How To Spend A Fantastic Weekend In Düsseldorf, Germany
How to spend a weekend in Düsseldorf? No matter if you’re visiting for the weekend or any other couple of days during the week. Düsseldorf has loads to offer! From shopping to sightseeing, eating through all kinds of cultures, exploring the beer and brewery scene, and explore the old town in this beautiful lower rhine city. Find out what you can do in 72 hours in Düsseldorf! All proved by myself and friends of mine I did show around my town!
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A Weekend In Düsseldorf – Saturday
Breakfast At Carlsplatz
Let’s start your weekend in Düsseldorf with breakfast at Carlsplatz. Get freshly brewed coffee at KaffeeReich accompanied by a delicious piece of sweets like a croissant or almond Tarte from Pure Pastry.
Whether you get it for takeaway and walk through the market aisle, or sit down for a moment and enjoy some time of quietness and peace! It’s perfect for diving into the morning and the atmosphere of the city!
Afterward, you can stroll the market, get a nose full of flavorful spices at Inka & Mehl, and maybe refreshing ice cream at PureIce, one of the newer players here, or frozen yogurt at Yomaro. Hence, there are so many fantastic possibilities!
Stroll Through Karlstadt
When you are around, it’s the perfect opportunity for a stroll through Karlstadt. It’s one of the best locations to live in in Düsseldorf. There are many cute cafés, restaurants, pastries, shops, and, of course, beautiful city houses!
Also, you can find the city museum, some beautiful and quiet parks, and more here! And the best, the river Rhine is never far away!
A Tour With Hop On Hop Off Bus
What is a weekend in Düsseldorf without some sightseeing? Only half of the fun, I guess!
The red hop-on-hop-off buses* will drive you around the city and all the main attractions. This guided hop on hop off bus tour tells you all essential facts about Düsseldorf and its older and newer history.
The route of this sightseeing tour passes the famous luxury shopping mile Königsallee, the historical and architectural masterpieces, Karl-Marx-House, and Carsh House, the art academy, and museums K20 and Kunstbunker, Düsseldorf old town, and Schloßplatz.
Furthermore, the bus brings you to the media harbor and Rhine Tower, from where you catch the panorama of the entire Düsseldorf and the surrounding area, and on good weather days, views of neighboring cities, like Essen, Duisburg, or Cologne. Challenge your eyes and see if you can catch the big cathedral of Cologne!
You will cross the river at the Rhine Knee Bridge, one of three bridges that landmark the Düsseldorf skyline! Now you are at Ober- and Niederkassel, some expensive neighborhoods with beautiful houses and river views.
You’ll go back to the other side of town via Oberkasseler Bridge and alongside the Kunstpalast and Ehrenhof, Rheinterassen, and Oberlandesgericht. In front of the river, the big green park offers space for picnics and barbecues, sports, and beer gardens. Tremendous fun for the entire family and popular activity on the weekend here in Düsseldorf!
You can also see the Fortuna Bud, a small kiosk with all the essential drinks you might need, like beer, Altbier, and non-alcoholics. It’s the location where fans of the local soccer club “Fortuna Düsseldorf “meet up before and after its matches, whether celebrating in joy about a win or crying in desperation about a loss.
The farthest location of the sightseeing bus tour is the Aquazoo and Nordpark, where you can also find one of two Japanese Gardens in Düsseldorf.
Tip: If you visit with kids, I highly recommend hopping off here and take a stroll through the Aquazoo. Visit the sharks, and the puffins, and a lot of other mammals, and sea life!
Explore “Little Tokyo “At Immermannstraße
Back to the city, your next stop will be the central station. The perfect opportunity to leave the bus and explore Düsseldorf’s “Little Tokyo. “
That’s where the Japanese Community of Düsseldorf (by the way, it’s the biggest in Germany, and third in Europe :-o), eats, shop and Japanese visitors stay. We have one of the best Japanese restaurants, sushi shops, and ramen bars. You can buy Japanese bread, books, and goods for daily life.
My favorite Japanese ramen bar is “Takezo,” my favorite Korean restaurants are “Gusan,” “Yogi,” and “Bi Bim Bap,” and if you’re a veggie or vegan, enjoy a meal at “Frucht und Genuss.”
How to spend a weekend in #Düsseldorf, #Germany? Travel to the most beautiful city on the river #Rhine and enjoy the love of life, #Altbier, and lower-rhine-styled food! Click To TweetTip: A branch of one of the best ice cream dealers in Düsseldorf, “Nordmann’s Icecream Factory, “is located on Immermannstraße, too! If you’re around, you shouldn’t miss it!
