Gelsenkirchen travel guide
Schalke's Veltins-Arena, the Nordstern colliery and Yves Klein blue at the Musiktheater
Gelsenkirchen is a former coal city at the centre of the Ruhr and home of FC Schalke 04, with the Veltins-Arena, landscaped colliery parks, spoil-tip art and a big themed zoo. Visit from May to September for Nordsternpark and the zoo, or any season for a Schalke match. Pair a day or two here with Essen or Bochum. Costs are high.
Gelsenkirchen lies on the Emscher in the middle of the Ruhr, ringed by Essen, Bochum and Gladbeck. It was a village of a few thousand until coal was struck in the 1840s; by 1900 it had grown past 130,000 and was the busiest mining town in Europe, nicknamed the city of a thousand fires for the gas flares that lit its pitheads at night. The last colliery closed in 2008, and the city still carries the scars of that decline in its high unemployment.
Few people come for the townscape. They come for FC Schalke 04, the miners' club named after a city district, and its Veltins-Arena with a sliding roof and a pitch that rolls out into the open air. Industrial heritage is the other draw: the colliery towers of Nordsternpark, the Himmelstreppe on the Rheinelbe spoil tip and a theatre decorated with Yves Klein blue. A day here combines well with Essen's Zollverein next door.
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Top things to do in Gelsenkirchen
Mostly football and the afterlife of coal: an arena, colliery parks, spoil tips with art on top and a big zoo.
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Best time to visit Gelsenkirchen
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
The best months for Nordsternpark, the ZOOM Erlebniswelt and climbing the spoil tips.
Match days at the Veltins-Arena take over tram 302 and the bars of Schalke; the closed roof keeps winter games dry.
Grey, damp and mild with little snow; the Musiktheater im Revier and indoor museum days fit best.
On Schalke home days, every tram 302 heading north is packed for hours; if you are not going to the match, do your sightseeing in Buer or Horst instead.
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Getting there
RE2 and RE3 from Düsseldorf Airport, ICE via Essen
Düsseldorf Airport (DUS), about 40 km to the south-west, is the closest major airport and the easiest. The RE2 and RE3 regional expresses run from the airport station straight to Gelsenkirchen Hauptbahnhof in under an hour, with no change. Dortmund Airport (DTM), about 60 km east, handles low-cost flights, many to eastern Europe; take the airport shuttle bus to a nearby station and a train via Dortmund Hbf. Cologne Bonn (CGN) is about two hours by train. Gelsenkirchen Hauptbahnhof has some IC services but most long-distance trains, including ICEs, stop in Essen, only a few minutes away by regional train. Regional lines link the Hbf directly with Münster, Osnabrück, Duisburg, Dortmund, Hamm and Mönchengladbach. Two other stations are useful: Gelsenkirchen Zoo station on the RB43 for the zoo and the Veltins-Arena area, and Buer-Nord on the S9. The A2, A42 and A40 motorways all pass the city.
- Düsseldorf Airport
- RE2 or RE3 direct to Gelsenkirchen Hbf, under 1 hour
- Essen Hbf
- ICE stop, a few minutes from Gelsenkirchen by regional train
- Gelsenkirchen Zoo station
- RB43, nearest rail stop to the zoo and about 2 km from the arena
- Buer-Nord
- S9 to Essen and Wuppertal, north of Buer centre
- A regional day ticket or the Deutschland-Ticket covers trains, trams and buses across the Ruhr, which suits a multi-city trip.
- Leave the car outside on match days; the roads around the arena are closed or jammed.
Where to stay
Altstadt near the Hbf, Buer's town hall or Schalke itself
Stay near Gelsenkirchen Hauptbahnhof for trains to Essen and Düsseldorf, or in Buer for a more pleasant small-town centre 25 minutes north on tram 302. The city has two centres and a short list of hotels, so Essen or Bochum, 10 to 15 minutes away, often make the better base for a Ruhr trip.
- Altstadt by the Hauptbahnhof
- Chain hotels close to the station, handy for trains to Essen and Düsseldorf; the streets are quiet and unlovely after dark
- Buer
- A pleasant small-town centre with the Rathaus, the Kunstmuseum and a few small hotels by the tram terminus; 25 minutes from the Hbf on tram 302
- Erle and around the Veltins-Arena
- Close to Schalke and Schloss Berge; few options and booked out on match days
- Essen or Bochum
- Larger hotel choice 10-15 minutes away by train or tram, often the sensible base for a Ruhr trip
- Big concerts at the arena fill the city's beds; check the events calendar before booking.
