Euro 2024 By Train: Düsseldorf

The city's main station Düsseldorf Hbf has direct trains to all of the other cities that are staging matches during Euro 2024.

Düsseldorf is a good choice of base city for followers of the England team, despite the team not playing any of its group stage matches in the city.
Gelsenkirchen and Cologne both have 24 hour train services from and to Düsseldorf with rail journey times of under an hour.
Plus the iconic high speed ICE trains take less than 1hr 15 mins to travel between Düsseldorf and Frankfurt Flughafen, for connections into local trains to/from the Stadion station - which is is a 10 min walk from the Frankfurt Arena aka the Deutshe Bank Park Stadium.

the UK to Düsseldorf by train

The rail journey from London to Düsseldorf isn't complicated, up to four Eurostar trains per day depart London which have easily timed connections of around 1hr 20 mins in Bruxelles-Midi station, into a different type of Eurostar high-speed train for the journey on to Düsseldorf.
The total travel time will be around six hours and tickets are already on sale on Eurostar and on Trainline.

The stadium in Dusseldorf, which is also known as the MERKUR SPIEL-ARENA, is located towards the northern edge of the city.

It has an impressive station named D-MERKUR SPIEL-ARENA/Messe Nord station which on match days is served by a dedicated metro service - the line U78 which shuttles between the city's main station, Düsseldorf Hbf, and the stadium.
At Düsseldorf Hbf the U-Bahn is underground.

Bus route / line 896 goes from the airport to the stadium, the distance between them is comparatively short.

The U-Bahn line/route U79 travels between Duisburg and Dusseldorf and it has a stop named Freiligrathplatz which is a 10 - 15 min walk to/from the stadium.
In Duisburg the U79 stops at the main rail station, Duisburg Hbf and close to all of the long-distance, ICE and IC trains which serve Dusseldorf Hbf also call at Duisburg Hbf.
The ICE and IC express trains to Dusseldorf from cities to the east and north, such as Berlin, Hannover and Hamburg call first in Duisburg - so making the connection into the U-Bahn trams on to the stadium in Dusseldorf at Duisburg station, is the easier route.

The train services from Dusseldorf to Gelsenkirchen also call at Duisburg - in general there are more trains between Duisburg and Gelsenkirchen, in comparison to the service between Dusseldorf and Gelsenkirchen.

This network of U-Bahn & S-Bahn lines, trams and buses in Dusseldorf is managed by Rheinbahn, which is part of the wider VRR network.

Tickets can be purchased via the Rheinbahn app or VRR app, their websites, at ticket machines located at stations, or at staffed ticket counters in larger stations. It's important to remember that most physical tickets need to be stamped before travelling.

Match ticket holders are entitled to a 36 Hour Travel Pass for the entire VRR (Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr) network at no additional cost.
The pass is valid from 06:00 on matchday until 18:00 the following day.

The key things worth knowing about tickets to travel on trains to and from Dusseldorf.

• Tickets for the Regio and S-Bahn trains can be purchased at the station on the day of travel - they can't be booked online as they're not discounted
• The Regio and S-Bahn trains are available for travel direct between Dusseldorf and Cologne, Dortmund and Gelsenkirchen.
• Tickets for the journeys involving the ICE or IC trains between Dusseldorf and Berlin, Frankfurt (Main), Hamburg and Leipzig can be booked online and are already available for travel during the tournament.
• However, match ticket holders can book the DB Ticket Euro 2024 offer for journeys by ICE and IC trains at a flat rate price of €29.90 in 2nd class and €39.90 in 1st class - see the info below,

Those with match tickets are able to access a special type of ticket, the DB Ticket Euro 2024 for travel by ICE and IC train to the host city of the corresponding game - the train conductor will ask to see the rail ticket and the match ticket.
Though the tickets have limited availability per departure, so for the widest possible choice of trains, it will be best to book as far in advance as possible.
The key plus of these tickets is that they have a flat rate price for a one-way trip of €29.90 in 2nd class and €39.90 in 1st class; so when the cheapest prices of both types of Sparpreis tickets have sold out, these Euro 2024 tickets obviously become the cheapest option.
They're likely to money savers when travelling between Dusseldorf and Berlin, Frankfurt (Main) Hamburg and Leipzig.

