There are four bus routes from the airport: directly to Dortmund city centre and Unna, Holzwickede Station and Aplerbeck Underground Station.

Book a hotel in Dortmund

Which line to take?

I visited Dortmund Airport in 2026 and it took me a long time to figure out which bus line would be the most convenient for me.

Here are my tips:

• 👉 Dortmund -> direct bus to the city centre or cheaper bus 490 + metro
• 👉 Düsseldorf, Cologne, Wuppertal -> bus to Holzwickede station -> train
• Duisburg -> direct bus to Dortmund city centre -> train
• 👉 Hamm -> bus C41 to Unna -> train

You can search for connections via many different websites. I used the German rail search engine bahn.de.

Public transport buses

The stops for all bus lines are right outside the terminal.

Tickets for all lines can be purchased at the red machine at the first stop (where line 490 stops).

Dortmund

There is a direct non-stop service from the airport to Dortmund Hbf Central Station in the city centre.

A cheaper connection is provided by local bus line 490 to the nearest metro station.

AirportExpress

The AirportExpress runs non-stop to Dortmund Central Station.

• 10 eur - 1 ride (no other regional tickets apply)
  • Vending machine at the bus stop (cash and card)
  • From the driver (cash only)
• Frequency - 60 minutes
• Journey time - 25 minutes
• Timetable: dortmund-airport.com/bus-and-train
• Tip for hotel near Dortmund Hbf station: NH Dortmund ****

Bus 490 + Underground U47

A cheaper connection is offered by the combination of the bus 490 to the Aplerbeck terminus, where the metro U47 connects in the direction of Dortmund city centre.

You can buy your ticket at the ticket machine at the bus stop or on the VRR mobile app (Google Play / App Store.

• 3,80 eur - Ticket for 60 minutes
• 7,60 eur - 24-hour ticket for the Dortmund zone (discounted group tickets available) or more expensive tickets for the entire Rhineland-Pomerania zone around 30 eur
• Frequency (bus 490) - 20 minutes on weekdays, 30 minutes on weekends (metro runs more frequently)
• Travel time - 5 minutes
• Timetable: dortmund-airport.com/bus-and-train
• Connection search: vrr.de

Holzwickede Station (Airport Shuttle)

There is a direct bus service to Holzwickede railway station, 2 km away, where regional trains to Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Wuppertal, Unna, Hamm, Soest or Krefeld stop. Airport Shuttle operated by the airport.

• 3 eur - 1 ride (no other regional tickets apply for the bus)
  • Vending machine at the bus stop (cash and card)
  • From the driver (cash only)
• Frequency - 20 minutes on weekdays, 30 minutes on weekends
• Travel time - 5 minutes
• Timetable: dortmund-airport.com/bus-and-train

With direct bus and regional bus services to Dortmund with a transfer to the metro, it's worth using the connection at Holzwickede station, especially when travelling to more distant cities.

Timetables and train tickets - bahn.de

Unna

The C41 bus line runs to the centre of Unna to the Hbf train station.

• 3,80 eur - Ticket for 60 minutes
• 7,60 eur - 24-hour ticket for the Unna zone (discounted group tickets are available) or more expensive tickets for the entire Rhineland-Pomerania zone around 30 eur
• Frequency - 60 minutes
• Journey time - 30 minutes
• Timetable: dortmund-airport.com/bus-and-train
• Connection search: westfalenfahrplan.de

Rent a car

If you want to go exploring the peaceful German countryside, rent a car directly at the airport.

Europcar, Sixt and Avis are all available here, and you'll find their desks right in the arrivals hall.

Prices for a 4-day rental are around 260 eur.

Taxi / Uber

The taxi stand is in the basement right in the arrivals hall.

You can always pay by cash or card and there are always plenty of cars waiting outside the airport - there are no waiting times even in the evening.

You can also use Uber in Dortmund, which is located on the ground floor in the parking garage and usually offers better prices than regular taxis.

• Dortmund - taxi from 25 eur / Uber from 20 eur
• Hamm - taxi from 40 eur / Uber from 30 eur
• Hagen - taxi from 35 eur / Uber from 30 eur