Bonus Tip: Go to the top of the “Me and All” Hotel* for an impressive view of Düsseldorf from above! There is a sky lounge where you can eat, drink, and enjoy a fantastic view of the town!
Altbier Safari At The Old Town
You should take the chance and get a proper meal at Immermannstraße before you head back to the old town of Düsseldorf. The next tour is an insider tip-like must-do when you visit Düsseldorf. An “Altbier Safari. “
It’s a guided tour through all four and a half Altbier breweries in the old town.
You might already wonder what Altbier is, as I talked about a few times already!
The translation of Altbier is an old beer! But don’t worry! It’s not because of its “old “beer. It just described the way of brewing it! The beer is brewed in the “old “way! That means the original recipe from 1516, the German Beer Purity Decree, is probably the first customary law globally. The method of brewing beer!
The tour provides you insides of the four breweries in the old and the one that brews near Immermannstraße; Kürzer, Füchschen, Schumacher, Uerige, and Schlüssel!
These are the last remaining ones that still exist and brews today! They only brew old beer and some variations of it. Of course, you’ll get a sample of the beer at each location! So you can taste the differences and decide which ones you like most.
Düsseldorf Old Town
If you’re still thirsty after the beer safari, you now have the chance to explore the old town and have a little or big pub crawl. There is a reason why Düsseldorf is called the “longest bar in the world “!
Do you want to go big and party? Your place would be Bolker Straße, the main tourist and party spot!
You’d like to have a bit more alternative way of partying and want to meet some younger but quieter people? Go to Kurze Straße (means short street), where you already had one of the old beers at “Kürzer. “
Or you want to meet some Düsseldorf originals and locals; your place would be at Ratinger Straße, where the brewery “Zum Füschsen “is located.
In between, you’ll find even more pubs, clubs, and restaurants, Irish pubs, and even salsa bars!
Sunset On The Stairs At The Rhine
If you need a break or more food, grab a pizza at one of the many and famous “Mini Pizzas, “small corner shops spread all over the Düsseldorf’s old town, where you only get pizza and maybe a beer or a soda! Also, popular around midnight when your body needs something proper after all that drinking and bars hopping!
Take away beer and other drinks; you can get at the so-called “Büdchen. “
When you have everything, your pizza, another beer, or soda, sit down at the Rhine Stairs near the Schloßturm (Castletower) and watch the sunset behind the houses of Oberkassel on the other side of the Rhine! A unique way of closing day 1 of your weekend in Düsseldorf!
Clubbing In Düsseldorf
If you still don’t have enough, there are plenty of possibilities to continue partying and dancing.
Choose from one of the Salsa bars, with Latin music and the one or another salsa lesson, or of the clubs around the old town, like Sir Walter or Nachtresidenz!
A Weekend In Düsseldorf – Sunday
Sunday is the perfect day to catch up with the things you couldn’t do the day before! Like climbing the Rhine Tower, Düsseldorf’s TV tower, and the enormous digital clock in the world, or discover all the gems in Media Harbor and have a walk alongside the Rhine!
Day Trip to Kaiserswerth
Or you can have a day trip to some neighborhoods outside of Düsseldorf, like Kaiserwerth or Benrath.
My personal favorite is Kaiserswerth that is just a half an hour tube ride away. It’s a charming small town with a historic old town with quite important meaning in German history.
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Tonhalle At Clemensplatz
Right at Clemensplatz is the restaurant “Tonhalle. “A perfect chance to get a Lower Rhine-styled meal!
However, there are further great opportunities in the town to grab something to eat and sit down for a while and soak in the relaxed and laid-back atmosphere.
Historic Walk
Afterward, continue your little tour with a walk through the historic town. It’s a self-guided tour around the city with Tafeln that tells you about the history.
Kaiserpfalz
The most important fact and also the remaining artifact is the “Kaiserpfalz. “Ancient ruins of the castle where Friedrich “Barbarossa “I. lived a few days a year, and that is still there today! The best is that you can climb it till the top and feel like back in history.
Beergarden “Galerie Burghof”
Nearby is a pretty lovely beer garden, right at the Rhine! Here you can sit down, and drink a beer, have a snack, and have a chat with your friends or family.
Ferry To Meerbusch And Camping Grounds
A few meters farther, you’ll find the ferry that brings you to the other side of the river, where you find a vast camping space!
Tip: Rent a bike, go out to Kaiserswerth, and cycle back to Düsseldorf, alongside the Rhine, at one of the many bicycle routes in that area!
