IllustrationCome to the Hofgarten for a walk that puts old trees, waterbirds and outdoor art within reach of Düsseldorf’s busiest streets.
Come to the Hofgarten for a walk that puts old trees, waterbirds and outdoor art within reach of Düsseldorf’s busiest streets. Start beside the Landskrone pond at the Hofgartenterrassen if you want water views straight away, or at Schloss Jägerhof for the long, formal view down the eastern garden. Give yourself permission to stop often: a reflection, a leaf or an unexpected sculpture can hold a child’s attention as well as a longer walk.
The park covers nearly 28 hectares between the city centre and the Ehrenhof. Its eastern avenues draw straight lines through the trees; elsewhere, planted hills, open lawns and curving water edges make the layout feel looser. Try looking back along a path you have just followed. The different views are part of the garden’s design, rather than a single scene saved for one viewpoint.
For families, the Turngarten playground near Inselstraße and Kaiserstraße is a destination in its own right. Climbing and balancing equipment, a tube slide and a separate sand-play area let different ages find their own pace. Look for the local lion motif doing a cartwheel. On a tree-focused visit, mix the older specimens with younger replacements: the park has been steadily reshaped after the severe storm of 2014. Planning to visit? Download the Snappit app to identify the wildlife you spot in real-time.
Work began in 1769, when Nicolas de Pigage laid out a public promenade for Düsseldorf’s residents on the approach to Schloss Jägerhof. From around 1804, Maximilian Friedrich Weyhe expanded the garden using land released by the demolished fortifications. His changes in ground level helped create the park’s landscape-style views. The storm Ela badly damaged the trees in June 2014; the major restoration of paths and planting was completed in 2022. Today’s mixture of mature trees and newer plantings belongs to that continuing story.
Choose one of two walks. For a short visit, follow Jägerhofallee from the Schloss Jägerhof side to the Jröne Jong fountain basin, then return along the same avenue. Allow 30–45 minutes with looking stops; this is a suggested out-and-back without a measured distance. It keeps you in the eastern garden and avoids the longer circuit’s road crossings and extra hills.
For more variety, walk the city’s approximately 3 km running circuit from the Hofgartenterrassen, using its GPX to follow the pond, eastern garden and northern park before returning to the same terraces. Allow 75–105 minutes at a family walking pace, plus playground time. Expect asphalt and park paths, road crossings and some changes of level; this is not a certified accessible route.
Around Landskrone, pause to watch birds preen or move between water and bank, without feeding them. For an art challenge, compare the rounded forms of Henry Moore’s two-part reclining figure with the smaller details of the Märchenbrunnen. Let everyone choose one photograph and explain what caught their eye.
In summer, bring drinking water and spare clothes if children hope to use the playground’s water-and-sand area; its operation is not guaranteed year-round. Autumn colour depends on the weather. After rain, take care on wet leaves, bridge surfaces and softer paths. In strong winds, leave the tree-lined park for another day.
The main avenues were rebuilt with durable surfaces, while quieter paths include compacted gravel surfaces; the landscaped hills add local slopes. The Turngarten has barrier-free access, a wheelchair carousel and other inclusive equipment. This does not establish step-free access around the entire park. With a wheelchair or pushchair, check your entrance and preferred paths, and avoid the terrace steps and hill shortcuts when unsuitable. Accessible public toilets are listed at Inselstraße/Hofgarten and Inselstraße/NRW Forum.
The Landskrone pond and Goldene Brücke, with changing reflections and birds to watch from public paths.
an easy place to see the formal garden layout.
The Turngarten playground, with climbing, sand play and inclusive equipment.
A tree-photo collection ranging from fan-shaped ginkgo leaves to feathery dawn-redwood foliage.
Enter the eastern garden opposite Schloss Jägerhof on Jacobistraße. Follow the straight Jägerhofallee towards the Jröne Jong fountain basin; stop at its eastern side to look back towards the palace.
The simple retraced line helps you judge the return, but entrance gradients, kerbs and clear widths have not been certified here.
Start at the Hofgartenterrassen by Kö-Bogen and follow the official GPX. Its line uses the Goldene Brücke approach, then heads into the eastern garden, along the Düssel side towards Schloss Jägerhof, and back along the garden’s northern side. It crosses towards the northern park beside Kaiserstraße and loops through that section. Keep the track open for the many junctions and use the designated road crossings.
