PLANES & AIRPORT IN RUHR
The airport in nearby Düsseldorf offers a fresh modern layout and design that is easy to navigate. Whist some airports are massive hubs processing many tens of millions of passengers, Düsseldorf’s is one of those few favourites around the globe where necessary formalities surrounding a flight can normally be surprisingly smooth.
Orientation and speedy check-in is facilitated by three compact, yet modern, light and open interconnecting terminals and short distances. This makes the airport very accessible. Amenities are of international standards with shopping possible beyond security. The airport also boasts a supermarket on the open lower level with opening hours second to none in the region, in or out of an airport. Local expats also adore the fact that it is open on Sundays.
Getting to
The airport is a few kilometres to the west of Essen. While a local train, S-Bahn, runs to and from the central station directly under the terminals. Trains of the national rail system connect well to the airport via a suspended people mover, local public transport system. The motorway network runs almost right to the door and parking facilities.
The nearest alternatives are Cologne/Bonn, Dortmund and Weeze, all about an hour away from Ruhr. They are relatively easy to get to but journey times can be somewhat unpredictable in this densely populated and highly motorised region.
Getting away
A substantial network of airlines fly to short and mid range locations in many parts of Europe and beyond. Flight times are between one hour and five hours or so.
Destinations farther afield are also connected to Germany’s third largest airport via a few intercontinental direct and nonstop flights. At the time of writing, they include Dubai with Emirates and Abu Dhabi on Etihad, Singapore with Singapore Airlines, Beijing with Air China and Tokio with ANA for instance. Flying to the USA is possible with Delta to Atlanta and New York on Lufthansa. Hotter climes can be reached in the Caribbean and Mexico for vacations too.
Flying to other national hubs in Frankfurt and Munich to connect to further worldwide destinations is possible all day long. Then, of course, there are Amsterdam, London, Paris, Helsinki and many, many more.
By Vincent Green, Jul 12 2021
Flughafen Düsseldorf GmbH
Flughafenstrasse 105
40474 Düsseldorf
+49 211 421 0
GERMAN FOR FUN
We stand in a foreign culture finding ourselves pointing, gesticulating and hoping to be understood. Germans mostly speak at least some English. However, some expats relocating to the Ruhr Metropolis may wish to carry a few basic but helpful words with them for use in awkward moments.
PETS IN RUHR
Germans, on the whole, love and respect pets and are friendly towards dogs. Dogs are permitted on public transport and inside restaurants but keeping a pet on a leash is a must. Dog ownership in the Ruhr Metropolis is highly regulated, while the national is populace is, in general, very dog friendly.
AIRPORT GETAWAY
The airport in Düsseldorf is located under thirty kilometres from the centre of Essen. DUS offers the Ruhr Metropolis easy access to many destinations worldwide. Journey times can vary enormously depending on the time of day. Public transport includes ICE or S-Bahn trains to the terminal via a Skytrain connection.
Anyone who has experienced the hospitality offered by this society knows that the country and its folk have changed enormously over recent years. The Ruhr Metropolis is, on the whole, peaceful and its citizens are mostly generous and contented.
