Düsseldorf is a city of architecture, festivals, culture, and shopping, and friendly locals. More like a tiny New York City.
There are thousands of different cultures and people, and they exist alongside the Rhein River, the Königsallee, and lots of museums and history.
The city is the 7th most populous city in Germany, and has the third busiest airport in the country. In 2012, it was rated the 6th most liveable city in the world. Congrats, Düsseldorf! Furthermore, this is the capital of the state of Nordrhein-Westphalia.
Lots of natives from around the surrounding area like to go to Düsseldorf for shopping and cultural events.
One of our favorite festivals in Düsseldorf is the French festival, which is held the first week of July (except for this year, due to the Corona Pandemic). It features thousands of vendors, who serve up anything from crepes to skewers of pork, bread, cheese, and hundreds of wine trucks to quench your thirst. They have some of the best wine I have ever had. This festival is the closest thing you can get to France outside of going there yourself.
Aside from the French festival, a popular attraction that is enjoyable year-round is the Rhein Promenade. Take a walk along the Rhein River, and watch barges and ships go by, stop and have a bite to eat at one of the riverside restaurants, grab some ice cream, or just walk from end to end under the sunshine. It is quite beautiful.
Nearby there is a ship museum, it is somewhat interactive. If nothing else, you can climb to the top of the tower to have a view of the city from above.
Younger generations and shopaholics will be thrilled to know there is an excellent shopping center called Kö for short, or Königsallee. This is a street filled with outdoor shops and malls, among which Tiffany’s, Anthropology, Abercrombie and Fitch, Bose, and many more designer shops can be found.
Some very beautiful buildings are located near the Kö, like buildings that incorporate live plants, as well as historic buildings, to the Rheinturm- a 240.5 or 789 ft high tower, used for telecommunications. This isn’t really a beautiful building, but it is architecturally amazing. You can take an elevator up to the 168 Meter floor to access a bar and viewing platform, and cafe/restaurant for about 9 Euros, or take the elevator up to the 174 Meter floor to dine in the high-class restaurant. The elevator ride is free if you dine here! In the higher-class restaurant, you get to sit on a revolving platform and enjoy your delicious meal (all options are HIGHLY delicious and delectable, be sure to bring your wallet!) as the world seems to move around you (You’re actually moving around the world). Enjoy nibbling on your delicious Wagyu Beef dumplings covered in saffron or Tuna Tataki as you overlook the city. Desert is also beautifully presented and worth every bite. Food should not be this good!
Alright, enough raving about the restaurant.
If you feel like walking off your guilt from spending so much money, take a walk around the city and river. It is relaxing, and good for the soul, and there are tons of walking routes! One of my favorite things to do is look for the Säulenheiligen Statues- statues of real, everyday people, for the hero in each one of us, put up on pedestals around the city. So far, I have seen 3. More about the Säulenheiligen Statues here.
Another thing you can do is look for graphics of Pacman ghosts made by Pdot- a man who puts up Pacman stickers all over Düsseldorf. There is an article about him here (warning: its in German).
Space Invaders Icon in Cologne, Germany
<<This is similar to the Space Invaders World movement- people put up tiles in the shape of game specifics in random places. There are several in Cologne, and there may even be some in your home town! See more about Space Invaders World here.>>
This blog post is by all means not an all-encompassing view of Düsseldorf. With over 600,00 people, there is so much to do that you can’t cover in one day. These are the highlights that we found. Come along with us on a tour of Düsseldorf in the video below!
“ONCE A YEAR, GO SOMEPLACE YOU’VE NEVER BEEN BEFORE.” – DALAI LAMA