A Quick Stop in Duisburg (and a Lesson in Airbnb Internet Promises)

We recently spent a few days in Duisburg, Germany, as part of our family travel adventure. Lucas chose the Airbnb for this leg of the trip — he liked that it was located between Duisburg and Düsseldorf, which sounded convenient on paper. The listing promised “lightning-fast 95 mbps internet,” which, unfortunately, turned out to be more of a creative writing exercise than reality. Let’s just say… we had time to remember what life was like before streaming anything without buffering. The Airbnb was a small one bedroom attic with a pull out couch. Temperatures soared and it didn’t have air-conditioning.  Luckily we were only there for a few days.

The town itself was small and quiet — maybe a bit too quiet. There wasn’t a whole lot going on, which made it a good place for a reset, but we did manage to squeeze in a few highlights. Lucas and Henry found an arcade, where they happily spent some time playing games and competing for bragging rights. The streets were quiet enough so the kids could ride scooters.

We also went to see the Tiger & Turtle – Magic Mountain, a roller coaster-shaped sculpture that’s a walkable piece of art. It looks like a looping coaster track, but instead of riding it, you climb it! The view from the top was great, and the structure itself is a fun and quirky piece of public art that added some spark to the visit.

Aside from that, we did a bit of wandering through the small town center, soaked in some local vibes, and I even found time to pick up a new pair of shoes — always a win.

All in all, it was a short visit, and while the town wasn’t exactly packed with activities, it gave us a little downtime between busier stops. Plus, now we know: next time we’ll double-check those internet speeds before booking.