Getting around
Tram 302 to the Arena and Buer, BOGESTRA buses
The local operator BOGESTRA runs trams and buses across Gelsenkirchen and into Bochum. Tram 302 is the line to know: it starts in Bochum, reaches Gelsenkirchen Hauptbahnhof, runs underground through the centre and then follows the long, straight Kurt-Schumacher-Straße north past Ernst-Kuzorra-Platz in Schalke and the Veltins-Arena stop to Buer. On match days extra trams run every few minutes, though you will still be squeezed in. Tram 301 heads to Horst, near the Nordsternpark and Schloss Horst, and tram 107 runs south-west to Essen. Buses fill the gaps, with stops for Schloss Berge and the zoo. Tickets follow the VRR tariff used across the Ruhr: buy from machines on platforms, on buses or in the app, and validate paper tickets. Distances are large, so walking only works within each centre. The Emscher and Rhine-Herne Canal towpaths are flat and good for cycling between Nordsternpark and neighbouring cities.
- Tram 302
- Bochum, Gelsenkirchen Hbf, Schalke, Veltins-Arena and Buer
- Tram 301
- Hbf to Horst, for Nordsternpark
- Tram 107
- To Essen
- Canal towpaths
- Flat cycling along the Rhine-Herne Canal
- Your match ticket for a Schalke home game usually includes travel on local buses and trams; check the ticket before buying a fare.
Know before you go
Gelsenkirchen is industrial heritage, a big zoo and Schalke.
Why travelers love it
- A tour of the Veltins-Arena when the pitch is rolled outside to catch the sun, a sight few stadiums can match.
- The Herkules statue on the Nordstern winding tower, Markus Lüpertz's giant blue-bearded figure overlooking the canal.
- The Himmelstreppe on the Halde Rheinelbe, a stairway of concrete blocks from an old colliery climbing to nothing at the top of a spoil tip.
Good to know
- Schalke loyalty runs deep; avoid Borussia Dortmund colours in the bars of Schalke, especially around derby day.
- Sights are spread out; plan routes by tram line, since walking between districts takes too long.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Gelsenkirchen, month by month
Month-by-month climate figures for Gelsenkirchen are being researched.
Nordstern, Schalke and the Veltins-Arena by tram
One day covers Gelsenkirchen by tram. Take tram 301 to Nordsternpark and the Herkules statue on the old colliery tower, then tram 302 to Ernst-Kuzorra-Platz in Schalke and the Veltins-Arena for a stadium tour. Spend the afternoon at the ZOOM Erlebniswelt or Schloss Berge and the evening at the Musiktheater im Revier.
Morning. Take tram 301 to Horst and walk into Nordsternpark, the landscaped site of the Nordstern colliery on the Rhine-Herne Canal. The pithead tower now wears Markus Lüpertz's colossal Herkules, and a lift and viewing platform give a wide view over the Ruhr when open. The park has canal paths, climbing walls, playgrounds and, in summer, an amphitheatre for concerts and films. If time allows, look at the Renaissance Schloss Horst nearby.
Midday. Back on tram 302, get off at Ernst-Kuzorra-Platz in Schalke, the district that named the club. The Glückauf-Kampfbahn, Schalke's home from 1928 to 1974, survives here, and the Vereinslokal Bosch on the square is where supporters have met for decades. Then ride north to the Veltins-Arena for a stadium tour and the club museum.
Afternoon. Choose between the ZOOM Erlebniswelt, a zoo laid out as three themed walks through Alaska, Africa and Asia, or Schloss Berge, a moated castle with a lake and a park café. Art lovers should go instead to the free Kunstmuseum in Buer, with its kinetic art collection.
Evening. Book a performance at the Musiktheater im Revier, a 1959 glass-fronted opera house whose foyer walls are covered with Yves Klein's deep blue sponge reliefs. Day two is for the Halde Rheinelbe to the Himmelstreppe, then cross to Essen's Zollverein colliery.
Currywurst, Pommes Schranke and the Trinkhalle on the corner
Gelsenkirchen eats Ruhr food built for shift workers and football crowds. Order Currywurst with Pommes Schranke, fries striped with mayonnaise and ketchup, at a snack stand, and buy a cold beer at a Bude, the corner kiosk. Turkish grills, bakeries and Italian ice-cream parlours near the Hauptbahnhof and in Buer reflect generations of miners' migration.
