Dortmund has one major tourist attraction. One big, knockout sight that attracts people from home and abroad. It crops up on every website you look at, every guide to the place.

It's the Westfalenstadion, or Signal Iduna Park, the home of Borussia Dortmund. And while I love a good football stadium as much as the next guy, and probably sadly a bit more so, when it's listed as the one stand out place to see in a city you can quickly reach a verdict that there's a limited amount to take in.

You could be forgiven for thinking i'm having a go at the place, that I didn't enjoy the stay in Dortmund, but I can assure that neither is the case.





Germany's eighth biggest city, in the heart of the bustling Ruhr region, is a perfectly pleasant place to visit. It's clean and modern, with an easily walkable centre, excellent transport system, excellent shopping and a good share of bars and restaurants.

However, vast swathes of Dortmund was razed to the ground during the Second World War so there is little of note standing that is more than half a century old. Even some of those buildings that look a little older… well, frankly, they're not.

If you scratch the surface though you will find a few treasures from history. The ring road around the largely pedestrianed middle is based on the old city walls. Inside, surrounded by striking shiny new buildings you'll find the beautiful churches of Reinoldkirche, Petrikirche and Marienkirche.





Dortmund is historically an industrial city, built on steel (the Hoesch Museum charts 160 years of industry). However, following the decline of manufacturing in the 1970s and 80s it has now been reborn as an IT hub, welcoming trade from across Europe to its trade fairs. The boost to the economy is clear with a vibrant shopping centre, one of the best in the country and although there are a few corners of the place in need of a facelift, by a large it's a city in good shape.

If you want a good view of the area you can head up the Florianturm, or TV tower. Built in 1959 it was very briefly the highest tower in Germany and it has a revolving restaurant and two observation decks.

Dortmund tourist office does a good job of selling the city and although there are no major official tours to consider, it organises regular walking and biking tours on all manner of subjects so it's worth popping in to see what's on. You'll find it straight out of the main train station - cross the road and it's on the left before you head up the steps into town. Walk on up the steps and you head straight into the middle of the city.

Nobody would claim that Dortmund is the greatest tourist hub in the world. But it's lively, friendly, easy to navigate and there's enough to keep you occupied for a weekend.

Where I stayed

We stayed at Hotel Konigshof. It was picked because it's 400 yards from the station - come out, cross the ring road, turn left past the posh new library and it's along Konigswall on your right hand side.

It's not the poshest hotel in town - you need to head to Westfalenpark trade centre area for most of the business-style four and five stars - but this three star is clean and serves the purpose. We liked it for the rooms, not the biggest in size but the 1960s decor had a certain faded charm. You can't beat a radio built into the furniture, that's what I say. Breakfast ticked the boxes and clearly the hotel was popular with football fans with a good clutch of supporters staying the Saturday night - but there was no noise or trouble. And all for rooms pitching in at around 60 euros a night, including breakfast. It's dead handy for the middle of town too, you just turn into middle and the bars of the old square are all of a five or ten minute walk.

Not everybody in the hotel spoke English but most did, and you could get by easily enough. I'd stay there again if Dortmund called, put it that way. Check out the website http://www.hotel-koenigshof.biz/en/index.html

Dortmund is a popular night out, famous as a brewing city, without being totally overrun with bars. The busiest concentration in the middle is around the Alter Markt  with a good selection of restaurants and bars including Dom Alter Markt - all very beer house style inside - whilst across the square you have Wenkers (no sniggering at the back),  a popular stop when there's live sport on.  Both serve food well into the evening.

 

 

Anyone for a beer: Dortmund's small but chirpy bar district.

 

To reach the Alter Markt area from the station cross the ring road, head up the steps and when you reach the church, head left along Kampstrasse. After a few hundred yards turn right along Hansastrasse. When you reach Karstadt department store turn left along Westenhelweg, and when you reach the next old church turn right up Belenstrasse and you're in the old market. Sounds a bit of a faff, but it's all of a 15 minute walk.

You'll also find a couple of bars on the way into town from the station. Cross the road, head up the stairs and you'll find a cosy Germany bar on the right hand side and, another 200 yards along, the obligatory Irish bar, Limericks in Kampstrasse. I'd also recommend Gastatte sum Sauren, a lively bar just off Hansaplatz which attracts a busy crowd post matchdays.