Want to discover Düsseldorf in one day? No problem – in a city with many of its tourist attractions in pedestrian-friendly locations. Our tour goes along the Rhine and into the city centre.
We begin at the culturally and architecturally important (1) Ehrenhof-Ensemble (Court of Honour) to the north of the Old Town. The complex was built in 1925/26 and amongst other things is home to the Kunstpalast Museum, in which the city’s art collections, the former planetarium – today the Music Hall – and the Rhine Terraces are located. The (3) Sankt Lambertus church with its famous twisted roof is located on the left-hand side further up the Rhine in the direction of the Old Town. When the turret roof was renovated in 1815 after a fire, wood which had not yet aged enough was used in the works. After the reconstruction, the roof thus became warped. According to popular belief, it will straighten itself out again when a virgin gets married in the Lambertus church. The shrine with reliquaries of the patron saint of the city Apollinaris is located inside the basilica. As the only remains of Düsseldorf’s City Palace, the (4) Schlossturm (Castle Tower) is located around 300 metres further on. Burnt down in 1882 and damaged in the 2nd world war, the building was renovated and today houses the Schifffahrt-Museum (Maritime Museum). You can find out more information about the periods when the residents of Düsseldorf still lived mainly on, from and with the Rhine. The Castle Tower is surrounded by (5) Burgplatz, on which what seems like half of Düsseldorf comes together on nice evenings to drink dark beer, to chat - and to observe each other.
If you carry on walking along the Rhine, you come directly to the (6)Rhine promenade. From here, you have incredible views over the passing Rhine boats, the cable-stayed bridges and Oberkassel banks of the Rhine. The cafés provide the perfect location to take a break. Our next destination cannot be missed: at 234 metres tall, the (7) Rheinturm(Rhine Tower) is the tallest building in Düsseldorf and offers breath-taking views over the city and the Media Harbour. The restaurant at the top of the tower revolves around its axis once every hour. You can admire another peculiarity from the bottom of the tower: the circular portholes on the shaft of the tower form the biggest decimal clock in the world. Just a short distance from the Rhine, passing by the circular building of the (8) Landtag Nordrhein-Westfalen (North Rhine-Westphalia State Parliament) – which is best observed from the viewing platform of the Rhine Tower -, we come to the (9)Gehry buildings. Irregular floor plans, a bold choice of materials and "tilting" details make the buildings typical of Frank O. Gehry – but also of the city in which they are located: they have become a real icon. We now head away from the Rhine and go to the (10) K21. The branch of the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen (North Rhine-Westphalia Art Collection) is dedicated to contemporary art and is thus a chronological continuation of the K20 “mother house”, which exhibits art from the 20th century. The K21 is housed in the modernised Ständehaus, which was home to the State Parliament until 1988.
Via Graf-Adolf-Platz, it is not too far to (11) Königsallee. The "Kö", as it is affectionaltely known, is a classical magnificent boulevard with the city moat, old trees, romantic bridges and numerous brand stores. Make your way to the east side of the boulevard for a spot of (window) shopping. From the Kö, we go past the (12) Triton Fountains to the (13)Hofgarten (Court Garden). The green oasis in the city centre provides the perfect opportunity to relax with its beautiful trees and duck pond. After a relaxing break, we carry on into the (14) Old Town. The district is renowned for its dark beer pubs, which are packed together and spill out onto the narrow streets nearby in summer. You can also find many cultural tourist attractions: churches, historic buildings and museums are more than worth a visit. In Bolkerstraße, we arrive at (15) Heine’s birthplace. The poet was born on the 13th December 1797 in the back building of no. 53. Today, the Heine-Haus (Heine House) is a bookstore, café and literary meeting point, in which author readings regularly take place.
