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Known as "Europe's longest bar," the tight confines of Dusseldorf's Altstadt, or Old City, are home to more than 260 bars, nightclubs and restaurants - ranging from traditional beer halls serving altbier , the city's distinctive dark ale, to sophisticated restaurants and unabashedly hip clubs.

On a recent visit, a friend and I decided to see how much (of the atmosphere) we could drink up in five hours.

5:15 p.m.

Hopping off the U-Bahn subway at Heinrich Heine Allee, just three stops from Dusseldorf's main station, we point ourselves toward the Rhine and find Uerige, arguably the most famous of the Altstadt's three brewery-beer halls. Swapping the fading daylight for the welcoming glow of the already rollicking tavern, we grab a pair of stools and order two glasses of dark, dry and earthy altbier. A polite nod to our neighbours leads to casual conversation, part German but mostly English, and another couple of beers - never ordered, but delivered continually until we give the signal to stop by laying coasters atop our empty glasses. We could easily stay here all night, we agree, but at least 259 bars still await and the night is young.

6:07 p.m.

Although we have planned for a late dinner, my travel companion, an imposing Pennsylvanian named Lew Bryson, is already feeling a bit peckish. So we retreat to an open-air stall and grab a generous bowl of seafood soup from Gosch Sylt, where we earnestly devour what is, in fact, more stew than soup, crammed with large chunks of fresh fish and shellfish.

6:35 p.m.

Wondering if we'll be hungry for dinner after such a sustaining "snack," we turn up Hunsruckenstrasse and discover a tiki bar called Mai Tai. Inside, I instinctively begin ticking off my mental checklist of all the things a good tiki bar should have: tacky pseudo-Caribbean decor, a hefty cocktail list and, most importantly, a broad selection of rums on the back bar. Mai Tai passes muster on all fronts, and we indulge in a pair of very fine exotic rum punch cocktails.

7:10 p.m.

Finally reaching Bolkerstrasse, the main drag of the Altstadt, we encounter the night's first disappointment with Café Madrid, a rambling and obviously Spanish-themed restaurant and bar apparently favoured by young, up-and-coming Dusseldorfers. It's easy to see why most patrons favour the terrace, considering the cramped, confining nature of the bar area. Once we manage to find a place to stand and someone to serve us - no small feat - we are rewarded with a sad drink selection ranging from mediocre Spanish wine and beer to poor sherry. Time to move on.

7:28 p.m.

It's hard to miss Kuhstall, or "cow shed," with a street-side quartet of metre-high flames announcing its presence. We join the crowd on the terrace, which blends seamlessly into the pedestrian-only street, and admire the flickering fires while chatting with a pair of visiting Brits, Craig and Alan. When I ask why they chose this particular bar, Alan answers with a sweep of his arm up and down the street, noting that it's the busiest place in sight.

8:30 p.m.

Our original plan had been for dinner at Weinhaus Tante Ana, without a doubt the finest of the Altstadt's many and varied dining options, but with the seafood soup still weighing heavily in our bellies, we doubt either of us can do justice to the grand restaurant's storied four- or five-course fixed menus and 450-bottle wine list. Instead, we stroll to En de Canon, a faintly frayed but locally lauded room that straddles beer hall and dining room. While no Tante Ana, solace is found in the traditional Rhineland dishes such as Dusseldorfer Senfrostbraten, a perfectly cooked steak topped with mustard sauce. No wonder this amiable tavern has been successfully serving similar fare since the 17th century.

10:00 p.m.

Curiosity gets the better of us and we pop into a club called Pretty Vacant long enough to enjoy a chat with a group of young ladies. When the downstairs DJ kicks up the volume and pumps out the dance tunes, though, we say our goodbyes and decamp for more altbier.

10:23 p.m.

We're surprised to find the three-centuries-old beer hall Zum Schlussel close to capacity on a Wednesday night. We settle in with our traditional quarter-litre glasses of roasty, deep brown brew, exchange pleasantries with a nearby denizen (who professes a love for the house beer, which she shares with her dog) and marvel at all we have experienced this evening, from time-honoured custom and centuries-old cuisine to trendy dance club and Caribbean cocktail bar. All this and we've barely bellied up to Europe's longest bar.

Pack your beer stein

Getting There

Lufthansa (http://www.lufthansa.com) offers regular flights from Toronto to Dusseldorf. For $14, the Dusseldorf Welcome Card allows 24-hour travel on the city's trams and subways. (A 48-hour and 72-hour card are also available.)

Where to Stay

Steigenberger Parkhotel Koenigsallee 1a; 49 0 211 13810; http://www.steigenberger.com. The century-old, 130-room hotel sits at the edge of the Altstadt, overlooking the sprawling Hofgarten park. Rates start at $320 a night.

Where to Eat & Drink

Uerige Berger Strasse 1; 49 0 211 866990; http://www.uerige.de.

Gosch Sylt Corner of Bolkerstrasse and Hunsruckenstrasse.

Mai Tai Hunsruckenstrasse 22; 49 0 211 323207.

Café Madrid Bolkerstrasse 23-25.

Weinhaus Tante Anna Andreastrasse 2; 49 0 211 131163. (Closed for vacation from July 7 to 27).

Kuhstall (Cow shed) Bolkerstrasse 35; 49 0 211 21071685.

En de Canon Zollstrasse 7; 49 0 211 329798.

Pretty Vacant Mertensgasse 8.

Zum Schlussel Bolkerstrasse 41-47; 49 0 211 828955; http://www.hausbrauerei-zum-schluessel.de.

More information

Dusseldorf Tourism Call 49 0 211 17 20 20 or visit http://www.duesseldorf-tourismus.de.