Düsseldorf Germany - Things to See and Do
A Quick Travel Guide to a Great German City on the Rhine
Nov 1, 2009
The city on the River Rhine is one of the best places in Germany to experience the culture, food and architecture of this ancient nation. Situated on the banks of the river Rhine, Düsseldorf is the capital of the North Rhine-Westphalia state, an important media centre and has the biggest Japanese community in Germany.
Travel to Düsseldorf
Travelling to Düsseldorf is very easy connected as it is to every major city in Europe by air, train and coach. A major carrier like British Airways will take travellers to the main airport but budget travellers can take the much cheaper option of Ryan Air or bmi baby, but they take passengers to Weeze (an ex-RAF airbase with an attached museum) which is actually 35 miles north of Düsseldorf.
Either way getting to Düsseldorf is pretty painless and travelling around is a pleasure. Having developed a tram and underground system in the 1930s, Düsseldorf has an integrated and seamless if sometimes expensive transportation network.
Taking a train from the central station transforms from an underground to an overground tram when travelling to a suburb such as Eller, in the east of the city. Enjoying a few altbiers in the altstadt presents no problems as the modern lines goes from the city centre well into the night.
Places to visit in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is an ancient city dating back to the Roman Empire and has plenty of sights, old and new. The Telecom tower and bridge is perhaps the most famous. The old city and city centre contains much impressive architecture. Düsseldorf is a flat, well connected city, pretty safe to get lost in and just wander about.
Walk towards the Rhine through the altsatdt (old city). Stop outside one of the pub breweries, and a waiter with a tray full of the fantastic altbier (old beer) will be along in about two minutes. These guys are professionals, and when working at full pelt on a Saturday night they form an impressive sight. Visitors will not tolerate being squashed at the bar waiting to be ignored by badly paid staff ever again.
The Rhine front itself is well developed with an endless parade of bars and restaurants serving wonderful food and more beer (a theme emerges!). The whole area has developed to encourage bar hopping.
When recovering from the night before take a stroll down towards the Telecom tower, towards the state building, public art scattered around, wander under the bridge stopping off at the many cafés.
The suburbs of Düsseldorf can seem at first graffiti covered and run down. But with wonderful local shops, real bakeries, patisserie and friendly bars the smaller out of the way communities are well worth visiting.
Festivals in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf has the largest Japanese community in Germany and this has lead to one of the many festivals that punctuate the year. Japan Day is celebrated every year.
One of the biggest cultural events in Dusseldorf is the Dusseldorfer Karneval which starts every year on 11 November at 11:11 a.m., and reaches its climax in a parade through the streets. The Dusseldorf carnival is part of the traditional carnival festivities in the Rhineland.
Culture and language in Düsseldorf
Although most Germans study English in school it is a bit of a myth that all Germans will speak good English. However in large city like Düsseldorf, there are many people who do and so non-German speakers will not really struggle too badly in getting around and getting information from locals.
Düsseldorf is a multicultural and pretty liberal and relatively safe. The Germans are a straight forward people not prone to too much idle chit chat but this should not be mistaken for unfriendliness. As anywhere the amount of effort the visitor puts into understanding and appreciating these cultural differences will be rewarded.
Travellers will find the city on the Rhine a great way to start to access and appreciate the diverse culture of Germany. Safe but challenging, familiar in some ways but confounding expectations in others. The perfect introduction to non-anglophone Europe.
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