Located in the North Rhine -Westphalia in between the cities of Dortmund and Essen in the olden-day industrial Ruhr region, Bochum is a wonderful tourist destination in Germany. Universities and technology centres are putting their stamp on the city as it moves towards cybernetics. The cities of Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Castrop-Rauxel, Dortmund, Witten and Hattingen are the nearest neighbours to its population of 371,000.
How to Get There:
Bochum is served by Düsseldorf International Airport, about 45 minutes by road, 33 minutes by ICE, and 35 minutes by the local rail service. Once its lifeline, all of today’s Germany's inland waterways network can be put to good use. The local head can be accessed some 4 kilometres from Bochum, routing via the old Rhine-Herne canal. Moreover, Bochum is highly transportation efficient, helped by the fact that it is positioned at the core of the most tightly-knit and effective road movement system network in North Rhine-Westphalia. The public transport network ensures maximum mobility throughout the Ruhr area. It operates a huge merged fleet of buses, trams and local trains running at a regular frequently and covering the whole area on a large number of routes, based on BOGESTRA , a joint venture between the cities of Bochum and Gelsenkirchen.
What to See:
The City Hall,Brewing House Rietkötter,Warehouse Kortum,Lueg-House/Union cinema, Jahrhunderthalle, Blankenstein Castle, Moated Castle Kemnade, Propsteikirche St. Peter und Paul, the most ancient church of the city, built in 785-800 by Charlemagne; Pauluskirche, the main Protestant church of the city(1650); Christuskirche, almost destroyed in WW II, Lake Kemnade, Lake Ümmingen, Weitmarer Holz - municipal forest, Geological Garden, apart from more museums and art galleries.
Where to Eat:
There are 280 restaurants in Bochum, and Hartmann's Wirtshaus, Haus Seier, Altenbochumer Hof, Zum Wiesental, Alt Nurnberg are recommended for German cuisine.
Music and Theatre:
Bahnhof Langendreer, Bochum Symphony Orchestra, Comödie Bochum (Comedy Theatre), Open-Air Theatre Wattenscheid, Bochum Civic Theatre, Wattenscheid Civic Hall, Starlight - Express, Thürmer Concert Hall, Zeche Bochum. Seats are usually available. The Zeche Bochum is a disco cum rock bar and cabaret. The Matrix, Sam's Club, Club Taksim, Discothek Heaven, Zensi Partystadl and Zwischenfall are discos/night clubs.
Shopping:
Bochum City Centre, Ruhr - Park and Uni - Centre.
Hotels:
Bochum has 24 hotels in the 3-5 star range, varying between € 35-112. It also has cheap lodging at hostels and bed and breakfast homes.
