Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [518]
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Drinking & Entertainment
Hotel Shanghai ( 747 4756; Steeler Strasse 33; Wed, Fri & Sat) Electronic-music fans invade for ravetastic nights in this unpretentious joint where DJs spin in a lotus-shaped console, while you dance beneath Chinese lanterns. When your legs need a break, plonk down into a red leather booth and scan the crowd.
Zeche Carl ( 834 4410; Wilhelm-Nieswandt-Allee 100; nightly) The machine hall and washrooms of this former coal mine have been restyled as an alternative cultural centre with live concerts, parties, cabaret, theatre and art exhibits. Take U11 or U17 to Karlsplatz.
Ego Bar ( 770 708; Rüttenscheider Strasse 143; Wed, Fri & Sat) This modest-sized club on the ‘Rü’ has a high-octane dance floor where the DJs whip the crowd into a frenzy with house, R&B, dance and party hits.
For more fun, head here:
Aalto-Theater ( 812 2200; Operplatz 10) Opera and ballet in a famous building by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto.
Colosseum ( 887 2333; Altendorfer Strasse 1) Musical theatre in a late-19th-century factory.
GOP Varieté ( 247 9393; Rottstrasse 30) Jugglers, acrobats, ventriloquists and other artistes seize the stage.
Grillo-Theater ( 812 2200; Theaterplatz) Classic and contemporary drama and comedies.
Philharmonie Essen ( 812 2200; Huyssenallee 53) Classical, jazz and other concerts.
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Getting There & Around
ICE trains leave in all directions hourly for such cities as Frankfurt (€81, two hours) and Berlin (€95, 3¾ hours). Essen is also efficiently linked to other Ruhrgebiet cities, as well as to Düsseldorf and Cologne.
The local autobahns A40, A42 and A52 are often clogged during rush hour. For ride-shares, there’s Citynetz ( 194 44; www.citynetz-mitfahrzentrale.de; Freiheit 5; 9am-7pm) outside the Hauptbahnhof’s Süd (south) exit. Taxis are at 866 55.
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DORTMUND
0231 / pop 580,500
Dortmund, the largest city in the Ruhrgebiet, once built its prosperity on coal, steel and beer. These days, the mines are closed, the steel mills quiet and more Zeitgeist-compatible high-tech industries have taken their place. Only the breweries are going as strong as ever, churning out huge quantities of delicious beer and ale, much of it for export. Trading has always been big in Dortmund, which was a major stop on the Hellweg, a medieval trading route, and a big player in the Hanseatic League. Even today, the city centre is tops for shopping. Football (soccer) is another major passion. Borussia Dortmund, the city’s Bundesliga (Germany’s first league) team, has been national champion six times, although not since the 2001–02 season. Its home base, the 67,000-seat Westfalenstadion (now Signal Iduna Park), was one of a dozen FIFA World Cup venues in 2006.
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Orientation
The airport is about 15km east of the city centre (Click here for transport to/from the airport). Most sights cluster within the city centre bounded by a ring road consisting of segments all ending in ‘wall’. The Hauptbahnhof, bus station and tourist office are on Königswall on the north side of this ring. Just south of here, the pedestrianised Westenhellweg (which turns into Ostenhellweg further east) is the centre’s main thoroughfare and heart of a bustling shopping district. The Kreuzviertel student quarter, the trade fair grounds and the famous football stadium are all south of the centre and easily reached by public transport (eg by U-Bahn 45).
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Information
Dortmund hospital (Klinikum Dortmund; 9530; Beurhausstrasse 40) Centrally located hospital.
Internet Cafe (ICS; 141 069; Westenhellweg 121; per hr €1; 10am-8pm Mon-Sat, 2-8pm Sun)
Mayersche Buchhandlung ( 809 050; Westenhellweg 37-41) Bookshop.
Post office (Kurfürstenstrasse 2; 8am-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-2pm Sat) About 75m to the west of the Hauptbahnhof’s north exit.
ReiseBank ( 138 8946; Königswall 18a; 10am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-3pm Sat) Next to the tourist office.
Stadtbücherei (public library; 502