julies

This summer we will have 24 hours in Dusseldorf on either end of our trip. I've researched Dusseldorf and frankly it sounds as though it won't do a thing for us. On the front end of our trip we have decided to spend the day exploring Cologne. Now we're trying to decide what to do with the final day of our trip. We get into Dusseldorf early in the morning and don't fly out until the next morning. We'd like to hop a train & go somewhere interesting for the day. But, we'd like to probably be no further than about 1 1/2 hours away as we really don't want to spend out entire day just riding the train.

I've read about Aachen, and it sounds interesting. Thoughts or comments? I know some people think this is really only worth a couple hours time while other liked it more. Are there any other places in reach of Dusseldorf that would be more interesting? The Rhine sounds interesting, but I also understand that the best parts are really quite a bit further south. Once we had a day or two in the Moselle valley and enjoyed it and out visit to Burg Eltz, so something along those lines might be nice. I'm a little leery of just choosing one very small town to visit when using public transportation because we've taken lots of driving trips and know that while interesting for an hour or so most small towns just couldn't keep us busy for a day.

I've also wondered about going to Belgium or the Netherlands for the day. If you have any familiarity with the area, what would you suggest? One of our prime interests might be a day of cycling, but that is a more specialized request, so I plan to start a separate thread on that. And, anyway, even if we could plan on that we'd need a back-up plan in case of rain. Thanks much.

BTilke

I answered your bicycling post earlier, but if you opt not to go for bicycling, the town of Hattingen is quite close to Dusseldorf, very easily reached by mass transit and is fun to explore. It has a very pretty old town, with cafes in buildings dating back to early 16th century. It's one of the few places in the Ruhr valley that wasn't bombed in WW II.
What is it that you don't like about Dusseldorf? It has a very lively old town, an excellent art museum, great shopping, lots of fun restaurants, including the Schlosser Alt brewhaus restaurant.

http://www.international.hattingen.de/uk/sights.htm

julies

From what I've read Dusseldorf is modern and a commercial center devoted to shopping. It has a long stretch of bars along the river. It has modern art museums. We aren't interested in large, modern cities that are primarily commercial, we aren't fans of 20th century art, and we aren't shoppers. So, from what I've read, Dusseldorf probably isn't going to appeal to us. Have I missed something here?

Our thoughts are that if we have an entire day we should try to find something that will appeal to us rather than just sticking around a place we probably wouldn't choose to visit if given a choice of places to go. If we just had part of a day or an afternoon, we'd stap put and wander around the small old town and the places to eat.

I'll check out Hattigen.

PalQ

Aachen has a famous but to me disappointing cathedral - town was Charlemagne's capital once but today is one of the least appealing cities i've ever been to in Germany - well that's my take on it. Du'dorf to me is far more interesting.

laverendrye

julies: From your post, it seems that you like to pack as much as possible into your trip, so my advice might not be suitable.

However, even though it's not on the touristic A-list of German cities, Düsseldorf is a pleasant enough place, and on the last full day of a trip, I would probably take it easy and relax before returning home. In Düsseldorf you can stroll around the Altstadt(which like those in most German cities has been rebuilt after the war), or on the Königsallee, where there are lots of restaurants and cafés, with a nice dinner in the evening.

Many many years ago I spent six weeks on an assignment in Düsseldorf in the winter. Even then, it had some charm, especially as I was there during Karneval.

I've often found myself in places that I wouldn't have otherwise chosen to visit, and have been surprised at what they have to offer. You might find the same with Düsseldorf.

PalQ

dusseldorf is as nice a city as any within a short rail ride of it - i'd stay there and perhaps even take the 30-min train ride to Cologne just to spend a few hours, see the cathedral and dine in Dusseldorf's lively Latin Quarter at night.

Underhill

We enjoyed our stay of several days in Aachen; so that would be my choice.

julies

Here's what's throwing me for a loop. This quote is from Rough Guides, a guidebook I usually trust. "The extent to which you'll like or loathe Dusseldorf depends very much on your reaction to the way it has sold its soul to the corporate dream. The city likes to think of itself as Germany's leading fashion center, and if luxury shops are your scene, there are none more stylish between Paris and Berlin."

