City in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Photo: Drdavid41, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Essen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. A highlight of Essen is Zeche Zollverein, a with several museums. It is also famous for its Bauhaus architecture. This former industrial city was the European Capital of Culture in 2010 and the European Green Capital for 2017.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
Called the most beautiful coal mine in the world (in fact, it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Zollverein nowadays hosts diverse cultural highlights including an outstanding design centre and several museums. It is also famous for its Bauhaus architecture.
Collection of 2000 exemplary pieces of product design.
Known for the exhibits covering the history of photography and for paintings from all eras.
Krupp family historical chateau, art history museum and concert venue. After visiting the chateau, have a nice stroll or a boat tour across the Baldeney lake.
Featuring 17th- and 18th-century streets and buildings in its historic centre, it was an independent city until 1975 and has retained a sense of separateness.
Opened in 1913 for the large local Jewish community, the massive structure including its 37 m dome survived the Nazis and World War II. Post-war its interior was stripped by uncaring city officials and it wasn't until much later that it opened as a Jewish cultural centre in 2008.
Nice historic city centre with small shops and restaurants. From the historic city centre, it's just a couple of metres to the Werden Abbey, which was founded end of the 8th century.
Botanical garden (including playgrounds, waterfall, park railway, look-out tower, various animals, restaurants).
Aalto Theater
Interesting piece of architecture by Alvar Aalto (Finland).
Essener Münster
A 14th-century cathedral and treasure museum.
A historic train between Kupferdreh and Haus Scheppen.
"Essen genießen", this is a word play since "Essen" translates to "food" as well
Gourmet highlights in autumn.
Baldeneysee
Boat rentals, ship tour, sailing, canoeing, gastronomy on and at this large reservoir, on warm summer days you can get a tiny piece of Mediterranean flair here.
Essen Game Fair
An annual four-day boardgame trade fair which is also open to the public held in October at the Messe Essen exhibition centre.
Classic concerts of the Essener Philharmoniker and guest orchestras.
Sport events and concerts of national and international stars.
Former coalmine, which is now used as a cultural centre. Minor arts, rock music, and cabaret.
Event location inside a brickwork factory hall, build in 1901 and used for producing gas turbines until 1991, reopened in 1996 as location for events and musicals
Emerging and contemporary art.
German art after 1945.
Figurative painting.
Emerging art and artists.
Emerging and contemporary art.
Emerging and contemporary art.
Classical moderns and art after 1945.
Emerging and contemporary art.
Abstract, concrete, minimalistic.
Group of various smaller cinemas: filmstudio, Eulenspiegel, Astra-Theater, Galerie Cinema, with ambitious programs.
With 1,250 seats, it is the biggest and oldest cinema hall in Germany.
Sauna, swimming pool, massages, fitness, wellness.
Public open air swimming pools. From 1 June 2024 no entry without valid ID or passport for anyone older than 14.
Mediterranean/nouveau cuisine/vegetarian (no credit cards).
Pakistani
Croatian
Home cooking.
Regional.
Regional.
Kopstadtplatz. Bavarian-style restaurant.
Nouveau cuisine.
Classic/Italian. Vegetarian options. Reservations recommended.
Mediterranean.
Nouveau/international cuisine. Vegetarian options.
Nouveau/International cuisine.
Asian.
French; reservations recommended (ECcard accepted).
Indian (accepts ECcard).
Italian. Vegetarian options.
Italian.
Italian.
Italian.
Mediterranean.
Mediterranean.
Mediterranean.
Turkish.
Italian/nouveau cuisine.
International food. Dogs not welcome.
Five bars around a big playground. Meeting place for students, families, punks and managers. Urban culture centre of Essen.
A small bar with large and delicious cocktails & long drinks.
Simple, but tidy, this is a friendly place to stay for everybody who does not need luxury.
A flatshare style place mostly for groups, in a creative project house
Completely automated (i.e. only bookable online) concrete drain tubes with beds inside, you book and you're given a code for the door. Honour based system; contribute as many euros as you wish to the project. The project may have been discontinued as their booking webpage is gone.
Nice and calm place, but in the bushes. Free transport card for the whole VRR area.
Hotel in former villa of the Krupp family. Nice & calm & good breakfast. Free transport card for the whole VRR area.
(S6: Kettwig or SB 19: Werdener Markt or Tram 110: Mülheim Wilhelmstr. or Tram 102/104/112/901: Mülheim Stadtmitte or RE1/2/6/11, S1/3, U18: Mülheim Ruhr Hbf or U11: Messe West/Süd / Gruga or Tram 101/107: Martinstr. or Tram 105: Rellinghausen Rathaus or SB15: Annental, then Bus 142/151/190: Ringstr.) No dogs.
No dogs.
(S1: Essen-Eiberg or RE 14, S3/9, Tram 103/109: Essen-Steele, then Bus 164/184: Carl-Wolf-Str.).
Central, just beside the Essen Central station. You can watch the train passing by from your window, yet calm due to good isolation
A hotel run by a creative project, having a nice rooftop terrace.
(U11, Tram 101/107: Martinstr. or Tram 105: Rellinghausen Rathaus or SB15: Annental or S6: Kettwig, then Bus 142: Girardet Haus).
U11, stop: Messe Ost/Gruga
(U11, Tram 101/107: Martinstr. or Tram 105: Töpferstr. or Tram 106: Cäcilienstr. or SB15: Huttropstr. or Tram 103/109: Schwanenbuschstr. or RE1/2/6/11/14/16, RB40/42, S1/2/3/6/9, U11/17/18, SB16/19: Essen Hbf or U18: Breslauer Str. or Tram 110: Flughafen Essen/Mülheim, then Bus 145/146/160/161: Paulinenstr.)
Hotel beside the Folkwang museum. Business style with good breakfast
Place for proms (and wannabes), but best breakfast in town.
Stretches from the train station north on and adjacent to Kettwiger Strasse.
Probably Essen's trendiest district, with lots of smaller specialised shops, cafes, and restaurants mainly along the main shopping and strolling promenade, Rüttenscheider Straße.
Large modern shopping centre, large underground car park, underground station that connects directly to the building.
By car
By train
Essen can be reached quite easily by train. There are many express connections from Cologne, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and other major German cities. Flixtrain serves the city.
By bus
Essen is part of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr bus and train system. See also Ruhrbahn.
By boat
The Rhine river transportation system can be reached via the Herne Kanal. Weiße Flotte Baldeney operate ships on the Ruhr river.
Essen has an extensive Stadtbahn (light rail), tram, bus and night bus system.
Read in the guideChoose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Düsseldorf · International · DUS
Loading places around the airport…
Articles and travel topics about Essen and Germany.
Understand travel insurance for a Schengen visa in 2026. Learn mandatory €30,000 medical coverage, zero deductible rules, and embassy-approved policies.
7 min read
Estimate your Europe trip cost for 2 weeks in 2026. Compare realistic budgets for lodging, Eurail trains, dining, and sightseeing across three styles.
8 min read
Plan your trip with our Oktoberfest 2027 guide. Learn how to reserve beer tent tables, understand Munich hotel booking windows, and budget daily costs.
8 min read
Explore the best castle and gothic hotel stays in Europe. Discover historic fortresses, medieval estates, luxury châteaux, and Spanish parador hotels.
6 min read
Every section of the guide. Open one to read it in full.