If when looking up a journey on DB there are tickets available at a cheaper price than €29.90 in 2nd class and €39.90 in 1st class, they will be offered as an alternative.

The info on our general Euro2024 guide has step-by-step instructions on how to book these tickets.

seat reservations

The 1st class tickets include a seat reservation, which otherwise costs €5.90, but seat reservations are not included when booking the 2nd class DB Ticket Euro 2024 tickets - and a 2nd class seat reservation has an additional charge of €4;90.
If you don't reserve it will be possible to board a train with a 2nd class DB Ticket Euro 2024 ticket to find that no seats are available.
Note that once you factor in the reservation, the additional cost of a 1st class DB Ticket Euro 2024 ticket is only €5-6 - for longer journeys this extra cost will be worth every cent!

core terms and conditions

These Euro 2024 tickets cannot be exchanged or refunded - so book your accommodation before you arrange the rail travel.
U[p to four children aged 6 to 14 can travel with for free of charge with someone aged 15 and over who has purchased a Euro 2024 ticket.

book to travel on to the stadiums

To make the journeys to the stations / public transport stops by the stadiums easier to book, a dedicated journey look up service has been created.
It shows the names of the stations / stops closest to the stadiums in each of the Euro 2024 cities.
That's because the the DB Ticket Euro 2024 ticket can include the transfer on to the stops by the stadiums.
Though something to look out for, is that to book the DB Ticket Euro 2024 ticket, you need to:

• copy the name of the stop
• scroll up the page and click on the red 'Jetzt Ticket buchen' button
• paste the name of the stadium stop into the 'to' box
• follow the booking path - info on how to do this is available here.
  However, if you click on the name of the stadium stop on this look-up page, it will then be automatically included as the destination on DB's standard booking path - but if you proceed to book, you seemingly won't then see the DB Ticket Euro 2024 offer.

The teams playing in Dusseldorf will also be playing matches in the cities listed below:

typical journey time = around 4hr 15mins
usual daytime frequency = 1 or 2 x direct trains per hour

There are hourly ICE trains per hour from Dusseldorf to Berlin Hbf in a journey time of around 4hr 15mins, though in certain hours there are additional trains with a journey time of around 4hr 40mins.
The final train of the day typically departs at 23:37.
If you will be travelling direct to the Olympiastadion leave the train at Berlin-Spandau and connect into a local S-Bahn train on lines S3 or S9.

The DB Ticket Euro 2024 will be available for travel on this route - the general Euro 2024 guide explains how to book them.

Attending the matches in Cologne / Köln can be easily done as a day trip from Dusseldorf.

typical journey time = 25mins by ICE/IC train; 35 mins by RE trains
usual daytime frequency = 4 or more x direct trains per hour

There are typically at least two ICE trains per hour from Dusseldorf to Cologne / Köln, but they are best avoided, as the alternative Regio trains are cheaper, more frequent and have similar journey times.
The trains on lines; RE1 heading to Aachen, RE5 to Koblenz and RE6 heading to Koln/Bonn Flughafen all operate at hourly intervals and the RE1 and RE6 services are available 24 hours.
All three services go to the main station in Cologne, Köln Hbf, but they also make a prior stop at Köln-Messe Deutz - the journey time from Dusseldorf to Köln-Messe Deutz is only 27mins.
Line 1 of the city's tram network serves the stadium and it has a stop at Koln-Messe Deutz station.

Note that the S-Bahn local trains on line S11 also link Dusseldorf with Köln-Messe Deutz, but they are best avoided as they around 20 mins slower - they typically depart a few mins before the RE trains.

