Q&A on Dusseldorf- with Lucas Nicholson

Back in October, fellow All4Inclusion member Lucas Nicholson visited the German City of Dusseldorf. Here is some information and insights about the city to help you plan your next trip there

Question 1: What travel information do you have on Dusseldorf and how do you get there?  

I flew to Dusseldorf directly from Edinburgh Airport, the flight took under 2 hours. From where I live I had to get the bus to the train station. I then got a train to Haymarket from Edinburgh Waverley and then got the tram from Haymarket directly to Edinburgh Airport. It was a pretty smooth sailing journey and I didn’t have any issues whatsoever with transport. When I got to the airport I had flight assistance booked due to having autism and Fibromyalgia. I did have to wait a bit for my assistance as their was a queue and it did get a bit stressful at times but once I was with my assistance it was fine.  

I was taken to the front of the queue for getting my boarding pass and I was taken into the fast lane with security. Security was straight forward, easy and the staff were friendly. There was a slightly delay in my flight but that was fine once I was on the plane I was better.  

I didn’t have the same experience coming back though. I was taken through security without asking if I needed to get anything before boarding and I was then confined to a small waiting area and I found it very stressful. I felt like the assistance staff could have been better in all honesty.

Question 2: Any attractions particularly accessible and worth visiting and places to avoid?  

I didn’t find Germany accessible at all in all honesty. Both Essen and Dusseldorf were a lot of walking and I struggled with this greatly due to my mobility issues. I didn’t manage to do a lot of things while I was there as I found the temperature and humidity to be warm even though it was October time. I did go to the Aquazoo though it wasn’t very accessible. The schools were still off for the October week there and it was extremely busy, I would avoid going during the school holidays as there is not a lot of space if you happen to be a wheelchair user or need to use a mobility aid. It is a fun place to go though and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If anyone wants a bit of peace and quiet though there is a lovely park round the back of the Aquazoo that I went to and it was so peaceful. The park is called Nordpark and it is so calming, there is a Japanese Garden in it too but it is a bit of a walk from the Aquazoo.  

I also went to the shopping centre in Essen which was pretty fun and it is really accessible apart from the fact you do need to pay to use the toilets. I have both IBS and Chronic Cystitis so I didn’t find this at all helpful having to pay before using the toilet when I could have been needing to go urgently due to a sudden IBS episode. But everything else was accessible. I also went for a walk around Essen, in the little outskirts I was staying in with my great uncle and his girlfriend. It was a nice little village and had shops and such, it was quiet. It was a nice place and it had lots of nice walking routes including for taking photos.  

Question 3: Ease of transportation around the city for people with disabilities?  

The transport system within Dusseldorf is really well connected and makes it easy to get from A to B. If you are staying in the city of Essen itself then yes, it is easy to travel because of the train station, you can get a train to Dusseldorf. I did find the ticket system a bit confusing though, I ended up getting a Deutschland ticket which lasted a month even though I was only there for a week. I can’t remember what it cost but it is now 58 Euros which is £49. 07. It saved me a lot of time and confusion as this ticket could be used on both trains and buses just not on the ICE trains which was fine for me.  

If you do plan on using the ICE trains you need to buy a separate ticket. Please also remember to cancel your subscription for the Deutschland ticket before the 10th of the month otherwise you will be charged for another month and if you refuse to pay it they will take ti further, trust me it just about happened to me.  

I don’t remember seeing a lot of lifts in the train station and such but I was never in them for a long time. However, the buses are definitely not wheelchair friendly, they can be very cramped as can the trains which I strongly recommend you avoid using at rush hour. The trams are accessible and I found them really fun to use.