Getting Around Dusseldorf
Düsseldorf's centre is the Königsallee, the "Kö", the city's main shopping boulevard. The Altstadt lies between the Kö and the right bank of the Rhine, with around 260 pubs, bars and restaurants. South of it, the MedienHafen has turned the old Rhine harbour into an office quarter with the Rheinturm, the state parliament and buildings by Frank Gehry. Around Immermannstraße, near the main station, is the Japanese quarter; the city has one of the largest Japanese communities in Europe.
The Messe and its congress centre are in the north of the city, 7 km from the Kö and a 15–20 minute drive, so a hotel in the centre and a stand in the halls are a short transfer apart.
The airport has its own long-distance station at the eastern edge of the grounds, where ICE trains stop; the SkyTrain takes about seven minutes from there to the terminals. If you arrive by rail at that station or the Hauptbahnhof, add the train and its arrival time to the booking, and the car is scheduled for that arrival.
Düsseldorf has a low-emission zone (Umweltzone). Send the full address with your booking; the confirmation then tells you where the car will stop.
Airport Transfers in Dusseldorf
Düsseldorf Airport is 9 km north of the centre, usually 20–25 minutes by car, and the Messe sits between the two. For an arrival on a fair morning, the chauffeur can take you directly from the terminal to the halls.
Cologne Bonn Airport is 54 km to the south, 50 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes, and Weeze Airport, on the Lower Rhine near the Dutch border, is 82 km away, 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes. Some routes are only offered from one of the three. The right one depends on your airline and route.
Book with your flight number. For an arrival, your chauffeur checks the flight status and times the pickup to when you actually land, and your booking confirmation shows where to meet the chauffeur. For a departure from Dusseldorf, what counts is the length of the drive, not the time on the clock: 20–25 minutes to Düsseldorf Airport from the centre on a normal day, more in the rush hours and on fair days. Journey times vary with traffic and weather. You set the pickup time yourself, and the confirmation shows it.
Long-Distance & Cross-Border Travel from Dusseldorf
The Netherlands and Belgium are both within a morning's drive of Düsseldorf. Maastricht, in the Netherlands, is 113 km away, 1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 55 minutes. Liège, in Belgium, is 131 km, 1 hour 35 minutes to 2 hours 10 minutes. Brussels, with the EU institutions, is 201 km, 2 hours 15 minutes to 3 hours, and Amsterdam is 227 km north-west, 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours 25 minutes. Further south, Luxembourg is 237 km away, 2 hours 35 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes. Closer to home, Neuss is 9 km away, across the Rhine, Duisburg 28 km and Dortmund 69 km, 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes.
A trip to a client in Brussels or a meeting in Amsterdam is booked as a single journey, with the same chauffeur and car from start to finish, with no change of vehicle at the border, and your bags never leave the car.
Germany has notified the European Commission of temporary checks at its internal land borders, the borders with the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg among them; allow for a possible check on the way back. Carry the travel documents your nationality and itinerary require.
Groups & Congress Travel in Dusseldorf
Messe Düsseldorf has more than 248,000 m² of indoor space in 18 halls, and the CCD Congress Center next to it holds events for up to 7,500 people. The fair calendar sets the busy weeks: boot, the boat show, in late January, ProWein in March and MEDICA, the medical technology fair, every November. In July the Rheinkirmes on the Oberkassel meadows draws around four million visitors over ten days.
When you book for other people, all their transfers can be kept in one account, each with its own booking and confirmation. If exhibitors arrive on several flights, every arrival gets a transfer of its own. For a stand team moving together, a Sprinter van carries up to 12 people with their bags, and bigger groups go by coach, with up to 56 seats; the vehicle is matched to the load.
Reserve as soon as your fair dates are fixed, and early for the Christmas markets from late November to the end of December. Local vehicles and drivers are booked up early in those weeks. If your plans go beyond a standard booking, write to support with the dates, addresses, number of passengers, flights and luggage, and the team will arrange it.
