Walks through the Hofgarten and keep your eye peeled for the white and black geese. Also watch out for all the babies in the spring time, they’re adorable!
Sample different mustard flavors at Düsseldorfer Senfladen. Try the Bruschetta one if they have it, that’s our favorite!
Buy a beer at the trinkhalle and walk along the Rhine, or sit like a local on the wall.
Eat at a restaurant or grab a drink from the Rheinuferpromenade (restaurants along the Rhine). Catch a Fußball game on the big screens and watch the locals get really into the game singing, yelling, and cheering.
Eat several döner kabobs! Mahlzeit Döner Kebap House and Palace of Kebab were our go tos.
Take a shot (or two) of Killepitsch at the “secret window” in Altstadt.
Explore the Düsseldorf Harbor and snap some photos of the Gehry Buildings.
Go to Schwann in Pempelfort and order the Schnitzel opera ball.
Buy lederhosen and a dirndl and go to Oktoberfest! (Stuttgart has a fantastic mini/more local Oktoberfest)
Try some cake from Heinemann’s (it’s apparently the best in Düsseldorf) and check out their fun decor, it changes with the seasons.
Find the statues of the cartwheeling kids.
Visit the Classic Remise and wander around the old cars.
Get lost in the neighborhoods.
Tally up your beer count at one of the many Altbier breweries in Altstadt. Uerige was always a favorite of ours. Don’t forget the coaster rule!
Have an overpriced, but tasty cocktail at the top of the Rhein Tower. Don’t settle for the “viewing deck”, actually go to the rotating restaurant/bar at the very top.
Eat lots and lots and lots of ramen from Naniwa Noodles & Soups and stop at Sphere Bay for boba tea (their taro latte is delicious!). This was probably the restaurant we frequented the most.
Ride several rides at Kirmes (aka the Largest Fair on the Rhine) in July. Also scope out the Oktoberfest-ish tents and enjoy some steins of beer and local music.
Find the sheep that roam along the Rhein. They’re on the Oberkassel side. If you go in the spring, you’ll see lots of babies!
While you’re at it, stroll around Oberkassel and feel like one of the elites for a day.
Try a Radler and Mezzo Mix at some point. Buy it from a local trinkhalle just for fun!
Dine at Himmel & Ahd for some traditional German food. The Schnitzel Cordon Bleu and Original Nürnberger Rostbratwürstchen are tasty!
Take advantage of being a local and enjoy lots of Kaffee und Kuchen (cake and coffee).
Sip some coffee at Die Kaffee. Also make sure to order their cinnamon pastry! It’s amazing! But we don’t know the name of it…
KYTO also has good coffee and they speak English and are super friendly!
Get the meat sweats eating at the Brewery Zum Schlüssel – order Bierkutscher!
Stop by Xoxo Buddha Bowls for a meal! #4 and #7 are our go to! Man we’re going to miss these!
Also dine at Pozangmatcha Korean BBQ – Order the Kkanpung Chicken and devour some delicious wings!
Eat at Mangold, Löffelbar and die Kurve. They’re also delicious!
Wander through the Carlsplatz market and buy fresh flowers, cheese, meat and produce! There’s also some delicious food stands in there.
Try currywurst!
Try an Apfelschorle
Go to the beer garden in Kaiswerwerth. It’s right next to the Kaiserpfalz Kaiserswerth (castle ruins) that you should also visit! Take the tram or rent a bike and ride along the Rhine to get there.
Stroll through Little Tokyo and sample some exquisite Japanese food.
Sample the white asparagus aka weißer Spargel in the spring and pretend that it’s the best thing ever. It is a huge thing over here!
Wander through the city and see if you can find the 10 Säulenheiligen statues (aka life-sized statues of everyday people sitting on the advertising columns).
Go to the Tomas Saraceno In Orbit exhibit at K21 (Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen) and get ready to face your fear of heights!
Feed the wild deer at Grafenberg Forest.
Wander through the Carlsplatz market and buy fresh flowers, cheese, meat and produce! There’s also some delicious food stands in there.
Try currywurst!
Try an Apfelschorle
Go to the beer garden in Kaiswerwerth. It’s right next to the Kaiserpfalz Kaiserswerth (castle ruins) that you should also visit! Take the tram or rent a bike and ride along the Rhine to get there.
