Düsseldorf: Parks, culture and Japanese cuisine

Discover Düsseldorf through a range of interests: the Hofgarten represents the city’s park history and urban green space, Schloss Benrath showcases European garden art, and Little Tokyo brings together Japanese culture and cuisine. The city also offers a natural history museum, a landmark in the Old Town, and routes for cyclists. This lets you shape your stay around your own interests rather than reducing the city to a single focus.

Green spaces and natural history

The Hofgarten is Düsseldorf’s oldest public park and was laid out as a public promenade. It is also the city’s most important green space in the city centre. A large expanse of water and numerous sculptures define the park. The combination of greenery, water, and art gives it a variety of distinctive features. If you would like to include parks and sculptures in your plans, the Hofgarten offers a clear focus.

The Aquazoo Löbbecke Museum offers a different perspective: it combines a zoo, aquarium, and natural history museum. Special exhibitions regularly supplement the programme, with the topics they focus on varying. This adds natural history perspectives to the park landscape. Before your visit, check which exhibition is currently on display if a particular topic is important to you.

Garden art at Schloss Benrath

The Museum of Garden Art at Schloss Benrath explores European garden art in all its facets and provides an overview of around 2,500 years of garden history. Its collections are presented across around 2,000 square metres and in 41 rooms. This broad historical perspective distinguishes it from a visit focused mainly on a single park or a particular era.

The park at Schloss Benrath can also be part of your plans: it is freely accessible. Before travelling there, check for possible temporary restrictions. This allows you to consider the museum’s garden themes and the park as different aspects of your stay.

Little Tokyo and the Old Town

Düsseldorf’s Little Tokyo invites you to experience Japanese culture and cuisine. Along Immermannstraße and on the side streets, you’ll find ramen and sushi, izakaya tapas bars, grill restaurants, and Japanese cafés. The restaurant mix may change. If you’d like to explore the neighbourhood through its food, a guided tour offers a specific time frame: “Sushi, Sake and Japanese Lifestyle” lasts two hours and includes four food tastings. Check the tour format and availability before booking.

Another place to include in your Old Town plans is the Schlossturm on Burgplatz in Düsseldorf’s Old Town. This lets you consider culinary experiences in Little Tokyo and a visit to the Old Town as separate activities, without combining them into a single walking tour.

Plan for cycling and arrival

The approximately 20-kilometre Düsseldorf Climate Cycling Tour provides information about climate protection and climate adaptation projects. Check the latest route information before setting off. The Rhine Cycle Route North Rhine-Westphalia also passes through Düsseldorf. In North Rhine-Westphalia, it runs from the Drachenfels in the Siebengebirge hills to Emmerich am Rhein. When choosing a cycling tour, you can distinguish between the Climate Cycling Tour’s explicit focus on climate and the route of the Rhine Cycle Route.

For your arrival, the S11 connects Düsseldorf Airport’s terminal directly with Düsseldorf Central Station. The journey takes around twelve minutes. Timetables and services may change, so check the connection before your trip.

When choosing a hotel location, it helps to decide on the main focus of your stay first: would you mainly like to experience park and garden art, explore the local food scene, or follow cycling routes? Check the location of your chosen hotel in relation to your plans. If you’re arriving via the airport, you can also factor in the S11 connection to the central station.

Discover more destinations: Benrath, Düsseldorf, Rath, Wittlaer, Garath, Angermund, Holthausen, Kalkum.

View the regional travel overview: North Rhine-Westphalia.