Dusseldorf - any recommendations on what to do/see there?

Abrean

Going to dusseldorf for a long weekend next friday, bit of a last minute thing so been trying to find things to see and do while there but cant seem to find much apart from museums! Even a hint at a good museum if theres nothing else would be great thanks

Zaph

About a dozen of us from BGRH went on a trip there last year. TBH, unless you like beer and pork products, there's not a whole load to do there from what we saw (although admittedly we were looking for beer and pork products ). The local beer is called altbier, and you won't get it outside the general Dusseldorf area. A really nice, old style beer hall we found that served "only one type of beer - dark!", is Hausbrauerei Zum Schlussel, on Bolkerstrasse in the Altstadt (old town). Their pork knuckle is truly awesome and actually reduced one of our number to tears (of joy, I hasten to add). Have fun!

undo

I grew up in the Ruhr area. Throughout that entire region, Düsseldorf is known as pretty much the best spot for nightlife. The old town has lots of pubs and clubs that will keep you busy until late into the night. Like the previous poster said, the city is proud of its local Altbier.

If you dare, you can try a "Stress" at a place called "Kneipe" (which translates as "pub" - but this really is the place's entire name).

If she is still alive, pay the waffle grandma a visit. She sells Belgian waffles from a tiny window on Bolkestraße, on your right just before the end of the street as you walk toward the river. Also tasty are Dutch chips which you can purchase from several outlets around the old town.

I could recommend several nice day trips. The most unusual thing in the area is the Schwebebahn in Wuppertal. As the population of Wuppertal grew, a public transport system was badly needed. There was not really any space for a tram, the hills were too steep for buses - and so they built a hanging monorail above the river. It is a gem of 19th century engineering and well worth seeing.

Düsseldorf is also a local shopping hot spot. But note that shops are closed on Sundays in Germany so if you are planning on shopping, do not wait until Sunday .

Abrean

Thanks for the great info!

Unfortunately one of us is on meds so drinking and wild nights in the pub are out:D

Is there any other typical tourist type things to do?

undo

I believe Stress actually contains no alcohol. It is some evil mixture of tabasco and other stuff that burns your intestines .

If you want to travel the area, you could hop over to the mining museum in Bochum (45 minutes on the train). It is a coal mine, underground, built for tourists to visit and experience.

The entire Ruhr area also just happens to be the European Capital of Culture 2010. There are lots of things going on everyday with concerts and other things on the weekends. Check the program here: http://www.essen-fuer-das-ruhrgebiet.ruhr2010.de/en/home.html