Düsseldorf seems full of business on the surface, however, remove the business jacket and you will find a city with an impressive art scene, stunning architecture (both modern and traditional as well as an old town which claims to be the “longest bar in the world”. Easily reached, thanks to direct flights from both Edinburgh and Glasgow airports, here are some suggestions on discovering more of the capital of North Rhine–Westphalia.
Some history
The city of Düsseldorf started where the Düssel river flows into the Rhein. As the city grew, it was ruled by the Counts of Berg, who had a struggle for power over the city with the Archbishop of Cologne. The supporters and forces of The Archbishop of Cologne were wiped out by the army of the Count of Berg and the citizens of Cologne and Düsseldorf. Due to this confrontation, Düsseldorf was officially elevated to city status and you can see not only a monument to this on Burgplatz but throughout Düsseldorf. 5,432 children were said to be so happy that they cartwheeled throughout the city.
In modern times the city became highly industrial and during the second world was experiencing strategic bombing. Afterwards, Düsseldorf grew to become the city we now know, the fashion centre of Germany, a media hub and home to the third largest population of Japanese citizens in Europe (after London and Paris).
5,432 children were said to be so happy that they cartwheeled throughout the city.
Shop
The impressive Königsallee, or the Kö, is the place to shop. You’ll find all the big names (and prices) here, with architecture to match! Visit the Northern end of the Kö to be amazed at the Daniel Libeskind’s striking Kö-Bogen, this shopping mall was completed in 2013 and is where you’ll find the Apple Store and other top brands. When you have shopped out, take time out to relax at the peaceful Hofgarten.
For a more quirky shopping experience visit Lorettostrasse for independent boutiques or Ackerstrasse in the Flingern district. A must see is also Immermanstrasse for its Japanese-inspired shopping. If you want a local and unusual speciality then you must visit Düsseldorfer Senfladen on Berger Str. which stocks an array of flavoured mustards, including wasabi and fig flavours, or Et Kabuffke Killepitsch Stube on Flinger Str. for the local red-coloured herbal liqueur.
Drink
The city is most famous for one particular style of beer – Altbier, a top-fermented dark beer, a bit like an English bitter and quite distinct to the clear straw-coloured Kölsch beers from nearby Cologne. Altstadt or ‘Old Town’ is where to go for this traditional beer and there is a wealth of breweries in which to sample this, and other locally-brewed beers, we recommend Zum Schlüssel, Füchschen and Uerige.
But it’s not all beer, the cosy Eiskeller (Ice Cellar) wine beer stocks an impressive array of German wine where you can get an education on the different types of Riesling and plenty other wines! Last year they were voted best classic wine bar in Germany and the two owners were ranked as the second best wine sommeliers in the country.
Schmittmann, across the river and a few miles outside of the centre, has been producing German spirits since 1818, many award-winning, including gin, korn (a colourless spirit similar to vodka), cherry liqueur, chocolate-chilli liqueur etc. The tours are all in German and so is their website but don’t let that put you off as this is one off the regular tourist trail. You can buy bottles from their shop, all of them are excellent, and you probably won’t find any of these outside of Germany!
Too much booze? Then head to Shennong Tea Lounge where you can experience premium-grade teas and even a Taiwanese tea ceremony.
If coffee is more your thing than an excellent roastery is further down the same street looking out onto Marktplatz, Rösterei Vier (Roastery Four, so called because of the four processes of harvesting; processing; brewing; and roasting), source their beans responsibly and have even opened a sister cafe in Malawi!
Eat
While the brewery restaurants may serve what you might expect, such as bread and lots of meat, there are a few unusual things to look out for, for snacking, why not try a pickled egg at Uerige. Ask for one and see if you can work out how to eat it. There is a particular order to how you should eat it! For something more substantial visit Zum Schlüssel and have some Mettbrotchen – ground meat, with or without onions on top of half a roll, and after that how about an ice cream made from Altbier at Füchschen?
For steak, we could not fault MASH, where we got to try four different cuts of meat from four different countries – our favourite being the Uruguayan rib-eye!
Having Europe’s third largest Japanese community means that you will also be able to find some of the most authentic Japanese food outside of Tokyo. One place to visit is Hotel Nippon Restaurant Benkay.
Maites-Asiancuisine offers food tours and street food classes in both German and English at Tains mein-asiamarkt. Maite is originally from the Philippines but has now made Düsseldorf her home so has plenty of Filipino recipes and local Asian food knowledge to share.
If you plan to stay in an apartment then making your own food needn’t be a chore with the Carlsplatz Market (Open Monday to Saturday) in the Altstadt. The former farmers’ market is a gourmet paradise where you can sample all sorts of local, seasonal produce and indulge your sweet tooth at Pure Pastry, with delights from Tim Tegtmeier, former chef of a restaurant with 3 Michelin stars and Pâtissier of the Year.
But even the supermarkets in Düsseldorf are a step above. The massive new Edeka supermarket has more of a market feel, with a sushi restaurant and whole foods feel. It even has a staffed asparagus washing machine!
If this is too much to remember then simply join the Düsseldorf’s culinary soul food tour (€39 per adult / €25 for children). English language tours last for 3 hours and depart every Saturday at 10am including visits to, and tastings at many of the places above.
Sleep
Probably the coolest place to sleep in all of Düsseldorf is the brand new 25 Hours Hotel. This French-themed, 17-floor hotel with 198 rooms even has outdoor working bathtubs on some of the balconies! The restaurant and cocktail bar at the top of the building has excellent views across the city that you don’t need to pay extra for.
Culture
One of the most instagrammable sites is the K20 Gallery part of the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen. You can’t miss that wall. Externally stunning as well as the exhibitions inside.
The Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen presents a demanding and variegated exhibition program at three locations: at the K20 Grabbeplatz, at the K21 Ständehaus and at the Schmela Haus.
Tonhalle Düsseldorf was originally designed as a planetarium today the building is home to the Tonhalle. Admire the architecture outside and Every year over 220,000 visitors come to enjoy classical music, cabaret and light music.
Tourist Information
See here: https://www.duesseldorf-tourismus.de/en/home/
Get there
Düsseldorf can be reached directly from Edinburgh and Glasgow airports with Eurowings. Alternatively, you can get there with one change when travelling with FlyBe, BA or KLM.
