the EKO haus is the Japanese house of Culture and Buddhist Understanding. In it, the Japanese…read moreliving in the area are able to practice and cultivate their customs and culture. But also locals can have an opportunity to learn about Japanese culture and actively participate in it. Among the events of the centre there are: Buddhist festivals, tea ceremonies, garden parties with musical or theatrical performances, music events, reading circles for Buddhist texts, exhibitions, courses in traditional Japanese arts, lectures , film presentations, etc. Anyhow, they have this beautiful Japanese garden in the Temple grounds, a peaceful oasis and a must visit in Düsseldorf, makes you think you're in Japan. To get there you can take the U-bahn to Heerdter Sandberg and walk for about 10 minutes. Otherwise you can take a bus to Niederkasseler Kirchweg and walk for 3 minutes (I saw the City tour hop-on hop-off bus also stops here).

A beautiful and serene patch of Japan in Oberkassel - perfectly manicured lawn, landscaped and well…read moreproportioned garden with water features and a temple in the background (which you have to pay to get in but can enjoy from outside). A very peaceful place most of the time, great for a bit of stillness and meditation

Such a unique location - for the very little its a place to explore but older kids actually get to…read morebuild the playground itself. The airoplane rocks. The have opera and music festivals in the summer at night

We booked an English tour there on a Sunday at 11am. The palace itself is absolutely gorgeous with…read moreso many beautiful intricate details. Definitely worth a visit for sure!! The gardens are pretty big and relaxing to walk around in. There's a section with a bunch of tulips that we missed on our first pass.

If you don't speak German, don't bother with the guided tour. 87 minutes for 3 sentences not in…read moreGerman: "this is the bed where the electress slept.", "This door is fake", "Thomas Jefferson came here once". We asked, in German, if he spoke English, and made it clear 2 of the 3 of us didn't speak any German. To which he said yes, he did speak English... and then continued to exclusively speak in German for the entire tour; making NO effort to give us any information. When I translated 2 questions to ask him, questions about the sculpture/artwork around us; the answer both times was "I don't know". Save your euro and buy 2 beers/person instead.

The Aachener Weiher isn't anything special, per se. It's just a little concrete pond with a bit of…read morepark around it. You can't swim in the pond, and it's close to the Aachener Straße, which can make it a bit noisy at times. But what makes the Weiher special is its location - it's situated between the Rings and the Innere Kanalstraße, an easily accessible location quite in the heart of Cologne. It is also located close to the university, with only a small street separating in from the Uniwiese behind the University's main building. Thus, as you might imagine, it's one of the prime spots in Cologne for people wanting to have a barbecue on a lazy summer evening. This has advantages and disadvantages - both being there are lots of people. It's nice to hang around among people, with the occasional barbecue grill lighting the area in soft, warm tones as the day tends to be more of a night. Lots of young people around, if you want to meet some. Also, there's the typical wandering parties like a bachelor party, which have a large audience to choose from for their drunken games. The downside is that there are many people: if you want to have a quiet evening in the park with some friends, relaxing, you might be better off in one of the more remote spots. It tends to be noisy all day round (traffic and people). If you're rather one of the pub types, there's a biergarten for your need of crampiness, if you like.

The Aachener Weiher is a really fun place to go in the summer time. On sunny days there are a lot…read moreof people with their BBQ. It's the perfect location to simply enjoy your after work beer with some colleges or buddies. I always enjoy being there. BTW: The pictures look really dusty. Don't get the wrong impression. ;-)

Its nice green space in the city, however there is a lot of dog crap everywhere and some shady…read morepeople at night.