Neuss

Introduction

Neuss sits on the west bank of the Rhine, directly opposite Düsseldorf, in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the largest city in the Rhein-Kreis Neuss district, and its identity rests on two things above all: a Roman past and a festival calendar. Neuss shares with Trier the title of "Germany's oldest city", and in 1984 it marked the 2000th anniversary of its founding in 16 BCE.

Come for the historic Roman sites, which are what the city is primarily known for, and time your visit around the annual Neusser Bürger-Schützenfest if you can. The Rhine setting and the short hop across the water to Düsseldorf make it an easy base for exploring the wider region.

Getting there

Neuss is not served by intercity trains, so if you are coming from further afield you will usually change in Düsseldorf. The main station, Neuss Hauptbahnhof, is a regional stop with frequent S-Bahn and Regional services: Düsseldorf takes 10–15 minutes, Cologne about half an hour, Mönchengladbach and Krefeld 15–20 minutes, Wuppertal around 35 minutes, and Hagen roughly an hour. Aachen, Kleve and Venlo in the Netherlands are also reachable by regional train.

By plane, Düsseldorf Airport lies about 15 kilometres from downtown Neuss and is served by many major airlines, including transatlantic routes; a direct S-Bahn runs from the airport terminal every 20 minutes and takes half an hour. From Düsseldorf itself, trams 709 and U75 both run to Neuss city centre without transfers. By car, Neuss is well-connected through various Autobahn and other major highways, and using a navigation system is useful to not lose track.

Getting around

Neuss sits directly opposite Düsseldorf on the west bank of the Rhine, and its transport network is closely tied to its larger neighbour. Neuss Hauptbahnhof is the main rail stop and the anchor of the local network, but the city has no intercity service, so arrivals from further afield usually change in Düsseldorf first; from there, regional and local trains reach Neuss frequently from Düsseldorf itself as well as from Cologne, Mönchengladbach, Krefeld, Wuppertal, Hagen, Aachen, Kleve and Venlo in the Netherlands. Two rail-based lines connect the two cities and are the most useful for moving between them: tram 709 crosses the Neuss city centre, passes the Rheinpark Center and crosses the Rhine on the Josef-Kardinal-Frings-Brücke, while light rail U75 heads north past Am Kaiser station and through the Düsseldorf districts of Heerdt and Oberkassel before reaching the Düsseldorf centre. Both run directly between the two city centres without a change. Within and around Neuss, S-Bahn lines S8, S11 and S28 serve parts of the city, and the suburban line RB38 connects the Neuss district of Holzheim with Grevenbroich and parts of the Rhein-Erft district every half hour.

• Stadtwerke Neuss runs the city buses in a star shape converging on the centre, so most journeys mean heading into the middle of town and out again; routes 850 (T), 857T and 858 are exceptions to the pattern.
• For late nights, overnight express lines run from the Zolltor stop in the city centre on Friday-to-Saturday and Saturday-to-Sunday nights, and before public holidays.
• On early weekend mornings, some of the less-used routes operate as on-demand services rather than fixed scheduled runs.
• On weekend nights the S-Bahn keeps running: some city-district stops are served on the S11 and S28, while the S8 runs continuously.
• Düsseldorf Airport is the natural gateway, with a direct S-Bahn connection from the airport terminal into central Neuss without changing trains.
• The centre is compact and crossed by the tram line, so walking between the station, the centre and the riverside areas is realistic, and many short trips within town are just as easily done on foot.

Where to stay

Neuss has a small cluster of hotels that suits both business travellers and anyone using the town as a base for the wider Rhine-Ruhr area. On the bank of the Rhine, the Crowne Plaza Duesseldorf is a four-star property with a restaurant, bar and conference rooms, reachable by bus to the Rheinallee stop and within a short drive of Düsseldorf airport. The Dorint Kongresshotel Düsseldorf/Neuss on Selikumer Strasse is the other large congress-oriented option, while the Mercure Hotel Düsseldorf Neuss sits off Lechenicher Straße, a short walk from the Lechenicher Straße bus stop.

