Drink in an Altstadt brewpub
No visit to Düsseldorf would be complete without sampling the city’s local dark amber beer, Altbier, which is served in a regular stream of 200ml (0.35 pints) glasses. The best spot to indulge is at Uerige (tel: +49 211 866 990; www.uerige.de/), the lively brewpub at Berger Strasse 1. The turnover here is so fast that fresh barrels are brought up from the cellar and tapped several times every hour.
Get educated with the City Rally
The City Rally is a self-guided walking tour of the Alstadt that’s designed to exercise your brain and powers of observation. Two sets of questions (one for adults, one for kids) will show you the sights and test how much you’re really taking in about your surroundings. The route and questions can be obtained for free from the tourist office, at Immermannstrasse 65 b, or downloaded (www.duesseldorf-tourismus.de/en/fun-modules).
Go primitive in the Neanderthal
Just east of Düsseldorf is a valley that gave its name to an entire prehistoric race of people. Near the very spot where the first and most famous set of Neanderthal fossils were found in Germany, the Neanderthal Museum (tel: +49 02104 979 70; www.neanderthal.de) hosts multi-media displays that tell their history and a collection of the ancient relics they left behind.
Take a swing at a golf club
Much of Europe’s golfing scene is the preserve of snobbish ‘members only’ clubs, but Germany’s first municipal course, Golf Sport-Verein Düsseldorf (tel: +49 211 410 529; www.gsvgolf.de) at Auf der Lausward 51, is a non-profit sports club that will allow anybody who is interested in playing a round to turn up and take a swing. Reservations are still recommended.
Take to the waters
One of the best ways to appreciate a waterside city is to take to the waves. Regular hour-long cruises will take you down the Rhine, past the Altstadt and around the renovated MedienHafen harbour district. Buy advance tickets from the tourist office (tel: +49 211 172 020; www.duesseldorf-tourismus.de), or simply turn up at the departure point, the KD-pier, near Burgplatz.
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