Destination Guide

Düsseldorf - Dynamo on the Rhine

As Germany's economic engine room, Düsseldorf is well equipped for both business and leisure discovers Mike Toynbee

Düsseldorf might not have the stylish, cutting-edge image of Berlin, but it is certainly the powerhouse of Germany.

Referred to as the 'desktop of the Ruhr valley', the capital of North-Rhine Westphalia is strategically located on the Rhine at the heart of the country's biggest industrial zone. Among the 100,000-plus companies based there are around 5,000 subsidiaries of multinationals, including major players such as 3M, Epson, Ericsson, Hoover, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Nokia, Xerox and Vodafone. And with the likes of Fuji, Hitachi, NEC, Mitsubishi and Toshiba among 450 Japanese companies with a presence in Düsseldorf, it has, not surprisingly,earned the nick-name 'Little Japan on the Rhine'.

The British, too, are well represented as Germany is still the UK's second-largest global market and its largest European export market.

Despite its industrialised image - Bayer, Bosch, Daimler AG, Henkel and Siemens are among the manufacturers here - Düsseldorf has successfully established itself as a major fashion centre and, with the transformation of the old harbour area, one of Europe's leading media hubs for advertising, the arts, IT and communications. In short, it is the dynamo for much of Germany's economy - in terms of gross domestic product, Düsseldorf ranks third in Europe, trailing only London and Paris.

A visible sign of that wealth is in the cutting-edge architecture of a city that is clearly proud of its achievements. Apart from the iconic 240m Rhine Tower which dominates the skyline, Media Harbour is a collection of stunning modern buildings by world-acclaimed architects, such as Frank Gehry, David Chipperfield, Joe Coenen, Steven Holl and Claude Vasconi.

Elsewhere, there are good examples of art nouveau, and the Old Town - Altstadt - is surprisingly well restored in view of the damage inflicted on the city during the Second World War. This area, much of it now pedestrianised, comes alive at night with 250 bars and restaurants heaving with customers, making it one of the busiest - and liveliest - nightspots in Germany.

Another sign of a well-to-do city is the elegant Königsallee, known simply as the 'Kö', the Bond Street of Düsseldorf and one of Germany's best-known shopping centres. And the city has a particularly good choice of museums, including one dedicated to Goethe, as well as an outstanding collection of modern and contemporary art. For those with time to spare, a trip along the Rhine - still very much a working river - is well worth the effort, if only to see harbour from the best perspective.

What the city might lack in more obvious glamour, it more than makes up for in substance.

FAST FACTS

Climate Not unlike that of the UK, with moderate summers, temperatures averaging around 22°C/72°F, and rainy winters, with an average temperature of 4°C/39°F, although it does get colder. Spring and autumn are both pleasant times to visit. Contacts UK Trade & Investment, www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk; British Chamber of Commerce in Germany, www.bccg.de; British Consulate General, commercial.section.duesseldorf@fco.gov.uk Passport/visa No visa requirements for UK passport holders. Telephone International dialing code: 49 Time GMT+1 (GMT+2 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October). Exchange rate €1=£0.88; £1=€1.13 (December 2008). Public holidays 2009 January 1 New Year's Day, 6 Epiphany; April 10 Good Friday, 13 Easter Monday; May 1 Labour Day; June 1 Whit Monday, 11 Corpus Christi; August 15 Assumption; October 3 Day of German Unity, 31 Reformation Day; November 1 All Saints' Day, 18 Repentance Day; December 25, Christmas Day, 26 Boxing Day. FCO travel advice There is a general threat from terrorism in Germany. Such attacks could be indiscriminate, including in public places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers. Sensible precautions should be taken to avoid mugging, bag snatching and pickpocketing. Emergency 110 for police and 112 for fire and ambulance. Do's and don'ts Time is money - and punctuality is important. If you make an appointment, keep it and be on time. Business is a serious business - keep small talk to a minimum and crack the jokes with the Champagne after the deal has been signed.

Airlines
Air Berlin, Germany's second largest carrier, is the biggest operator out of Düsseldorf. It has three daily weekday flights on the London Stansted route, with a reduced service at weekends. Flight time is 75 minutes. This winter, for the first time, it is offering UK travellers convenient connections to nine, principally leisure, long-haul destinations, via Düsseldorf. And from May it is launching a direct service to and from Jersey.

Lufthansa operates five flights a day from London Heathrow, three from London City, and also from Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle and Newquay. From Heathrow British Airways has six daily flights and bmi has a code-share agreement with Lufthansa as well as on the Manchester and Newcastle routes. Flybe has services from Birmingham, Manchester and Southampton, Jet2 flies from Leeds/Bradford and Aer Lingus operates the Dublin route.

Airport
Düsseldorf airport is the principal gateway to North-Rhine-Westphalia, with 77 airlines serving more than 180 destinations worldwide. Located just six miles (9km) from the city centre - about 15 minutes depending on traffic - it enjoys excellent road and rail links. It is at the intersection of the A3, A52 and A44 autobahns, and has 300 trains stopping daily at the airport station, including ICE inter city expresses and the S-Bahn, with connections virtually throughout the country and to other points in Europe.

When the new terminal opened in 2003, it was designed to streamline the processes, cut queues and generally improved the passenger experience. As a consequence, the airport is not only one of the most convenient of any major European city but also one of the most efficient, currently handling an average of more than 600 aircraft movements a day and around 17 million passengers a year.

Hotels
Most international brands are represented, including the Arabella Sheraton Airport hotel, Courtyard by Marriott, Hilton, Holiday Inn, InterContinental, Maritim, Nikko, Radisson SAS, Renaissance, Steigenberger, Swissotel and Tulip Inn. Local groups include Lindner, Rheinhotel Vier Jahreszeiten and Stage 47. A new Mövenpick, immediately opposite Hofgarten Park, is due to open shortly, and a Hyatt Regency is scheduled to come on line next year. There is also a good choice of serviced apartments in the city.

Meetings and exhibitions
Düsseldorf and North-Rhine Westphalia is one of the most important trade fair regions in Europe, attracting major international events, such as Drupa, the world's largest printing equipment exhibition, held every four years. The city's Messe Düsseldorf trade fair complex also hosts Boot, the international boat show; Medica, which attracts around 4,500 exhibitors annually from around the world; and cpd, the twice-yearly fashion event. There are huge demands on accommodation for these events, and many visitors find themselves staying as far away as Essen and Cologne. The recently opened Maritim Hotel added valuable meeting space, with an auditorium seating up to 2,500 people, a smaller hall capable of accommodating 1,100 and 21 further conference rooms and meeting suites.