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Things to do in Düsseldorf

12 places · 17 h 15 min of sightseeing · 3 days

How many days do you need in Düsseldorf?

12 places add up to 17 h 15 min of pure sightseeing. At 6 hours a day, not counting walking and meals, that's 3 days.

The best-known places in order, as long as they fit into 6 hours of sightseeing a day. Sightseeing only, without walking and meals — build the day-by-day plan with opening hours and the route in a RouteMarket notebook.

Top sights

Ordered by how well known each place is. Data: OpenStreetMap and Wikipedia.

K20 Grabbeplatz — 2 h visit. Behind the black granite facade hang twentieth-century classics: Picasso, Matisse, Mondrian and nearly a hundred works by Paul Klee, art from before the era of installations.
Museum Kunstpalast — 2 h visit. Besides paintings from the Middle Ages to the present day, you will see the Hentrich collection here, one of the largest collections of art glass in the world.
Benrath Palace — 2 h 30 min visit. The pink facade of the palace is reflected in an oval pond, and in one complex you can visit the interiors, gardens and a natural history museum, instead of going to a hotel lounge.
Rheinturm — 1 h 15 min visit. On the shaft of the tower shines a lamp clock whose digits you can read from afar, and you can have dinner in a restaurant revolving above the city.
Neuer Zollhof — 45 min visit. Three curved structures stand side by side in three different materials: mirrored steel, white render and red brick, so each one looks different at every time of day.
Königsallee — 1 h 30 min visit. On one side of the canal lined with chestnut trees stretch boutiques of luxury brands, and on the other side are the facades of banks and arcades.
Benrath Palace Park — 1 h 30 min visit. The pink palace is reflected in a mirror-like pond, and beyond the French garden paths lead through the forest right to the bank of the Rhine.
Hofgarten — 1 h visit. Among the ponds and paths stand sculptures by Henry Moore, and you can start your stroll almost right at Königsallee.
Nordpark — 1 h 30 min visit. The park's main axis is defined by a long avenue of fountains, and further on you will find the Japanese Garden and the Aquazoo aquarium with its terrariums.
Tonhalle Düsseldorf — 1 h 30 min visit. The concert takes place beneath the dome of the former planetarium, where a light sculpture changes colors above the listeners' heads.
Rhine Embankment Promenade — 1 h visit. The steps at Burgplatz serve as a city grandstand: you sit on the stairs right above the water and watch the barges and the sunset.
Kiefernstraße — 45 min visit. The entire street is an open-air gallery: murals cover the townhouse facades from ground floor to roof, and you can see them for free at any time of day.
K21 Ständehaus — 2 h visit. Beneath the glass dome of the former parliament, a huge rope net is stretched, along which visitors can walk high above the atrium.
Elector Jan Wellem Monument — 15 min visit. The bronze equestrian statue from 1711 stands in the middle of the market square in front of the town hall, so it is a meeting point you pass on every walk through the Old Town.
Burgplatz — 30 min visit. You're standing exactly where the Düssel flows into the Rhine, and the steps lead straight down to the riverside promenade, without passing through a hotel lobby.
Schlossturm and SchifffahrtMuseum — 1 h visit. After viewing the ship models, you climb to the top floor of the cylindrical tower for coffee with a view of the Rhine.
Kö-Bogen — 45 min visit. Façades with hedges covering walls and roofs form green, wavy shapes, visible from the footbridges and the edge of the pond, and you walk around them after shopping.
Carlsplatz — 1 h visit. Under one roof are over sixty stalls selling cheeses, cold cuts and flowers, and some vendors also serve hot dishes on the spot.
Düsseldorf City Hall — 30 min visit. A Renaissance wing with an octagonal stair tower stands on Marktplatz, where the carnival celebrations begin beside the monument to Jan Wellem.
NRW-Forum — 1 h 15 min visit. Instead of classical paintings, it shows photography, digital art and pop culture in changing themed exhibitions, often with elements to try out yourself.
Historic Kaiserswerth District — 1 h 30 min visit. Narrow streets lined with Baroque townhouses and the ruins of the imperial palatinate by the river give it the feel of a small town, not a great metropolis.
St. Lambertus Basilica — 40 min visit. The tower with its spirally twisted spire is the easiest landmark to recognize in the Old Town, visible from many side streets.
Wildpark Grafenberg — 1 h 30 min visit. Admission is free, and you can see fallow deer, mouflons and wildcats in forest enclosures while walking among beech trees.
Kunst im Tunnel — 1 h visit. Art is viewed here between the two roadways of a tunnel, and cars drive overhead, so the exhibition is literally located under the street.

Where to eat

Nagaya — Michelin-starred kaiseki served on Japanese ceramics, with European accents, that is, a multi-course tasting menu instead of quick sushi or soup.
Yabase — Purist sashimi and dashi soup, without fireworks, is the cuisine to which Japanese expats living in the city return.
Rösterei Vier — Beans from single plantations are roasted on site, and the coffee is brewed using the pour-over method, in the shade of the Renaissance town hall.
Brauhaus Schumacher — The darker, distinctly bitter Altbier brewed on site is served here with Sauerbraten roast, rather than with simple bar snacks.
Kushi-Tei of Tokyo — Kushiyaki and yakitori skewers are grilled over binchotan charcoal, so here you eat small portions from the grill instead of a bowl of soup.
Pure Pastry — Éclairs and fruit tarts come in sculptural, miniature forms, and you buy them at a stall at the Carlsplatz market.
Brasserie Hülsmann — You eat oysters and steak with fries inside a former pharmacy, in the Art Nouveau district on the other side of the Rhine.
Bäckerei Hinkel — There are more than forty rye sourdough breads to choose from, which you buy to take away instead of sitting down with a beer, coffee or a plate.

What to see in Düsseldorf in one day?

K20 Grabbeplatz, Museum Kunstpalast, Rheinturm, Neuer Zollhof.

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