Where to Stay in Düsseldorf: Altstadt, Königsallee or the Main Station

Düsseldorf Old Town Hotels by the Marktplatz and the Rhine

Best for: first-timers on a short break who want to stroll home once the market lights go off. Bombing in the Second World War levelled the old town; it was rebuilt on its medieval street plan rather than with towers, so the lanes still follow the old layout.

The town hall, the Jan Wellem statue, the Schlossturm and the Rhine promenade are minutes apart. The trade-off: this is the busiest and loudest part of town in the evening, and hotels in Düsseldorf old town are fewer and smaller than near the station.

Best for: First visit; walking back from the markets at night

Nearest stop: U-Bahn Heinrich-Heine-Allee

To the Christmas markets: On your doorstep

Nearby: Marktplatz and the town hall, the Schlossturm, the Rhine promenade, the Rheinturm along the river

Christmas markets: Marktplatz market , Burgplatz and the Wheel of Vision 

Stop: U-Bahn Heinrich-Heine-Allee, three stops from the main station

Watch in the video · 2:48  How the old town was rebuilt

the Kö, Carlstadt and Little Tokyo

Best for: shopping, a stroll by the canal and a special hotel. Locals shorten Königsallee to the Kö: a long boulevard with a canal down the middle, chestnut trees on both banks and luxury shops along it.

The best-known luxury hotels in Düsseldorf stand here, Steigenberger Icon Parkhotel and Breidenbacher Hof among them. East of the Kö, Immermannstraße is the heart of Little Tokyo; west of it, between the Kö and the old town, Carlstadt has the Carlsplatz food market.

Search for a city hotel in Düsseldorf, or for hotels in the Düsseldorf city centre, and this is mostly where you will land; a hotel in Düsseldorf's Stadtmitte puts the Kö and the old town on foot.

Best for: Shopping, luxury and 5-star hotels

Nearest stop: Steinstraße/Königsallee, Heinrich-Heine-Allee

To the Christmas markets: Inside the Kö market; old town a short walk

Nearby: Königsallee, Kö-Bogen II and its green facade, Schadowstraße, Carlsplatz, Little Tokyo

Christmas markets: the Kö winter village and Kö on Ice , Schadowstraße and Kö-Bogen 

Hotels: Steigenberger Icon Parkhotel, Breidenbacher Hof, Clayton Hotel, Moxy Duesseldorf City

Watch in the video · 8:14  The Kö market on a quiet morning

Hotels near Düsseldorf Train Station

Best for: day trips to Cologne, Essen and Dortmund, and arriving from the airport on the S11. This is where we stayed.

South and west of the station, Graf-Adolf-Straße and Harkortstraße are lined with chain hotels, which makes this the easiest area for cheap hotels in Düsseldorf: Premier Inn Düsseldorf City Friedrichstadt, Hampton by Hilton Düsseldorf City Centre, Mercure Hotel Düsseldorf City Center and Stage 47 are all here. The walk to the old town is long-ish, so we rode the U-Bahn for evening markets.

Best for: Day trips by train, budget chains

Nearest stop: Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof

To the Christmas markets: Three U-Bahn stops to Heinrich-Heine-Allee

Getting around: trains to Cologne, Essen, Dortmund and Amsterdam from the Hauptbahnhof; three U-Bahn stops to the old town

Nearby: Little Tokyo on Immermannstraße, the south end of the Kö

Hotels: Garner Hotel Düsseldorf Main Station, Premier Inn, Hampton by Hilton, Mercure City Center, Stage 47, NH Düsseldorf Königsallee

Watch in the video · 1:27  From the airport to the main station

Gehry Buildings and the Rhine

Best for: modern architecture and a calm evening. The old port now holds offices, restaurants and Frank Gehry's three twisted buildings, with the Rheinturm next door.

Hyatt Regency Düsseldorf sits at the tip of the harbour on Speditionstraße. The old town and the Burgplatz market are a walk north along the Rhine; on a December night that riverside path is windy and cold.

Best for: Modern architecture, quiet evenings by the Rhine

Nearest stop: Tram and bus; the Rheinturm is a walk away

To the Christmas markets: Along the Rhine on foot to Burgplatz

Nearby: the Gehry buildings (Neuer Zollhof), the Rheinturm observation deck, the Rhine promenade

Christmas markets: none in the harbour itself; the Roncalli Christmas promenade  runs along the river further north

Watch in the video · 23:20  The three Gehry buildings

Hotels for Trade Fairs and Early Flights

Best for: a trade fair at Messe Düsseldorf or a dawn flight; these are the hotels near Messe Düsseldorf and the airport. Maritim Hotel Düsseldorf is on the airport grounds, linked by footbridge to the SkyTrain; the hotel puts the fairground 4.5 km away.

Hilton Düsseldorf is in Golzheim on Georg-Glock-Straße, between the centre and the Messe. Across the Rhine, H2 Hotel Düsseldorf Seestern sits in the Seestern business district. All three are far from the sights; we would not pick them for a Christmas market trip.

Best for: Trade fairs, early flights

Nearest stop: U78, U79, U80 Messe stops; SkyTrain

To the Christmas markets: U-Bahn or train into the centre

Getting there: U78 to the north entrance (Merkur Spiel-Arena/Messe Nord); U78, U79 and U80 to the east entrance (Messe Ost/Stockumer Kirchstraße); U80 starts at the main station

We did not film this area; it is here for fair visitors and early flyers.

Besides hotels, Düsseldorf has rental apartments, small guesthouses and hostels, and in fair weeks and December weekends they sell out alongside the hotels.