Dusseldorf

Die Altstadt - the Old Town: It is the most popular place for having a local beer called Altbier which is a dark and bitter beer. Many of the pubs are located in old tiny houses and have a cosy atmosphere. A warning: you better do not visit the Old Town in the evening after the local ice hockey team - the DEG - had a match. The whole place will be incredibily crowded and it will be very hard to enter the pubs. The whole Old Town is a pedestrian area with many shops so you can combine your visit with a shopping trip. Hofgarten: It is a huge park just next to the Old Town with a lake, ducks and swans. Take your time to wander around and relax from shopping and sightseeing.

Castle Benrath: Located outside of the city center, this pink castle with its large and nice garden is worth a visit if you want to escape the hectic of the city for a couple of hours.

Königsalle: Dusseldorf's Champs Elysée with shops of Chanel, Escada or Lagerfeld to name but a few. There are cafés to slow down or to watch Dusseldorf's high society in their expensive cars.

Quick Tips:

A stroll along the new Rhein terraces in the summer is very popular under Dusseldorf's inhabitants. The main part is located between the two bridges, Rheinkniebrücke and Oberkasseler Brücke. In the middle you find the Burgplatz with many restaurants, pubs and cafés. It is also a well-known spot for the sunset, the sun disappears just in front of you behind the houses on the other side of the Rhein river.

Shopping: As mentioned above there are many shops and department stores in the Old Town. There is another pedestrian area close to the Shadow Arkaden which are not far from Königsallee. See the activities section for more information on certain shops.

Kaiserswerth: the most northern part of Dusseldorf with remains of an old castle and half-timbered houses in its center. On the Rhein river you find a nice and popular beer garden where you can have nice food, too.

Best Way To Get Around:

Dusseldorf has a very good public transport system, partly underground. There are several trams, i.e. U78/79, leading from the main station to the Old Town which takes only 5 minutes.

From the airport you can take a train (called S-Bahn) to the main station which takes approx. 20 minutes. If you want to rent a bike, Dusseldorf is a bike-friendly city, often with special lanes only for bikes.

The most luxurious and expensive hotel in Dusseldorf just opposite of the Old Town and next to Hofgarten. It has around 150 rooms with all the facilities you need. The hotel also has a very good restaurant and a bar, parking is available.

Lage: Das Hotel befindet sich in der Düsseldorfer Innenstadt.

There is a Holiday Inn Hotel (approx. 160 US$), a Hilton (approx.100 US$) as well as a Best Western Hotel (approx. 130 US$) in the city center, both only short walks from the city center with all the usual facilities. Apart from the Best Western Hotel, breakfast is included.

One of the finest italian restaurants located in the Old Town with a good menu to choose from and good italian wine. Fantastic Pizza and wonderful Pasta!

This original greek restaurant is located outside the city center but only a short ride with the tram 703 to Kirchplatz. Niklas, the owner, and his crew will give you a warm welcome and offer you the specialty of the day - most likely fresh lamb. It is not one of the ordinary greek restaurant, so do not expect Gyros or Pita here, instead you can try his wonderful lamb or rabbit dishes. Reservations are necessary during the weekend.

There are several breweries in Dusseldorf which are located in the Old Town like Uerige or Fuechschen, and they all offer local food. Be prepared that this food is more greasy and heavy. You can get roasted meat with potatoes and vegetable (among them Sauerkraut...) or bread with butter and cheese/cold meat. The atmosphere is more like that in a pub than a restaurant, but it is fun!

In the Old Town, you find many shops which sell all kinds of clothes, shoes and there is also a big CD-store called WOM World of Music on the second floor of the fancy clothes store called KULT.

In the area of Shadowstrasse, you find the huge department stores like Kaufhof and Karstadt where you can buy anything from food or clothes and stationary to watches. There is also Dusseldorf's largest photo equipment store called FOTO KOCH in case you run out of film. If you want to buy clothes you can also go to C&A or Peek&Cloppenburg or to one of the many fashion boutiques in this area.
In Königsalle the largest CD-store SATURN has just opened (2000) a new store which is definitely worth a visit. CD's are about 15 US$ in Germany which is among the cheapest prices in Europe.

Please note that shops in Germany are open only until 6.30 p.m. except for Thursdays when they are open until 8.00 p.m. On Saturdays, only the bigger shops are open until 4.00 p.m. and on Sundays all the shops are closed.