Car hire and driving in Essen
Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.
In Germany traffic drives on the right. Picking up at DUS means 25 km (16 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1061257 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648823.
Drives from Essen
| Route | Country | Distance | Estimated time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essen to Moers | Germany | 26 km (16 mi) | about 24 min |
| Essen to Düsseldorf | Germany | 31 km (19 mi) | about 28 min |
| Essen to Solingen | Germany | 32 km (20 mi) | about 29 min |
| Essen to Dortmund | Germany | 32 km (20 mi) | about 29 min |
| Essen to Remscheid | Germany | 33 km (21 mi) | about 30 min |
| Essen to Hagen | Germany | 34 km (21 mi) | about 31 min |
| Essen to Krefeld | Germany | 34 km (21 mi) | about 32 min |
| Essen to Neuss | Germany | 37 km (23 mi) | about 34 min |
| Essen to Leverkusen | Germany | 47 km (29 mi) | about 43 min |
| Essen to Mönchengladbach | Germany | 50 km (31 mi) | about 46 min |
| Essen to Bergisch Gladbach | Germany | 53 km (33 mi) | about 49 min |
| Essen to Köln | Germany | 58 km (36 mi) | about 53 min |
| Essen to London | United Kingdom | 494 km (307 mi) | about 7 h 32 min |
| Essen to Saint Petersburg | Russia | 1,724 km (1,071 mi) | about 26 h 18 min |
| Essen to Berlin | Germany | 454 km (282 mi) | about 6 h 55 min |
| Essen to Madrid | Spain | 1,478 km (918 mi) | about 22 h 32 min |
| Essen to Kyiv | Ukraine | 1,644 km (1,021 mi) | about 25 h 4 min |
| Essen to Rome | Italy | 1,142 km (710 mi) | about 17 h 25 min |
| Essen to Paris | France | 440 km (274 mi) | about 6 h 43 min |
| Essen to Hamburg | Germany | 308 km (191 mi) | about 4 h 42 min |
Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.
Where to compare car hire
We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.
Common questions
Which side of the road do they drive on in Essen?
The right, as everywhere in Germany.
How are the journey times on this page worked out?
From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.