Cheap Transportation to Düsseldorf Airport in Germany

Getting to DUS Flughafen Fast by Train, Car, Taxi, or Shuttle Bus

Trains provide the cheapest ground transportation to Düsseldorf Airport (DUS), Germany. Trains run from the downtown Hauptbahnhof and Ruhr cities Dortmund, Duisburg, Essen, and Köln.

Foto: Andreas Wiese, Düsseldorf International

Düsseldorf Airport (DUS) can easily be reached by public transportation. Trains are usually the cheapest and fastest way to get to Flughafen Düsseldorf either from the Hauptbahnhof in downtown or other cities in the region including Dortmund, Duisburg, Essen, and Cologne (Köln). Occasionally, bus services are available too but trains are generally the best option for most tourist and business travelers. Taxis and private airport shuttle services (Taxi2Airport gives online quotations) are more expensive but can also be a suitable alternative for small groups, families, and the infirm especially when traveling with heavy luggage or at off hours.

• Düsseldorf may also be spelled Duesseldorf – Dusseldorf is understood easily enough but incorrect. (Copy and paste German addresses when the spelling with an umlaut is required.)

Ground Transportation to Flughafen Düsseldorf Airport (DUS)

Düsseldorf Airport (DUS) is very conveniently located for visitors to the capital of the German federal state North Rhine-Westphalia. The airport is only around 10 km northwest of Düsseldorf and can thus be reached very fast by both train and road.

Düsseldorf has less than 600,000 inhabitants while the larger Ruhr area has more than 10 million. As a result, Düsseldorf Airport is also a major port of entry for visitors to Ruhr cities such as Essen, Duisburg, and Dortmund. Düsseldorf Airport is also a sound alternative to Frankfurt International Airport (FRA) for intercontinental travelers going to the Ruhr and even to Cologne.

Getting to Düsseldorf Airport (DUS) Cheaply by Train

Trains are generally the easiest, fastest, and cheapest way to get to Düsseldorf Airport as direct connections are available to many cities without the need to transfer at Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof.

Railway passengers should note that Deutsche Bahn (German Railways) operates two separate stations at Düsseldorf Airport.

• Bahnhof Düsseldorf Flughafen (Düsseldorf Airport Station)

Most trains to Düsseldorf Airport stop at Bahnhof Düsseldorf Flughafen. Despite the promising name, this station is not directly at the airport and not within walking distance either.

From Bahnhof Düsseldorf Flughafen, passengers have to take the SkyTrain monorail to Düsseldorf Airport terminal buildings. This 2.5-km (1.6-mile) journey takes only 7 minutes. The SkyTrain runs every three and half to seven minutes.

The high frequency of the SkyTrain should be no surprise – around 350 trains stop daily at Bahnhof Düsseldorf Flughafen. Most continue to or arrive from Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof. Around 60 per day go to Köln Hauptbahnhof and double that number to Duisburg.

Bahnhof Düsseldorf Flughafen is on the main line from Düsseldorf to Duisburg and used by ICE, IC, EC, and local trains (including some S-Bahn trains). Direct trains from Bahnhof Düsseldorf Flughafen  go to amongst others:

• Düsseldorf (7 minutes)
• Cologne (Köln) (40 min)
• Bonn (65 min)
• Koblenz (2 hours)
• Berlin (4 hours)
• Duisburg (8 min)
• Essen (25 min)
• Dortmund (60 min)
• Aachen (100 min)

Both Düsseldorf and Cologne (Köln) are major German Railways hubs with fast trains to all parts of Germany and indeed most of Europe.

• Düsseldorf Flughafen Terminal (Düsseldorf Airport Terminal Station)

Lucky indeed are train passengers who can arrive at Düsseldorf Flughafen Terminal station. This small train station is in the basement of Düsseldorf Airport’s terminal C building.

Currently, only trains of the S-Bahn line S7 stops at Düsseldorf Flughafen Terminal. S-Bahn line S7 goes from Düsseldorf Airport to Solingen but most conveniently stops en route at Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof. S7 trains run usually twice per hour in 12 minutes to Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof making it a more attractive option that other trains via the SkyTrain when traveling to downtown Düsseldorf.

By Road to Düsseldorf Airport (DUS)

Düsseldorf Airport is close to Autobahn A44, exit 31 and can easily be reached from many parts in the region. Travel time from downtown Düsseldorf can be as short as 10 minutes. Taxis to central Düsseldorf (Old Town or Hauptbahnhof area) cost around €16, to Duisburg €30, and to Essen €40. Private airport shuttle services are also available but it is best to compare rates online as fares and service conditions vary widely.

For most foreign travelers, the limited number of bus service to Düsseldorf Airport is of lesser interest. However, during major conferences and exhibitions (Messe) at Düsseldorf or Essen, direct bus services are available from the airport to the respective exhibition grounds.

Düsseldorf Airport (DUS) is a major hub of Lufthansa and also used by many European full-service and low-cost airlines. Cheap flights are available to Düsseldorf Airport but for many the airport of choice for cheap flights is Cologne-Bonn Airport. Some low-cost airlines also advertise Airport Weeze as being near Düsseldorf but travelers may be surprised at the distance and inconvenience of this small airport from the downtown Düsseldorf.

Based on Transportation: Düsseldorf Airport first published on suite101.com.