Dusseldorf vs. Cologne
 

I will be spending one night in Dusseldorf/Cologne. My flights are using DUS airport. For such a quick trip, which of the two cities would you recommend staying in for some nice sightseeing and good eats? This will be mid-week travel.

On a related note, are there any particular hotels you recommend?

(I did a search, but these questions don't seem to get any threads).

you can take the train (www.db.de) directly from dus airport to cologne main station (hauptbanhof) in 40 minutes

dus is a commercial city, the most interesting things are the konigsalee (main shopping street-but you can see similar things in other large cities) and the altstadt- old city, with restaurants and boutique-y shops. fine museums, too

the hotel scene is poor- the steigenberger is old and ratty

the crowne plaza is, i think, the best in downtown and walkable everywhere

there is a maritim at the airport which is convenient if you have an early flite

cologne is an old roman city- ruins, history, and a giant cathedral- more interesting, i think, than dus

but beware the hotel ernst- in the shadows of the cathedral- the bonging of the gongs will keep you up all nite

each city has its local brands and types of beer- like kolsch or weissbier - just ask what the locals drink

and beware of schweinhaxe!- it's a platter of a huge pigs foot with sauerkraut and stuff- it sits in your stomach for days- not good for traveling

whatever you do, make sure you are not in either city when there is a "messe" or trade fair- the cities will be jammed

Cologne gets my vote.

Definately Cologne.

Köln is the place. Definitely.

Don't try to order Kölsch in Düsseldorf or Alt in Köln, though. (Kölsch is the special beer in Köln and it tastes like Bud. Alt is a dark lager.)

Don't be afraid to try the Schweinehaxe for god's sake. It's one of my favorite dishes.

The best hotel in Köln is Im Wasserturm.

Best

Dusseldorf for the beer
Cologne for everything else

The definitive answer is Koeln. Try the Koelsch in its cute little glasses (no time for it to get warm) and take a long walk (or walks) through the old city. Eat anything german that you can find (a) to see whether it is to your liking or (b) to be able to complain about the food....

All the best in Germany.


Bodo ^

Koeln gets my vote. It is a nice city with lots to see and do. The cathedral is excellent and so are museums.
For food, just do a little exploring. If it is Saturday they might have an outdoor market where you could get a bratwurst and beer.
Enjoy your time there. It is a fun city to visit.
Gajules

Nonsense. Dusseldorf is much better. It's a party town, and is full of great looking women, many of whom are fashion models.

M8

For your purposes, I suppose either will do - however, Cologne does have the cathedral, so that alone would determine it for me (if you've never been). They are both party towns, with TONS of bars/pubs, and you can get any type of food anywhere. Keep in mind though that Cologne was completely destroyed in WWII, so that what remains of the old city is nice, but the rest is u g l y.

the beer is much better in Dusseldorf, and I think that walking in the old town and by the river is nicer. The cathedral in koln is pretty spectacular. dusseldorf has much better night life, and a better resterount area - more better places in a smaller area.

koln has a world class archeological museum and a very good art museum. dusseldorf has 3 or 4 very good art museums - if you like german art of the early 20th century, dusseldorf is the place. if you like antiquities, koln.

Dusseldorf also has a classy, cosmopolitan feeling.

Cologne/Koln for all the reasons stated by posters above.

The cathedral is nice, and there is a lot of lore on how it survived the bombing. Kinda like St. Paul's in London. Dusseldorf has a nice cathedral also, but it is not as magnificent. Nevertheless, I would still choose Dusseldorf, overall I just prefer the ambience there.

M8

Thanks, everyone, for such helpful responses. The first few all voted for Cologne, so I thought, "Well, that's an easy decision, then!" But then I saw the responses in favor of Dusseldorf. Darn you all for being so knowledgeable! ;)

If I decide to go to Cologne, would you recommend the Four Points Sheraton? I found a rate of 97 Euros per night, including taxes and breakfast.

cologne for the beer and for the rest

Either way you can't go wrong. I think ALL the Rhine River cities are beautiful, and I even like the Main River area too, like Wurzburg, etc. Used to live in Aschaffenburg at the base of the Spessarts and along the Main. Very beautiful, nice castle in the middle of town, etc., and I do miss it. Have fun on your trip.

M8

Dusseldorf
 

I spent 5 days in Dusseldorf and very much enjoyed it and the Alt Bier (burp!)

Alt Bier is a top fermented lager and represents an old way of brewing that never went away in Dusseldorf. Try the brew at Zum Uerige. Alaskan Amber is an Alt style beer.

Another place of note is the museum of river traffic. It is along the river in the Altstadt in an old tower. People hae been traveling the Rhine in boats for a long time. And while there, take a stroll along the quay next to the river and watch the current boat traffic. (Disclaimer: my father ran a ferry on the Columbia River, so I was well acquainted with its river traffic)

If you have the time, take the train over to Solingen. All the knive manufacturers are based there: Henkels, Boker,and others I don't remember. But be aware Solingen is rather spread out.

PS Took the train from Mannheim to Dusseldorf, which goes through Koln. On the way between the two, the engineer announced, and a fellow passenger was kind to translate, that we had hit 300 kph! One eighty on the ground!

The Four Points in Cologne (If you like to have an impression of the hotel, you might want to read my Hotel Report. The location of the hotel opposite the Central Station is very good.

