It doesn’t seem surprising that Dusseldorf has been voted among the best cities in the world in which to live. From everything I have seen online and on television, and heard from people who had been there, Dusseldorf is a stunning place that is as clean and safe as it is friendly and engaging. Unfortunately, the words, photos and videos of others was all I had to go on regarding Dusseldorf for most of my life. That all changed recently, however, when a random break in my work schedule in Europe gave me a potential 24-hour window to go see this wonderful place. The only potential pitfall was that I had to find a Dusseldorf hotel room, and I had to find it within minutes or I would not be able to go. I was frantic, but I calmed down and figured I may as well see what was out there that could help me.
I searched for an app that provided opportunities for reserving last-minute hotel rooms. I found one called HotelTonight. It seemed to have what I was looking for, and I felt even more reassured when I searched for Dusseldorf hotels and was suddenly looking at several possibilities. I narrowed the choices down to the one I thought would work best for me and got ready for the booking process. I had been down this road before, and actually reserving the room could be extremely difficult. Much to my pleasant surprise, I had my room booked and confirmed with a swipe here, a quick tap there and that was it. I was all set. All I needed to do now was put a list of areas in Dusseldorf I wanted to visit.
I always like to start exploring a new place in its older part of town, as that’s not only very interesting to me but it’s also usually at or near the center of a city. That was the case with Old Town in Dusseldorf on both counts. This is also a part of town where motor traffic is not allowed, so you can walk around freely without having to worry about sharing roads with vehicles. I walked along the Rhine River, which borders one part of Old Town, and just looked at all of the old buildings that were here. It seemed that the people were a mix of tourists and locals, but the entire area had a really nice vibe to it.
I wanted to get out a bit and see a different part of Dusseldorf right away, so I headed out to Kaiserswerth. It was clear immediately that this was a much more laidback and calm part of Dusseldorf. There were also quite a few historic sights here, including an abandoned castle that I explored for a while. At this point, though, I was running slightly low on energy and needed to recharge my battery. I found a café near the castle’s ruins and ordered a coffee. It came quickly along with a tray of really tasty German treats, so I was more than satisfied and ready to keep rolling through my day.
The Bilk District is home to the university students, which was exciting to me because university campuses are always so beautiful. I walked through the campus of Heinrich Heine University and completely lost myself in its beauty. This is a relatively modern school, but the architecture was beautiful. I also figured that there would be some nice places to eat nearby, as every student gets hungry. I wasn’t wrong. I picked out a place that looked quite local in nature, and I was correct in that it was. It was also delicious food. Satisfied, I realized that now was the time to get some to-do items checked off my list.
I wanted to do two things after lunch: walk my huge meal off and purchase some gifts for the important people in my life. I found the Konigsallee District, which allowed me to accomplish both tasks simultaneously. This is apparently a district that’s set up for shopping, as there are stores large and small on every street and block. I window-shopped for a while before deciding generally on what to purchase. I found some unique items that I was sure would be a hit with my family and friends. I was happy to have that done for several reasons, and now it was time for dinner.
The Hafen District has an interesting history going for it. About 40 years ago, the Hafen District was basically run down and even abandoned in some parts. A lot of reinvestment in the area has transformed it into what many now feel is the it part of the city. I knew one thing: there were a lot of nice-looking restaurants here, and that was great because I was starving. I found one that appeared to serve German food, and I was correct. The meal was delicious and as interesting as my day had been.
I made my way back to my hotel, thrilled with how this day and this adventure had gone. I looked forward to a restful sleep in my comfortable hotel room. I appreciated the fact that I had found HotelTonight, as without it this trip may never have happened. I found my Dusseldorf hotel room within minutes. As I drifted off to sleep in my room, I remembered to travel with HotelTonight in the future.
