Things to do in Dortmund
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Dortmund
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months. Long days, parks at their best, Extraschicht and asparagus on menus.
Football season in full swing, autumn colour and stable weather before market prices.
Best only if the Christmas Market is the purpose. Hotels spike on December weekends.
Warm and good for festivals and lakes, but football free until mid August.
Worst months. Cold, windy and wet, parks bare and football can be in the winter break.
What's on
- Dortmunder Weihnachtsstadt / Christmas Market 19 Nov to 30 Dec
One of Germany's largest Christmas markets, with 300 plus stalls and a 45 metre tree on Hansaplatz.
- Extraschicht one Saturday in late June
Night of Industrial Culture across the Ruhr, with industrial sites open at night on one ticket.
- Juicy Beats Festival late July
Multi stage electronic, pop and hip hop festival in Westfalenpark over two days.
- ADAC Supercross January
Indoor Supercross at Westfalenhalle filling part of the winter season.
- Micro!Festival August
Street theatre and world music festival at Friedensplatz.
Best things to do in Dortmund
Signal Iduna Park
Borussia Dortmund home with the Yellow Wall. Do a match if you can, and the stadium tour and Borusseum either way.
Deutsches Fußballmuseum
National football museum opposite the station, strong on World Cup history and football under National Socialism.
LWL-Museum Zeche Zollern
Palace like colliery with a Jugendstil machine hall. The one industrial site that changes minds about Dortmund.
Dortmunder U
Former brewery tower with Museum Ostwall art, exhibitions and a free viewing terrace over the centre.
Westfalenpark
Large garden show park with rosarium, Japanese garden and the Florianturm tower for clear day views.
Phoenix See
Lake built on a closed steelworks, paired with the Phoenix West blast furnace Skywalk for the full Dortmund story.
Alter Markt
Compact old centre square with Reinoldikirche, Marienkirche, market stalls and Brauhaus terraces.
Botanischer Garten Rombergpark
Historic botanical park with arboretum, lake and greenhouses. A local Sunday place with few international visitors.
Where to stay in Dortmund
Kreuzviertel
best overall base for most visitors
Wilhelminian blocks, cafes, wine bars and BVB pubs, walkable to Alter Markt and the stadium.
City Centre / Innenstadt-West
first timers, Christmas Market and rail
Station, Football Museum, Dortmunder U and market squares all walkable, with the deepest hotel stock.
Kaiserviertel
quiet, elegant stay
Grand turn of the century blocks and small cafes east of the Wall, still a short walk from the centre.
Phoenix See / Hörde
lakeside calm, families and a second visit
Promenade cafes and the lake loop from your door, with Hörde station trains to the centre in about 7 minutes.
Westfalenpark / Stadion quarter
pure match and event logistics
Larger hotels around Westfalenhallen and the stadium let you walk back after a match or event.
Think twice about
- Nordstadt, immediately north of Hauptbahnhof
Higher crime, open drug dealing around Nordmarkt and parts of Münsterstraße, and a run down feel at night. Visit in daytime for food, do not base here.
- Hauptbahnhof forecourt / Königswall late at night
Begging, drinking groups and occasional hassle late at night. Pass through purposefully and use the well lit Wall sides.
- Dorstfeld
Isolated streets have a long documented far right presence and there is no visitor reason to base here.
Best restaurants in Dortmund
George Fine Dining
Dortmund's destination fine dining room, modern European tasting and a la carte cooking with a serious wine list.
Emilio Restaurant
Refined Italian cooking with handmade pasta and fish specials. The couples recommendation in this list.
Pfefferkorn NY Steakhouse
Steakhouse on the Phoenix See promenade with terrace views over the water at sunset.
Pfefferkorn's No.1 am Markt
Central grill version on Alter Markt for Sauerbraten, schnitzel and ribeye on the old market square.
Wenkers am Markt
Alter Markt Brauhaus institution serving its own Urtrub with Sauerbraten, schnitzel and Pfefferpotthast.
Zum Alten Markt
Cosier historic Alter Markt dining room for Westphalian cooking and notably good freshwater fish.
Hövels Hausbrauerei
Brewpub for Hövels Original bitter beer brewed on site, with hearty Westphalian plates and many regulars.
Lemongrass
Fresh, bright Vietnamese cooking that locals use as a weeknight default away from schnitzel.