For something smaller and more central, the Hamtor Hotel on Hamtorwall and Hotel Bastion on Jagenbergstraße offer modest alternatives to the big conference hotels, both within easy reach of the town centre.

Food & drink

For cheap eats, head to the former Neuss bus station, where three kebab shops form the so-called doner triangle; their long opening times make them a favourite with party-goers. Near the new bus station you'll find Pizza Turreti, a well-known pizzeria with no seats, while the Spaghetti House on Rheinstrasse serves various pasta dishes, usually with a small starter salad and a small dessert; if you want to come in the evening, reserve by phone.

Among the mid-range options, Guest House Pütz in the Norf-Derikum district serves generously sized portions and is known for its salad dressing, with themed meals on some days and telephone reservations generally recommended. Canedo restaurant on Rheintorstrasse has been offering Portuguese specialties for years and is known beyond the city limits for its fish. Harbor Love Neuss, a restaurant, bar and event venue on two decks right on the harbour basin, hosts Dinner & Disco evenings and Come Together parties before Christmas. For a splurge, the Spitzweg restaurant serves young and German cuisine. For coffee and cake, the Coffeehouse 1571 sits in the oldest half-timbered house in the city, with homemade cake and breakfast, while Küppers Gallery by St. Quirin offers a homemade breakfast and lunch buffet. The Neuss market has the largest selection of cafes, including the owner-managed Market Cafe Neuss and Kleeberg, plus Cafe Extrablatt.

What to see and do

Start your sightseeing around Münsterplatz, where the Quirinus-Münster, a late Romanesque church from the 13th century, anchors the old centre. The Obertor, built around 1200, is the last surviving of the city's southern gates, and the Blutturm is another remnant of the medieval fortifications. Opposite Neuss Hauptbahnhof stands St. Marien, a Roman-Catholic church built in 1902 for the town's growing population. For a quieter pause, the city's botanical garden offers a green retreat.

Art and nature meet at Museum Insel Hombroich, a Neoclassical industrialist's villa with a lush garden that holds a collection of classical and modern art, especially sculptures. Nearby, on the grounds of a former NATO nuclear launch site, the Langen Foundation shows a private collection of 20th-century paintings alongside Japanese and other non-European art. If you want to be active, the Skihalle Neuss offers indoor skiing. Time your visit for late August and you can catch the Neusser Bürger-Schützenfest, the city's annual marksmen's festival, with its royal parade, processions and shooting competition. In the evening, the Rheinisches Landestheater stages large productions, the Theater am Schlachthof offers an alternative programme, and the Globe theater, a replica of the London original, hosts a Shakespeare Festival each summer.

Three days in Neuss

Day one: Start in Neuss itself, getting your bearings around the town before heading out to the Rhine. The river is the natural anchor for your first day, and the Neuss Hauptbahnhof makes an easy arrival point if you are coming in by Regional Bahn from Cologne, Mönchengladbach, Krefeld, Wuppertal, Hagen, Aachen, Kleve or Venlo in the Netherlands. If you arrive by air, Düsseldorf Airport is the nearest, and from Düsseldorf you can reach Neuss by Autobahn or by train.

Day two: Use the town as a base for the wider region. Düsseldorf is close at hand, and the Rheinpark Center is a useful orientation point on the Neuss side of the river. Cross the Rhine on the Josef Kardinal Frings Brücke and explore the Am Kaiser area, keeping the river in view as you go. The flat land along the Rhine makes for easy walking, and the connections by Bahn put Cologne and the other towns of North Rhine-Westphalia within reach if you want to extend the day.

Day three: Spend your last day on the town's own traditions. Neuss has a long history reaching back to Roman times, and Trier is the other Roman reference point in Germany if you want to compare. The Neusser Bürger keep local customs alive, most visibly through Schützenfest, so time your visit around it if you can. Otherwise, a final wander through the streets and along the Rhine rounds off three days comfortably.