Public Transport, Düsseldorf

This tip is especially for those who stay close to the Dusseldorf Fair (Messe). The station is called Messe Est and U-bahn 78 and 79 pass through it. The main destination is Altstadt (the old city) and the journey takes around 15min.

Düsseldorf has a very efficient system of thirteen tram lines and seven underground (subway) lines, not counting the controversial new one that is just being built (previous tip).

For us opera-goers it is very easy to use the public transport system, because each opera ticket also allows us to take public transport to and from the opera house on the night of the performance.

In Düsseldorf, there is a small U-Bahn line that is an underground subway. I took it once from the Koenigsallee area back to the Hauptbahnhof. It was a quick ride -- definitely shorter and easier than walking!

Of all of the German cities that I visited, I was most impressed with Düsseldorf's system of public transportation. Within the city, there is an extensive network of trams and buses that are easy to use, clean, comfortable, and safe. Therefore, a visitor to Düsseldorf can easily and inexpensively get around the city without having to rent a car.

Düsseldorf (and actually all of Northrhine Westphalia) has a great public transport system. The company that runs the system is called "Rheinbahn".

You can use trams, busses or the subway within Düsseldorf. Tickets aren't exactly cheap. A single ticket is €2,10! If you are travelling in a group the better deal is to get a day ticket. It costs € 10,60 and it works as group ticket for five people! A day ticket for one person costs 4,90.

Be careful! Night service is a bit on the weak side so trams stop running around midnight during the week and you will get home best by taxi. At the weekend some trams run until 2 in the morning but the system is quite confusing. In autumn 2006 they finally invented the wheel in Düsseldorf: There are night busses now! I haven't tried them yet but I will let you know once I did.

The S-Bahn will bring you to all the other big places around (like Cologne, Essen, Dortmund etc) or to the airport.

Düsseldorf has a good public tram system, but I stayed in the central city area and didn't really need to take advantage of it. However, if I'd gone out to the Museum Kunst Palast I would have gone on a tram.

Took the train from Koln to Dusseldorf and bought a train ticket that was also good for the public transport in Dusseldorf. I was glad that I did as the metro/tram system was straight-forward and the train station is a decent ways from the city center.

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A significant difference to other Multi-cultural-centres like London or New York:
In London English is spoken in Public, in busses etc. in spite of all the people from different continents. In Dusseldorf, at many places nowadays, neither German, nor English, French or Spanish is spoken. You may ask several people how to get to x and y place and you never get a sufficient reply even if you used your german you once studied hardly at school.
Although all children learned English at school for min. 4 years since the 1960 - no one dares to use it due to lack of practise. The problem is (like with the french) that all intern. movies and TV serials are synchronised. We never hear English reading german subtitles on TV or at cinema. A big disadvantage nowadays.

That's why I recommend you to study the system of schedules and maps and display. It is easy to understand but you need 10-20 minutes of concentration to get through it.