A Delightful Day in Düsseldorf

It seems that many people are making spring travel plans to places in Europe right about now, including Cologne, Germany (which if you need tips, check out my post about Cologne). But my biggest tip for traveling there, and really anywhere this spring, is to leave yourself time to explore the surrounding area. This week and next I will talk about two great day trip destinations right outside of Cologne, this week focusing on Düsseldorf 24 miles outside of Cologne.

I must admit we went to Düsseldorf on a last-minute whim to see this “City on the Rhine”. We took the train from Essen (more on that city next week) and then jumped on the Hop On and Off Bus which the first stop was not far from the train station. The wait time between stops was short and there was little traffic which enabled us to get lots of sightseeing done in a limited amount of time.

Düsseldorf is also called the “City of Short Distances” because all the attractions are very close to each other, making it really easy to see a lot in a short amount of time. This really is a great city to plan a day trip.

Altstadt (old Town)

In Old Town, one of my highlights was St. Andreas Church (Andreaskirche) – one of Rhineland’s most beautiful baroque churches built around 1622. Allow yourself some time to soak in the beauty of the architecture inside too – it is amazing.

Old Town also has the “longest bar in the world” with 260 bars, pubs, cafes, and restaurants, which really livens up at night, as I’m sure you could imagine. We didn’t stay long enough into the evening to experience this part, but we heard first-hand stories! It is also home of the famous Altbier (a top-brewed beer). People swear that nothing tastes as good as those brewed in the many microbreweries here. The main streets are pretty fun but you can always escape down a quiet cobblestone lane to some uncrowded streets as well if you want a calmer atmosphere.

Markplatz

Still in Altstadt, Markplatz is the square where the town’s City hall is located – the building itself is beautiful. A bronze statue monument (sculpted in 1711) of Elector Jan Wellem high on his horse is Düsseldorf’s most prized landmark and stands proudly in front of City Hall. There are many outdoor cafes to choose from here. This is actually where we stopped for lunch, enjoying the beautiful view of City Hall and the cobblestone streets.

Burgplatz/Rhine Embankment

Here is where the little River Düssel (which the town is named after) runs into the Rhine.

Its Rhine embankment promenade is considered one of the most beautiful on this European river. We strolled along the embankment in the sun, which made for a perfect day.

Nearby is an interesting brick Gothic church and one of the oldest buildings in the historic center, St. Lambertus Church (originally built 1206). It is not as ornate as St. Andreas but is a very impressive structure nonetheless. The monument to Düsseldorf is nearby (different than the one sitting in front of City Hall). This impressive bronze sculpture represents 725 years of the town’s history. I looked at it for a great length of time and had so many questions, wishing I had read up about it beforehand – it is truly a 3D history book.

MediienHafen

This is a place where the “new” architecture comes into play. Modern buildings from architects around the world are in MediienHafen. Probably the most impressive to me was the silver Gehry Buildings designed by American architect, Frank O. Gehry.

Königsallee (The Kö)

This is a luxury street with an elegant shopping area. Fun fact: The street was called another name prior to 1848 but in that year a piece of horse dropping was hurled from the crowd at King Friedrich Wilhelm IV and the street was renamed Königsallee (King’s Avenue) as a friendly gesture to “make-up” for the indiscretion.

Düsseldorf is internationally known in the art world if that interests you as well. It is home to 17 municipal museums and exhibitions and over 100 art galleries. I was quite impressed with all the ones I found just strolling the streets we walked!

I was very surprised that 40% of the city was green space -- parks and greenbelts were planted throughout the city to reduce noise but also add to the beauty of the city. Many of these are located along the river, giving beautiful scenery to the already amazing parks.

Hofgarten is one of said parks and was actually Germany’s first public park, built by 1,000 unemployed farmers. It’s a nice place to take a relaxing (or fast-paced if you prefer) stroll in the heart of the city.

2,000 years ago, Düsseldorf was just a small fishing village. Today when you look at the harbor, you will see elements of old architecture with new buildings – the contrast is beautiful. I am so glad we decided to make an impromptu visit to this charming city. The only thing I would have done differently was to plan more scheduled time here but worse comes to worse, this city can definitely be an easy day trip to add to your trip to Cologne or a surrounding city!