15 Best Sights in Düsseldorf, The Rhineland

Düsseldorf's main shopping avenue is a nearly mile-long stretch of designer boutiques and stores, including the Daniel Liebeskind-designed Kö-Bogen shopping mall at its northern tip. Known as "the Kö," this wide, double boulevard is divided by an ornamental waterway fed by the River Düssel. Rows of chestnut trees line the Kö, shading a string of sidewalk cafés. 

Behind the sleek, polished black stone facade of K20 is a treasure trove of art (Kunst, hence the K) of the 20th century. Among the permanent collection are masterpieces by Picasso, Matisse, and Pollock, works by German artists Joseph Beuys and Gerhard Richter, plus more than 120 pieces by Paul Klee. 

Within the more conservative 19th-century architecture of K21 is some edgier fare—international contemporary art since about 1980, including the works of Thomas Ruff and Nam June Paik.

This stylish, revamped harbor district is a mix of late-19th-century warehouses and ultramodern towers housing restaurants, bars, hotels, and the many media companies that have made this area their home. On the riverbank you'll find the Frank Gehry–designed Neuer Zollhof, a particularly striking ensemble of three organic-looking high-rises. The best way to tackle the buzzing architecture is to take a stroll down the promenade and over the pedestrian Living Bridge, which connects both sides of the harbor.

This party-hearty district has been dubbed a beer lover's paradise thanks to the number of breweries in the area serving the local Altbier. Narrow alleys thread their way to some 300 bars, clubs, restaurants, and brew houses. All crowd into the 1-square-km (½-square-mile) area between the Rhine and Heinrich-Heine-Allee. When the weather cooperates, the area really does seem like one big sidewalk café.

This museum and archive houses significant manuscripts of the German poet and man of letters, Heinrich Heine. Part of the complex was once the residence of the composer Robert Schumann.

The oldest remaining parts of the Hofgarten date back to 1769, when it was transformed into Germany's first public park. The promenade leading to what was once a hunting palace, Schloss Jägerhof, was all the rage in late-18th-century Düsseldorf before the park was largely destroyed by Napoléon's troops. Today it's an oasis of greenery in the heart of downtown.

A 25-minute ride on the U79 from the City Center puts you in this historic corner of Düsseldorf, reminiscent of a storybook German town with its winding cobblestone streets and neatly packed stone and brick buildings. Don't miss seeing the crumbling ruins of Kaiserpfalz, a 12th-century castle on the banks of the Rhine.

The Kö-Bogen II office complex bills itself as having Europe's largest green façade, with eight kilometers of green hedges and approximately 30,000 plants in total.

This impressive art museum lies at the northern extremity of the Hofgarten, close to the Rhine. The excellent permanent collection that is particularly strong in modern art (especially German Expressionism) reopened in November 2023 featuring 800 artifacts displayed in 49 rooms that range from the medieval period up to today.

Just outside Düsseldorf, the Düssel River forms a valley, called the Neanderthal, where the bones of a Stone Age relative of modern man were found. The impressive museum, built at the site of the discovery in the suburb of Mettmann, includes models of the original discovery, replicas of cave drawings, and life-size models of Neanderthal Man. A new highlight, the Höhlenblick tower, affords a view onto the spot where Neanderthal bones were found.

Traffic is routed away from the river and underneath this mile-long pedestrian strip, which stretches from the Altstadt south to MedienHafen. The shady upper level is popular with joggers, cyclists, and casual strollers, while the lower level along the Rhine's banks is packed with buzzy cafés.

At the far-east edge of the Hofgarten, this baroque pink structure houses the Goethe-Museum, featuring original manuscripts, first editions, personal correspondence, and other memorabilia of Germany's greatest writer. A collection of Meissen porcelain, the Sammlung Ernst Schneider Collection, is also here.

A squat tower is all that remains of the palace built by the Berg family, which ruled Düsseldorf for more than five centuries. The tower also houses the SchifffahrtMuseum, which charts 2,000 years of Rhine boatbuilding and navigation.

This Gothic church is near the palace tower on Carlsplatz. Its spire became distorted because unseasoned wood was used in its construction. The Vatican elevated the 14th-century brick church to a basilica minor (small cathedral) in 1974 in recognition of its role in church history. Built in the 13th century, with additions from 1394, St. Lambertus contains the tomb of William the Rich and a graceful late-Gothic tabernacle.