Attending the matches in Frankfurt (Main) can be easily done as a day trip from Dusseldorf.

typical journey time to the stadium station = 1hr 50mins - 2hrs
usual daytime frequency = 2 or 3 x journey options per hour

Stadion station in Frankfurt lives up to its name with a location that is a 10 min walk from the Arena Frankfurt.
The station is located on the railway route which connects Frankfurt Airport / Flughafen to the city's main station, Frankfurt (Main) Hbf, but the long-distance express trains don't call at Stadion.
So when heading direct to the Arena Frankfurt from Dusseldorf the quickest route is to take an ICE train to the station at Frankfurt Flughafen and connect there for a local S-Bahn train on to Stadion - take trains on lines S8 and S9, which will be heading towards Hanau every 15mins.

In even hours there are typically 2 or 3 x ICE trains per hour from Dusseldorf to Frankfurt Flughafen, which have a journey time of around 1hr 20mins - Frankfurt Flughafen is at the southern end of a high-speed line
Though there are two separate stations at Frankfurt Flughafen, the Fernbahnhof that the ICE trains will arrive at, and the Regionalbanhnhof that's used by the S-Bahn trains - making the transfer between them takes around 5 mins.

In the odd hours there is only one ICE train from Dusseldorf to Frankfurt Flughafen, but this train goes on to call at Frankfurt (Main) Hbf - and it is also available in the even hours, so it provides an hourly city centre to city centre service.

There are typically trains from Dusseldorf, which call at both stations in Frankfurt, that depart at 23:37 and 01:24.

The DB Ticket Euro 2024 will be available for travel on this route - the general Euro 2024 guide explains how to book them.

from Frankfurt

There are ICE trains from Frankfurt (Main) Hbf, in the city centre to Düsseldorf at least hourly.
Though there are two or three trains per hour from the station at Frankfurt Flughafen to Düsseldorf, the fastest of which have a journey time of around 1hr 5mins!

When travelling direct from the Arena Frankfurt stadium by train, the quicker and easier option will be to take trains from the Stadion station to Frankfurt Flughafen.
During the tournament there will be additional trains from Frankfurt Flughafen to Düsseldorf at 00:23 and 01:21.

Attending the matches in Gelsenkirchen can be easily done as a day trip from Dusseldorf.

typical journey time = 43mins
usual daytime frequency = 2 x direct trains per hour

There are 2 x Regio trains per hour from Dusseldorf to Gelsenkirchen, line RE2 will be heading on to Osnabruck or Munster and line RE3 will be heading to Hamm (West) - the journey time is 43 mins.
The final train of the day typically departs shortly after midnight.
Both services call at the station linked to Dusseldorf Airport / Flughafen.

from Gelsenkirchen

There are 2 x Regio trains per hour from Gelsenkirchen to Düsseldorf Hbf to Gelsenkirchen, the trains on route RE2 and RE3 both typically terminate in Düsseldorf - the journey time by both services is only 43 mins.
The final train of the day typically departs Gelsenkirchen at 23:28, but there are later indirect alternatives - all through the night there are trains in each hour which will depart Gelsenkirchen for Duisburg or Essen - and these trains all have onward connections to Dusseldorf.
Both services call at the station linked to Dusseldorf Airport / Flughafen.

typical journey time = 3hr 55mins
usual daytime frequency = 1 x direct train per hour

There are hourly ICE trains to Hamburg which have a journey time of around 3hr 55mins; plus there will be an additional train during the tournament which will depart Dusselsorf Hbf at 00:38.

Though there are some faster ICE 'Sprinter' services with a journey time of around 3hr 5mins, they depart usually depart from Dusseldorf at 06:54, 10:43 and 16:29.

If you will be travelling direct to the Volksparkstadion from Dusseldorf a good option can be leaving the train when it arrives in Hamburg-Harburg station and connecting there for local S-Bahn trains on lines S3 and S5 to Stellingen - shuttles buses connect Stellingen station to the stadium.

The DB Ticket Euro 2024 will be available for travel on this route - the general Euro 2024 guide explains how to book them.

from Hamburg

There is typically 1 x ICE train per hour on the Hamburg ↔ Düsseldorf Hbf route and the journey time is around 3hr 30mins.
Though there are some faster ICE 'Sprinter' services with a journey time of around 3hr 5mins, they depart Hamburg Hbf at 06:11 (Mon-Thurs) and 18:08 daily;

Though when travelling from Hamburg direct to the stadium in Dusseldorf, it can be a good idea to take the train to Duisburg Hbf, which is the station call prior to Dusseldorf.
The U-Bahn line/route U79 travels between Duisburg Hbf and Dusseldorf and it has a stop named Freiligrathplatz which is a 10 - 15 min walk to/from the stadium.

