Things to Do in Duisburg

Central square with the 18th-century town hall tower and a daily market from morning until early afternoon. Stalls sell fresh produce, flowers and baked goods. The square itself is free to wander and a good meeting point.

🕐 Market: Mon-Sat 7am-2pm; square open 24hrs

💡 Come before 11am for the best selection. Buy a packet of roasted chestnuts in autumn for €2-3. On Saturday mornings there is often live music from the town hall steps.

A redeveloped harbour area with modern architecture, a canal promenade, and a footbridge shaped like a ship. Good place to sit and watch the boats, with benches and a grassy bank.

🕐 Accessible at all times

💡 Walk to the southern end near the Museum Küppersmühle—the view of the old grain silos reflecting in the water is better than the crowded bit near the restaurants.

A regenerated harbour area with canal-side walkways, modern architecture, and bridges. You can watch barges lock through, sit on the grass, or see the old grain silos lit up at night.

🕐 Accessible 24 hours

💡 Walk across the Fussgängerbrücke bridge for the best view of the city skyline and harbour mouth.

A regenerated industrial harbour with modern architecture, museums and cafes. Walk the wooden footbridges and see the old grain silos next to glass buildings.

🕐 Open area, accessible 24/7

💡 Start at the 'Duisburg: Stadt am Wasser' plaque on the south bank to understand the port's history. Best light for photos is late afternoon.

Late Gothic hall church dating from the 15th century, with a soaring vaulted ceiling, medieval carvings and a large baroque altar. The copper-green spire is a city landmark.

🕐 Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12pm-5pm

💡 Check the board near the entrance for free organ concerts, usually held on Saturday afternoons. The church is quietest in the morning.

The city's oldest church, built in the 14th century. Its 90-metre tower is a landmark. Inside, plain stone walls and tall windows. The crypt is original.

🕐 10am-5pm Mon-Sat, 1pm-5pm Sun

💡 Check when the carillon concerts happen (usually Saturday mornings). Climb the tower for a solid view over the Altstadt – €3 entry for that.

The central square with Duisburg's Gothic-style town hall, a statue of Gerhard Mercator, and the city's bronze model of the old town. Free to wander and sit on the benches.

🕐 Accessible at all times

💡 The tourist office just off the square has free maps with a walking route through the old town. The bronze model is labelled in German and English—compare what's there now with what was bombed in the war.

Modern and contemporary art museum inside a converted grain silo on the Inner Harbour. Rotating exhibitions feature German and international artists, plus a permanent collection of works by Gerhard Richter and others.

🕐 Tue-Sun 10am-6pm, closed Mon

💡 Free entry on the first Saturday of every month. The café terrace overlooks the water and is a good spot for a cheap coffee.

Modern art museum in a converted grain silo on the inner harbour. Focus on German and international contemporary works from the 1950s onward, housed in raw industrial spaces.

🕐 Tue-Sun 11:00-18:00; closed Mon

💡 Entry is free every first Wednesday of the month from 14:00 to 18:00.

Contemporary art in a converted grain mill. The building itself is striking: red brick with massive industrial windows. Collection focuses on German and international post-war painting.

🕐 11am-6pm Tue-Sun, closed Mon

💡 Free entry on the first Wednesday of every month. Otherwise the ticket is around €14, but worth it for the room-sized works.

A museum about inland shipping, located on a river barge. Has models, actual boats, and a few interactive exhibits. Entry is about €5, but the outdoor ships and the dock are free to walk around.

🕐 Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–17:00 (closed Mondays)

💡 You don't need to buy a ticket to see the outdoor collection—just walk the quayside and look at the historic ships moored there. The indoor part is small, so the free outdoor part is often enough.

A compact English-style landscape garden with a lake, old trees, and a small neo-Gothic chapel. Quiet spot for a picnic or a stroll away from traffic.

🕐 Dawn to dusk

💡 Bring bread for the ducks and swans on the lake – it's popular with locals but rarely crowded.

A massive former ironworks turned into a public park. You can climb old blast furnaces, walk through gasometers filled with gardens, and see the whole site lit up at night. Free to roam the grounds and most installations.

🕐 Open 24 hours daily

💡 Go at dusk when the park lights up. The old ore bunkers have a diving centre and climbing wall, but those cost extra. For the free experience, stick to the trails and the viewing platforms.

A former ironworks plant turned into a public park. You can climb blast furnaces, walk through gas holders, and see industrial relics repurposed with gardens and climbing walls.

🕐 24 hours daily; visitor centre open 10:00-18:00

💡 Go at dusk when the plant is lit up in coloured lights – the Emscherkunst installation is free and dramatic.

A vast industrial park turned public space with old blast furnaces, gas tanks and railway tracks you can walk through. Climb the panoramic lift to a viewing platform for a view over the Ruhr region.

🕐 24 hours daily; visitor centre 10am-6pm

💡 Go at dusk when the park lights up in blue and red. The ice rink in the old iron store costs a few euros but the rest is free.

A former ironworks turned into a public park. You can climb blast furnaces and walk through gasometers. The viewing platform on the old ore bunker gives you a full panorama of the Ruhr.

🕐 24 hours daily (park); visitor centre: 10am-6pm Tue-Sun

💡 Go at dusk when the light installation by Jonathan Park transforms the old steel plant. The climb up the blast furnace is steep but worth it.

A system of six interconnected lakes with walking and cycling paths around them. Sandy beaches, reedbeds and wooded banks. Good for swimming in summer.

🕐 Open 24/7; kiosk/canoe hire 9am-6pm May-Sep

💡 Hire a canoe from the kiosk on the largest lake (from €10 per hour). Avoid weekends if you want quiet. The path between lakes 2 and 4 is less crowded.

A decent-sized zoo with a dolphinarium, rainforest house, and decent enclosures. Not the biggest in Germany, but well-kept and good value. Low cost rather than free—around €15 for adults.

🕐 09:00–18:00 daily (closes 17:00 in winter)

💡 Weekday afternoons are quietest. Skip the overpriced on-site café; bring your own snacks and eat in the picnic area near the playground.

Inland shipping museum housed in a former customs building at the harbour. Exhibits include historic barges, model ships and interactive displays about life on Germany's rivers and canals. Free admission every day.

🕐 Tue-Sun 10am-5pm

💡 Ask at reception for the free audio guide. The outdoor area has real boats you can board, including a steam tug from 1929.

A mid-sized zoo known for its dolphinarium and walk-through enclosures with koalas, monkeys, and tropical birds. The aquarium section is particularly strong.

🕐 Daily 09:00-18:30 (winter until 16:30)

💡 Go on a weekday afternoon in term time – entry drops to €8 for adults after 14:00 on weekdays (check current deals).