City guide

Düsseldorf

Dusseldorf pairs old-money polish with a genuinely rowdy drinking scene: the Konigsallee's designer boutiques sit a short walk from the Altstadt, self-styled the world's longest bar, where Altbier is poured by the crate along cobbled lanes. It's a business and fashion city more than a classic sightseeing one, but its Rhine promenade, Japanese quarter (one of Europe's largest Japanese communities), and gallery scene around Flingern give it real texture beyond trade fairs.