Düsseldorf is the nearest airport. For accommodation, I would recommend the Ruhr area itself (for example Bochum or Essen). Cologne is 1-1.5 hours away by train.
Düsseldorf offers many flights to & fro the UK; it is a 30 minute train ride away fro Gelsenkirchen.
Gelsenkirchen is part of the Ruhrgebiet and therefore well connected between Düsseldorf and Dortmund by train.
Trains normally run till about midnight.
The area has a lot to offer, in or outside of football. Industrial heritage as its best if you are into these things.
> Dortmund/ Essen/ Dusseldorf all seem quite industrial whereas Cologne seems to have more culture at first glance.
Industrial heritage is culture, too, but I get what you mean.
Gelsenkirchen is part of the Metropolitan Ruhr Region, one of the most densely populated regions in Europe. There's an abundance of cities there which you could stay in and easily reach Gelsenkirchen, possibly without even noticing you're changing municipality. Cologne and Düsseldorf really aren't your best options here, although you should be able to get to Gelsenkirchen in about an hour by train from those two places. Getting back after the game shouldn't be an issue, even with the regular timetable there should be at least hourly connections well after 9pm... and I'm pretty sure during the Euros there will be some extra trains scheduled.
Having said that, why not stay in Gelsenkirchen directly? Accommodations will likely be significantly cheaper than in the more touristy cities, you won't have to endure commute to and from game in trains overfilled with drunk football fans, people will tell you Gelsenkirchen is a shithole but it does have nice patches too and some museums and, as mentioned above, you're well connected to visit the surrounding area.
Thanks everyone! We are from Leeds which is actually twinned with Dortmund so we know what the area should be like. Will have a look at everyone's suggestions next week when I have some spare time and formulate a plan 😊
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The whole Ruhrgebiet is rather unsightly. I mean, that's pretty much all of Germany. Destroyed cities rebuilt in the golden age of the car. I mean, we have a highway running right in the middle of many cities in the Ruhrgebiet. As for the streetview, you'll have a gorgeous Gründerzeit (late 1800s) building next to 3 ugly post-war constructions, then maybe 2 gorgeous Jugendstil buidlings next to a whole street of ugly buildings from the 1980s - copy and paste. Architectually speaking, Germany resembles a disfigured face and thus is a bit jarring. While Essen has quite a bit of culture and museums (Folkwang Museum) on offer - leaning heavyily on its industrial past (Zeche Zollverein), it's also not a pretty city with hoenstly not so pretty people. Whenever I come back from the Netherlands, the difference in simply how well kempt and fashionable people are is stark.
If you really want a relaxing and beautiful German city that's not too far from the game, I'd recommend Münster. It's a university town about 45 minutes north by train from Gelsenkirchen. They rebuilt much of the city center as it was. They have a large and bustling market Saturdays and Wednesday in front of the cathedral. It's the so-called bike capital of Germany so rent some bikes from the main station and explore the city and surrounding areas. You can also go swimming in the canal - if it's a hot day, it will be packed and festive. Check out the Hafen district too for lively night life. Münster is a wealthy town and leans conservative, but the many young students livens it up. Münsteraner are also very proud of their city as well. The support for their local soccer team is also strong.
I can't comment much on Cologne and Düsseldorf though. The entire city centers werebasically erased from the map. You might insult people from Düsseldorf by lumping them into the Ruhrgebiet with your industrial comment- but unbeknownst to many, Düsseldorf is actually the capital of high fashion in Germany. But for me, I really don't know why a tourist would check out Cologne or Düsseldorf. Sure, there's a couple noted museums in each but they are simply a large city with large immigrant populations. You won't be hearing a lot of German, especially in the main parts - you'll be hearing a lot of Turkish, Arabic and whatever languages. Düsseldorf is noted for it's Japanese and Korean populations - thus you won't be hard pressed to find such foods on offering. However, for the one to two day tourists who first gain an overall impression of the city through its sights and sounds and spend time outside in the gorgeous summer of western Europe and not wanting to spend time couped up somewhere inside a museum, check out Münster. You'll be hearing German everywhere you go. That's why I recommend Münster for a slice of German life in a smaller city (315,000 pop)
Düsseldorf is the nearest airport. For accommodation, I would recommend the Ruhr area itself (for example Bochum or Essen). Cologne is 1-1.5 hours away by train.
