12 Step Planet: Düsseldorf

Where exactly is it?
Düsseldorf is in western Germany, a short distance from the Dutch border on the banks of the great river Rhine. It’s the capital of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The industrial lower Rhineland region is heavily populated with numerous large cities, including Cologne, Essen, Duisburg and Bonn. The city is an important centre for international business and finance and its airport is the third largest in Europe. Düsseldorf is Germany’s seventh largest city with almost 1.5 million inhabitants.
How do I get there?
Aer Lingus operate a daily direct service from Dublin to Düsseldorf International. Lufthansa also schedule a limited service with flight time under two hours.
What language do they speak?
The majority language is of course German. Locals speak a distinct dialect known as ‘Low German’ or Plat, which often sounds similar to Dutch or even English. Düsseldorf’s position as a key hub for international business ensures that English is also widely spoken throughout the city.
What is the local beer like?
Düsseldorf’s beer heritage isn’t as celebrated as that of Bavaria, but it’s still known for a number of excellent regional brews. Altbier is the region’s most famous export. It is a beer produced using an old fashioned fermenting technique that favours warm yeast. There are a number of pubs in the city which brew altbier in the same building. The classic altbier is copper in colour, dry and with a strong hops aftertaste. It’s best sampled draught, direct from a wooden casket.
Other drinks?
As is common throughout Germany, the colourless, fermented fruit spirit schnapps is widely available. It is produced in a broad variety of flavours, with apple, plum, cherry and pear amongst the most common. Vineyards are dotted along the Rhine, dominated by the world famous riesling white grape variety.
What is the transport like?
Düsseldorf is a doddle to navigate, thanks to its integrated train and bus network. The Strassenbahn or tram network is in operation since 1876 and is supported by the continuously expanding Stadtbahn, a light-rail service with almost one hundred stops throughout the urban area. The city is also a key hub for the country’s rail service with over one thousand inter-city trains stopping in Düsseldorf daily. The international airport is, as already stated, the country’s third largest and the region can boast Germany’s most extensive autobahn network.
What’s the food like?
The region’s food is typically German, wholesome and hearty. Some of the world’s finest mustards are produced in the area and they are widely used in local cuisine. Meat dishes are especially popular and some local specialities include Himmel und Äd (Heaven and Earth) made from potatoes, stewed apple and black pudding and the vinegar marinated beef with gravy dish known as sauerbraten.
What’s the nightlife like?
Düsseldorf’s nightlife isn’t as sophisticated as that of Berlin or Hamburg but is still hugely enjoyable. The old city or ‘aldstadt’ is packed with interesting haunts, including the ‘longest bar in the world’, a title given to a 1km square of pedestrian section of the old city where over two hundred bars, eateries and clubs are congregated! All tastes are catered for from traditional taverns serving altbier and local delicacies to alternative music bars, pumping out indie music and offering broader drinks menus. The area is also well served with a number of excellent nightclubs. Lovers of techno, house and electronica are spoilt for choice with numerous late-night venues, hardly surprising considering Düsseldorf’s the home of legendary electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk! If you find the altstadt’s busy streets a little claustrophobic; head for the Medienhafen, a refurbished part of the city harbour, full of galleries, cafes and clubs framed by eye-catching avant-garde architecture.
Why should I go?
Düsseldorf is Germany’s often-overlooked, hidden gem. It’s a great place to relax and kick back for a long weekend and is steeped in the history and glorious architecture of the aldstadt. When not making the big bucks in international business and finance, the welcoming and hospitable locals are well able to party in the city’s endless number of bars and clubs. Art lovers will be bowled over by the high-end galleries and eating out is excellent and affordable.
What are the touristy things to do?
The aldstadt is the backbone of the city’s tourist industry. Levelled by Allied bombing raids during World War II, the old-quarter was painstakingly restored from the original city plans. The promenade, running along the right bank of the Rhine, is beautifully decorated and links many of the city’s chief tourist hotspots, including the Burgplatz and City Hall. St. Lambertus Basilica is a gothic masterpiece typified by its twisted spire and the nearby, 400-year-old plus, City Hall, is a beautiful complex of buildings that charts the history of the region since the Middle Ages. Take a break from gothic and baroque and spend an afternoon in the ultra-chic Medienhafen (Media Harbour) a hotch-potch of protected buildings and modern architecture filled with funky cafés, bars and restaurants. Some of the top names in modernist architecture have made their mark here, including the world famous Canadian exponent Frank Owen Gehry. Sports fans should pick up a ticket for a home game by local Bundesliga team Fortuna Düsseldorf, held in the super-modern Espirit Arena, ideally against one of the division’s giants, Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund.
Anything else?
A short trip from the downtown is the lush and scenic Neanderthal (Neander Valley) famed for the hugely significant discovery in 1856 of the first homo neanderthalesis skeleton. Miners happened upon the skeletal remains whilst excavating a section of the valley, originally named after German clergyman Joachim Neander, whose name, coincidentally, translates as ‘new man’.
Anything to avoid?
Check the restaurant menu prices before sitting down to eat! Düsseldorf’s bustling financial quarter has generated a lot of wealth in the region and as a consequence, plenty of high-end establishments. There are lots of affordable restaurants too. Just avoid the places inhabited by the Armani suit wearing brigade!
What should I bring home?
Keen shoppers will fall head-over-heels for Düsseldorf! All the top International designers have flagship stores in this affluent metropolis. The main concentration of boutiques, shopping malls and craft shops are located off the stylish Königsallee boulevard. There’s also some fantastic second-hand vinyl shops and inexpensive galleries featuring works by up-and-coming German artists.
When should I go?
Summer’s the prime-time to visit Düsseldorf. The weather is normally in the comfortable low twenties and there’s plenty of activity. Winter temperatures can often drop to sub zero with heavy snowfall common. However, if you want to experience this fun-loving city in its pomp, why not travel to the annual Carnival in February or the November street parade?
What’s my challenge?
Sample a little of everything this fascinating city has to offer. Cure the thirst after an afternoon’s sightseeing with altbier served from one of the old city’s brewpubs and taste some of the exquisite local marinated meat dishes. Dance the night away in some of Germany’s finest dance clubs and get a taste for the avant-garde in the newly developed Media Harbour. Düsseldorf is a city where the both the traditional and modern co-exist side-by-side.
What’s the currency?
The currency is the Euro.
Something to remember...
Düsseldorf has an intense rivalry, particularly when it comes to sport, with neighbouring city Cologne. If you’re on a trip of the region, don’t make the mistake of praising ‘big brother’ if in the company of locals. You’ll soon find yourself
drinking alone!