I bet you haven’t considered this German city. Here’s why you should visit Dortmund.

Dortmund is a city in North West Germany that most international tourists overlook in favor of better-known German cities like Berlin and Munich. Unless you’re a football fan or beer enthusiast, I bet you haven’t really considered a visit to Dortmund. 

But Dortmund is worth a visit and has a well-deserved spot on Travel Lemming’s best 50 places to travel in 2025. I’ve visited Dortmund most years for the past decade and am going to share some of my top recommendations and highlights with you. 

From cool museums to great transport links, affordability to friendly locals, keep reading to see why you should consider visiting Dortmund.

Affiliate Disclosure: Travel Lemming is an independent reader-supported blog. You can support us by purchasing via the affiliate links on this page, which may earn us commissions. See our Advertising Policy for further explanation. Thank you!

Dortmund is an overlooked tourist destination, but worth a visit

Dortmund has so much to offer tourists, but it is not known as a destination city like neighboring Cologne or the capital Berlin. 

The well-known, tried-and-tested German destinations are worth a visit. But Dortmund offers a taste of Germany that is hard to get in overcrowded destinations geared toward tourists. 

Dortmund still has an unassuming, down-to-earth charm that many cities struggle to keep when they become world-famous destinations. There’s not loads of hype surrounding the city, which I think makes it easier to explore at your own pace and less likely that you’ll feel constrained by travel FOMO. 

Dortmund is a destination that you need to get to know to appreciate

My favorite kind of destination is one that grows on me the more time I spend there. Dortmund is exactly that kind of place. 

Dortmund doesn’t have the ‘wow’ factor of city destinations like Florence or Barcelona. There are no world-famous cathedrals and the architecture is comparatively ‘normal’. Rather than instant gratification and Instagrammable streets, visitors can enjoy digging a little deeper and really exploring and experiencing the city. 

Dortmund lends itself to travelers who appreciate a slower pace and those who are willing to invest a bit of time researching and exploring a city. 

I don’t visit Dortmund to snap photos of recognizable landmarks. I visit to chill out in Westfalenpark, go on a boat on Phoenix-See, check out museums and galleries, try new food, and have nice experiences.

There is a lot of culture in Dortmund and the surrounding area

Dortmund has scores of museums and galleries with local, national, and international collections. The most notable are the German Football Museum and the Dortmunder U, a former-brewery-turned-cultural-center that houses Museum Ostwall, art exhibitions, and cultural events. 

It’s worth venturing to other corners of the city to visit the likes of Phoenix des Lumieres, a digital art center, and The Brewery Museum Dortmund. 

Dortmund is in the Ruhr Area of Germany, a former coal-mining region in North Rhine-Westphalia. The Ruhr Area boasts 200 museums, 120 theatres, and 1,000 industrial monuments, making it one of Europe’s densest cultural landscapes. This multicultural area also boasts cultural events from around the world. 

You can easily travel to a wealth of destinations in less than an hour from Dortmund. On my last visit to the area, I went to the Deutsches Bergbau Museum, a former coal mine turned museum in Bochum, a city just 10 minutes from Dortmund.

You can eat and drink well in Dortmund! 

Dortmund has a long brewing tradition and was once a top beer-producing city. There are many opportunities to experience the city’s affiliation with beer, from a tour of the Bergmann Brewery to a trip to the Dortmunder U (a former brewery).

The food scene in Dortmund is down-to-earth and boasts restaurants for every taste. Dortmund is a multicultural city and the diversity of its population is evident in its food scene, with restaurants serving dishes from Georgia, Syria, Iran, and much more. For traditional local cuisine, I recommend eating (and drinking!) at the iconic Zum Alten Markt. 

Head to one of the many cafés in the district of Kreuzviertel for a slice of German café culture and tasty homebaked cake. Expect freshly baked cakes, good quality ingredients, hip designs, and laid-back atmospheres.

Visit the amazing Christmas Markets and festive attractions

Dortmund transforms into a Christmas wonderland between mid-November and the end of December, with one of the biggest Christmas markets in Europe and the world’s largest Christmas tree. 

