Last Updated on December 22, 2024
Most people who travel to Germany go to Munich for Oktoberfest, Berlin to explore history, or Bavaria for magnificent alpine scenery. Few consider stopping in Düsseldorf. Those who do are surprised to learn its enchanting Altstadt (old city) is straight out of a Grimm’s fairy tale and has enough museums to keep you busy for days.
My Art:Walk 48 ticket gave me access to six art museums. They’re all within easy walking distance of each other or by public transportation. I also discovered several other museums that I highly recommend.
All Düsseldorf museums open at 11:00 am and close around 6:00 pm. A few remain open one evening during the week—usually Wednesday or Thursday. All are closed on Monday. Some participate in a “happy hour” program, which means admission is free an hour before closing.
Kunstpalast
(Ehrenhof 4-5, 40479 Düsseldorf)
I started my tour at the Kunstpalast (Art Palace). There are hundreds of Renaissance and Impressionist paintings, mainly by Dutch and Flemish painters, and works by 17th– and 18th-century Roman and northern Italian artists. I could have spent an entire day in the adjacent Hentrich Museum, which has one of Europe’s largest glass art collections.
The Kunstpalast is open daily from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm, Thursday until 9:00 pm.
Pro Tip: Admission is half-price on Wednesday afternoon, and visitors can see the permanent collection at no charge on the first Thursday evening of the month.
NRW-Forum
(Ehrenhof 2, 40479 Düsseldorf)
Just south of the Kunstpalast is the NRW-Forum, an international exhibition center for photography, pop and digital culture. I particularly enjoyed the “Superheroes” exhibit, which will be on display through November 2025.
Be sure to check out the “PONG – Pop Culture & Gastronomy,” which merges food with modern pop culture, and the video lounge on the ground floor where you can explore the history of video art and try out the interactive displays.
The NRW-Forum hosts the annual Düsseldorf Photo Photography Festival and META Marathon, a digital festival with 42 hours of lectures, performances, films, concerts, exhibitions, and workshops on artificial intelligence.
The NRW-Forum is open daily from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Kunstsammlung 20 North Rhine-Westphalia
(Grabbeplatz 5 40213 Düsseldorf)
Kunstsammlung (Art Collection) 20, commonly called K20, features classical modern works by high-profile artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. Its collection includes 120 expressionist, cubist, and surrealistic paintings by Swiss-born German artist Paul Klee.
I’m more partial to classical art from the Renaissance and Impressionist periods, but I enjoyed seeing K20’s Surrealist paintings by Salvador Dalí, René Magritte and Max Ernst.
K20 is open daily from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Kunsthalle
(Grabbeplatz 4 40213 Düsseldorf)
The Kunsthalle (Art Hall) is across the street from K20. Unfortunately, it was closed because the staff was setting up a new exhibit.
I spoke with people at other museums and learned that the Kunsthalle doesn’t have any permanent collections. It’s known for hosting “bleeding edge” contemporary art exhibitions that feature new talent and renowned artists, mainly from Europe.
When the Kunsthalle is open, its hours are 11:00 am to 6:00 pm daily.
Kunstsammlung 21 North Rhine-Westphalia
(Ständehausstraße 1 40217 Düsseldorf)
Kunstsammlung 21, commonly called K21, is an international contemporary art exhibit of North Rhine-Westphalia artists in the former state parliament building. The permanent collection includes works by international contemporary artists such as Thomas Struth, a German photographer, Thomas Schütte, a German sculptor and Robert Wilson, an American video artist.
It features over 120 paintings by Paul Klee, a Swiss-born German artist whose style is a “hybrid” of expressionism, cubism and surrealism. I was interested in seeing his work since I knew little about him. The highlight was seeing some familiar paintings by Piet Mondrian, Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol.
K21 is open daily from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Kunst im Tunnel
(Mannesmannufer 1b, 40213 Düsseldorf)
Kunst im Tunnel (Art in the Tunnel) (KIT) is a contemporary art exhibit in the Rheinufertunnel (Rhine Bank Tunnel), a mile-long tunnel under the Rhine Promenade. Unfortunately, KIT was closed for renovations and wasn’t scheduled to reopen until a week after I left the area.
During a city tour, I learned that the southern entrance to the tunnel is at the Düsseldorf Stadttor (city gate), and the northern entrance is just south of the Oberkassel Bridge. Visitors enter KIT through a café in a glass pavilion on the Rhine Promenade.
The exhibit promotes young artists studying at art academies and hosts four to six exhibitions annually. The exhibits focus on emerging, contemporary sculpture, painting, photography and video art. KIT also sponsors workshops and offers guided tours in cooperation with exhibiting artists.