Best coffee in Dortmund
Bona Dortmund
Kreuzviertel cafe on Neuer Graben that beats a hotel breakfast supplement for coffee and brunch.
Grüner Salon
Slow brunch gem at cafe prices, a quieter alternative to hotel breakfast in Dortmund.
Outdoor things to do in Dortmund
Phoenix See
Flat 3.2 km lakeside loop for running, cycling, pedal boats and summer paddle hire. Swimming is not permitted.
Westfalenpark + Rombergpark Big Green Walk
Link Westfalenpark and Rombergpark via the Emscher green corridor for a half day almost entirely in parkland.
Emscher Cycle Path
Renaturalised Emscher river corridor with a continuous flat cycle path past headframes and canal industry.
Skywalk Phoenix West
Guided walkway 26 metres up on a decommissioned blast furnace gas line, with 99 steps and lake views.
tree2tree Kletterwald Dortmund
Large high ropes forest with courses by difficulty and long zip lines, in Revierpark Wischlingen.
Royal Saint Barbara's Golf Club
Dortmund's prestige 18 hole parkland course, with an island green 9th and a huge double green.
GolfRange Dortmund
Floodlit driving range and practice facility with tuition and no membership barrier for the range.
Dortmund Golf Club (Reichsmark)
Members' 18 hole parkland course in mature trees in the leafy south, quieter than Royal Saint Barbara's.
Best hotels in Dortmund
L'Arrivée Hotel & Spa
Dortmund's best hotel and only true luxury spa stay, with pool, panoramic sauna and two restaurants.
Radisson Blu Hotel Dortmund
Best luxury tier facilities near the action, with indoor pool and sauna in a quiet park side setting.
Steigenberger Hotel Dortmund
Classic grand hotel by Westfalenhallen, walking distance to Signal Iduna Park on match nights.
NH Dortmund
Safest central recommendation, opposite the station and walkable to the Football Museum and Alter Markt.
Hotel Esplanade
Smaller, personal central hotel with a highly rated breakfast and calm side street position by the Wallring.
Hampton by Hilton Dortmund Phoenix See
New build lakeside hotel with included hot breakfast and the Phoenix See loop from the door.
a&o Dortmund Hauptbahnhof
Budget workhorse with private rooms and dorms, 24 hour reception and a centre side station location.
BaseCamp Hostel Dortmund
Modern central hostel with dorms, private rooms and communal spaces that suit social solo travellers.
Is Dortmund expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €70 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €120 a person |
| Splurge | €220 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Signal Iduna Park: weeks ahead
- Phoenix See: a few days ahead
- Skywalk Phoenix West: a few days ahead
- tree2tree Kletterwald Dortmund: a few days ahead
- Royal Saint Barbara's Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Dortmund Golf Club (Reichsmark): a few days ahead
- George Fine Dining: a few days ahead
- Emilio Restaurant: a few days ahead
- BVB match tickets go through the official ticket shop after registration. Members get priority and big games sell out in member phases.
- Book stadium tours online ahead for weekends, plus Skywalk tours, George and Emilio for Friday and Saturday.
- Christmas Market hotels spike and sell out on December weekends. Book by September for a prime Saturday.
Is Dortmund safe?
- Pickpocketing is the main risk in Christmas Market and stadium crowds. Keep bags zipped and valuables in front pockets.
- Avoid walking Nordstadt, Nordmarkt and Münsterstraße north of the station at night.
- Emergency numbers are 112 for fire and ambulance and 110 for police.
Dortmund travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Thier Galerie is a pleasant mall, not a sightseeing attraction.
- Phoenix des Lumières depends entirely on the current show and price.
- Do not pay for Florianturm in fog, and check which side of the tracks a Hauptbahnhof listing is on.
- Do not use unofficial resale for BVB tickets. Tickets are personalised and refusal at the turnstile is a risk.
Getting around Dortmund: public transport and more
- Walk the centre, U-Bahn everything else. The centre is 20 minutes end to end.
- BVB home tickets normally include free VRR transport on match day, so do not double pay.
- For Ruhr day trips a Deutschlandticket or NRW day ticket covers regional trains, S-Bahn and U-Bahn, not ICE or IC.
- Dortmund Airport bus reaches Hauptbahnhof in about 25 minutes. Düsseldorf Airport trains take about 60 to 75 minutes.
Who Dortmund suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Great |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Great |
Make Dortmund your trip
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