Christmas |December 1, 2022

Five wonderful experiences in Christmassy Düsseldorf

The most beautiful time of the year can be experienced in the city in cultural and culinary terms - and even on the water

So, which group of people do you belong to? Are you the kind of person who gets the first Christmas baubles out of the cellar in late summer to dust them off neatly in anticipation? The ones who can't wait to stroll through the Christmas market wrapped up in thick clothes to try everything from mulled wine to baked apples? Who spend the whole year collecting all their presents so that the only stress - if any - is the question of which X-Mas movie to watch next? Or would you rather do the Grinch? Along the lines of: Always all this hustle and bustle around a now totally commercialized holiday, where in the end everyone just hands out presents that nobody needs anyway! Let's put it this way: in Düsseldorf, you'll get your money's worth if the holidays at the end of December are among your favorites. But you'll also be easily convinced if you've been rather skeptical about the "spectacle" so far. And so your level of euphoria will suddenly rise, we bet!

Every year again: Christmas markets

If you inhale the scent of freshly roasted chestnuts and roasted almonds, warm yourself with a cup of hot mulled wine and sway to the same old but never boring sounds of Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You", then you will probably find yourself at one of the city's many Christmas markets. This year, the fun starts on November 17, as usual in the old town, in front of the town hall, as well as on Königsallee (Kö-Lichter-Markt) and Gustav-Gründgens-Platz. Until December 30 (apart from Dead Sunday on November 20 and Christmas Day), you have the opportunity to buy tree decorations and nativity figures, many of which are made by hand, as well as - attention, stiff neck - enjoy the very different decorated stalls. The counterpart in Benrath Palace also focuses on handicrafts, while markets in Pempelfort, Oberkassel and Kaiserswerth, for example, offer mushroom pans and bobble hats in the best festive mood. We think: It's hard to beat a shopping spree followed by a hot drink. Just like dates with friends who only know one destination: the Christmas market.

Little snowflakes, little white curls: Sport at Christmas time

Even if the weather hasn't been kind to us in recent years and a white Christmas has been reserved for picture books and TV documentaries: Who knows, maybe it will be so frosty this year that ice skating on lakes will be possible? If (or rather: probably) not, there is fortunately still the opportunity to pirouette on the ice rink at the northern end of Königsallee - and in case of doubt, even receive applause from the many members of the public present. Perhaps you'd prefer something a little more intimate, such as the weekly disco at the Düsseldorf ice rink in Benrath? There you can skate to the classics of music history, ideally hand in hand. Or do you try your hand at handling the puck properly? So that at some point you can send it into the net at lightning speed - making it virtually invisible to your opponent? You can watch the professionals of the Düsseldorf ice skating community do just that at the PSD Bank Dome in Rath. Don't forget your red and white fan merchandise!

In the Christmas bakery: Cookies from the professionals

Hardly any smell comes close to that of freshly baked cookies, does it? And so the oven should be glowing every day to give vanilla crescents, gingerbread and cinnamon stars their full flavor. If you want to use a rolling pin and cut out your own biscuits, you can find a huge selection of molds, trays and beads, sprinkles and stars for decorating at "Cake Mart" (Friedrichstraße 35), "Cucina" (Carlsplatz 24) and "Butch" (Tußmannstraße 63), for example. If you don't feel like spending hours kneading dough and fiddling with icing, there are plenty of bakers in Düsseldorf to help you out: "Hinkel" (Mittelstraße 25 and Hohe Straße 31), "Hercules" (Ulmenstraße 120), "Pure Freude" (Hohe Straße 19), "Bulle" (Oststraße 113 and Birkenstraße 55) and "Schüren" (including Luegallee 93, Rethelstraße 144 and Nordstraße 77), among many other bakeries and patisseries, offer a variety of Christmas treats - to be enjoyed immediately. After all, who could seriously be patient when it comes to pastries?

Joy to the World: Festive dining

The most wonderful time of the year for many - despite good preparation - is often accompanied by lots of preparations. After the baking comes the shopping marathon, before the tree decorating comes the wrapping of presents, and has anyone actually written any Christmas cards yet? This makes it all the more important to make the most of the festive season. Treat yourselves and your loved ones (especially mom, who organizes so much) to a little time out with a really good Christmas dinner. During the Advent weeks, many restaurants offer menus specially tailored to the season. At the "Brasserie Stadthaus" (Mühlenstraße 31), for example, you can dine on a Christmas jazz dinner on December 8, including cream of wild mushroom soup, game ragout and chocolate and nut coffee slice. At "Le Flair" (Marc-Chagall-Straße 108), you can also sample the culinary skills of the Michelin-starred team on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. If you're in the mood for French cuisine: How about a visit to "Le Bouchoun" (Blücherstraße 70)? As in previous years, the Breidenbacher Hof (Königsallee 11) invites you to an Advent tea, accompanied by scones, brioche and baked apples, among other things. As you know, the last few weeks of the year are considered a lawless time when it comes to counting kilos and calories. So get on with the delicacies.

The bells never ring sweeter: Christmas Concerts

When emails and meetings are fewer, shifts are exceptionally shorter and construction sites are no longer as hectic as usual, there is an opportunity to pursue familiar traditions. Some events only take place once a year and are therefore not to be missed. For example: the Christmas opera. At the beginning and middle of December, for example, the musicians invite girls and boys to the "Christmas Bakery" (December 3 and 17). In the Tonhalle, the Cologne cult band Höhner will be singing modern and traditional classics such as "Jingle Bells" and "White Christmas" on December 21 and 22. The Capitol Theater will be playing "A little Christmas music" on 18 December, and the aforementioned Schloss Benrath will also be hosting concerts with seasonal sounds.

Silent night, holy night: A trip on the Rhine

Like many people, you may sit down (consciously or not) to review the year. This often works best by far. You can literally find this on a - ship! With the glittering Christmas market in the old town passing by in the distance, you can really wind down on one of the "KD" cruisers. From November 18 to December 18, the two-hour Advent cruises take place from Thursdays to Sundays. The evening cruises end one day earlier, on December 17, but also start on November 18, with an additional buffet. So while you're cruising along the Rhine, a little "Last Christmas" plays through the loudspeakers and all seems right with the world, at least temporarily.