A plan for Düsseldorf

Orientation

Düsseldorf lies on the River Rhine, or more precisely, mostly on its right (eastern) riverbank. The corresponding western riverbank is mostly occupied by the neighbouring cities of Neuss and Meerbusch except for a small bit of land on the left bank belonging to Düsseldorf, which forms the District 4.

Düsseldorf is divided into 10 districts (Stadtbezirke), which are referred to only using numbers. Those are further divided into "city parts" (Stadtteile), or neighbourhoods/quarters, which in turn have meaningful names.

Tourists are most likely to concentrate on District 1, with its quarters of Stadtmitte ("city centre") spreading northwest from the train station, as well as Altstadt ("old town") and Carlstadt on the Rhine. Many will continue further south along the Rhine through Unterbilk in District 3 to the haven (Hafen), which has been largely converted to commercial and leisure use from its original industrial and transportation functions. This whole area is rather compact, compared to the entirety of Düsseldorf, and mostly walkable.

Of the other districts and city parts, of interest to tourists may be the Benrath in District 9, with its grand palace and park and Lohausen in District 5, which contains Düsseldorf's airport.

Spelling

The name Düsseldorf can be split into two words, "Düssel" and "Dorf". The first is the name of a little stream that flows through the city (mostly underground nowadays). And "Dorf" means "village", so "Düsseldorf" actually means "village at the Düssel".

In German, umlauts like ü can be transcribed as ue, so spelling without umlauts leads to Duessel. The origins of this name go back into the old German language, when over time vowels and consonants shifted slightly. In 1065 this stream was mentioned with the name of "Tussale", which means roaring or rushing. This gives "rushing/roaring village ".

Be careful not to misspell the name of the city as "Dusseldorf" without an umlaut, because if you do, you are calling it "Village of Fools": "Dussel" is a dated word meaning "fool".

The city was largely destroyed in World War II, and there were very few old buildings left. People interested in modern architecture, however, will have much to see in Düsseldorf. Also, there are many modern public artworks, and on Stresemannplatz Square and the Rhine Bank, there are palm trees, not really something you'd expect to see on a cold day in October.

Stadtmitte

Stadtmitte is the first part of Düsseldorf most travellers see, as it extends northwest from the Hauptbahnhof. It is a very no-nonsense district mostly filled with offices and retail, with few historic buildings, but not without its charm. The Königsallee at the western end of Stadtmitte, close to the Altstadt, is an internationally famous boulevard and luxury shopping street running along both banks of the Kögraben canal. On balance, the area around the Hauptbahnhof may seem relatively seedy for a city lauded for its living conditions - the general rule is that the farther from the train station and closer to the Kö, the nicer the neighbourhood. You may also want to stroll along another shopping street, the Schadowstraße - see the #Buy section of this guide for more tips.

The quarter between Berliner Allee, Klosterstraße, Charlottenstraße and Graf-Adolf-Straße is known as the Japanese quarter (Japanisches Viertel), as the many Japanese companies tend to place their head offices there. This in turn results in the proliferation of typically Japanese service providers, including many restaurants and specialist stores. Moreover, the Japanese companies often provide company apartments to their employees within the quarter. Beyond the long-standing Japanese places, there are also many Chinese and South Korean establishments.

To the west of the Königsallee, encroaching on the territories of Altstadt and Carlstadt, is the Bankenviertel, where traditionally the big international, national and local banks have had their headquarters or local offices. This afforded the area between the parallel Kasernenstraße, Breite Straße and Königsallee with many impressive office buildings, many dating back to the 19th century, and continues to affect the local rents, highest in the city. Apart from banks, media (especially those concentrating on business and economics) and professional services firms also occupy much of the office space available.

