both sides of the Kö are connected by various bridges.

There is also the Rhine tower, the tallest building in Düsseldorf, on the east side of Medianhafen, with 240 meters high. It is a communications tower built in 1981 with a observation deck and revolving restaurant about 170 meters. The views are spectacular and on a clear day you can see the towers of Colonia to the south. The entrance costs 9 euros but if you go before 11 am or after 10 pm it goes down to five euros. Be careful, it closes at 11 pm.

Another walk that is worth doing on a good day is to catch the train at the main station and go up to Benrath, in the south and only six minutes away. From here, walking, you reach the Benrath Palace and Park It was built for the pleasure and hunting ground of Carl Thordor. 60 hectares of property and a baroque palace beautifully furnished and decorated with porcelain, rugs and paintings that well reflect life at court in the second half of the XNUMXth century.

Another little walk: you take the metro U79 and after 20 minutes you arrive at the Klemensplats tram station, in Kaiserswerth. It will be a trip to the Middle Ages well here you will see the ruins of the palace of the legendary emperor Barbarrosa, one of the most important fortresses on the Rhine. The ruins are impressive: the walls are more than four and a half meters thick. And you can also take a boat ride on the Rhine from the city center to Kaiserswerth from April to October.

Speaking of boat ridesOr, in summer it is the best offer. There are two cruise companies: Weisse Flotte and KD. You can take a one-hour tour, enjoy free soft drinks and a guide in English and German. To appreciate views of Medienhafen, modern Gehry's Neuer Zollhof architecture or go under the Theodor Heuss cable bridge, the first of its kind in Germany.

Obviously, the best time of year is when the cold eases as there are fairs and festivals and beer gardens everywhere. The third weekend of July, for example, is the Largest fair on the Rhine, on the left bank of the river and the second after Oktoberfest and the Stutgart festival. More than four million attendees every year! There are carousels, ferris wheels, food stalls ...

Last but not least, much of this that the city offers you can pay for cheaper with the DüsseldorfCard: free trips on public transport, discounts of up to 100% in 60 offers between museums, gifts or city tours and four modalities: 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours, for groups (two adults plus two children up to 14 years old three adults). or individuals.

• DüsseldorfCard 24 hours: 10 euros per person, 19 per group.
• DüsseldorfCard 48 Hours: 15, 50 and 20 euros.
• DüsseldorfCard 72 hours: the regular price is 21 euros but today it costs 17 euros online. The family ticket goes down from 39 to 32 euros.
• DüsseldorfCard 96 Hours: the regular price is 26, 50 for individuals and 49 for groups but there is an online discount.