The airport is connected to the ‘S-Bahn’ urban railway, the ‘U-Bahn’ underground and several public transport bus routes, which take passengers to the centre of Düsseldorf and the surrounding neighbourhoods.

There is also an intercity railway station approximately 2 km from the terminal, which can be reached by a free automated train.

Book a hotel in the centre of Düsseldorf

You can compare all modes of transport and search for connections between specific stops on the website rheinbahn.com.

Type	Price	Journey time	Frequency	Change
S-Bahn S11 and S1	3,80 eur	14 minutes	20 minutes	0
Regional trains	3,80 eur	20–25 minutes	2–20 minutes	1
U-Bahn U80	3,80 eur	16 minutes	20 minutes	0
Bus 721	3,80 eur	35 minutes	20 minutes	0

Which type of transport should I choose?

As all modes of transport cost the same, I choose my journey from the airport depending on where I’m heading:

• Düsseldorf’s historic centre ➡️ U-Bahn U80
• Main railway station ➡️ S-Bahn S1 or S11
• Anywhere other than Düsseldorf ➡️ The automated train to the railway station, then onwards by regional trains

Before leaving the airport terminal, you can check the interactive departure board to see the current departure times for all services and decide whether it’s worth taking the automated shuttle train to the railway station or whether you’d prefer to take the S-Bahn S11 directly from the terminal.

Ticket prices

A single fare applies across the wider region, including the cities of Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Dortmund, Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Mönchengladbach, Neuss and many others, under the auspices of the transport operator Rheinbahn.

Fare prices are the same for the S-Bahn, regular regional trains and buses.

You will most often use the following types of tickets:

• 90 minutes (tariff A3) – 3,80 eur
• 24 hours (for journeys within Düsseldorf only) – 7,60 eur

Significant discounts apply to all-day tickets when travelling in a group.

You can buy tickets from ticket machines at all stations or via the Rheinbahn mobile app.

U-Bahn U80 (U81)

If you’re heading to the historic centre, the quickest way to get there is by the U80 underground line (which in Düsseldorf looks more like a tram).

The “Düsseldorf Flughafen Terminal” station is located directly beneath the airport terminal, and the U80 runs directly to the historic centre without the need to change trains, stopping at eitherHeinrich-Heine-AlleeorSteinstr./Königsallee.

The U80 line terminates at Düsseldorf Hbf (main station), although it is quicker to get there by taking the S-Bahn trains S1 or S11.

Trains on the U81 line also depart from the same platform, but these only go to the exhibition centre on the northern outskirts of Düsseldorf (so they do not go to the city centre).

• Journey time– 16 minutes to Steinstr./Königsallee
• Frequency– every 20 minutes (every 30 minutes late in the evening)
• Fare– 3,80 eur
• Map and timetable: vrs.de/linie/u80

S-Bahn S11 and S1

The most convenient way to get to the city centre is by S-Bahn. The S11 line stops right outside the terminal; the station is called “Düsseldorf Flughafen Terminal”. You therefore do not need to take the shuttle train from the terminal to the railway station.

On weekdays, the S11 line is supplemented by the S1 line, which also runs to Düsseldorf Central Station.

The entrance to the S11 S-Bahn station leads underground and is located approximately 50 metres in front of the airport building.

Trains on the S11 line run to Düsseldorf Central Station and also to the town of Neuss. From there, they continue south to Cologne and Bergisch Gladbach. However, the journey to Cologne is significantly quicker by regional train from the station 2 km from the terminal or with a change at Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof.

• Journey time– 14 minutes to Düsseldorf Hbf
• Frequency– every 20 minutes (every 30 minutes late in the evening)
• Fare– 3,80 eur
• Last train from the airport – 23:54 (1:24 in the early hours from Friday to Saturday and from Saturday to Sunday)
• First train from Düsseldorf Hbf – 5.41 am (5.51 am at weekends and on public holidays)
• Map and timetable: vrs.de/linie/s11

Regional trains

Regional trains, which stop at the long-distance station “Düsseldorf Flughafen” – 2 km away – offer a more frequent service to a wider range of destinations; this station is connected to the terminal by the “SkyTrain” automated train.

The SkyTrain runs every 4–7 minutes from 3.45 am to 12.45 am. It has two stops within the terminal, both on the departures level. The journey to the station takes approximately 7 minutes and is included in the price of a train ticket or parking fee.

You can buy and validate your train ticket at the SkyTrain station.

Trains from “Düsseldorf Flughafen” station run in many directions:

• Düsseldorf Hbf
  • Frequency – every 2 to 20 minutes
  • Total journey time – 20 to 25 minutes (including the ‘SkyTrain’ journey)
  • Fare – 3,80 eur
• Duisburg
  • Frequency – 6 to 30 minutes
  • Total journey time – 20 to 25 minutes (including the ‘SkyTrain’ journey)
  • Price – 3,80 eur
• Cologne
  • Frequency of direct services – 14 to 40 minutes
  • Total journey time – 50 minutes (including the ‘SkyTrain’ journey)
  • Price – 14,80 eur
• Essen
  • Frequency – 12 to 30 minutes
  • Total journey time – 35 minutes (including the 'SkyTrain' journey)
  • Price – 19,80 eur
• Dortmund
  • Frequency – 12 to 30 minutes
  • Total journey time – 55 minutes (including the ‘SkyTrain’ journey)
  • Price – 19,80 eur

You can find full timetables, online ticket purchases and further information on the bahn.de website, for example.

Buses

In addition, the following bus routes stop at the main terminal, providing a convenient way to travel to Düsseldorf city centre or other nearby towns.

The bus stops are right in front of the terminal.

• 721 – Düsseldorf city centre, northern and eastern parts of the city
  • Frequency – every 20 minutes
  • Journey time to the city centre – 35 minutes
• 760 – Ratingen, Bockum, Rosspfad
  • Frequency – every 20 to 30 minutes
• SB51– Kaarst
  • Frequency – every 20 minutes

Public transport map

Taxis

The taxi rank is located directly in front of the airport terminal. Both regular taxis and Uber operate in Düsseldorf, with Uber often offering lower fares.

The average fares to city centres are as follows:

• Düsseldorf – 20 eur
• Duisburg – 38 eur
• Neuss – 28 eur

Car hire

Set off from the airport by car to explore the Rhine Valley or the countryside of the Bergisches Land region.

Weekly car hire prices are around 320 eur .

• Compare prices – book a car at DUS Airport