After the Essen Marathon: Düsseldorf
The Route: Essen Hauptbahnhof → Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof → Essen Hauptbahnhof Logistics: Direct regional or ICE train, no change required. A short, frequent connection well suited to a low-effort day. Marathon Month: October Duration: Day trip
Essen Hbf ──(regional/ICE train, ~25-35 mins)──> Düsseldorf Hbf ──(regional/ICE train, return)──> Essen Hbf
Düsseldorf sits close enough to Essen that a day trip barely counts as travel, and doubles usefully as a preview for anyone flying home through Düsseldorf Airport at the end of the marathon weekend. The Altstadt and Rhine promenade offer flat, straightforward sightseeing that asks little of legs still recovering from two laps around Lake Baldeney.
October in Düsseldorf brings the same cool, changeable Rhineland conditions as Essen itself, with the Rhine promenade offering a genuinely pleasant walk on a clear day and plenty of indoor options, from the Altstadt's famously dense concentration of bars to its museums, if the weather turns.
The Altstadt and the Rhine promenade
Düsseldorf's Altstadt, a compact grid of streets a short walk from the Hauptbahnhof via the U-Bahn, holds one of Germany's highest concentrations of bars and breweries in a small area, alongside genuinely walkable historic streets. The Rhine promenade, running along the river's edge past the Altstadt, is flat and paved for its full length, with benches at regular intervals and views across to the distinctive Rheinturm tower.
The K20 art museum, on Grabbeplatz at the edge of the Altstadt, offers an indoor option with a strong twentieth-century collection including a significant Paul Klee holding, entirely level throughout. Entry runs approximately €12 (£10.30), worth checking current pricing before visiting.
A Altbier, the dark, cold-fermented beer specific to Düsseldorf and distinct from Cologne's Kölsch across the river rivalry the two cities maintain, is worth trying at one of the Altstadt's traditional breweries, a low-effort way to sample the city's specific character without extensive walking.
Return trains to Essen run frequently throughout the day and evening; there's no need to fix a specific departure time in advance.