When heading to Düsseldorf the final train of the day typically departs from Hamburg Hbf at 22:46, but during the Euro 2024 tournament there will be an additional later train leaving at 23:48.
Both trains commence their journeys at Hamburg-Altona - at 22:28 and 23:32.

typical journey time = 5hr 40mins
frequency = 2 x direct trains per day + hourly options with connections

During the tournament there will be an additional daily direct IC train which will be departing Dusseldorf at 00:55 and arriving in Leipzig shortly before 07:30 - though it will be an InterCity train, not a sleeper train.
There is also a daily InterCity train which departs at 09:34 and arrives in Leipzig around 15:15
Alternative journey options, with at least one connection, will be available hourly during the day.

The DB Ticket Euro 2024 will be available for travel on this route - the general Euro 2024 guide explains how to book them.

from Leipzig
There is one daily InterCity train from Leipzig to Düsseldorf Hbf, it departs at 14:37 and arrives at 20:24.
If the timings of this train doesn't suit the easiest alternative is to take a train to Dortmund and connect there for a Regio train or an ICE train on to Düsseldorf.
Both services will be scheduled to depart from Dortmund within twenty minutes of the arrival of the train from Leipzig

Düsseldorf Airport is served by two railway stations:

• Düsseldorf Flughafen Terminal, which lives up to its name with a location directly beneath the airport terminal
• Düsseldorf Flughafen bf, note the subtle name difference, which is located on the closest main railway route by the airport.
  It is therefore linked to the airport terminal by the groovy Sky Train monorail, which has no charge.
  The monorail services departs every 5 to 7 minutes between 03:45 and 00:45 and the journey time is seven minutes; so allow a minimum of around 15-20 minutes to transfer to/from the trains.

Taking the local S-Bahn trains

The only trains which use the Düsseldorf Flughafen Terminal station are local S-Bahn trains on route/line S11.
They depart every 20 mins during the day on Monday to Friday and every 30mins at evenings and on weekends.
They link the airport with multiple stops in the city including the main railway station, Düsseldorf Hbf.
The journey time between the airport and Dusseldorf Hbf is only 12 minutes and the transfer to/from the airport can be looked up on the local journey planner.
The first train of the day on the every 20mins schedule departs Dusseldorf Hbf at aroud 05:00, but there are some earlier services.
The final train of the day departs the airport at around 01:20; typically all of the trains will be heading to Bergisch Gladbach and will also be calling in Neuss and Köln - see below.

Taking trains to/from Düsseldorf Flughafen bf

Most of the trains which call at the station are either:

• local S-Bahn trains on route/line S1, which two or three times per hour link the airport with multiple station calls in Bochum, Dortmund, Essen and Solingen
• Regio trains

The Regio trains provide these typically available links with Düsseldorf Airport:

• Aachen* = 1 x train per hour
• Bielefeld* = 1 x train per hour
• Bochum = 3 x trains per hour
• Dortmund = 3 x trains per hour
• Essen = 4 x trains per hour
• Gelsenkirchen = 1 x train per hour
• Hamm = 3 x trains per hour
• Kassel-Wilhelmshoe* = 1 x train per hour
• Köln / Cologne = 2 x trains per hour
• Munster (West) = 1 x train per hour
• Osnabruck* = 1 x train per hour
  *= the final trains of the day on these routes typically depart before 23:00.

The ICE trains which link Düsseldorf with Bielefeld, Hanover and Berlin also call at Düsseldorf Flughafen bf hourly.
However, the majority of the other ICE trains which travel between Dusseldorf and more distant cities, including: Amsterdam, Frankfurt (Main), Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Munich, Nuremberg and Stuttgart only arrive at and depart from Dusseldorf Hbf.
The quickest connections in and out these trains is by taking the S-Bahn trains to/from the Düsseldorf Flughafen Terminal station.