Six picnic spots for your spring love

Finally out into the countryside again!

Spring awakening! With the first balmy days, both reliably return: the desire to fall in love and the desire to dine in the fresh air. And what could be more romantic than a picnic together? Whether you share the picnic blanket with your longtime love who needs to be warmed up after the winter, or with your date who still wants to be conquered - Düsseldorf offers many green oases where you can make yourself comfortable in the grass. At the following six places, the probability of returning with butterflies in your stomach is particularly high. In keeping with this, we've put together a few tips on what kind of food you can serve on the blanket. The tiny rest is up to you.

Little Hawaii

Even the nickname that the locals have found for this place hints at its beauty. The Rhine beach below the Lörick open-air swimming pool beckons with the finest white sand and countless pretty shady spots under trees. It's not palm trees, but willows along the banks, and your feet will be washed by the Rhine rather than the Pacific, but a Hawaiian Poké Bowl in your picnic basket could possibly make up for this small difference. To get there, we recommend the bicycle. Coming from Oberkassel, turn right in front of the open-air swimming pool to the Rhine and then follow the sandy paths along the shore until you have chosen a suitable spot. 

People's Garden

The Volksgarten in the south of Düsseldorf is the green lung of the city. And in the middle of this green lung, surrounded by ancient beech, oak and maple trees, is a large meadow. In summer, students from the nearby university and sun worshippers from the surrounding area gather here. So it's not quite cozy, but in spring you'll have the place almost to yourself during the day. Either way, the meadow behind the boathouse is an ideal picnic spot with a view of the TV tower and protected from the wind for a game of badminton. Cooks who don't like to cook should stop by the Byblos Restaurant on Markenstraße in Oberbilk beforehand: There you can find delicious snacks such as falafel, hummus, tabouleh and labneh with zatar. The more ambitious create the Levantine touch that fits so well in Oberbilk themselves - preferably with the help of Yotam Ottolenghi's cookbooks.

Japanese Garden in North Park

You probably already know: Düsseldorf has the third largest Japanese community in Europe after Paris and London. More than 8,000 Japanese live and work here. So it's no wonder that not only Düsseldorf's gastronomy scene is influenced by the Land of the Rising Sun. Japanese garden culture has also found its way to the Rhine. In the northwest corner of the Nordpark, where the park is at its quietest and most tranquil, is a jewel of a special kind - the "Japanese Garden on the Rhine". The so-called Garden of Reflection measures over 5,000 square meters, and if one follows Far Eastern mythology, then every tree and pond, every stone and spring here has a deeper symbolic meaning. Is there a better place for a declaration of love? Hardly. Our culinary recommendation: sushi and sake.

Rhine Park

The meadows of the Rhine Park, which adjoin the Rhine Terraces to the north, offer picnic lovers probably the most beautiful bridge panorama. From the Rheinknie Bridge on the left, the view sweeps over the Oberkassel Bridge to the right to the Theodor Heuss Bridge, next to which the sun sinks into the horizon in summer. Even if Frisbee and football are played here, the area between Cecilienallee and Robert-Lehr-Ufer is 24 hectares in size and also offers enough space for an intimate tête-à-tête. The makers of the Three Little Birds beer garden, which opened in 2020 at the Rheinterrassen, have recognized this. The three birds pack you picnic baskets and even lend blankets. So it's ideal for those who don't like to organize and for those who make up their minds at the last minute.  

Vis-à-vis the media port

Another spot on the Rhine with a panoramic view that is quite something. If you cross under the Rheinknie Bridge on the Oberkassel side and walk down the embankment toward Rhine kilometer 743, you'll get a fantastic view of the Rhine Tower and the architecture of the Media Harbor. When the sun sinks lower, the mirrored part of the Gehry buildings glows with it. The meadow is extensive. But since it is often frequented by flocks of sheep, it's best to choose your spots carefully. Culinary tip: The vegan restaurant Sattgrün in the harbor also offers all dishes to go. 

Benrath Castle

The pleasure palace in the south of the city, which often serves as a photo backdrop for wedding couples, is also the ideal setting for a romantic picnic. In the extensive park around the pink sugar baker's castle, many benches and secluded spots invite you to settle down. In fact, Elector Karl Theodor and his wife Elisabeth, who had the palace built by Nicolas de Pigage from 1755 to 1773, couldn't smell each other. But you should not let this discourage you. On the contrary, the life of the illustrious aristocrats offers plenty to talk about to overcome initial nervousness. A fun fact to get you started, for example, is that Karl Theodor never visited his summer retreat throughout his life. And Elisabeth was here only once - but without her husband. On a guided tour of the palace, you can see for yourself how ingeniously this magnificent Baroque building was planned. Secret corridors connect the bathrooms and bedrooms.

Title image: Düsseldorf Tourism