North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany
Where to stay in Bochum
Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, home to about 359,000 people. This guide covers 1 aparthotel and 1 hotel in Bochum, with about 29 rooms between them.
- Places to stay in this guide
- 2
- Best months
- May, June and September
- Nearest airport
- DTM28 km · Dortmund Airport
- Currency
- EUReuro
- Time zone
- Europe/Berlin
- Language
- German
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About Bochum
Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 372,348, it is the sixth-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous German federal state, and the 16th-largest city in Germany.
Bochum is part of the Ruhr Area (Ruhrgebiet), the centre of heavy industry in Germany. Its history is linked closely to that of the region. In 1850, Bochum was a small town of about 4500 inhabitants, its population increased in 1900 to 100 000, and in 1935 to 300 000. During World War II, its centre was nearly completely destroyed, which gave city planners an opportunity to test out their theory of the "automotive city" and build what were then considered to be modern buildings. With the end of the coal boom in the 1960s, a structural transformation began.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Bochum
See
There are some flyers explaining the highlights of Bochum published by the marketing office. They are named "Blaue Linie" (blue line) and are available at the tourist office at Huestraße 9 or on the web. A monthly calendar of events is also available there. You can also get the guide Route der Industriekultur (Industrial Heritage Trail), which can be downloaded as a PDF file or picked up as a physical version along most stops of the trail.
- German Mining Museum
- Railway Museum and Station Dahlhausen
- Zeche Hannover
- Planetarium Bochum
- Museum of local history "Helf's Farm"
- Museum of historic medical tools
- Schulmuseum (School Museum)
- Telefonmuseum
- Art Museum
- Art collection of the Ruhr-University
- Schlieker-House
- Situation Kunst
Do
- Jumble Sale
- Steam-Festival
- FIDENA
- Bochum Maiabend
- Bochum Total
- Uemminger-Summertime
- Extraschicht
- Open Flair
- Bochum Kulinarisch
- Bochumer Musiksommer
- Piano-Festival-Ruhr
- Bochum's Christmas
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Places to stay in Bochum
2 places to stay from the chains this guide covers, each linked to its own website.
| Place to stay | Rooms |
|---|---|
| Bochum Kortumstraße aparthotel | 29 |
| Garner Hotel Bochum hotel |
Schematic: the city centre in orange, each place to stay as a dot, distance rings in kilometres.
When to go
The best time to visit Bochum
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Bochum are May, June and September. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 23 °C; July is the wettest, with about 92 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Bochum: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Dortmund Airport (DTM), about 28 km from the city centre in a straight line; Düsseldorf Airport (DUS, 38 km) and Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN, 69 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
The nearest international airport is Düsseldorf, about 50 km from Bochum. From Düsseldorf Airport, you can get to Bochum via the S1 commuter train bound for Dortmund, or with most northbound regional trains. Regional airports nearby are Dortmund, Münster or Weeze. Bochum is served by DB trains, and by the more budget Flixtrain. Bochum Main Station (Hauptbahnhof) is on the main line through the Ruhr Area, and is served by InterCity and ICE trains to a lot of larger cities in Germany.
Getting around
Public transport is provided by "Bochum-Gelsenkirchener Straßenbahn AG" (BOGESTRA). It is a member of the transport association Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr VRR, which organized fares and arranged connections between local transport and S-Bahn and regional trains. With one ticket, you may use the bus, U-Bahn/Stadtbahn, tram, S-Bahn and regional trains within Bochum and the rest of the Ruhr Area, depending on the fare category (A, B or C) you have selected.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
DTM · Dortmund Airport
DUS · Düsseldorf Airport
CGN · Cologne Bonn Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Bochum
Eat
The traditional cuisine of Bochum is the cuisine of the Ruhr, meaning Westphalian cuisine with strong East-Prussian and Rhenish influences. Typically served was cabbage, rabbit, goat, pork and sometimes pigeons. The cuisine has changed and is still changing. Today, there are more Turkish, Polish, sometimes Russian and Mediterranean influences.
Drink
People in the Ruhr area drink beer. All beer in Germany and at the Ruhr as well is brewed according to the German purity law: only water, hop and malt (and sometimes yeast). If you visit Bochum, you should taste one (or more) of the local products!
Stay safe
The cities within the Ruhr area are among the safest in Germany. Since the Ruhr is until now not a tourist region, it is not in the focus of pickpockets. But it is a good idea to take the usual precautions. Don't leave your camera unattended, don't wave around a fat wallet.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Good to know
Accessibility, parking and families in Bochum
How many places to stay in this guide offer each, in their operators' own words.
Questions
Bochum: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Bochum?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Bochum are May, June and September. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 23 °C; July is the wettest, with about 92 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Bochum?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Dortmund Airport (DTM), about 28 km from the city centre in a straight line; Düsseldorf Airport (DUS, 38 km) and Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN, 69 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Bochum?
euro (EUR).
Nearby
Destinations near Bochum
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.