In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · Germany
Oberhausen
Give Oberhausen one full day: Gasometer plus CentrO and the Slinky bridge. Sleep one night here if the Gasometer is your main reason; otherwise base in Essen or Duisburg and come in by tram 112.
Oberhausen is a Ruhr industrial city of about 209,000 people, rebuilt around one attraction cluster: the Gasometer, the CentrO mall and the Neue Mitte transitway. It is a half-day to one-day stop inside a wider Ruhr trip, not a place most travellers sleep for three nights. Come for the Gasometer exhibition, the model railway and the short film festival in spring.
- Country
- Germany
- Best months
- May–Sep; late Apr–early May for the short film festival
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (grey, wet, short days)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR). Card acceptance has improved but some bakeries, bars and small restaurants are still cash only.
- Daily spend
- Budget €45–70 excl. bed · Mid €70–120 excl. bed · High €120+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Telekom, Vodafone and O2 are the networks; Aldi Talk, Lidl Connect and congstar resell them cheaply in supermarkets and electronics shops.
- Emergency
- Fire and ambulance 112 · Police 110 · Out-of-hours doctor 116 117
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin plugs; UK and US devices need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: Round up or add 5–10%; say the total you want to pay as you hand over money or card.; Bar and café: Round up to the nearest euro.; Taxi: Round up by €1–2.; Hotel housekeeping: €1–2 a night, optional.; Free walking tour: €10–15 per person.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Restaurants usually sell bottled water; fizzy (mit Kohlensäure) is the default, ask for 'still' or 'ohne'.
- Toilets
- Station toilets cost €0.50–1.50 (Rail&Fresh WC); restaurant toilets are for customers; the 'WC' at motorway rest stops takes coins and gives a voucher.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | €2.50–4.00 |
| Currywurst or a bakery lunch | €4–8 |
| Beer, 0.5 l in a bar / bottle from a shop | €4–5.50 / €1–1.50 |
| Main course in a mid-range restaurant | €12–20 |
| Single tram or bus fare inside the city | €3.30 (2024 figure) |
| Museum entry | €8–14 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | €10–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- DUS · Düsseldorf
- Closest airport; train to Oberhausen Hbf with a change at Duisburg, about 40–60 min
- DTM · Dortmund
- Second option; regional train connections to Oberhausen Hbf
Typical fares
- Oberhausen Hbf → Neue Mitte, tram 112
- about €3.30 single, about 10 min
- Oberhausen Hbf → Essen Hbf, regional train
- about €4–5, 15–20 min
- Oberhausen Hbf → Duisburg Hbf, regional train
- about €3–4, 6–10 min
Get around
STOAG runs buses and trams on VRR fares. Tram 112 is the backbone: Sterkrade – Neue Mitte – Hauptbahnhof – Mülheim, with a fast bus-and-tram transitway between the station and Sterkrade. Buy tickets before boarding at transitway stops; single adult fare inside the city is €3.30 (2024 figure).
See and do
Known for
- Gasometer Oberhausen
- CentrO shopping mall
- International Short Film Festival
- Industrial heritage of the Ruhr
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Essen | Regional train from Oberhausen Hbf | About 40 min |
| Duisburg | Regional train from Oberhausen Hbf | About 30 min |
| Dortmund | Regional or long-distance train from Oberhausen Hbf | About 1 h |
| Bochum | Regional train from Oberhausen Hbf | About 50 min |
| Hattingen | Train to Essen or Bochum, then regional train | 1–1.25 h |
| Witten | Train to Essen or Bochum, then regional train | 1–1.25 h |
Sleep
- Neue Mitte / CentrO
- Hotels next to the mall and Gasometer; tram 112 to the station in about 10 min. Best if the Gasometer is your reason for coming.
- Oberhausen Hauptbahnhof
- Walkable to the centre and the station; 500 m to the NH hotel. Best for one night with bags and an early train.
- Sterkrade
- Northern district with its own station and the north end of tram 112; quieter, further from the main sights.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Guten TagGOO-ten tahk |
| Thank you | DankeDAN-kuh |
| Please | BitteBIT-tuh |
| How much is it? | Wie viel kostet das?vee feel KOS-tet das |
| Can I pay by card? | Kann ich mit Karte zahlen?kan ikh mit KAR-tuh TSAH-len |
| Where is the tram stop? | Wo ist die Haltestelle?voh ist dee HAL-tuh-shtel-uh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Firm handshake with eye contact; 'Guten Tag' or 'Hallo'; avoid: Hugs with people you have just met
- Names: Herr / Frau plus surname until invited to use first names; avoid: Using 'du' with officials or older strangers
- Punctuality: Arrive on time for tours, dinners and appointments; avoid: Being more than 5–10 minutes late without a message
- Queues and rules: Follow signs, wait at red lights, sort rubbish; avoid: Walking in cycle lanes
- Conversation: Direct and factual; people say what they mean; avoid: Taking directness as rudeness, or joking about the Nazi era
- Home visit: Bring flowers (odd number, not red roses) or wine; shoes off if the hosts do; avoid: Arriving early
- Paying: Say the total including tip as you pay; avoid: Leaving coins on the table and walking off
Scams and watch-outs
- Drivers entering the city need a green emissions sticker on the windscreen.
- Autobahn congestion at rush hour is heavy; allow extra time if driving.
- Some regional trains from the south terminate early at Sterkrade during delays.
- Gasometer and Sea Life ticket prices change with each exhibition: check before you go.
Oberhausen is a normal Ruhr city; take the usual big-city precautions with bags and valuables around the station and the CentrO crowds, especially after dark.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Oberhausen yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Gasometer Oberhausen
- CentrO shopping mall
- International Short Film Festival
- Industrial heritage of the Ruhr
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- City of Oberhausen (official): www.oberhausen.de/
- STOAG — local transport: www.stoag.de/en/
- LVR Industrial Museum: industriemuseum.lvr.de/
- International Short Film Festival Oberhausen: www.kurzfilmtage.de/en/
- Wikivoyage: Oberhausen, revision 5237444 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5237444
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Oberhausen
Zu dieser Adresse, bitte
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Oberhausen; the US and most other consulates-general are in Düsseldorf or Cologne, embassies in Berlin.
Tipping: round up or add 5–10%, said to the server as you pay.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/oberhausen). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.