Hotel Metropol

Metropol Filmkunstkino is one of the four art house cinemas left in Düsseldorf, alongside Bambi, Atelier and Cinema. It’s one of the city’s coziest, most charming places for a movie. The staff are friendly, and during the week it’s usually not too crowded. If you enjoy old-fashioned cinemas, it’s a lovely spot for a movie night. I always enjoy coming here and recommend it.

The location is convenient and the room was reasonably clean, though definitely not spotless, so I can’t give it less than two stars. Still, this may be the worst hotel I’ve stayed in. It’s not somewhere I’d choose for a holiday, but one night is bearable. I was in room 6, and apparently lucky to get a room because the hotel was overbooked. There were no towels, a broken chair, a missing skirting board and a crooked lamp. One picture was upside down, so I fixed it for them. The room was near the back door, and I got to enjoy the smell of smoke. The walls are so thin you can hear everything going on around you.

The cinema dates from a time when accessibility probably wasn’t much considered, and perhaps people were smaller too. Getting to the ladies’ room means squeezing past someone on a narrow staircase, and the toilet itself is so tight you can barely close the door without hitting yourself.

It’s a charming cinema that shows plenty of films in their original language, including small productions. If you’re interested in them, you may find award-winning or festival-nominated films here that aren’t showing elsewhere. The building is old and converted, though, so it isn’t accessible.