Where to stay in Düsseldorf, Germany's underrated city break
Düsseldorf’s Media Harbour is just one of the city's many striking sights.
Picture the scene: it’s a balmy summer evening and you’re drinking cocktails on a rooftop terrace, watching the sun set over one of Europe’s most famous rivers. Paris? Rome? No — this is Düsseldorf. Germany’s seventh-biggest city may not be top of everyone’s city break list, but the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia will surprise you.
The little sibling of Cologne, which sits half an hour south, Düsseldorf is a thrumming modern city and Germany’s fashion capital. Even the pandemic couldn’t stunt its banging hotel scene — several hotels have opened here since 2020.
Ruby Luna
Germany does a great line in small(ish) hotel chains that still manage to make each property individual, and this Ruby branch — the third to open in Düsseldorf — is no different. Set in the 1962 Commerzbank, a Düsseldorf modernist icon, whose distinctive aluminium-clad skyscraper dwarfs the surrounding cityscape, it amps up the 1960s feel with a moon landings flavour. Spinning planets dot the space-black carpets in the rooms and corridors; windows have a curved, almost porthole look, and winch open to overlook the city and the Rhine.
The famous metal shell of the building starts on the first floor, meaning the rooms appear to float above the glass-walled lobby, which is filled with stylish mismatched vintage furniture. On top of it all is the rooftop bar that opens in summer. This is the highest building in downtown Düsseldorf, which means you get unimpaired views of the Rhine. From £82.
The Voco Düsseldorf Seestern offers fun, fresh accommodation in the midst of the city.
Voco Düsseldorf Seestern
On the opposite side of the Rhine from the old town is IHG’s first Voco hotel in Germany, which opened in January 2022. Enjoy your check-in heidesand — traditional German shortbread — in one of the modern rooms, with bright flashes of yellow and orange on the walls, then head to the terrace bar for a signature G&T. From £65.
Muze Hotel
Opened in February 2021 close to Hofgarten park, the Muze is seriously chic, with a modern take on 1950s style: polished wood walls, travertine flooring, and soft-silhouetted furniture with accents of chrome in the rooms. Contemporary art is dotted around the property — there’s even an inhouse curator. From £85.
Me and All Hotel Düsseldorf
This bijou German chain’s first Düsseldorf hotel is as hipster as the name suggests — the lobby doubles as a co-working area, the café has a coffee ‘brewbar’ and there’s even an onsite barber. Rooms take inspiration from their Little Tokyo surroundings, with calming wood-clad panels and arty cherry blossom images behind the bed. From £100.
Published in the April 2023 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK)
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