Germany
Düsseldorf, If the Train Will Not Do
A shopping street, an old town that calls itself the longest bar in the world, and a harbour full of Gehry buildings.
DüsseldorfGermany
The route from Amsterdam
~224 km, about 2 hours 20 each way. For comparison, direct trains run hourly in roughly 2 hours 10 minutes.
We will start with the thing most operators leave out. There is a direct train from Amsterdam Centraal to Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof, hourly, in about two hours ten — slightly faster than we can drive it. If you are two people with light luggage and no plans outside the centre, take it.
Where the car wins is everything either side of the city centre. MedienHafen is a twenty-minute walk or a five-minute drive. Schloss Benrath is fifteen minutes south. And a shopping day on the Königsallee is a different experience when the bags go in a vehicle instead of on a train.
Why take a private driver
The honest case for a private day here is shopping, groups and door-to-door comfort — not speed. The Königsallee is one of the most expensive retail streets in Germany and people fly in to shop it; doing that by rail means carrying everything.
A sample day
This is how we would plan it. Nothing here is fixed — the point of a private day is that it bends to you.
Pickup at your hotel
Anywhere in Amsterdam.
Arrive in Düsseldorf
Parked centrally; everything below is close together.
Königsallee
The canal-side boulevard, chestnut trees down the middle, and the retail either side of it.
The Altstadt
Several hundred bars and restaurants in half a square kilometre, and Altbier served from the barrel.
Lunch
In the old town, which is where it should be.
The Rhine promenade
The riverside walk, and the view back at the old town from the water.
MedienHafen
The old harbour rebuilt with Frank Gehry buildings. Five minutes by car, and the reason to have one.
Drive back
Two hours twenty.
Back at your hotel
Door to door.
What is included
- Private vehicle and driver for about 10 hours
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Amsterdam
- The vehicle stays with you for shopping
- Fuel, tolls, parking and all road costs in both countries
What is not included
- Anything you buy
- Museum entry
- Lunch and drinks
- Gratuity
Questions
Should we take the train instead?
If it is two of you going into the centre and back, honestly yes — it is direct, hourly and about two hours ten. Book us if you are shopping, if you are four or more, or if you want MedienHafen and Schloss Benrath as well.
Is the Königsallee worth it if we are not shopping?
As a walk, for about twenty minutes. The canal and the trees are pleasant; the shops are the point. If shopping is not your day, Cologne is the better German city for you.
What about the environmental zone?
Düsseldorf has an Umweltzone requiring a windscreen sticker. We take care of it.