International Student Accommodation in Dusseldorf
City Guide
The City
Düsseldorf is one of the economic and cultural centres of Germany and the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, one of the 16 states in Germany.
The city is smaller than London, but bigger than most other cities. Its Christmas markets and carnivals attract people from all over the world to experience the magnificent sights and atmospheres, things which you are more than likely to experience as a resident in Düsseldorf. The city centre is split more or less in two; namely the new and old town. The old town comprises of numerous shops, bars and restaurants leaving you spoilt for choice. Eating out is reasonably cheap, so it is definitely recommended to take advantage of the city’s amazing restaurants and bars.
On Saturday mornings, you can find a flea market near the university, on Aachener Platz. There are free buses to get you there. It is definitely worth getting up early as the food is amazing and there is so much stuff to buy!! Original DVDs are really cheap and it’s also a good place to buy pots, pans, lamps and other useful appliances to make your room nicer, especially if you don’t want to spend loads of money on something that you only need for a few months. You can buy second hand bikes here, which are very handy for getting around the city, although walking or using the trams can be just as easy!
Arriving by plane
Getting on the plane, saying goodbye to family and friends and leaving for a different country and culture may be one of the scariest and best things you’ll ever do.
There are a couple of options when deciding where to fly to. You can fly into Wheeze which is cheaper than flying to Düsseldorf but is miles out of the city. For an extra £100 or so more, you can land at Düsseldorf International which is right in the city and has easy access to local transport. From Wheeze, there is a bus costing 11€ that gets you to the main station in Düsseldorf, but it takes another hour and a half!!
If you fly into Düsseldorf international, you can get most S-Bahns into the main station. From the station, walk out the main exit and right in front of you, you'll find a major tram stop. The 707 is the tram which will take you to Uni Klinkien. Depending on where you are living, it is the closest tram stop to the international halls, Struepelstrasse.
Transport
The 707 from Uni Kliniken goes straight to the station and also straight into Jan Welheim Platz, which is the main shopping in Düsseldorf. If you walk towards the right as you look at the shops, you will end up in the Alt Stadt! For 1€, you can buy a timetable book which comes with a very handy and quite nice map of the area with all the tram lines etc on. The maps at every stop and the boards stating how long to the next trams are also very helpful!
Transport is generally on time and well run. It’s easy to get up on a nice day and say ’right let’s go to Köln’ and be there less than 2 hours later!!
Once you register at the universitaet, you get free transport in the VVR region. This means you can travel to Duisburg, Dortmund and Essen for free!! Also in Düsseldorf after 7.30 during the week and all day Saturday and Sunday, the Ausweiss allows you to travel with someone else for free; which is excellent for visitors!!
University
Lectures are generally different in Germany. Students will shout out and ask questions rather than the more regimented approach. The lecturers are well respected and do not expect to be disturbed between lectures, so AG leaders are your point of contact. AG leaders are like student teachers and are more than happy to help. There are also Erasmus coordinators who are very helpful!!
Normally, lectures are worth a number of credits and AGs (like tutorials) are worth a few more just for attendance. AGs can be hard, as there is a lot of class participation, and just because you’re an international student, it does not mean they will not ask you questions!! Speak to your AG leaders as they are generally very helpful. They may even arrange private sessions to help you revise; they really do want you to do well. AGs are all oral exams, which is not as scary as you would think. The lecturers want you to pass; they encourage you to find the correct answer and will re-explain a question if you are heading down the wrong path.
Verfassungsgechichte is worth 5 credits and you do have to do a written exam, which is not as scary and hard as it may sound. You can take all the lecture slides in with you, so a lot of the vocab and spellings are there with you!!
German classes are very beneficial!! Even if you do not need the points, they are highly recommended. Also lectures help listening and understanding skills. Writing skills are however, somewhat less important while out in Germany. Taking German classes can help to develop these skills.
German Language modules are really good to take, no matter how good your British teacher is, the teaching in Germany for German will be better!!
Food and Drink
Food is relatively cheap in Germany and there are so many places to go and so many things to do. Any of the Breweries which serve food have been doing so for so long, that it is nice, traditional German food. Nice in winter, but a bit heavy in the summer!! You will develop your own favourites through trial and error. Some suggestions would include;
Space Burger offers 50 different burgers for around 7€ each. They are huge. You should probably go once just for the giggle. Louisiana’s is a little like TGI Fridays and offers good food. Maredo’s is a nice steak house which comes with a pick your own salad. Absolutely amazing!!
