In recent years, I had an opportunity to spend a couple of weeks in Düsseldorf for a work-related trip. I didn’t know much about this city before visiting but was pleasantly surprised by everything it has to offer to visitors. Düsseldorf is in the western part of Germany and is known as the “fashion capital” of the country, with world class high end shopping, dazzling architecture and a center for art galleries. Düsseldorf is also gifted with beautiful natural scenery around the Rhine River and lush greenery. There is also diversity in cuisine with plenty of good restaurants/cafes for excellent food.
Düsseldorf is an underrated, family-friendly city with plenty of attractions. It’s not a city that I would recommend planning an entire family trip around if traveling in from far distances. However, if it can be included as part of a trip to other major cities in Germany like Frankfurt (around 2.5 hours by road) then I think it has plenty of charming things to offer for a two or three-day trip. The people in the city were friendly and I really enjoyed the opportunity to learn about and visit Düsseldorf.
#1 Walk around the Rhine Embankment Promenade
The walk around the river on the Rhine Embankment Promenade is something I did several times because it was en route to getting to many restaurants and cafes that I ate at for dinner. The walking path is picturesque with the Rhine River on one side and beautiful trees, architecture, and bustling restaurants, cafes, and shops. When in Düsseldorf, a walk around the Rhine Embankment Promenade is a must and highly recommended.
#2 Tour Old Town (Altstadt)
The walk around the Rhine Embankment Promenade connects to Düsseldorf’s well-preserved Old Town (Altstadt). This area is bustling with people and has many cafes, restaurants, museums, and landmarks. The most prominent symbol of Old Town is the Marktplatz, where the impressive Town Hall and statue of Elector John William II (erected in 1711) are located. Other visitor attractions include the Castle Tower and Saint Lambertus Church. I spent several evenings in Old Town eating dinner and grabbing dessert with coworkers. This area was always lively and full of energy, I recommend strolling through the narrow streets and having a meal or dessert at least once while in Düsseldorf.
#3 Neuer Zollhof at Düsseldorf-Hafen
The old Düsseldorf river port area had turned into a wasteland of sorts till it was revived over the last few decades. It now features a mix of elegantly renovated old structures as well as some of the more dazzling, modern artictectural structures in Europe. The Neuer Zollhof is a mesmerizing section with three buildings that create an appearance of leaning buildings that are aesthetically distinct and wonderful.
Alongside the old and new buildings is the nearly 800 ft hight Rhine Tower (Rheinturm), a telecommunications tower that is the most visible symbol of Düsseldorf. During specific hours during the day, there is an observation deck that is open to the public and a recommended attraction for tourists. I had planned to go but was not able to due to timing not working out.
#4 Walk around Königsallee Avenue
The name of this street that goes by “Kö” to locals, appropriately translates to “King’s Avenue.” This shopping district is considered the most posh and expensive in all of Germany. This district is a long stretch of shops that includes top designers, boutiques and luxury shopping. There are several luxury hotels and fine dinning options that attract a lot of visitors as well.
While this area is known for its high end shopping, the reason why I listed it in my top 5 is because of the scenary around the district. There is wide tree-lined streach of water which is made for Instagram worthy pictures and is wonderful to walk around. I didn’t do much shopping but enjoyed walking around this district and highly recommend visiting it.
#5 Food in Düsseldorf
I was pleasantly surprised with the diversity and highly quality of local and international food in Düsseldorf. Since I spend almost two weeks in this city, I had an opportunity to try many local restaurants and cafes. I found excellent options for Thai, Middle Eastern, Turkish and other international food.
However, what I enjoyed the most that I would consider local to Düsseldorf/Germany was chicken schnitzel (deep friend chicken with gravy and various sides), this was widely available in town and was delicious. The other local food options I really enjoyed were the different variations of fresh pretzals (considered native to Germany) that are prevalent everywhere in the city.
Lastly, the most tasty and unique desert I had in Düsseldorf was Spaghettieis, this is a desert made with vanilla ice cream pushed through a noddle press and typically covered with strawberry sauce and other condiments like shaved chocolate, concnut flakes etc. The place I ate at a few times in Old Town served it with a small waffle, it was a delicious treat!