There are over 250 stalls in the Christmas markets to peruse, selling all sorts of lovely things from candles to sheepskin slippers. I always look forward to eating sweet candied almonds and Bratwurst and sipping a warming Glühwein.

Glühwein is served in cute ceramic Dortmund Christmas Market mugs, which you pay a deposit for and can return. I must admit, I’ve kept a few of them over the years as souvenirs!

There are also several festive attractions. The Phantastischer Lichter Weihnachtsmarkt is a fantastical Christmas market in Fredenbaumpark where dragons, pirates, fire, and medieval magic meet. This is a must-see experience if you’re visiting over the festive period. 

Dortmund’s Christmas attractions are popular but nowhere near as overcrowded and touristy as better-known destinations.

Dortmund is a city full of football fever

You may have heard of Dortmund because of the famous football team, Borussia Dortmund (BVB), and their stadium Signal Iduna Park (Westfalenstadion). Signal Iduna Park is Germany’s largest stadium and home to the famous Yellow Wall, the largest standing terrace in Europe. 

Football enthusiasts can enjoy a visit to the German Football Museum, a tour of Signal Iduna Park, or the chance to watch ‘Die Schwarzgelben’ (The Black and Yellow) in action. 

It’s worth considering these activities even if you’re not a football fan. Dortmund’s passion for football is quite contagious, and even though I’m not usually interested in the sport, I loved soaking up the atmosphere when I was lucky enough to watch a BVB match.

Dortmund hosted some of the Euros 2024 matches in Germany, which has helped the city gain some coverage as a tourist destination. 

It’s easy to travel in and around Dortmund 

Dortmund is conveniently located for exploring other destinations and when traveling through Europe. I’m a big advocate for travelling overland in Europe and many main European train routes pass through Dortmund. You may have even traveled through it and not known what you were missing!

Transport within Dortmund is cheap and easy too, with a good network of buses, trams and underground trains. You can buy different tickets to suit your needs, for example, 24-hour tickets or 10-journey tickets. 

Dortmund is near many other beautiful destinations in North West Germany. You can travel by train to charming cities like Münster in less than an hour, a city I lived near when I was an Au Pair, and can highly recommend!

It’s worth getting a Deutschlandticket if you’re travelling to multiple destinations in Germany. These cost 58€ a month and include travel on almost all domestic trains (except the faster long-distance trains) and city public transport.

Local people are generally very friendly and welcoming

I’ve gotten to know Dortmund thanks to a close friend of mine who is from the city. She is the reason I started visiting Dortmund and each time I go, we explore and experience something new. Discovering a city with a local is undeniably always a joy!

Over the many years of visiting Dortmund, I’ve met many other local people and had many conversations when out and about. I’ve found locals in Dortmund to be friendly, helpful, and welcoming. Locals from the Ruhr area are often known to be open-minded, honest, and authentic. [source]

Many locals are proud of the city and want visitors to have a good time. So don’t be afraid to ask for recommendations or strike up a conversation. Knowing a bit of German is a plus, but English and other languages are widely spoken.

Dortmund is a more affordable destination than better-known German cities

Dortmund is a great choice for travelers on a budget who want to have a taste of Germany or have an interesting city break. Accommodation, food, and attractions are reasonably priced and cheaper on the whole than in ‘go-to’ German cities.

For example, you can stay in a highly rated 4-star hotel near the central train station for under 100€ a night at IntercityHotel Dortmund. And there are hostel beds for under 20€ a night in A&O Dortmund Hauptbahnhof (one of my go-to hostel chains in Germany for a stopover).

Visitors can enjoy a decent meal out for under 20€, buy a beer for under 5€ euros, and visit reasonably priced attractions. A visit to the Florianturn, Dortmund’s iconic TV tower, will set you back just 4€.

***

Perhaps you are now considering a trip to Dortmund? Well, I think you’re in for a treat! The city and surrounding area have so much to offer!

And if you’ve already visited Dortmund, I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments below.

If you’re looking for more underrated European destinations, check out Matthew’s article on why you should visit Poznań, Poland, next.