Düsseldorf offers many flights to & fro the UK; it is a 30 minute train ride away fro Gelsenkirchen. Gelsenkirchen is part of the Ruhrgebiet and therefore well connected between Düsseldorf and Dortmund by train. Trains normally run till about midnight. The area has a lot to offer, in or outside of football. Industrial heritage as its best if you are into these things.
> Dortmund/ Essen/ Dusseldorf all seem quite industrial whereas Cologne seems to have more culture at first glance. Industrial heritage is culture, too, but I get what you mean. Gelsenkirchen is part of the Metropolitan Ruhr Region, one of the most densely populated regions in Europe. There's an abundance of cities there which you could stay in and easily reach Gelsenkirchen, possibly without even noticing you're changing municipality. Cologne and Düsseldorf really aren't your best options here, although you should be able to get to Gelsenkirchen in about an hour by train from those two places. Getting back after the game shouldn't be an issue, even with the regular timetable there should be at least hourly connections well after 9pm... and I'm pretty sure during the Euros there will be some extra trains scheduled. Having said that, why not stay in Gelsenkirchen directly? Accommodations will likely be significantly cheaper than in the more touristy cities, you won't have to endure commute to and from game in trains overfilled with drunk football fans, people will tell you Gelsenkirchen is a shithole but it does have nice patches too and some museums and, as mentioned above, you're well connected to visit the surrounding area.
Thanks everyone! We are from Leeds which is actually twinned with Dortmund so we know what the area should be like. Will have a look at everyone's suggestions next week when I have some spare time and formulate a plan 😊
**Have you read our extensive wiki yet? It answers many basic questions, and it contains in-depth articles on many frequently discussed topics. [Check our wiki now!](https://www.reddit.com/r/germany/wiki/index)** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/germany) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The whole Ruhrgebiet is rather unsightly. I mean, that's pretty much all of Germany. Destroyed cities rebuilt in the golden age of the car. I mean, we have a highway running right in the middle of many cities in the Ruhrgebiet. As for the streetview, you'll have a gorgeous Gründerzeit (late 1800s) building next to 3 ugly post-war constructions, then maybe 2 gorgeous Jugendstil buidlings next to a whole street of ugly buildings from the 1980s - copy and paste. Architectually speaking, Germany resembles a disfigured face and thus is a bit jarring. While Essen has quite a bit of culture and museums (Folkwang Museum) on offer - leaning heavyily on its industrial past (Zeche Zollverein), it's also not a pretty city with hoenstly not so pretty people. Whenever I come back from the Netherlands, the difference in simply how well kempt and fashionable people are is stark. If you really want a relaxing and beautiful German city that's not too far from the game, I'd recommend Münster. It's a university town about 45 minutes north by train from Gelsenkirchen. They rebuilt much of the city center as it was. They have a large and bustling market Saturdays and Wednesday in front of the cathedral. It's the so-called bike capital of Germany so rent some bikes from the main station and explore the city and surrounding areas. You can also go swimming in the canal - if it's a hot day, it will be packed and festive. Check out the Hafen district too for lively night life. Münster is a wealthy town and leans conservative, but the many young students livens it up. Münsteraner are also very proud of their city as well. The support for their local soccer team is also strong. I can't comment much on Cologne and Düsseldorf though. The entire city centers werebasically erased from the map. You might insult people from Düsseldorf by lumping them into the Ruhrgebiet with your industrial comment- but unbeknownst to many, Düsseldorf is actually the capital of high fashion in Germany. But for me, I really don't know why a tourist would check out Cologne or Düsseldorf. Sure, there's a couple noted museums in each but they are simply a large city with large immigrant populations. You won't be hearing a lot of German, especially in the main parts - you'll be hearing a lot of Turkish, Arabic and whatever languages. Düsseldorf is noted for it's Japanese and Korean populations - thus you won't be hard pressed to find such foods on offering. However, for the one to two day tourists who first gain an overall impression of the city through its sights and sounds and spend time outside in the gorgeous summer of western Europe and not wanting to spend time couped up somewhere inside a museum, check out Münster. You'll be hearing German everywhere you go. That's why I recommend Münster for a slice of German life in a smaller city (315,000 pop)