Arrival options
We look forward to welcoming you to Dortmund! On this website you will find important information to make your arrival in Germany and travel to Dortmund as easy as possible. Although Dortmund has an international airport, most of you will fly to Cologne (CGN), Düsseldorf (DUS) or Frankfurt (FRA). Germany has a very good public transportation system, which means the easiest and fastest way from any airport to the city center of Dortmund is by train.
Below we've compiled some basic travel information for the most important airports in the region. However, trains can be cancelled or rescheduled. You should check the connections a few days before your trip on the website of Deutsche Bahn, Germanys main transport company.
How you get to Dortmund
Düsseldorf (DUS) to Dortmund
Düsseldorf Airport is one of Germanys largest airports and only about an hour away from Dortmund. From your terminal you need to take the autonomous driving "Sky Train" to the airport train station. Regional trains to Dortmund run almost every 30 minutes (except from 2.28 a.m. and 4.28 a.m.). Choose one of the following, which are included in the public transport ticket that is included in the registration fee:
- RE 6, Direction: Minden (0:50 hours)
- RE 1, Direction: Hamm (0:47 hours)
You can board these trains without further reservation. Check out the connections from "Duesseldorf Flughafen (DUS)" to "Dortmund Hbf" at https://www.bahn.com/en and tick "Local transport only" to find the trains included in your ticket. All other connections are not included, which means you have to purchase a separate ticket.
Frankfurt (FRA) to Dortmund
Frankfurt Airport, Germanys biggest airport, has direct express train connections to Dortmund almost every hour between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. Take the route from the terminal to the airport station "Frankfurt Flughafen Fernbahnhof" (Note! The other airport station "Regionalbahnhof" is only for local transport within the Frankfurt area). The express train journey takes between 2 hours and 2 hours and 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can also choose a longer trip with a spectacular view of the Rhine Valley (3:30 hours). Please contact your airline and ask if they offer a free train ticket (Rail&Fly). Otherwise, you should book your ride from "Frankfurt Flughafen Fernbahnhof" to "Dortmund Hbf" in advance at Deutsche Bahn Website: https://www.bahn.com/en.
Cologne (CGN) to Dortmund
If you arrive at Cologne Airport, you should take a regional train from the airport to Cologne Central Station. The ride takes about 10 minutes. From the central station (Köln Hbf) you can choose one of the following regional trains to Dortmund:
- RE 6, Direction: Minden (1:46 hours)
- RE 1, Direction: Hamm (1:26 hours)
Check out the connections from "Köln Hbf" (you can search for Cologne) to "Dortmund Hbf" at https://www.bahn.com/en.
Note: The famous Cologne Cathedral is right next to the central station. You should take a few minutes to photograph this UNESCO world heritage.