The running route is not an audited wheelchair route. Check steps, bridge approaches and road crossings for your own needs; do not assume the GPX selects a step-free line.
Choose the full circuit only if everyone wants a walk. Otherwise begin with the playground, pause for a drink and decide whether a short tree hunt is enough. A successful visit does not need every landmark.
Take one photograph with a straight avenue, one with a curving water edge and one close-up of a leaf. Looking at the three together is an easy way to talk about how people shape a park.
At Schloss Jägerhof, the Goethe-Museum’s colour-theory room includes replicas of experimental apparatus. Check the current exhibitions and Wednesday–Sunday opening pattern first. Museum admission is separate from the park; allow extra time and confirm building access for your group.
Look for the fan-shaped leaves and their central notch. In autumn, a yellow leaf against darker foliage makes a simple photograph; in summer, try the shape against the light without pulling a branch down.
Near the Weyhe-Passage, look for the dawn redwood described in the park’s 2022 visitor feature. Its fine, feathery foliage turns coppery before falling: being a conifer does not make it evergreen. Photograph foliage and trunk together if the view is open.
Look among the plantings below Napoleonsberg for star-shaped leaves. Sweetgum can show several autumn colours on one tree, so try a wider frame before choosing a close-up. Do not rely on colour alone to identify it.
In the tree planting north of the Buchenwäldchen, look for red maple’s toothed, lobed leaves. Try photographing a leaf where it lies on the path, then compare it with the canopy. Autumn shades can include yellow and orange as well as red.
Long leaves with sharply toothed edges are a useful clue. In autumn, look for the densely spiny husks without handling or collecting them. A close-up from the path can show how differently chestnut, maple and ginkgo leaves are built.
The Turngarten’s 2024 planting included a sessile oak. If you can identify it from a public path, compare its developing crown with the older shade trees nearby. Keep the photograph focused on the tree rather than other children using the playground.
The old ornamental bird collection ended in the 1980s, but some birds continued to need care. The city’s 2022 account of its volunteer “Schwanenmutter” is a reminder to treat a public park’s animals with care and avoid guessing their origin.
A leafy-season visit and a winter return show two versions of the same tree. Use leaf details when they are available; when branches are bare, step back for the crown. The suggested months for tree photographs are seasonal guidance, not dates when a specimen is guaranteed to be at its best.
Public toilets at Inselstraße/Hofgarten and Inselstraße/NRW Forum are listed as accessible and continuously open. Check local signs for any temporary fault. Bring a picnic and water if you want to set your own timetable; keep food away from the pond birds and take leftovers with you.
Heinrich-Heine-Allee is the useful arrival stop for the Hofgartenterrassen circuit; Schadowstraße and Schloss Jägerhof serve other sides of the park. Choose the stop in the current Rheinbahn planner rather than relying on an old printed route number. The municipal park page lists nearby garages but no dedicated park car park.
The Turngarten includes a wheelchair-accessible play deck, carousel and ground-level trampoline. For the walk itself, the condition of paths, bridge approaches and slopes still matters. Ask the Gartenamt about a suitable approach if a continuous step-free route is essential.
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Free entry
The public park is freely accessible. Museums and organised activities have separate arrangements.
Choose your arrival side
Heinrich-Heine-Allee suits the pond and terraces; Schadowstraße suits the southeastern edge. Check the current Rheinbahn journey planner.
Parking
The park has no dedicated visitor car park. Nearby city-centre garages are separate facilities.
Keep the return simple
Save the official GPX for the full circuit. If a path is blocked, turn back rather than following an unmarked shortcut.
Birds need space
Watch from paths, leave shore vegetation undisturbed and do not offer food, even if birds approach.
Playground extras
Pack a small towel for sand-and-water play, and a bat and ball if you want to use the table-tennis tables.
Dogs
Keep dogs on a lead around the ponds and playground approaches; use only signed exercise areas for permitted off-lead time.
Recent snaps will appear here as new observations are added.
Maryland, US
You might spot White-Tailed Deer and Eastern Gray Squirrel.
View guide →
District of Columbia, US
You might spot Eastern Gray Squirrel, Duck, and House Sparrow.
View guide →
Illinois, US
You might spot American Robin, Canada Goose, and House Sparrow.
View guide →
Virginia, US
You might spot Spotted Lanternfly and Northern Cardinal.
View guide →
Take the discovery with you
Identify the wildlife you spot, learn as you go, and keep a collection of the adventure.