Stroll through Little Tokyo and sample some exquisite Japanese food.
Sample the white asparagus aka weißer Spargel in the spring and pretend that it’s the best thing ever. It is a huge thing over here!
Wander through the city and see if you can find the 10 Säulenheiligen statues (aka life-sized statues of everyday people sitting on the advertising columns).
Go to the Tomas Saraceno In Orbit exhibit at K21 (Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen) and get ready to face your fear of heights!
Feed the wild deer at Grafenberg Forest.
Look for the green parakeets in the trees at the Hofgarten - they swoop through the park at dusk!
Buy something fun from the “American” section at the grocery stores (the big Edeka has a good one).
Get lost again. :)
Buy something fun from the “American” section at the grocery stores (the big Edeka has a good one).
Get lost again. :)
Karneval!!!
If you visit Düsseldorf for Karneval, make sure you...
Find some locals to celebrate with, especially for the parade on Rose Monday. Don’t forget to bring booze and a large bag for all of the treats you’ll collect.
Watch the opening ceremony at the Rathaus on Thursday morning.
If you have it in you, party for four days straight for the “true” Karneval experience!
Frohe Weinachten aka Merry Christmas!
Christmas is one of the BEST times to visit Germany! We highly recommend you add Germany's Christmas markets to your bucket list! Here are a few suggestions to get you started!
Wander through the Christmas markets (every night) and drink lots of Glühwein!
Watch the dancing Christmas tree inside the Schadow Arkaden - it spins to music every hour. Watch as everyone gets excited and takes videos of it like it’s the best thing ever.
Go to the Cologne Christmas markets! There are SO many in the city. Find the Heinzelmännchen (aka gnome market) that’s our all-time favorite market! Others to look for include the Cathedral market, Angel’s market, Heavenue and more!
Take the stairs to the top of the Cologne Cathedral. The Dome offers a bird’s eye view of the city - careful if you’re buzzed on Glühwein! There are a lot of spiral stairs. :)
Try Reibekuchen, Flammkuchen, brats on a small bun, and definitely get the churros (with white chocolate)!
Keep a couple Glühwein cups as souvenirs!
While visiting, do not...
Forget coins for the bathrooms while you’re out (50 cents or 1 Euro). Really don’t forget coins and cash anywhere… a lot of places are cash only… it’s really embarrassing when you can’t pay for something because all you have is a credit card…
Cross the crosswalk on RED. Always wait for the green, otherwise you might get yelled at by the locals.
Exit through the entrance gate at the grocery store… you’ll set of an alarm and everyone will look at you…
Forget to bring your own bags to the grocery store (you can buy them if you forget). Also be prepared for a marathon of bagging your items as fast as you can or be prepared for some dirty looks if you’re slow.
One more thing about the grocery store… don’t forget a 1 euro or 50 cent coin for the grocery cart! But if you do, you can ask the cashier for a token.
Walk on the bike paths (the red brick on the sidewalks). The locals will ring their bells at you and say something snarky that you won't understand.
Ask for a glass of tap water unless you are feeling brave.
Rush through any meal ever - take your time!
Forget to buy or stamp your tram ticket, you will get a fine. The "American tourist" card will not help in this situation.
Ask for a glass of tap water unless you are feeling brave.
Rush through any meal ever - take your time!
Forget to buy or stamp your tram ticket, you will get a fine. The "American tourist" card will not help in this situation.
Most of all enjoy your time in Düsseldorf and have an absolute blast exploring our home away from home!
Jeff & Amy, Thank you so much for all the blogs you have written during your 2.5 year stay in Germany. It has given me a chance to see things I will never get to see in person, and it especially has provided me with how you reacted to them. You have so many memories that you can always cherish - friends you have made and adventures that you have undertaken. You were very brave to embark on this fabulous life experience. You embraced it and shared it with all of your audience. Your stories were so much more than green pea soup! Love you, Dad
ReplyDeleteWe're so glad you've enjoyed the blog! It's been fun sharing our travels as well as tracking them for ourselves. It's been one heck of an adventure! Thank you for all of your love and support during our time abroad!
Delete