Dusseldorf has two superb spectator Terraces and they have done a brilliant job in showing what can be done with a well thought out plan to provide views that are a match for any airport.

The deck at the main Terminal is very large and you have full access to both sides looking down on all of the air bridges, at the top end you find the best views for moving aircraft on either the inner taxiway or on the outer one which is well within reach of a 300mm lense even for the smaller ones.

The Terrace at the Railway station is much smaller than at the main Terminal but has a very close and lower view of aircraft taxiing left to right heading to runway 24 for departure with a 767 about 65mm for the camera.

Here in the UK viewing Terraces are poor to non existant and compared to the enlightened attitude of the German Authorities the B.A.A. make little effort to provide facilities and the ones that do exist are as far away from the action as possible.

In Scotland there are no viewing facilities at either Glasgow, with the Terrace having been closed in 1978, or Edinburgh where the one there was shut down in the late 1990's but where ones do exist elsewhere they are a struggle for the photographer.

Heathrow has a very small high Terrace which is distant from the taxiways and into the sun most of the day, it is free to enter due to the restricted views (good for spotters but not great for photographers) so I don't bother visiting it when I am there.

Gatwick also has a Terrace but personally I find it extremely poor with it being very pulled back from where you want to be and it is also high, again good for a spotter but dreadful for the photographer. I have always felt that this one should also be free to enter due to the restricted view.

So to sum up you will be hard pushed to find better facilities at any airport than what you find at Dusseldorf, this is how the professionals do it and it attracts large numbers of people which makes the airport money from the fee to get in and there are security men patrolling the Terraces at all times to keep an eye on things.

This map above shows the layout of Dusseldorf Airport and where the two viewing Terraces are situated. Opening times are 9am to 8pm in the winter and 6am to 9pm in the summer with the change in hour taking place at the end of March and October.

Main Terminal Terrace Railway Station Terrace

Click on the BLUE dots to see views of the Terrace, click on the RED dots to see photos of aircraft taken from the Terrace.




ETAP Hotel
Lintorf
Dusseldorf

Motel 1
Lintorf
Dusseldorf


Above is the ETAP Hotel at Lintorf in North Ratingen where I stayed for my 4 day trip to Dusseldorf, it stands out from quite a distance with this colour scheme which is good as you can spot it easily from the right hand side of the bus when you arrive.

The good thing is that this is the last stop on the route for the 754 and 755 buses from the main Railway station so you can't go wrong in finding it if you haven't stayed here before.

This is known as the "Hotel" stop as there are three Hotels in total, the "ETAP", "Motel 1" and a "Novotel" and all three can be booked on the Internet which is what I did with the ETAP.

These Hotels would be good to use if you are going here yourself to save on the accomodation costs but if going with a friend I would say that the best place to stay is at the Ibis Hotel which is literally attached to the main Railway station.

Definately the best place to stay if sharing with the room rate here at 63 Euro's per night but I felt it more cost effective to stay at the ETAP for 35 Euro's a night although it was much further away.

The enterance to the Hauptbanhof Ibis is about 20 yards outside the station so you can't get closer than that and first thing in the morning you have very easy access for the train to the Airport plus of course there are plenty of shops in the station for food.

ETAP Dusseldorf/Ratingen (Hotel code 5702)
Motel One Dusseldorf/Ratingen (Click "GUIDE" then Dusseldorf/Ratingen and it is the one under Lintorferweg 79)

BUSES
******
Bus numbers 754 and 755 connect from the main Railway station in Dusseldorf to these Hotels, 754 operates every day with a reduced service on Sundays and takes about 45 to 50 minutes while the 755 only operates on weekdays and take about 30-35 minutes as it does not go through Ratingen and both cost 1.7 Euro's for a single journey.

Page 1 (Thursday 11th July Amsterdam/Dusseldorf). (3 photos)
Page 2 (Friday 12th & Saturday 13th July Dusseldorf). (10 photos)
Page 3 (Sunday 14th July Dusseldorf).
Page 4 (Monday 15th & Tuesday 16th July Dusseldorf). (8 photos)

(click on the red text to access the page)

January 2003 (Click here for January 2003 visit)


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