Football: 1 Fortuna Düsseldorf, Merkur Spiel-Arena, Arena Strasse (4 km north of centre on U-Bahn), ☏ +49 211 159 81200. Fortuna were relegated in 2026 and now play soccer in 3. Liga, the third tier. The stadium (capacity 56,000) hosted matches during the 2024 UEFA Euro Finals. (updated Jun 2026)

Events

Düsseldorf is a stronghold of Carnival. The 5th season starts on 11 Nov (11.11). at 11:11 with the handover of the keys of the city hall to the women. But the main carnival runs from Carnival Monday to Ash Wednesday. If you have the chance don’t miss the parade on Carnival Monday in February.

Nacht der Museen. Once a year, like in many other German cities, a Night of Museums is organized by the City of Düsseldorf.

Christmas market. The annual Christmas market, which centres around the Altstadt. Try a Glühwein (mulled wine) and Bratwurst (grilled sausage in bread roll).

Kirmes. Between the 2nd and 3rd weekend of July there is a fun fair on the banks of Rhine. You will find there roller coasters, a Ferris wheel, a flying jinny and at least a beer garden too. Also, watermelons are sold everywhere. It is the biggest fair on the Rhine and very enjoyable. Monday, called pink Monday, is the day of lesbians and gays. On Friday, there is a firework display.

Every year in April or May there is the Düsseldorf Marathon which is open for everyone. Registration is required for participants, but viewers are welcome any time.

Free entrance to the K20 and K21 every first Wednesday in the Month.

Düsseldorf EG, DEG-Platz 1, Theodorstraße 281. Düsseldorf's ice hockey ('Eishockey Gemeinschaft') team, previously known as the Metrostars, play at the modern ISS Dome to the north of the city centre, near the airport. They compete in the top division of the national league, the DEL, and enjoy strong rivalries with the nearby Cologne side, Kölner Haie, and the even-closer Krefeld Pinguine. The 701 tram continues to just outside the ISS Dome. Games are usually on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons, with some midweek games too. (updated Jan 2020)

Characteristic Rhenish dishes like Düsseldorfer Senfrostbraten (mustard roast pork), Rheinischer Sauerbraten (marinated beef with raisins), Halve Hahn (not a "half chicken", but a slice of cheese with mustard and a gherkin on rye bread) or Ähzezupp (pea soup) are offered everywhere within the old town.

Budget

City centre

1 Zum Kochlöffel, Friedrich-Ebert-Str. 41, ☏ +49 211 1 60 96 15. Very good German home cooking. You can go here for sandwiches to meals. Individual daily specials are being presented every day. Tasty and freshly prepared with passion. (updated May 2022)

2 Ham Ham bei Josef, Kurze Str. 5. Very good and varied food, and magnificent attention. (updated May 2022)

3 Schweine Janes Altstadt, Bolkerstraße 13. A great place to taste the flavors of a good simple cuisine that evokes the stories of the old city. Small restaurant with freshly roasting pork knuckles near the window that is popular. Delicious and satisfying. Portions are big. (updated May 2022)

4 Ludwigs Bier&Brot, Mertensgasse 11. The drinks and the food are very good and it has reasonable prices. (updated May 2022)

Media Harbour

5 Ess-Klasse, Erftstraße 12. Fresh home made food Fast, delicious and varied lunch menu. The stews and soups are recommended. The atmosphere is appropriate (updated May 2022)

6 Pizzeria Am Medienhafen, Wupperstraße 14. The pizzas taste very good. The ambience is modern with two super nice owners. (updated May 2022)

Mid-range

Curry, Hammer Str. 2 (Media Harbour), or Moltkestr. 115 (near the Zoo). German cuisine, including the famous sausage with ketchup (on request with golden leaf!) (updated Aug 2022)

7 Zum Schiffchen, Hafenstraße 5, ☏ +49 211 - 13 24 21, info@brauerei-zum-schiffchen.de. Rustic bourgeois brewery restaurant, delicious beer and attentive service. Excellent cream of Pfifferlinge (chanterelle) soup in season. Established in 1628, this restaurant was patronised by local poet Heinrich Heine and has served a bevy of celebrities, including Napoleon. (updated Aug 2022)

8 Brauerei im Füchschen, Ratingerstraße 28, ☏ +49 211 1374-716, lokal@fuechschen.de. A traditional brewery restaurant in the old town serving their own beer. Here you can try the local specialty Sauerbraten; vinegar marinated beef with red cabbage. (updated Aug 2022)

Düsseldorf is known for its many bars in the downtown (Altstadt) area. In fact, many people refer to the Altstadt as the "longest bar in the world" ("Längste Theke der Welt"). The most common drink is "Altbier" or simply "Alt." This dark beer, served in small glasses, is available at practically any restaurant in the city. Altbier is only brewed in breweries around Düsseldorf. Some of the traditional breweries are the "Uerige", "Füchschen", "Zum Schlüssel" and "Schumacher".