Relax At City beach
Back in the city, mainly when you cycled your way around, you’ll pass one of the “Stadtstrände “city beaches at Robert-Lehr-Ufer. Take a break here, grab a sunchair, a snack, a drink, and relax the rest of the day while watching the boats on the river! It’s one more spot to enjoy the sunset, too!
A perfect ending to a fantastic weekend in Düsseldorf!
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Have you been yet? Tell me about your experience, expectations, or suggestions in the comments!
Really Informative post related to travel guide. Please keep sharing these posts with us.I am also planning to visit dusseldorf in summer vacations with my family
Hi, Ihm glad to hear that you like the post and plan a visit with your family. When you like to know anything else about Düsseldorf, feel free to drop me a message! There are also a few more posts about the town on my site.
Thanks sharing this article about the spend a weekend dusseldorf
wow, it just looks so a peaceful place. I just want to visit this place and also try their food. I love this article. thanks for sharing this amazing beautiful article of Dusseldorf.
Wow this is really too good about the spend weekend in Dusseldorf thanks sharing this article
Thanks sharing this article
Wow this is really too good about the spend weekend in Dusseldorf thanks sharing this article
WOOOOOOOOW these tips are so help full,,,,
Am so happy to have it
It so amazing and many help full tips of trip
Amazing! I know nothing about traveling all over the country, what a wonderful looking place to explore.
I visited Dusseldorf during the Christmas market and had a great time. Definitely missed most of these things on your list though!
Dusseldorf looks awesome during the summer. I went during the Christmas markets and it was magical! There is so much to do. 🙂
I never would have considered going to Dusseldorf to be honest, I dont know why, i guess other places in Germany pop into my head first so I’m glad I read this! The castle ruins look cool, I always like things like that and the beer garden look cool!
I love short breaks and Germany is a great country to do that! Often I take long layovers and just use that time to explore cities. Dusseldorf it one of those, so this itinerary is perfect! Done Munich and Stuttgart, so will follow this for next layover 😀
I’ve been to Düsseldorf several times. But I just noticed that was only ever for work. I don’t think I’ve ever actually spent a day (let alone a weekend) to explore. Maybe I should finally add that to my list of places in Germany.
It really looks like a great weekend. I have not yet reached Dusseldorf, I hope to be in Germany for the Oktoberfest if the borders are open …
Thanks Rick for stopping by! Come to visit Düsseldorf! We have a big international airport, too! And its easier and faster to get to town from there than from the airport in Munich! However, I’m afraid, Oktoberfest this year is canceled already!
We normally just pass by on the highway on our way from Austria to the Netherlands. Your post has inspired me to take an exit and explore a bit of Düsseldorf next time.
Looks like there is a nice cafe culture there. It’s not a city I have visited but next time I’m in Germany I’ll definitely check it out!
Such a lovely place. I didn’t know there was so much to do. I will have to spend more time there on my next visit.
Such a lovely place! I’ve never been to Dusseldorf but I’ll definitely gonna visit on my next trip to Germany. I loved the Beergarden “Galerie Burghof”, looks like a great place to spend time in.
I’ve never been to Dusseldorf but I’d love to check out the cafes and parks there! I ate dinner already but kinda craving ice cream now! 😛
I really want to rent a bike, cycle along the Rhine, and go on an altbier safari. Thanks for the great tips!
I know they’re super touristy but I kinda like hop on/off buses. I think I got a better appreciation for them when traveling with my parents as my Mum has a lot of trouble walking far and I just felt bad we were dragging her along all over a city. The bus was a great option for that, and you learn something as you go but still have freedom of not being on an organized tour. I have to say if I do end up walking I will be on that Altbier Safari. That sounds amazing!
I did my Erasmus year in Duesseldorf! I was so happy to find this post! Honestly, in uni times I didn’t bother exploring the city as much as I did partying. I remember Heinrich Heine Uni parties, going to Poco Loco and Anaconda and eating pizza for 3 euros at the pizza stalls. I would love to go back and get to know the city on a different level now.
This is great! We plan to go here soon so I will for sure be using this guide 🙂
Oh, that´s awesome Madeline! I´m sure, you´ll love it! Let me know if you need any further suggestions or recommendations!
Great itinerary! I really want to visit more cities in Germany, so far I’ve only been to Cologne and LOVED it! Adding Dusseldorf to my German itinerary 🙂
Great tips! I visited the city a few years ago but didn’t really see much of the attractions.
Oh, Krista, I guess you have to come back then! 😉 What have you seen here in DüsseldorF?