When KIT is open, its hours are 11:00 am to 6:00 pm daily.
Hetjens Museum
(Schulstraße 4, 40213 Düsseldorf)
The Hetjens Museum opened in 1909 when Laurenz Heinrich Hetjens, a wealthy ceramics collector, bequeathed his entire collection to the city of Düsseldorf. It now has over 20,000 ceramic works on display that cover 8,000 years of history.
Exhibits include contemporary ceramics, early Anatolian pottery from around 6,000 BC, East Asian porcelain and Italian picture tiles, and majolica (brightly colored heavy clay pottery).
I was especially impressed with the European and Islamic faiences (tin-glazed pottery), especially a massive dome that once crowned the reception hall of a holy cemetery in Multan, Pakistan.
The Hetjens Museum is open daily from 11.00 am to 5:00 pm and Wednesday until 9:00 pm.
Pro Tip: The Hetjens Museum participates in the “Happy Hour” program. Admission is free if you arrive after 4:00 pm.
Filmmuseum Düsseldorf
(Schulstraße 4, 40213 Düsseldorf)
At the Filmmuseum (next door to the Hetjens Museum), I took a trip into the fascinating world of movie production and 120 years of film history. The exhibits feature European and some American and Asian films and directors. Some displays are only in German, but many include English captions.
One floor is a stunning display of costumes from various movies. On another floor, I saw film projectors and cameras from the early 20th century and a 1928 organ that accompanied silent movies.
I especially enjoyed the special effects exhibit. Now I know how special effects were created for Charlie Chaplin’s silent films and present-day favorites like ET the Extra-Terrestrial, Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings.
Experimenting with 19th-century film production techniques such as camera obscura and laterna magicas was also fun. Introduced during the 15th century,Laterna Magica (Magic Lantern) uses a slide projector and a simple light source like a candle to show hand-painted pictures on a wall. While this is basic by today’s standards, it was so revolutionary at the time that it caused an uproar within the Catholic church.
The Filmmuseum is open daily from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Pro Tip: The Filmmuseum participates in the “Happy Hour” program. Admission is free if you arrive after 5:00 pm.
Düsseldorf Mahn-und Gedenkstätte
(Mühlenstraße 29 40213 Düsseldorf)
The Düsseldorf Mahn-und Gedenkstätte (Memorial & Education Center) pays tribute to victims of Nazi persecution. The main exhibit is only in German, but the pictures tell the story. Ironically, the building is the former headquarters of the local Gestapo and SS, including interrogation rooms and detention cells.
I was particularly intrigued by the center’s newest exhibit, “Düsseldorf Children and Young People Under National Socialism.” Each display tells a story about a child who was a member of a group the Nazis targeted, such as Jews, Communists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Homosexuals and conscientious objectors. The stories are in German, but you can get headphones at the front desk to hear the narrations in English and other languages.
The Düsseldorf Mahn-und Gedenkstätte is open daily from 11.00 am to 5:00 pm and 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm on Saturday.
Pro Tip: The building was an air raid shelter that city residents used during Allied bombings. The rooms and some furnishings are preserved as they were during the war.
Schifffahrtmuseum
(Burgplatz 30 40213 Düsseldorf)
The Schifffahrtmuseum (Maritime Museum) has one of the oldest Rhine shipbuilding and transportation collections. It’s the best place to see replicas of ships and learn about the history of trade and travel on the Rhine River.
The museum is in the Schlossturm (castle tower), the only remnant of a baroque castle that dates back to 1260. The first three levels of the tower were built in the 13th century. In 1852, William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg, the ruler of Düsseldorf at the time, commissioned Alessandro Pasqualini, a Renaissance master builder, to add a fourth level. In 1845, King Friedrich Wilhelm IV commissioned Prussian architect Friedrich August Stüler to design the fifth level. The roof was added in 1882.
The cobblestoned Burgplatz, where the Schifffahrtmuseum is located, is one of the most beautiful squares in Germany of the post-war period. The café at the top of the tower offers a spectacular view of the Rhine River.
The Schifffahrtmuseum is open daily from 11.00 am to 6:00 pm.
Pro Tip: The Schifffahrtmuseum participates in the “Happy Hour” program. Admission is free if you arrive after 5:00 pm.
Are you partial to Renaissance and Impressionism? Do you prefer Surrealism and Expressionism? Maybe you like avant-garde contemporary or pop art. You’ll find it in Düsseldorf, along with other artistic expressions covering ceramics, photography, film and history.
