Dortmund Airport (DTM) is only about 13 km from the city center. Your options into town: the AirportExpress bus straight to the main station (Hauptbahnhof) — ~$9.50 (€8.50), about 25 minutes; a free shuttle to Holzwickede station and then a train — cheaper but with a change; a taxi or app — around 20 minutes, ~$33-39 (€30-35).
🚇 Ways into the center
- AirportExpress bus → Dortmund Hauptbahnhof: ~25 min, ~$9.50 (€8.50)
- Free shuttle → Holzwickede station (~8 min) + RB59 train → Hbf: cheaper, with a change
- Taxi: ~20 min, ~$33-39 (€30-35)
- Uber / Free Now: ~$30-39 (€27-35), the pickup zone is marked in the app
🚌 AirportExpress — the easiest pick
The AirportExpress bus runs from the arrivals level straight to Dortmund's main station (Hauptbahnhof) — no change, in about 25 minutes. The fare is ~$9.50 (€8.50) (children under 15 ~$2.20 / €2, under 6 free). The bus leaves roughly once an hour, from about 5:00 to 22:30.
Buy the ticket from the driver or a machine in the terminal — cash or card. From the station, the center and most hotels are within walking distance.
- Ticket: ~$9.50 (€8.50), child ~$2.20 (€2)
- Frequency: roughly hourly, ~5:00-22:30
- Direct to Hauptbahnhof, no change
If you have a late-night or very early flight, the AirportExpress schedule is narrow — a taxi or Free Now is better then.
🚆 Train via Holzwickede — the cheapest
The budget option is a free shuttle bus that runs from the airport to the nearby Holzwickede (Dortmund Airport) railway station in about 8 minutes. From there the RB59 regional train reaches Dortmund Hauptbahnhof in another 10 minutes or so.
This is cheaper than the AirportExpress but means changing with your luggage. The ticket is bought on the VRR (regional transport network) tariff from a machine or the app.
🚖 Taxis and apps
The official taxi rank is right outside the terminal exit — ~$33-39 (€30-35) to the center, taking about 20 minutes. In Germany, Free Now (formerly mytaxi) and Uber both work, usually priced similarly to a taxi.
If you travel as a group or with heavy luggage, a taxi beats the AirportExpress on time — but for one or two passengers, the bus is far more economical.
💡 Tips
- For planning the whole trip from Kutaisi, see Tbilisi → Dortmund
- ETIAS phases in from H2 2026 — check whether you need the online authorization before flying
- Arriving late at night? The AirportExpress may have stopped — plan a taxi or Free Now in advance
- A VRR day ticket pays off if you'll also move around the city a lot the same day
For other German airport transfers, see Frankfurt (FRA) → city center and Cologne (CGN) → city center, and the broader comparison in Travel365's airport transfer guide. Find a cheap ticket to Dortmund on the price calendar.
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