The home of hipster football club Borussia Dortmund also has the world’s largest Christmas tree and the German Football Museum.
What makes Dortmund unique?
In the Ruhrgebeit, Dortmund is one of those cities – like Porto or Liverpool – that gets an awful lot of recognition for footballing reasons alone. It’s home to the largest football stadium in Germany, and every hipster’s favourite club, Borussia Dortmund.
But the largest city of the Westphalia region it’s not just a land of black and yellow scarves. It has also been bestowed with a series of rather unusual but impressive attractions – including the world’s largest Christmas tree – which mean Dortmund’s punching above its weight doesn’t just take place on the pitch.
A walk through Dortmund’s highlights
Just north of the station is the Steinwache, a former police station and prison that was notorious for ill-treatment and torture of prisoners during the Nazi reign. It still recognisably looks like a prison, with the cells hosting displays on the 1933-45 era. It’s grim, uncompromising, and puts particular focus on how the Nazi party tightened control by co-opting big business and controlling the press.
Considerably more fun is the German Football Museum, which offers a Teutonic spin on the beautiful game. There’s plenty of rather predictable stuff – old boots, balls and shirts in glass cases – but there are a lot of interactive touchscreens too. One makes you the referee – you have to blow the whistle when you think you’ve spotted the infringement. There’s also plenty of biographical detail on the players and coaches that have helped Germany become four time World Cup winners.
Attractions elsewhere in Dortmund
From there, hop on the U-Bahn towards the big, open Westfalen Park. This is more than a little dominated by the Deutsche Rosarium, with more than 2,600 varieties of rose being grown in the beds that flank the footpaths.
Borussia Dortmund’s nearby Signal Iduna Park (bvb.de) may hold 81,000 spectators, but getting a ticket for a game can be tricky for those not prepared to pay over the odds to touts. If you’re unlucky, there’s always the option of the stadium tour.
Alternatively, the enormous DASA Working World Exhibition has the potential to be exceptionally boring – and, yes, there is a section that tells you how to safely lift a heavy box. But it gets rather cool when you can drive lorry simulators, play inside a helicopter, sit at the controls of an air traffic control tower and watch high tech robotic arms in action.
Where to eat in Dortmund
Dortmund’s greatest culinary strength is its willingness to import from overseas, leading to plenty of good Korean, Japanese and other Asian joints that hit the sweet spot of being easy on the wallet while not looking cheap.
For something flashier, try Emil at the back of the Dortmunder U arts complex. It’s all chandeliers, pillars and long banquettes inside, while there’s a massive terrace outside. Emphasis is on the grills – with steaks sourced from Canada, the US, Australia and Uruguay all coming with detailed explanations and price tags.
Shopper’s Paradise
December is the time to come shopping in Dortmund, as its gigantic Christmas market sprawls over the pedestrianised streets in the city centre. The centrepiece is a ludicrous piece of showing off – the world’s largest Christmas tree, reaching 45 metres tall and made up of 1,700 separate fir trees carefully stacked to create the illusion of a single big one.
Otherwise the city centre shopping scene is fairly standard, although the 135-year-old Appelrath Cüpper on Westenhellweg manages to pull off a big department store vibe while solely selling womenswear.
Dortmund hotel recommendations
The NH Hotel near the main train station is surprisingly appealing. Cookies, jelly bears and mints can be snaffled for free in the lobby, there’s a sauna on the 7th floor and the standard rooms are essentially spacious suites. Décor is neutral, but with cool touches such as TV screens that can be spun 360 degrees between sofa and bed, and black and white street scenes making for feature walls in the shower.
On a budget, the A&O offers a centrally-located hotel-hostel hybrid. The perfectly decent private rooms are reasonably large, if fairly spartan, while unexpected facilities include pool tables and a kids’ play area in the lobby.
Out of the centre, and handily between the Westfalen Park and Signal Iduna Stadium, the Radisson Blu steps above the usual chain fare by having a surprisingly sassy Asian restaurant and the biggest heated indoor pool in town.
More Germany travel
Other Germany travel stories on Planet Whitley include:
- Does the Berlin to Munich train make for a realistic day trip?
- The best time to visit the DDR Museum in Berlin.
- Berlin to Dortmund train times and prices.
- A Bonn city guide for first time visitors.
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