In the Altstadt you can enjoy Schlüssel, Uerige, Schumacher, and Füchschen beers, at traditional brewery restaurants. The waiters at these traditional restaurants are called "Köbes." These waiters will replace empty glasses with full ones when they see one. Typically new visitors to the city are surprised by a new fresh glass of Altbier in front of them when they did not order one. To signal that you are done and do not want any more Altbier, simply place your coaster ("Bierdeckel") on top of your glass, and the "Köbes" will not automatically refill you. Bolkerstraße (Zum Schlüssel, Schumacher), Flingerstraße (Uerige), Ratinger Straße (Füchschen) and Kurzestraße (Kürzer) are the main places where you find all kinds of pubs and breweries. A variation of the Altbier is called Krefelder. It's an Altbier with Coke.

By local transportation

The vast network of bus, express bus, tramway (Straßenbahn), and light rail/subway (U-Bahn/Stadtbahn) lines is operated by Rheinbahn under the VRR association. You may use any local transport, including commuter (S) and regional (RB, RE) trains, within your ticket's validity zone. For all trips within Düsseldorf, including the airport, you need Price Category A.

As of 2026, fares for Category A are €3.80 for a single ticket and €7.60 for a 24-hour pass. Children under 15 pay a flat rate of €2.10 per journey. Tickets can be purchased via the Rheinbahn, VRR, or DB apps; at customer service centers; from ticket machines at stops; and from bus drivers (contactless payment preferred). For more flexibility, consider the "eezy.nrw" feature in the app, which calculates fares based on the linear distance between your start and end points.

While most of the network is now barrier-free, some older subway stations still require using stairs or have limited elevator access.

By car

The city centre is an "environment zone" similar to that found in many other large German cities. Cars must have a sticker declaring the car's pollution category.

By bike

There are several bike hire vendors in Düsseldorf, which offer daily or longer term bookings, for ~€9/day, or less for longer rental times.

You can hire bikes from the Radstation located at the Hauptbahnhof (Bertha-von-Suttner-Platz exit). It is operated by a municipal subsidiary (ZWD) and bikes can be booked in advance online. They also offer secure, covered bike parking for approximately €0.90/day (Apr 2026).

A commercial service is run by Nextbike, but requires free registration to receive the combination lock codes to access the bikes. A working mobile phone is also required. You can pick up a SIM card fairly cheaply from a local mobile phone store.

By foot

The city centre is not that large and most attractions are in a walkable distance from one another.

By e-hailing

Uber, Bolt and Free Now cover the city.

By taxi

Taxis are widely available, with Taxi-Düsseldorf and Rhein-Taxi being the two largest companies. While German taxis were traditionally ivory-coloured, this is no longer mandatory. Today, you can spot a licensed cab by its illuminated roof sign and the official registration number on the rear window..

Düsseldorf is generally as safe as other European cities of similar size. However the surroundings of the central railway station might be a bit intimidating, particularly at night, if there are junkies around. In particular, the pedestrianised office district outside the rear entrance to the station, heading away from the town centre, is quite deserted late at night and best avoided.

Düsseldorf is in a strong rivalry with its neighbor city Cologne, especially concerning comparisons between the local beers. Cologne is almost twice the size of Düsseldorf in terms of population, and the Cologne Cathedral is known nationwide. Düsseldorf is an economic powerhouse and capital city of the state of NRW. If you have been to Cologne, try to avoid any comparisons between the two cities.