10 Essential Tips for Visiting the Rheinuferpromenade, Dusseldorf

A visit to Dusseldorf cannot be considered complete without a cruise on the Rhine. All boat tours on the Rhine start from the Rheinuferpromenade, and travellers can pick one based on their preferences and the amount of time they have to spare. Shorter tours can give you a unique perspective on Dusseldorf; longer tours can take you to explore Cologne, Kaiserswerth, Duisburg and Zons.

Guided tours not only allow tourists to gain knowledge about the city from an expert local; they also ensure that they don’t miss out on any important attractions. Several guided tours, public and private, operate in the city and are designed to suit varied tastes and interests. Most guided tours either start at the Rhine Promenade or at the Old Town, a hop away from the promenade; in either case, the promenade is always included in the itinerary. The hop-on-hop-off bus also makes a stop here.

Sure, you can go to a bar anywhere in the world, but nowhere but here can you visit the Longest Bar in the World. Almost 300 cafes, lounges, bars, pubs, electro-pubs and discos line the Rhine Promenade, most of them interconnected, making it one long row of entertainment and fun. To really enjoy Dusseldorf like a local, travellers have to try the Dusseldorf special brew, Altbier.

A few hundred metres from the Rhine Promenade lies the Altstadt, or Old Town. Many of the best attractions of the city are concentrated here. This historic square boasts buildings from centuries ago (such as the Rathaus, or town hall) and excellent museums such as the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, the Museum Kunstpalast and the Film Museum.

Visitors staying overnight in the city might like to base themselves in the Altstadt. This area has lots of choices in accommodation to suit all budgets and preferences, and is extremely well-connected to the rest of the city. It also has the most choice in terms of restaurants, cafes and bars. Best of all, the Rhine Promenade is just a few steps away.

The Rhine Promenade offers great views of the sparkling water of the Rhine, the boats bobbing on the horizon and the city’s beautiful skyline shared by historic and modern architecture. As evening rolls in, the buildings ringing the shores of the Rhine are illuminated, and with their lights reflecting off the water, the promenade transforms into a magical land. Witnessing a sunset from the Rhine Promenade is often one of the highlights of a trip to Dusseldorf.

The Rhine Promenade starts at the historic Burgplatz, a large square on the banks of the river that in itself is worth exploring. The most notable landmarks here are the ancient Schlossturm with its Ship Museum, Radschlägerbrunnen (‘cartwheeler fountain’) and the beautiful, historic St Lambertus Church.

The Rhine Promenade is where locals hang out after work and cycle, stroll or rollerblade for fun, so it is the perfect spot to blend in and experience the real flavour of the city. Also, the Rhine Promenade is the venue for the best and biggest festivals in Dusseldorf – the Biggest Fair on the Rhine, the Carnival, the massive Japan Day celebrations, open-air movie nights, Cartwheel Championship and more. The Altstadt hosts the China Fest, as well as the most traditional Christmas market in the city. Travellers lucky enough to be in Dusseldorf during one of these festivals shouldn’t miss them.

Visitors not wishing the night to end can join Dusseldorfers as they drink and dance the night away at one of the many nightclubs, bars, pubs and discos in Altstadt. Many bars also host live-music performances by local or visiting bands.

A few hundred metres from the Rhine Promenade lies Dusseldorf’s green lungs and oldest public garden, the Hofgarten. If you need a break from all the buzz and action in the promenade, you can always head here for some quiet time. It has beautiful tree-lined pathways, ponds and lush meadows, and is also home to the Goethe Museum.