Travel

Getting to Bochum

Bochum lies in the Ruhr, Germany's largest metropolitan region. Bochum Hauptbahnhof is on the national ICE and IC network, the A40, A43 and A44 meet at the city, and three airports (Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Cologne/Bonn) are within easy reach.

ICE direct from 5 major cities By car · over 3 autobahns

ICE direct from 5 major cities

Origin By train By car
Düsseldorf 45 m 30 m
Cologne 1 h 1 h
Frankfurt 2 h 15 m 2 h 10 m
Hamburg 3 h 30 m 3 h
Berlin 5 h 3 h 30 m

Times are approximate door-to-door from each city's central station.

By train

Bochum Hauptbahnhof, on the ICE network

Bochum Hauptbahnhof sits on the ICE and IC corridors through the Ruhr. From the station, the U35 "CampusLinie" (direction Bochum Hustadt) reaches Ruhr-Universität Bochum in under ten minutes, running every few minutes on weekdays.

By plane

Three airports within easy reach

Düsseldorf is the most convenient airport for Bochum; Frankfurt is the main hub for intercontinental flights.

Recommended

DUS

Düsseldorf Airport

The most convenient gateway. Up to several direct trains an hour to Bochum Hauptbahnhof, about 30 minutes.

By ICE
≈ 30 min
Distance
≈ 50 km

Nearest

DTM

Dortmund Airport

The closest airport, with bus and rail connections into Bochum. Mainly European routes.

Total transit
≈ 40 min
Distance
≈ 30 km

Intercontinental

FRA

Frankfurt Airport

Germany's busiest hub for long-haul arrivals. Direct ICE from the airport long-distance station to Bochum, about two hours.

By ICE
≈ 2 h
Distance
≈ 230 km

Berlin (BER), Munich (MUC) and Düsseldorf (DUS) also work - all connect to Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe by ICE, typically with one change in Frankfurt or Hannover.

By car

The A40, A43 and A44 meet at Bochum

The A40 (the Ruhrschnellweg), A43 and A44 meet at Bochum, linking the city across the Ruhr and beyond. The journey-times table above lists drive times alongside ICE times.

Entry & visas

Travel documents

Germany is part of the Schengen Area. Requirements depend on your nationality.

  • EU / EEA / Switzerland

    Valid national ID card or passport. No visa or registration required.

  • Visa-exempt countries

    US, UK, Canada, Australia, NZ, Japan, South Korea and others. Passport valid for 3+ months beyond your departure date.

  • Schengen visa

    All other nationalities. Apply at your nearest German embassy or consulate well ahead of the conference dates.

Invitation letter

Two letter types

Both generated self-service in the booking frontend.

For institutions

Support Letter

Administrative proof of attendance for your employer, university or research institute.

For embassy & consulate

Visa Application Letter

Schengen visa applications. Some events also require passport / ID data, requested inline before the PDF is generated.

After your ticket is paid

Both delivered as a PDF on screen and by email.

ESOMAT 2027
06 - 10 Sep 2027 | ESOMAT 2027 in Bochum