Dusseldorf Life and Visitor Travel Tips

(Dusseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany)

An elegant, commercial and cultural city with many popular areas appealing to tourists, Dusseldorf caters well for visitors and features plenty of modern amenities. Many banks can be found around central Dusseldorf and in particular, at the Hauptbahnhof (train station), and also along the bustling Königsallee shopping boulevard.

With a huge selection of bars and restaurants, concert halls, museums, a number of theatres and travel agencies, and also a riverside promenade, it is immediately clear that locals in Dusseldorf enjoy a good life. Many of the best restaurants can be found within the Altstadt (Old Quarter) and around its many appealing back streets. Those looking for access to the web will also find a number of Internet cafes around central Dusseldorf. Some useful travel tips about city life are below.

Tourism and Tourist Information

The opening hours of the tourist offices in Dusseldorf are often extended when the main trade shows take place. There are three main tourist information centres within the city, each offering a booking service for guided tours, boat trips and hotels, and selling discount cards, such as the popular 'Dusseldorf Welcome Card'. Available for purchase at a small price and valid for up to three days, the 'Dusseldorf Welcome Card' provides unlimited public transport and money saving discounts for a range of cultural attractions and guided tours, and is also available at many hotels.

Dusseldorf Tourist Information Centre (Düsseldorf Marketing and Tourismus GmbH)
Address: Der Neue Stahlhof, Breite Strasse 69, Dusseldorf, 40213, Germany, DE
Email address: tourist@dus-mt.de
Website: www.duesseldorf-tourismus.de

Dusseldorf Tourist Information Centre at Main Station (Hauptbahnhof)
Address: Hauptbahnhof, Immermannstrasse 65b, Dusseldorf, Germany, DE
Tel: +49 0211 172 02844
Fax: +49 0211 172 029210
Open hours: Monday to Saturday - 09:30 to 18:30

Dusseldorf Tourist Information Centre at Finanzkaufhaus
Address: Berliner Allee 33, Finanzkaufhaus / Corner of Steinstrasse, Dusseldorf, Germany, DE
Tel: +49 0211 172 02841
Fax: +49 0211 172 029410
Open hours: Monday to Friday - 10:00 to 14:00, 14:30 to 1800

Dusseldorf Tourist Information Altstadt
Address: Burgplatz, Dusseldorf, Germany, DE
Tel: +49 0211 172 02840
Fax: +49 0211 172 029310
Open hours: daily - 10:00 to 15:00, 15:30 to 18:00

Main Post Office
Address: Konrad-Adenauer-Platz 1, Dusseldorf, Germany, DE
Open hours: Monday to Friday - 08:00 to 20:00, Saturday - 09:00 to 14:00

Currency

From 2002, the official currency of Germany and therefore Dusseldorf became the highly acclaimed Euro (EUR), which replaced the Deutsche Mark (DEM) at an equivalent rate of 1.95583. The Euro is structured as below:

• Coin denominations: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents (eurocents) / 1 and 2 Euros
• Note denominations: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 Euro

Language, Dialect and German Phrases

German is the country's main language and even if you only have the slightest grasp of phrases, it can be surprisingly easy to pick out important keywords when speaking with locals in Dusseldorf. A German phrasebook can prove invaluable and allow you to communicate successfully, something that always goes down well with Germans. Below are some helpful German phrases.

Good morning - guten morgen
Good afternoon - guten tag
Good evening - guten abend
Do you have...? - - haben sie...?
How much is this, please? - was kostet dies, bitte?
Where is the restaurant - wie komme ich zum restaurant?
I do not understand - ich verstehe nicht