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Across the square, a hideous ’60s cube houses the Kunsthalle (Art Hall; 899 6243; www.kunsthalle-duesseldorf.de; Grabbeplatz 4; admission prices vary; noon-7pm Tue-Sat, 11am-6pm Sun), which hosts headline-grabbing contemporary art shows.

For the most Zeitgeist-capturing exhibits, though, swing by the NRW-Forum Düsseldorf (NRW Forum for Culture & Economics; 892 6690; www.nrw-forum.de; Ehrenhof 2; adult/concession €7.50/5; 11am-8pm Tue-Thu, Sat & Sun, 11am-midnight Fri). It targets the lifestyle-savvy crowd with changing exhibits on fashion, media, design and architecture.

Nearby, the once stuffy museum kunst palast ( 899 0200; www.museum-kunst-palast.de; Ehrenhof 5; adult/concession/family €8/6.50/18; 11am-6pm Tue-Sun) now takes an unconventional approach to presenting its well-respected collection. Old masters find themselves juxtaposed with contemporary young dogs and non-Western works to reveal unexpected connections between the ages and artistic trends. Temporary exhibitions further reinforce the theme.

Speaking of juxtaposition: a stately 19th-century parliament building forms the incongruous setting of the cutting-edge K21 Kunstsammlung im Ständehaus ( 838 1630; Ständehausstrasse 1; www.kunstsammlung.de; adult/concession/family €6.50/4.50/15; 10am-6pm Tue-Fri, 11am-6pm Sat & Sun), which brims with canvases, photographs, installations and video art created after 1980 by an international cast of artists. Look for works by Andreas Gursky, Candida Höfer, Bill Viola and the late Nam June Paik.

Young artists also get the nod in the city’s newest space, the KIT – Kunst im Tunnel ( 892 0769; www.kunst-im-tunnel.de; Mannesmannufer 1b; adult/concession €4/3; noon-7pm Tue-Sat, 11am-6pm Sun) in a spectacularly adapted tunnel below the river promenade. The entrance is via a glass pavilion that doubles as a restaurant.

MEDIENHAFEN

South of the Altstadt, the Medienhafen (Media Harbour) is an office quarter that’s been wrought from the remains of the old city harbour. It’s Düsseldorf’s largest and most progressive urban construction project to get off the ground in the past 20 years. Despite a few trendy restaurants and design shops, there’s little life in the streets as of yet, but if you’re a fan of bold contemporary architecture, do swing by. The most eye-catching structure is clearly the warped Neuer Zollhof, a typically sculptural design by Frank Gehry. Moored nearby is Claude Vasconi’s Grand Bateau, built to resemble an ocean liner. A new pedestrian bridge links to another quay dominated by William Alsop’s Colorium, easily recognised by its kaleidoscopic glass facade. And the construction cranes are still pirouetting: in 2010 Casa Stupenda by Renzo Piano and Sign by Helmut Jahn are sure to make some headlines.

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HAVE A FLING WITH FLINGERN

Altstadt too boisterous? Medienhafen too snooty? Head to Flingern, a charming neighbourhood near the Hauptbahnhof that’s increasingly trading its working-class roughness for boho-chic hipness. The main strip is leafy Ackerstrasse, where retail therapy gets a unique twist in indie boutiques stocked with vintage frocks, edgy jewellery, whimsical tees, handmade accessories and gourmet foods. Stop off for coffee and a snack at retro-style Beethoven ( 2339 8687; Ackerstrasse 106; 10am-1am) or save your appetite for a plate of feistily flavoured wot (stew) at Okra ( 691 1856; Ackerstrasse 119; mains €10-12.50; dinner), an authentic Ethiopian restaurant. Getting there is easy: from the Hauptbahnhof it’s either a 15-minute walk via Worringer Strasse or a short ride on tram 709 to Wetterstrasse (head north for a couple of minutes to get to Ackerstrasse).

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KÖNIGSALLEE & HOFGARTEN

Banks and boutiques are the ammo of the Königsallee (Kö for short), one of Germany’s most expensive shopping strips. Otherwise there’s little of actual merit here, although the art nouveau facade of the Kaufhof department store and the landmark Triton fountain deserve a glance.

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