Beetween Cologne and Düsseldorf is an old rivality, both cities have their own flair. While Düsseldorf is a fashion town - the people in Düsseldorf care more for their appearance - there is as said mory high life, especially in the Altstadt. The local beer is "Alt", a dark beer. Düsseldorf has alsosome nice museums about art. Btw, there is also an Four Points in Düsseldorf, also in a good location.

Cologne is the older town, the origin is roman and therefore is an museum about the roman history (Römisch Germanisches Museum), just opposite the Le Meridien Dom Hotel right hand side of the cathedral. The city of Cologne has some nice and old churches to visit (beside the cathedral / Dom), the main shoppping street is more narrow than Düsseldorf. There are also some nice art museum just right in the heart of the city (near the cathedral).
The local beer is "Kölsch", there are many (micro) breweries who serve their own Kölsch with local food (my favourite is Brauhaus Peters).

Where to spend the day? Although I work in Düsseldorf, I tend to say, visit Cologne. Cologne has its own flair.

Jan

If you are talking about Düsseldorf, we do not have a Crown Plaza, that's Cologne. There are many good hotels in Düsseldorf, but you are right, we do not have the new top five star hotels yet; the Interconti will open September 2005, the Ritz Carlton construction work just started.

The Maritim is under construction, the Hotel located as penthous hotel on the parking is an ArabellaSheraton

Although, I work in Düsseldorf, I second that :D

but beware the hotel ernst- in the shadows of the cathedral- the bonging of the gongs will keep you up all nite

each city has its local brands and types of beer- like kolsch or weissbier - just ask what the locals drink

Schweinshaxe is more bavarian food, but you are right, if you are in a plane the next day, you plane will need some extra meters before wheels are up :D

A good point, both cities have huge trade fairs the whole year (except sommer and winter months). In this time, hotels are sold out or high priced and the cities are packed.

[QUOTE=FLYGVA]If you are talking about Düsseldorf, we do not have a Crown Plaza, that's Cologne.

oops, sorry, thanks for the correction:

when the new building was going up next to the old holiday inn, it said "crowne plaza coming"

it opened, though, as a connection onto the HI

so there are 2 buildings, one old, one new

i recommend the newer one if you stay here:


DUSSELDORF CITY CTR-KÖNIGSALLE

GRAF-ADOLF-PLATZ 8-10
DUSSELDORF, 40213
49-211-38480
Downtown: DUSSELDORF 0 KM/ 0

The HI Königsallee has and old and a new part, but it is still a [one) Holiday-Inn. But as you posted about the sign building the annex, I remember there was something written about CP, but I do not look to it at all.

We have in Düsseldorf

• one Express by Holiday Inn
• three Holiday-inn (one was a former Queens Hotel)
• one Interconti (opening September 05)

The HI Köningsallee is the HI right in the center, the HI Ludwig Erhard Allee is near Central Station and one could reach either the airport or the city by public transportation quite easy.

I was very happy with the 4 Points Sheraton Koln two months ago. The rate you mention seems to be good, and though the hotel is a typical 4 Points-quality hotel (nothing fancy, but certainly clean), the location was great and staff friendly. As a Starwood Platinum member I was upgraded to a really nice suite that overlooked the construction in front of the train station. I will stay at the Sheraton next time I am in Koln.

Cologne:
 

Lot happening in Cologne this summer given WYD - especially art events. The Vatican notoriously puts together an extensive exhibit of some of their best (and given their collection its saying a lot).

Here's an article I read about some of the art exhibits during the summer.

cologne

Are you by chance flying PrivatAir?

Sorry for digging up the old thread. But since there are so few posts, I thought it may be acceptable.

I am attending DRUPA (the largest printing conference in the world) next week. I am debating staying in DUS at a very mediocre 3 or 4 star hotel (my corporate travel budget doesn't have an allowance for the few 5-star properties in town).

My alternative is to stay in a solid 4 to 5 star hotel in Cologne (or other close town) for the same price.

My budget is US$300 - US$400 per night. Sadly, the Breidenbacher Hof, Intercontinental, and others in DUS are all US$500 - $700+++

Any thoughts/comments for exceptional properties in this price range within a 30 minute tram/subway/train ride to the Dusseldorf Messe?

7 year old post unearthing!

In Germany eats are eats. Haven't had a really bad meal there. You'll find all sorts of good food to try.

As far as sightseeing, I'd say go with Köln. If for no other reason, the cathedral.^

Up thread there's talk of the Excelsior Hotel Ernst and it being a bad choice because of the Cathedral gonging. Is it really that much of a problem and, if so, is there a specific room request I can make to make it less of a nuisance?

And for even more discussion and suggestions, I'll move this to the Destinations->Germany forum. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator.

As the fair grounds are in the north of Ddorf close to the airport, why not consider staying in adjacent Mettmann, Ratingen or maybe Duisburg instead of Cologne?

Cologne is really close to my heart and a fantastic city but if it's just about getting from and to the exhibition and not so much importance on the quality of accomodation, dining, nightlife and such...Then better stick to the cities mentioned previously in the post.

Please do get that hotel if possible, it's an Olde World oasis of quality. You will certainly not have any specific acoustic trouble from the Cathedral but just have to accept that in a deeply Catholic city there is some church related activity going on.

That's good to hear. It's really the only hotel I'm considering because it's the only in Cologne with FHR/Virtuoso benefits.