City guide: Düsseldorf

IF YOU want to get to know your ale like a real German, avoid the tourist traps (and taps) in Bavaria.

Escape the tacky lederhosen, stag-night lads and far-from-pint-sized prices and head to Düsseldorf. With its relaxed and authentic pub culture, speciality ales and ‘longest bar in the world’, the city is perfect for a weekend break to (try to) remember.

Although it is always associated with the bleak building sites of Auf Wiedersehen Pet, Düsseldorf is now a vibrant, modern city that boasts spectacular architecture. Even without your beer goggles on, you will appreciate its beautiful location, on the banks of the Rhine, where you can drink with the locals in a huge range of traditional bars and breweries. Why wait until October? Follow Spectrum’s guide to getting drunk on Düsseldorf. n

BEST BEER

IF YOU are expecting huge, foaming tankards of pale ale carried by buxom, lederhosen-wearing waitresses, you might be disappointed. This is largely a performance for Bavarian Oktoberfest tourists; in Düsseldorf the speciality is altbier, an amber, lagered ale served in relatively small glasses. Other beers are available, but the people of Düsseldorf are very proud of their signature beverage. In particular, their hatred of the nearby city of Cologne translates into beer rivalry. So if you order a Cologne-brewed Kolsch, you might have to make a quick exit.

BEST BAR DISTRICT

KNOWN as the longest bar in the world, the Aldstadt, or Old Town, is Düsseldorf’s answer to Edinburgh’s Rose Street. The pedestrianised area is packed with taverns where you can purchase the perfect pint. Located along the banks of the Rhine, it is always crowded with tourists and locals. Particularly recommended is Zum Uerige (Berger Straße 1; www.uerige.de), which has a brilliant atmosphere, chatty staff and a claim to be the city’s oldest bar. It is also one of Düsseldorf’s four rival ‘brewpubs’, where the beer is brewed on the premises. In the interests of fairness, true connoisseurs should really make a point of sampling the wares of all four during their visit.

BEST BAR DISTRICT

KNOWN as the longest bar in the world, the Aldstadt, or Old Town, is Düsseldorf’s answer to Edinburgh’s Rose Street. The pedestrianised area is packed with taverns where you can purchase the perfect pint. Located along the banks of the Rhine, it is always crowded with tourists and locals. Particularly recommended is Zum Uerige (Berger Straße 1; www.uerige.de), which has a brilliant atmosphere, chatty staff and a claim to be the city’s oldest bar. It is also one of Düsseldorf’s four rival ‘brewpubs’, where the beer is brewed on the premises. In the interests of fairness, true connoisseurs should really make a point of sampling the wares of all four during their visit.

BEST NIGHTLIFE

THE party in the Aldstadt continues well into the night. There are places to go when the altbier puts you in the mood for dancing, but there’s much more pub culture than club culture in Düsseldorf. If you can’t bear to miss Sportscene, King Puck’s (Berger Straße, next to Zum Uerige) is an Irish bar that shows Scottish football matches on request.

BEST HOTEL

SLEEP off your evenings of excess at the Best Western Savoy Hotel (Oststraße 128; 00 49 211 388380, www.savoy.bestwestern.de). It’s centrally located and you can rest assured that your next pint isn’t too far away since the famous Schumacher brewery is just across the road. Single rooms cost from around £57, or you can get a double room for around £133.

BEST HANGOVER CURE

THE morning after the night before, you’ll be hankering after good old Scottish stodge. No bratwurst could ever quite compare to a square sausage, of course, but Düsseldorf does have a dish that will warm your heart and terrify your heart surgeon. Himmel und ard, which means heaven and earth, is a delicious concoction of black pudding, fried onions, mashed potatoes and apple. It has enough saturated fat to impress even the most experienced deep-fried Mars bar muncher and it soaks up beer in no time – although it won’t help much with the beer belly. The best place to get this ultimate hangover cure is at the city’s oldest restaurant, Zum Schiffchen (Hafenstraße 5; www.brauerei-zum-schiffchen.de), or the Little Ship, in the Aldstadt.

BEST PUB GRUB

GET good, honest fare at reasonable prices in this ‘brewpub’, the Brauerei Schumacher (Oststrasse 123, www.schumacher-alt.de). As it is around ten minutes’ walk from the Aldstadt, it tends to attract more locals than tourists. Try its drier brand of altbier while surrounded by traditional dark wood-panelled interiors.