The weather is getting chilly and the days are getting shorter… that can only mean one thing… it’s time for the Autumn celebrations! If you’re anything like me, hanging out under a blanket, watching movies, and sipping on Hot Toddy’s might be the best way to celebrate the return of cold weather and falling leaves. However, despite our little city of 600,000 people, there are thousands of ways to celebrate Autumn this season!
Here are 15 awesome ways to make sure that you celebrate Autumn in Düsseldorf properly this season!
1 – Go Apple Picking around Düsseldorf
Who doesn’t love spending a bit of time with the family apple picking? Where I’m from, apple picking is a tradition before we celebrate Thanksgiving. We pick apples to make apple crisp, apple pie, and stuffing with! There are tons of apple orchards around Düsseldorf where you can do this, otherwise, there are also a few local apple bushes in the city that you can find on mundraub.org.
We love it at Sackerhof ⬇️
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2 – Celebrate Erntedankfest in Düsseldorf
In early October, the small district of Urdenbach celebrates Erntedankfest with a parade, lots of beer, and delicious baked goods. If you’ve missed it this year, there’s no reason you can’t celebrate on your own! Erntedankfest is similar to Thanksgiving, it is a celebration that gives thanks for the year’s crops and harvest.
Want to learn more? Check out my Instagram reel ⬇️
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3 – Go on an Autumn Hike in Neaderthal Valley, Grafenberger Wald or Aaperwald
Explore the beautiful hiking trails in the Neanderthal Valley! If there’s one season in particular that is the best for hiking, it’s those chilly afternoons in the Fall. While you’re at it, why not make a visit to the Neanderthal Museum as well?
Of course, Grafenberger Wald (along with Wildpark for the kids) and Aaperwald are also great hiking options close to home!
4 – Go to a Fortuna Düsseldorf Football Match
The season has just begun, so why not head to a Fortuna match this Fall?! There’s nothing better than beer, pretzels, and football during an Autumn evening. If you’re more into playing sports rather than watching… well there’s no better time than now to join a local sports club!
5 – Take a Horseback Riding Lesson
You can choose to go in a group or on your own, there are tons of schools in Düsseldorf that don’t just offer longer-term courses, but day passes and pony rides too. Why not try it out?
6 – Stroll through the city parks for some fall foliage
Düsseldorf in the fall can be magical (even with the rain) you just have to know where to look. We always love going for our autumn strolls in the Volksgarten or the Hofgarten to see all the red, brown, and golden leaves falling from the trees.
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7 – Cycle Along the Rhine River
The nature around Düsseldorf is beautiful in the Fall and the cycling paths along the Rhine River are even more stunning to bike along during the colder months. If you start your journey from the Media Harbour and head towards Zons, you’ll be sure to find a number of photo-worthy spots.
8 – Go for a Drive around Düsseldorf’s ‘Country Side’
Smaller areas like Hamm, Himmelgeist, and Zons are all great little places to visit in the Fall. While Düsseldorf might not be a countryside type of city, there are still many little hidden gems on the outskirts of the city.
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9 – Have a Fall Baking Party
There’s something nostalgic about baking during the Fall season. Blueberry pie, apple crisp, peach cobblers, pumpkin tarts… I don’t know about you, but I love baking in the Fall.
10 – Cozy up and Read a Book
This is something I don’t do nearly enough! Grab a blanket, sit outside, or pull up a chair on your balcony and start reading! If you’re looking for a new English book to read, we have an International English Library here in the city where you can rent books.
TIP: One of our favorite libraries in Düsseldorf is actually the central library where you can not only rent and read books in German, English, Spanish, Japanese (and more) but there are also tons of events happening for adults and kids (especially on those rainy fall days).
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11 – Head to the Movies and Watch a Horror Film
It has to be a horror film, right? We’re nearing Halloween, so it’s time to get into the spirit. This year, the new movie IT (or ‘ES’ in German) is out in theatres. You can find the English versions of movies in Düsseldorf here.
If you’re planning on watching movies from your personal devices in public, learn from my mistakes and make sure you get a VPN first.
Or just order in and binge on Netflix!
12 – Warm up to a Bowl of Chili con Carne
You’ll find restaurants all over the city serving up warm Chili con Carne. If you’re exploring the Altstadt, you can stop in at Sausalitos on Bolkerstr. for a bowl of chili (or order from home)! Casita Mexicana, Chidonkey, and Chicos are a few more of our Mexican favorites serving up delicious burritos, wraps, and tortillas with guac.
13 – Celebrate Halloween! 🎃
Germans might not celebrate Halloween as we do in North America, but there are still a ton of events taking place on October 31st every year in the city. My recommendation would be to do a pub crawl in the Altstadt and celebrate in multiple different bars – there really are some amazing spots to party in the old town.
If you’re still in need of a halloween costume, Deiters in Düsseldorf has an amazing selection (also online) and thanks to the almighty Karneval season, we also have awesome online shops like the Karneval-MEGASTORE.
Have kids? Maybe partying at a nightclub isn’t what you need, but there are also some fantastic spots to trick-or-treat in Düsseldorf ⬇️ (or even attend a kid’s Halloween Party – the AIWCD and ISR host an annual kids’ Halloween Party that’s totally worth checking out too).
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14 – Explore the Abandoned Buildings of Düsseldorf
Caution: this is not really… legal… so please be aware, that you are always entering at your own risk. With that being said, I’ll leave it up to you to find the abandoned buildings rather than encouraging you to visit the ones I know.
15 – Have a autumn BBQ at Rheinpark Golzheim
The evenings might be getting chilly, but that doesn’t mean that a lunchtime BBQ to stay warm isn’t a great idea! Grab your friends and family and spend the day outside surrounded by colorful trees.
16 – Flower pick the last of the crop
Although pick-your-own flower fields are typically a summer/spring tradition in our family, some fields (like the one below in Himmelgeist) still have a few rows of beautiful autumn flowers worth plucking.
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17 – Embrace the German “Bauernhof Cafés”
These little half-timbered cabins are often hidden beneath the trees or along a long farm road on the outskirts of town! There are a few great ones in Düsseldorf, but many farm cafés are also scattered just outside the city of Düsseldorf, which are worth checking out. Here you’ll usually find the classic Kaffee und Kuchen, warm soups, and sausages for sale. 🤤
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18 – Enjoy the Düsseldorf Castles in a different light
There’s nothing quite as magical as a German castle surrounded by falling leaves in bright yellow, orange, and red colors on a sunny fall day. To top it off, we have more than 10 castles in Düsseldorf alone which means you’ll be busy all autumn long.
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Up for a little day trip? There are also tons of beautiful castles just outside of Düsseldorf too. This is one of our favorites ⬇️
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19 – Take a day trip to a half-timbered village in the fall!
Grab a last-minute bus or train fare and go visit half-timbered towns like Monschau, Cochem, and Aachen (some are just easier to get to by renting a car though).
Got kids? There are also some great little villages in the woods like the Marchenwald Altenberg which will get you out in the woods, on a hike, and learning about all the Brother Grimm fairytales along the way. ⬇️
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20 – Embrace the “Erlebnisbauernhof” this season
Got kids? Head out of town and visit an “Erlebnisbauernhof”! You’ll find plenty around Neuss, Köln, and Düsseldorf! Here are just a couple of our favorites ⬇️
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Would you add anything else to the list? How will you celebrate the Autumn season this year in Düsseldorf?
Perhaps some pumpkin carving? collecting chestnuts in the woods? flying a kite? Let us know in the comments below!
