Where to stay in Dusseldorf: the best neighbourhoods and hotels

The Old Town is a small square of lanes between the Rhine and the Königsallee, and it packs in a great deal: the twisted spire of St Lambertus, the castle tower on the Burgplatz, a clutch of fine museums and the home-brew pubs that are Dusseldorf's pride. Along its western edge, the Rhine promenade is where the whole city comes to watch the sun go down.

Stay here to be in the middle of the action, with the caveat that on Friday and Saturday nights the action is considerable. The best hotels sit at the quieter fringes: a lavish five-star in a former monastery complex, a boutique luxury hotel in the Andreas Quarter, a mid-century tower with a rooftop terrace, and a modern four-star beside the Hofgarten park.

Germany's most elegant shopping street is half boulevard, half park. A tree-lined canal runs down the middle, crossed by little bridges; one bank is all banks and offices, the other a parade of Chanel, Prada and friends. Locals call it simply the Kö, and strolling it with a coffee is a recognised weekend sport.

This is where Dusseldorf keeps its grand hotels. Two historic five-stars face the northern end of the boulevard, next to the opera house and bordering the Old Town, with the kind of service that remembers your name. Further down are sleek modern luxury hotels and a playful, fashion-themed design hotel with a roof terrace at friendlier prices. The Altstadt is five to fifteen minutes away on foot.

The district between the main station and the Kö is the city's engine room: wide streets, department stores and offices. It is also home to Little Tokyo, a few blocks around Immermannstrasse full of Japanese noodle bars, bakeries and supermarkets, which is reason enough to stay nearby.

More hotels cluster here than anywhere else, and competition keeps rates sensible. Choose from a four-star 500 metres from the platforms with a top-floor spa and penthouse pool, a stylish conversion of a grand old building by the station, and a family-run hotel on a quiet side street halfway to the Kö. The Old Town is a ten- to fifteen-minute walk, and the airport a short train ride.

South of the Old Town, the old Rhine docks have been turned into the city's architectural playground. Frank Gehry's leaning, silver-and-white buildings are the stars, the Rhine Tower spikes the sky behind them, and warehouses along the quays now hold media firms, restaurants and bars.

The hotels match the setting. A luxury five-star stands on a spit of land in the harbour with panoramic water views; another occupies a 62-metre tower clad in a mosaic of coloured glass panels; a third offers harbour-view rooms at more modest rates. Evenings are lively and grown-up. The Altstadt is a pleasant walk along the river promenade, or a few minutes by tram.

Just north of the Hofgarten, Pempelfort and Derendorf are where many Dusseldorfers actually live. The streets are lined with handsome apartment houses, bakeries, wine bars and small restaurants, and a former freight yard has been rebuilt as Le Quartier Central, a new district of towers and parks.

It has become a good hunting ground for hotels with personality. There's an art-filled boutique hotel in Pempelfort, a Franco-German design hotel in Le Quartier Central with a restaurant and bar on its sixteenth and seventeenth floors, and several smart four-stars near the S-Bahn. You sit conveniently between the centre, the exhibition grounds and the airport, and the Altstadt is a short tram ride.

Cross the bridge from the Old Town and the mood changes. Oberkassel is the city’s most sought-after residential quarter, a grid of ornate turn-of-the-century townhouses with good restaurants and bars on the corners, and wide green meadows along the river where people fly kites and watch the skyline opposite.

In Oberkassel itself, look for a charming four-star with a courtyard and a relaxed, modern lifestyle hotel. Beyond it, the Seestern business district has larger hotels with gyms, saunas and views from the upper floors, about seven minutes by car from downtown. Trams cross the river frequently. Come here for calm evenings; go elsewhere for a pub crawl.

Dusseldorf's exhibition centre and its stadium lie on the Rhine in the north of the city, with the airport just beyond. If you are here for a trade fair, a match or a concert, staying up this end spares you the crowded trams.

One hotel is linked to the airport terminal by a pedestrian bridge, with the S-Bahn reaching the centre in about ten minutes; others stand in the Airport City district or a five-minute drive from the Messe. A large five-star a block from the Rhine sits between the fairgrounds and the Old Town. Just over the city boundary, Ratingen has further airport hotels, some with pools, near the motorways.

Neuss faces Dusseldorf from the opposite bank of the Rhine and is one of the oldest towns in Germany, with a fine Romanesque church at its heart. Most visitors, in truth, come because the hotels are larger and cheaper than those across the water, especially when a trade fair has filled the city.

Expect comfortable four-stars with underground car parks, spas and big rooms, some a short walk from the historic centre and one on the riverbank. Trams and S-Bahn trains reach central Dusseldorf in around 10 to 15 minutes, and the airport is about 20 minutes by car. A practical base rather than a romantic one.