Visiting my best friend in Düsseldorf, Germany is a travel post about my experience in Düsseldorf. Almost two years ago I visited my best friend who has relocated to Düsseldorf, Germany. I have shared with you a photo post and several Thursday doors posts previously but I didn’t write about my experience in Düsseldorf. My primary reason for this trip was to spend some quality time with my best friend and her family. Of course, they have also showed me around Düsseldorf and we had several very delicious meals. .

I arrived to Düsseldorf late on Saturday night ( I flew to Weeze airport which is quite close to the Dutch border) and left on a red eye flight on Wednesday morning, so we walked around Düsseldorf on Sunday and Monday and Tuesday morning ( we spend Tuesday afternoon in Venlo, the Netherlands). That was just enough to see the most famous sights in Düsseldorf without visiting any of its museums. Düsseldorf has also shown me its beautiful autumnal colours and interesting Halloween decorations.

If you didn’t know, Düsseldorf is an international business and financial center in the northern Germany close to the Netherlands. Düsseldorf is renowned for its fashion and trade fairs as well. It boasts a large Japanese population too.

What I saw and did in Düsseldorf

On Sunday after breakfast we headed to a large park Hofgarten to feed some ducks which is one of my friend’s daughter favourite activities. I enjoyed walking through park covered in colorful fallen leaves. The ducks and geese are very fearless and eager to get some snacks. From the park we came to the luxurious Königsallee street lined up with expensive shops. There’s also the Ko-graben canal. You can spend a lot of money here but luckily there are some more affordable shops nearby. We did some window shopping in peace because shops are generally closed on Sundays in Germany. There is also the old famous department store Galeria Kaufhof Königsallee. We continued our stroll towards Old Town. I liked the old, narrow houses which reminded me of some pretty houses that I saw in Bruges (Belgium). I was surprised to see some Halloween decorations. I didn’t know Halloween was celebrated in Germany. At the same time some shops (especially chocolate shops) had Christmas decorations and wonderful Christmas chocolates and Advent calendars.

The heart of the Old Town is Marktplatz with the Town Hall and a large equestrian statue of John William II from 18^th century. We saw a lady dressed as a knight who we later came across again while she was leading a group of tourists. All this walking around charming streets made us hungry but we first went on a Ferris Wheel ride at Burgplatz where you can find Castle Tower which houses the marine museum. The Ferris Wheel ride was enjoyable and we had an excellent view from above of the Old Town, river Rheine and the neighbourhoods over the river. We had lunch at Schwan restaurant. The portions are large and our meal was very delicious.

My friend’s husband and daughter left us after lunch so my best friend and I walked along Rhine Embankment Promenade. I don’t remember how many steps we made that day but we walked past 240-meter-tall telecommunications tower Rheinturm. Actually, I had an idea of going up the tower but the tickets needed to be booked in advance and besides I wanted to save something for my next visit when I come with my husband and kids. We soon found ourselves in the Old harbour area now completely redeveloped. A bit further from the old commercial harbour are Frank O. Gehry’s office buildings of Medienhafen (Media Harbour), completed in 1998. If you are a fan of interesting, modern architecture you definitely need to see these unusual buildings.

We retraced out steps back to the Rheinturm and crossed the bridge over to the Oberkassel neighbourhood. What is quite unexpected is to see sheep grazing grass near Rheine just across the Old Town. Oberkassel is a residential area and we just continued our walk around it taking photos of pretty doors and houses. We talked and talked and I felt reconnected to my oldest, best friend. We needed to refuel so we rested a bit at Cheesecake & gallery and had some excellent cakes. We took the tram back to the city center and walked to her home.

However, it was Halloween night so my friend and her husband took me out for cocktails. Old Town is especially lively during the weekend nights because it boasts over 300 bars, clubs and breweries. We walked past Opera house and Schloss Jägerhof which is home to the city’s Goethe Museum. There were plenty of people out, some wearing Halloween costumes. But the city felt safe at night.

Monday was All Saint’s day which is a public holiday in this part of Germany so my friend didn’t work. We went to Kaiserswerth by car (around 30 minutes drive). Technically, Kaiserswerth is still a part of Düsseldorf but it feels like you’ve been transported back in time. It kind of reminded me of Bruges. We parked the car and walked through a forest/park to the center of this riverside hamlet full of 18^th century houses on cobblestone streets. We saw an interesting ruin of an imperial palace, Kaiserpfalz Kaiserswerth dating back to the 12^th century. We’ve also walked past a place where Florence Nightingale used to work (or learn about medicine?). Eventually we found our way to the main square. I had excellent hot chocolate at Wunderhaus (it’s a café but also a clothes shop). If you like pretty, old houses and nice river walk then you definitely must visit Kaiserswerth.

We spent a charming morning there and then returned to Düsseldorf’s center. My friend booked us a table at an unusual restaurant Hans im Gluck near Ko-Bogen. There are trees inside this burger restaurant. And an unusual green building near it. You can climb on its rooftop and then just roll over down like some kids did. After the lunch, my best friend and I took an underground train (well it was more like over ground line) to Schloss Benrath. I’d wanted to see this castle but it was closed so I just took some photos of it. We couldn’t find any patisseries around so we returned to the city center and had a cake at a large Heinemann café near Königsallee street. It has a large chocolate shop downstairs and a cafe upstairs. I had a divine cake. Germany is a great place for a chocoholic like me (Lindt shops everywhere!).

Tuesday was my last day in Germany. My friend had some errands to do so I went by myself to Carlsplatz Markt in the Old Town. It’s a fresh produce market (coincidentally the Croatian embassy is near it). I wandered around the lovely streets of Old Town and then joined my friend for some shopping. I found a Christmas shop inside the famous department store Galeria Kaufhof Königsallee. My friend bought me a Christmas ornament there as a gift. I bought a Christmas market mug from a mulled wine stand near the Ferris Wheel. Our lunch was at a Schwan restaurant in their neighbourhood. Then, we drove to the Netherlands and spend the afternoon in Venlo which is close to Weeze airport.

I really liked Düsseldorf. If my friend hasn’t moved there, I’d never visit it. It’s not a logical choice for a visit to Germany because most people, go to Berlin or Bavaria or visit the Christmas markets. Hopefully, I’ll visit my best friend again next year, but with my husband and our kids.

Have you ever been to Düsseldorf?

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