Düsseldorf

The Altstadt, the Kö and the MedienHafen over two days

Two days in Düsseldorf cover the Rhine-side old town, the art museums and the modern harbour. Day one runs from the Burgplatz and K20 to the Königsallee and an Altbier house; day two follows the Rheinuferpromenade to the Rheinturm and Gehry's buildings in the MedienHafen, then K21 and ramen on Immermannstraße.

Day one, morning. Start on the Burgplatz by the Rhine, where the round Schlossturm is all that remains of the ducal castle. Walk into the Altstadt past St. Lambertus, whose spire is famously twisted, and look into the house on Bolkerstraße where the poet Heinrich Heine was born. Then spend two hours at K20 on Grabbeplatz with Klee, Picasso and Beuys.

Afternoon. Stroll the Königsallee, the chestnut-lined shopping boulevard on both sides of a narrow canal, and look at the green-walled Kö-Bogen buildings at its northern end. Cut through the Hofgarten, one of Germany's oldest public parks, to the Kunstpalast or the rococo Schloss Jägerhof.

Evening. Go back to the Altstadt for Altbier and Rhenish food at Zum Uerige or Zum Schlüssel, then walk out to the river steps.

Day two, morning. Follow the Rheinuferpromenade south to the Rheinturm and take the lift to the viewing level 170 metres up. Walk on into the MedienHafen to see Gehry's three leaning Neuer Zollhof buildings, one white, one brick and one silver.

Afternoon. Head to K21 in the Ständehaus for contemporary art, including Tomás Saraceno's net installation under the glass dome. Finish with ramen on Immermannstraße in the Japanese quarter, or ride the U79 to Kaiserswerth for a riverside dinner and the ruins of the Kaiserpfalz.

Altbier from the barrel, Senfrostbraten and Immermannstraße ramen

Düsseldorf's drink is Altbier, a copper-brown top-fermented beer poured from wooden barrels in old-town brewery pubs such as Zum Uerige, Füchschen, Zum Schlüssel and Schumacher. The food to match is Rhineland cooking: Senfrostbraten with the city's brown mustard, Sauerbraten and mussels in season. Immermannstraße adds Japanese noodle bars.

Düsseldorf drinks Altbier, a copper-brown, top-fermented beer with a bitter edge, served in small cylindrical glasses of 0.25 litres. The old-town house breweries pour it straight from wooden barrels on the bar. Zum Uerige on Berger Straße is the most famous, Füchschen on Ratinger Straße is a local favourite, Zum Schlüssel on Bolkerstraße brews in the back and Schumacher on Oststraße, near the Kö, has poured since 1838. As in Cologne, the Köbes brings a new glass until you cover yours with the beer mat. Twice a year Uerige sells its stronger Sticke.

The food is solid Rhineland fare. Try Düsseldorfer Senfrostbraten, a beef roast crusted with the city's sharp brown mustard, Rheinischer Sauerbraten with raisin gravy, or a bowl of Ähzezupp, thick pea soup. The Halve Hahn here is a Röggelchen, a crusty double rye roll, with Gouda and mustard. From September to April, look for Muscheln rheinische Art, mussels cooked with root vegetables and white wine.

Finish with a shot of Killepitsch, a dark herbal liqueur made in the Altstadt, and pick up a stoneware pot of Düsseldorf mustard as a souvenir.

For a change of continent, the Japanese quarter around Immermannstraße and Klosterstraße has noodle bars where queues form at lunchtime, Japanese bakeries and a supermarket stocked for the expatriate community. The covered Carlsplatz market in Carlstadt has stalls for cheese, fish and snacks, ideal for lunch on a weekday.

Rhine weather, carnival, Japan-Tag fireworks and the Rheinkirmes

Düsseldorf has mild, damp weather, with January highs of 6C and summer peaks near 25C. Its biggest events are carnival, which opens on 11 November and peaks with the Rosenmontag parade, Japan-Tag with fireworks over the Rhine in May or June, and the Rheinkirmes funfair in Oberkassel in July.

The Rhine keeps Düsseldorf mild. January averages a high of 6C and a low of 1C, so snow is rare, and July and August peak at about 25C.

Carnival opens at 11:11 on 11 November, when the Altstadt's carnival figure Hoppeditz is woken from his sleep at the town hall. After Christmas the season builds to the street carnival of late winter. On Rosenmontag a long parade winds through the centre, and its sharpest attraction is the political satire floats, mocking world leaders, which are often photographed around the world.

In May or June comes Japan-Tag, a day of cosplay, food stands and taiko drums along the Rhine promenade that ends with a large Japanese fireworks display over the river. In July, the Rheinkirmes on the meadows of Oberkassel is one of the biggest funfairs on the Rhine, tied to the old riflemen's festival and its parade, with a fireworks night of its own.

The year closes with Christmas markets in the Altstadt, on the Königsallee and around the Schadowstraße, each with its own style of stall, and a skating rink in some years. Many visitors also come for the giant trade fairs, from boot, the boat show in January, to Medica in November.