Lonely Planet says, "Dusseldorf, the state capital, is a posh, modern city that retains a chzrming earthiness and Rhenish joie de vivre behind its businesslike facade."

Fodor's site has nothing about the city.

Frommer's says, "Düsseldorf is a wealthy city -- the richest in Germany. It's big and commercial, full of banks and industrial offices and skyscrapers, but it's also refreshingly clean."

Several of my sources also talk about parks and esplanades along the river. That might interest us more than a big city with luxury shopping. Can people see why i am confused about this city?

I think what we will do is just wing it. We'll hae a back-up plan if Dusseldorf doesn't call to us. And, if we enjoy it, we'll just stay put. Thanks again for the comments.

DAX

It really depends on your preference, I like Dusseldorf to an extent,but I decided to skip it on my last visit. It's a comfortable city to shop, stroll, & dine, but sometimes that's not all what you want to do. The oldtown felt a bit like a tourist trap to me maybe because it was full of convention crowd rather than locals when I was there.

Aachen is also just OK, it has an older charm but don't expect a wow. The town undulates on small gentle hills which gives an additional dimension when you walk down the slightly meandering streets. It has a poorer village/small town feel to it. There wasn't much to do there for me to stay overnight,but for a day visit it's fine.

Another "OK" idea is to visit Luxembourg which has more old world charm than Dusseldorf plus the fortifications and unique setting. However that is another city that's heavily commercialized as well. I liked it better when we drove into the city than when I took the train and had to walk through some of the boring parts of town.

language_buddy

I grew up in a town basically the same distance from Duesseldorf and Koeln. My guess is you'll prefer Koeln so why not opt to spend more time there on your return? Both cities have lots of museums that are great, lots of leisurely walking along the Rhine, great restaurants. In Koeln, you can easily spend several days exploring the cathedral, museums, catacombs.

traveller1959

PalQ - why did you not like Aachen?

The cathedral is from the year 800, and you will hardly find another medieval church which is that old and has that historical significance. The gothic city hall is magnificent too. And you may enjoy a wonderful glass of beer and a regional lunch at the romantic Postwagen restaurant right around the corner of the city hall.

On the other hand, Düsseldorf is also worth a day to spend. Just stroll along the riverbank and enjoy the lively atmosphere there. See the baroque part of old town and two or three baroque churches. Go shopping on the Königsallee - Germany's most elegant shopping mall. Explore the Altstadt at night - the highest density of bars probably on earth.

http://www.duesseldorf.de/en/index.shtml

A good side trip is a short drive to the Neanderthal Museum. It is a fantastic, contemporary, high-tech museum of the history of humankind built around the famous 16 bones of the Neanderthal man. If you like, hike through romantic Neanderthal valley and watch the animals from prehistoric times.

http://www.neanderthal.de/

MarkvonKramer

Hattingen is a nice suggestion but doubt if you would want to spend an entire day there. From the link provided there was more that I was exposed to so maybe more resourceful folks could make a day of it.

Have you considered seeing the American (or any other nationality) Cemetaries in and around Bastonge in Belgium? Mardasson monument just outside Bastogne is an interesting visit.

Just my feeble thoughts.

Mark

harzer

Münster is 40 minutes north of D. and has some fascinating sites:

"St Paul's Cathedral, built in the 13th century in a mixture of late Romanesque and early Gothic styles. It has been beautifully restored after WWII damage. It includes an astronomical clock of 1540, adorned with hand-painted zodiac symbols, which traces the movement of the planets, and plays a Glockenspiel tune every noon.

The Prinzipalmarkt, the marketplace in the city centre, with the Gothic town hall (14th century) in which the Peace of Westphalia treaty, which put an end to the Thirty Years War, was signed in 1648.

St Lambert's Church (1375), with three cages hanging from its tower, above the clock face. In 1535 these cages were used to display the corpses of Jan van Leiden and other leaders of the anabaptist movement, who promoted polygamy and renunciation to all property.

The Schloss (palace), built 1767-87 as residence for the prince-bishops, now the administrative center for the University."

Harzer

harzer

.... the little towns of Nottuln and Darup some 10km to the west of M. may also turn you on, as may their setting in a nice wooded area called the Baumberge.

Harzer