Gelsenkirchen food is Ruhr food, made for shift workers and football crowds. The essential dish is Currywurst, a sliced pork sausage drowned in curry ketchup and dusted with curry powder, eaten from a paper tray at a snack stand. Order it with Pommes Schranke ("barrier" chips), fries striped with both mayonnaise and ketchup like a level-crossing barrier. On match days the stands around the Veltins-Arena and in Schalke do a roaring trade.
The Bude, or Trinkhalle, is a Ruhr institution: a corner kiosk selling beer, sweets, newspapers and gossip, where neighbours stand and chat over a bottle. Many districts still have one on almost every corner, and buying a cold beer at one is the quickest way to understand local life.
Migration shaped the menu. Generations of miners came from Poland, Turkey and southern Europe, and Turkish grills and bakeries, along with Italian ice-cream parlours and pizzerias, are now as local as the sausage stand. The Altstadt streets near the Hauptbahnhof and the centre of Buer hold most restaurants and cafes, from old-fashioned cake shops to Vietnamese and Turkish places.
For beer, the local habit is a lager, and the stadium's name sponsor is a Sauerland brewery. Fans drink before the game in the bars around Ernst-Kuzorra-Platz. After a match, the queues at the snack stands are part of the experience.
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How we research our Gelsenkirchen travel guide
Tram 302 to the Veltins-Arena and the RE2 and RE3 are the links we verify with Deutsche Bahn. Arena tours and zoo hours come from gelsenkirchen.de, and the German National Tourist Board adds Ruhr-wide detail.
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Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of GelsenkirchenGerman National Tourist BoardDeutsche Bahn
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The Gelsenkirchen basics, in question-and-answer form.
Getting there
Take tram 302 from Gelsenkirchen Hauptbahnhof north to the Veltins-Arena stop. On match days, extra trams run every few minutes.
The RE2 and RE3 both run direct from the airport station to Gelsenkirchen Hauptbahnhof in under an hour.
General
Yes, guided tours go behind the scenes and include the Schalke museum. Check times, as tours pause on event days.
The grass sits on a giant tray that slides out of the stadium so it gets sunlight and air, leaving the arena free for concerts and other events.
A sculpture of stacked concrete blocks from demolished colliery buildings, forming a stairway on top of a spoil tip in the south of the city. The climb offers views over the Ruhr.
At the Glückauf-Kampfbahn in the Schalke district from 1928 to 1974, and then at the Parkstadion until 2001. The old Kampfbahn still stands by Ernst-Kuzorra-Platz.
Alaska, Africa and Asia, each designed as a landscape walk with animals from that region. The nearest rail stop is Gelsenkirchen Zoo station.
The painter and sculptor Markus Lüpertz. The figure stands on top of the Nordstern winding tower in Nordsternpark.
Chips topped with stripes of mayonnaise and ketchup, named after the red and white barrier at a level crossing. They go with Currywurst.
For a day, yes, if you like industrial heritage: Nordsternpark, the Himmelstreppe and the Musiktheater's Yves Klein walls are worth seeing. Combine it with Essen's Zollverein.
Gelsenkirchen is best known for:
- A tour of the Veltins-Arena when the pitch is rolled outside to catch the sun, a sight few stadiums can match
- The Herkules statue on the Nordstern winding tower, Markus Lüpertz's giant blue-bearded figure overlooking the canal
- The Himmelstreppe on the Halde Rheinelbe, a stairway of concrete blocks from an old colliery climbing to nothing at the top of a spoil tip
Stay near Gelsenkirchen Hauptbahnhof for trains to Essen and Düsseldorf, or in Buer for a more pleasant small-town centre 25 minutes north on tram 302. The city has two centres and a short list of hotels, so Essen or Bochum, 10 to 15 minutes away, often make the better base for a Ruhr trip.
Timing & weather
The best time to visit Gelsenkirchen is May to Sep. Summer concerts in the Nordsternpark amphitheatre, walks around Schloss Berge's lake and long evenings for the spoil-tip viewpoints; Bundesliga matches resume in August.
- Summer: May - September (The best months for Nordsternpark, the ZOOM Erlebniswelt and climbing the spoil tips)
- Football season: August - May (Match days at the Veltins-Arena take over tram 302 and the bars of Schalke; the closed roof keeps winter games dry)
- Winter: November - March (Grey, damp and mild with little snow; the Musiktheater im Revier and indoor museum days fit best)
Visa & documents
As a Schengen member, Germany shares one set of entry rules with most of the EU. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
Health & safety
Pickpocketing at large stations, Christmas markets and on big-city public transport is the main risk in a very safe country. Carry ID and validate paper tickets where required. Call 110 for police and 112 for fire or ambulance.
