Gelsenkirchen: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Gelsenkirchen is a city of 270,028 people in Germany (North Rhine-Westphalia), 48 m (157 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Düsseldorf Airport (DUS), 33 km (21 mi) from the centre.
Key facts
Open Gelsenkirchen in Google Maps
Daylight in Gelsenkirchen runs from about 7 h 54 min a day in late December to 16 h 43 min in late June (computed for 51.51° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Gelsenkirchen is served by 5 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is Düsseldorf Airport (DUS), 33 km (21 mi) from the centre, with a longest runway of 9,842 ft, which limits it to short and medium-haul aircraft. The alternatives are Dortmund Airport (DTM, 36 km), Weeze (Niederrhein) Airport (NRN, 67 km), Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN, 71 km), Münster Osnabrück Airport (FMO, 81 km).
Flights to Gelsenkirchen: every airport, routes and times
Buses to Gelsenkirchen · Driving and car hire
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Hamburg, 300 km — flights · buses · car rental
- Köln, 64 km — tours
- Brussels, 205 km (Belgium) — flights · tours
- Rotterdam, 186 km (The Netherlands) — tours
- Amsterdam, 179 km (The Netherlands) — tours
- Frankfurt am Main, 191 km — tours
- Düsseldorf, 38 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Stuttgart, 337 km
- Essen, 8 km
- Dortmund, 26 km — car rental · tours
Common questions
Which airport serves Gelsenkirchen?
Düsseldorf Airport (DUS), 33 km (21 mi) from the centre, plus 4 other airports with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Gelsenkirchen?
About 270,028 people live in Gelsenkirchen (GeoNames).
What time zone is Gelsenkirchen in?
Europe/Berlin, currently UTC+2.
What currency is used in Gelsenkirchen?
The Euro (EUR). Traffic drives on the right.
Which cities are near Gelsenkirchen?
Hamburg (300 km), Köln (64 km), Brussels (205 km), Rotterdam (186 km), Amsterdam (179 km).
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.