The Longest Bar in Germany! (Dusseldorf)

Member Name: apricorn

Product:	Dusseldorf
Date:	29/12/01 (2288 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great Beer - The Longest Bar in the World, Friendly People, Good Atmosphere

Disadvantages: Quite expensive, not as much to see as in some cities

I visited Dusseldorf for a week in October and had a fantastic time. It is one of the two cities I have visited in Germany (the other being Cologne) and of the two I preferred Dusseldorf.
We arrived in Dusseldorf on a Sunday. Walking through the city centre, it became clear that sunday shopping is not a concept that has taken off in Germany. "Where were all the people?" we asked ourselves - the place was deserted. We soon found out when we arrived in the "Altstadt" (Old Town) - A delightful part of the city, also known as Germany's Longest Bar, due to the enormous amount of pubs and bars in the area. It seemed that the world and his "frau" were out enjoying the great beers and food Dusseldorf had to offer in the warm October sunshine. Old couples sat and stood side by side with young, enjoying the fine beers.
This seemed to be a sunday tradition in the city, everyone ventured out to the bars, and even at midnight, there were plenty of people , young and old strolling about from bar to bar and restaurant to restarant.
I found the bars to be excellent on thw whole, friendly service and nicely done up inside.

Now the beers - in my opinion, Dusseldorf has the best beers I have tasted, the local speciality is "Altbier", a sort of cross between Guiness and IPA. Once I tasted it, i was hooked, although my girlfriend preferred the Pils that was on offer in most pubs. If you dont like Altbier or Pils however, you are in trouble as German bats tend to stick to serving only a handful of beers.

If you are a fan of shopping, Dusseldorf is the place for you, though you will prefer it if you are the sort who prefers their Prada to their Primark. The Konigsallee contains all the well known fashionable shops you would expect from a city that is a major centre of fashion (though the prices were well out of my girlfriends range) However, there were plenty of shops for the masses as well.

A mention has t
o be made also of the tram network in Dusseldorf. Clean, Efficient and gets you pretty much anywhere you want to go. The few parts of the Huge city not covered by the tram are covered by regular bus services. One refreshing factor was the complete lack of ticket inspectors. It appears that the powers that be actually trust people to buy a ticket from the machines. This is a strange concept if you are used to the barrier and guard system in England. In fact, England seems like a fascist state in comparison!

As for tourist treats in Dusseldorf, there is a fair amount to do. During our week, we took a cruise down the river Rhine, went on a coach tour of the city, including a trip up a very high tower with an excellent view of the city, and visitied a couple of art galleries and a shipping Museum. We didnt actually see a lot else, as we were spending so much time in the excellent bars of the "Old Town" , eating and drinking!
Hpowever, there were a few other Museums and a zoo, and generally all the things you would expect from a large city.
On the sightseeing side, this was the only area in which Dusseldorf fell short in comparison with Cologne, although having said that Cologne is just a short distance down the Rhine and easily reached for a day out.
I have to say I found the people in Dusseldorf to be more friendly than those in Cologne, maybe because its a less touristy city. Because of this you get to see the Real Germany, as opposed to Cologne where American tourist accents can often be heard. If you speak a few words in German, it makes all the diference as well, they really do appreciate it, and we were offered free shots of "Killepitsch" (the local speciality spirit - very nice, and at around 45%, very strong, packing a real punch!) in one friendly local bar.

In short I heartily recommend Dusseldorf as a place to visit, particularly if you are a beer lover. For those with an incessant desire to sight see however,
a different destination might be more appropriate.

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