Art in the suburbs - Hombroich, Germany

Less than 15 km from Dusseldorf, two unique art galleries have come together to put the suburban town of Hombroich on the art and architecture map.

The Museum Insel Hombroich in an art lover's fairy tale. Follow pebbled paths through woods, across wooden bridges over icy lakes and stumble across a set of engraved wooden doors built for a giant; a barred shelter housing a miniature army; a chair made out of bricks; a discarded rusty bell; a locked chest and a rugged, ancient tree trunk.

Open the door to ten specially designed brick and glass buildings, never knowing whether you will find antiquities from the Far East backed by Gotthard Graubner or striking Norbert Tadeusz figures. The cafe serves a sprinkling of carbs - choose from cake, bread or potatos (all the food is free,  just leave a tip).

Ten minutes away, the Langen Foundation has been built on a former NATO missile base. Japanese architect Tadao Ando designed the museum building with more than a nod to the site's former occupation (there's tough concrete, metal and expanses of glass looking out onto the flatness of outdoor pools and the surrounding countryside. Whilst inside, most of the art is below ground). The light, the materials and the symmetry make it an ideal place to host challenging exhibitions such as their current Jeff Verheyen retrospective. Unfortunately, this exhibition ends on Sunday but if you are a fly by the seat of your pants kind of person, Dusseldorf this weekend is a great place to be as it's also the last few days of the citywide Quadrennial. After Sunday, the museum will return to displaying the permanent Victor and Marianne Langen Collection.

Further information

• I flew to Dusseldorf from Heathrow with British Airways and stayed at the Swissotel Dusseldorf-Neuss
• www.inselhombroich.de and www.langenfoundation.de