Hi! I will be at a conference for one week in Dusseldorf(June). Planning to stay over for 7 days and tour with car. Done Salzburg, Heidelberg, Frankfurt, Prague on earlier trips. Really want to focus on a small geographic area. I also prefer to stay in Bed and Breakfasts for local flavor. Any suggestions? Cheers, Kel

Hi Kelly,<BR>We've been spending the past several weeks in the Bochum area, not far from Dusseldorf. Dusseldorf itself has an attractive old town which is brimming with restaurants, cafes, jazz bars, etc., and worth checking out. With your car, I suggest driving over to Hattingen (near Bochum), a small medieval walled town with castle, lots of half timbered houses, interesting restaurants, shops, etc. I'd also recommend visiting Munster, about 1.5 hours from Dusseldorf. The city's historic district is very handsome, and there are some stunning castles and country inns in Munsterland--one of my favorite places now and much less touristed than Romantic Road spots. Finally, go up to the Bremen area (an hour north of Munster), in particular Lilienthal and Worpswede. Lilienthal is a beautiful little town and there's a wonderful small hotel/inn there overlooking a park (its glassed in restaurant is a favorite with the locals) and it's fairly inexpensive, about 60 euros a night. Very gracious hosts; my father in law stayed there in November (he came over to Europe to pick up a new Volvo with their overseas purchase program; alas, his new car is now quietly moldering away in the English Channel as one of the 3000 Volvos, Saabs, and BMWs in the tanker that sank two weeks ago). The adjacent small town of Worpswede is known for the artists and sculptors living there and has numerous galleries (along with the Haus am Schluh, which showcases German Jugendstil, aka Art Nouveau).

Thanks Anthony, you're a peach...and by the way, sorry to here about your father's car! Kelly

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A couple of other places to check out might be Aachen and Cologne. A visit to the mighty Dom in Cologne is well worth the trip, and the city is wonderful.<BR><BR>Aachen is another historic city worth a visit. It has a cosmopolitan feel that many German cities seem to lack.<BR><BR>Also interesting close to Dusseldorf - Maastricht is charming and Arnhem is interesting to WWII buffs. Anyway, Dusseldorf is a great city to spend some time.