North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany
Where to stay in Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, home to about 266,000 people. This guide covers 1 aparthotel in Gelsenkirchen, with about 17 rooms between them.
- Places to stay in this guide
- 1
- Best months
- May, June and September
- Nearest airport
- DUS33 km · Düsseldorf Airport
- Currency
- EUReuro
- Time zone
- Europe/Berlin
- Language
- German
About
About Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen is the 26th-most populous city of Germany and the 12th-most populous in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia with a population of 266,199 as of 2025. On the Emscher River, it lies at the centre of the Ruhr area, the largest urban area of Germany, of which it is the fifth-largest city after Dortmund, Essen, Duisburg and Bochum.
Gelsenkirchen is a city of 260,000 people (2019) at the Ruhr region in the western part of the country, near major cities such as Düsseldorf and Cologne. Through coal mining, the Ruhr Region became the industrial heart of Germany and formed heavily populated cities. During World War II, due to its rich industrial value, the area was severely bombed. After the war, though, coal mining was severely curtailed, and high unemployment rates hit the region.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Gelsenkirchen
See
A relatively unvisited city, even within Germany, Gelsenkirchen offers enough to fill your day, especially if you're keen for cultural and industrial sights like football, arts and old heavy industry.
- Berge Castle
- City Parks
- Glückauf-Kampfbahn
- Heilig-Kreuz Kirche
- Kunstmuseum Gelsenkirchen
- Rathaus Buer
- Rungenberg Tip
- Saint Urbanus provost church
- Schalke Museum
- Wissenschaftspark
- Zeche Consolidation
- Zoom Erlebniswelt
Do
- Nordsternpark
- Schalke 04
- GelsenTrabPark
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Places to stay in Gelsenkirchen
1 place to stay from the chains this guide covers, each linked to its own website.
| Place to stay | Rooms |
|---|---|
| Gelsenkirchen Hochstr. aparthotel | 17 |
Schematic: the city centre in orange, each place to stay as a dot, distance rings in kilometres.
Where to stay
More hotels in Gelsenkirchen
4 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Heiner's Parkhotel | 4.9 km | |
| Hotel Friends Essen Zeche Zollverein | 3.9 km | |
| PLAZA Hotel Gelsenkirchen PLAZA Hotelgroup | 0.5 km | |
| Stays by Friends Gelsenkirchen | 5.6 km |
All 5 hotels in Gelsenkirchen, with their history and operators
When to go
The best time to visit Gelsenkirchen
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Gelsenkirchen are May, June and September. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 24 °C; July is the wettest, with about 87 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 Gelsenkirchen: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Düsseldorf Airport (DUS), about 33 km from the city centre in a straight line; Dortmund Airport (DTM, 36 km) and Weeze (Niederrhein) Airport (NRN, 67 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
The Ruhr area, especially Gelsenkirchen, offers a wonderful public transportation system. Whether using the train, bus, streetcar/trolley, or car, it is easy to plan your transportation to and from all your activities in and around Gelsenkirchen. Nearest airports are located within 100 km from the city.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
DUS · Düsseldorf Airport
DTM · Dortmund Airport
NRN · Weeze (Niederrhein) Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Gelsenkirchen
Eat
Gelsenkirchen is not known for its excellent high cuisine, but still offers good food. The local cuisine has been influenced by past migrations, including from the Middle East.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Good to know
Accessibility, parking and families in Gelsenkirchen
How many places to stay in this guide offer each, in their operators' own words.
of 1 place
of 1 place
Questions
Gelsenkirchen: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Gelsenkirchen?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Gelsenkirchen are May, June and September. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 24 °C; July is the wettest, with about 87 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Gelsenkirchen?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Düsseldorf Airport (DUS), about 33 km from the city centre in a straight line; Dortmund Airport (DTM, 36 km) and Weeze (Niederrhein) Airport (NRN, 67 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Gelsenkirchen?
euro (EUR).
Nearby
Destinations near Gelsenkirchen
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.