You may be in Germany, but it is always worth checking out the local Irish pubs. Meeting Germans and English alike is more than possible in the friendly atmosphere that you get in a traditional Irish pub. McLaughlin’s has a brilliant student night on Thursdays, and a dual language quiz night on Sundays. Most football and rugby games are shown and the bar staff are really friendly and love meeting exchange students. Suttons is a nice place for a quiet drink!!
If you are looking for entertainment, O’Reily’s has Karaoke every Friday and Saturday. Drinks are a bit expensive but the karaoke is so much fun!! They serve all kinds of food and a Sunday lunch, on of course......Sundays. Buck Mulligan’s also has Karaoke on Saturdays and Sundays, Sunday Dinner and Irish breakfasts at the weekends!! A must have!! Fatties has a real dart board, somewhat rare in Germany!!
Out on the Town
It is different in Germany, as people generally go out later and do not go to as many clubs. The music is also very different too. A drink and a dance in the pubs and a bit of karaoke is the norm, but bear in mind some pubs are open until 6 in the morning here and so finding a place to dance the night away, shouldnt be too hard.
Day Tripper
The Rhein Tower- is the tallest building in the city and at the top is an amazing revolving restaurant and cocktail bar. It costs 4€ just to use the lift. From the top, you have panoramic views across the city, and on clear days you can see as far as Cologne. The tower is 234m tall (768 ft) and was built from 1979 to 1981. There are flashing lights along the side, from which you can tell the time.
Köln Dom- is amazing!! You would not believe how big, yet close, it is to the city centre. You can also walk to the top, however, it is very scary if you don’t like heights or small places. There are two towers both of which are about 157m tall. It is very gothic, and is huge! It took 632 years to build. The bell at the top is so big that it is only to be rung on Christmas day and on very rare special occasions. When the bell rings it is said to shake the foundations of the neighbouring buildings.
Aachen Dom- is very old, one of the oldest cathedrals in Germany in fact. The cathedral contains thirteen 100 foot windows, which are amazing. The Cathedral is worth a visit but the city itself is also historic and pretty with some amazing bars and a brilliant Christmas Market. Carnival here is also good, although some say that it is a smaller version of the Cologne carnival.
Amsterdam- is only about an hour and a half by train!! It is a beautiful city with a unique atmosphere and is definitely worth a visit. Here you can visit the Anne Frank museum and take a boat along the river. The canals are intriguing, as are the shops and cafes. When walking around the city you will hear so many different languages. You can truly say this is a multicultural city.
Maastricht- is only a bus ride from Aachen. It is very nice and worth a visit, especially if you are tired of not being able to shop on a Sunday. A small and simple thing, yet so brilliant when you can finally find a shop open on a Sunday.
The transport system in Germany is so cheap and easy to use, that you can visit pretty much anywhere. You can get to Berlin for a few days on an ICE, which is only 4 hours!! If you do, it is worth buying a bahnkarte. This is a card that gives you different levels of discounts; you can get 25%, 50% and 75% cards.
There is also a theme park near Bonn if that is what you like; it is a great day out!! It doesn't get over crowded like many British theme parks. The rides are quite good and for a group of friends it’s great!!
There are also loads of art galleries and theatres in the city. It’s definitely worth checking in at a tourist information regularly, because as a student you get major discounts. You can get some real bargains; the best to date has been 4€ for a 40€ entrance ticket!! If you can, get to see an orchestra and a ballet and always look out for various rock concerts that come to the city.
Accommodation
University rooms are pretty basic; a lot like first year university accommodation in England, with a sink in the rooms and shared kitchen showers and toilets. Some rooms are en-suite and you can really make them homely and nice!! You will tend to find that you’ll spend less and less time in your room as you meet more and more people. Spending more time out and about enjoying what the city has to offer!!
How to make your life easier
Anmeldung/Registration; Walk through the train station out the back doors and go right past the American Consulate. Here you will see an official looking building in which you have to register.
The opening times are obscure and the queues long. It is recommend that you get there early! And don’t forget to unregister!
University Registration; You normally have to register on the first Friday before lectures start. There is a lot of messing around going from A to B and back to A. You do need your E111 card in order to get university insurance which you need in order to register at the office.
Internet; If you are staying in University accommodation, you will have to sign up for the internet. This can only be done on a Wednesday morning!
Shops; DO NOT open on a Sunday. Except for petrol stations, there is no way to get food on a Sunday unless you want to eat in a restaurant. Also, buses run a lot less frequently on a Sunday.
The boring stuff
To view some further information about Bank Accounts & Money transfers, Internet & Telephone and Health, visit our Germany homepage.
Guide written by Sarah Martin, English exchange student Düsseldorf, 2006/2007.
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