Dus-Datteln planning
 

My brother who is in poor health lives in Datteln and I am pre planning for a journey because I may be upset while traveling. I can fly into any airport in Germany but it looks like Dusseldorf is the closest to Datteln. Then it looks like I would take a train from there to Datteln . Can someone tell me the baby steps of how to do that? I speak only the barest German.

Datteln has no train stations, so that trip will involve multiple stages. You could go from DUS to Castrop-Rauxel by local train (there is one direct train per hour and several others with stops and change of trains in Essen or Gelsenkirchen). Tickets are available on machines which should also have an english user interface. From Castrop-Rauxel you could either use a taxi (i suppose it would cost around 25 - 30 Euro) or you can take a bus (during the week twice per hour) from Castrop-Rauxel main station to Datteln. It's the bus line SB22, direction Datteln Busbahnhof . If you want to take the bus, you can buy the ticket at DUS for the whole trip. Then you just show the ticket to the bus driver, when you board the bus.

You can use http://vrr.de/en/index.html to find the exact times and prices for your trip.

Another option would be to rent a car because prices can be pretty reasonable in Germany. I don't want to knock the VRR (I use it often myself) but it can be pretty hard going and almost useless for certain destinations. At least the tickets interline between trains, trams and buses. Bear in mind you have to keep going in a general forward direction, you can't go back in the opposite direction on the same ticket.

Hi gungadin,

Sorry to hear about your brother, hope his condition improves.

Datteln is certainly not on the classic tourist track... but Wikipedia tells me it's the world's largest canal junction so there is that ;)

Anyway, my advice for someone who will be preoccupied and doesn't speak the language is to keep things simple.

I found a transfer service called Ruhrtransfair that quotes EUR 73 for a shared transfer, or EUR 88 for a guaranteed private transfer, from DUS to Datteln. You can reach them at:
[email protected] or just fill out the "Buchungsanfrage" form on their webpage.

I also found a cab company called Taxi Süd in Recklinghausen that quotes a price of EUR 89 for a private transfer from DUS to Datteln. You can e-mail them at:
[email protected]

If that sounds too expensive, there is one train per hour from Dusseldorf airport to Recklinghausen main station ("Hauptbahnhof"), which is the nearest rail hub of any significance to Datteln. The trains leave Dusseldorf airport station at :13 past each hour, and cost EUR 14.60 each way. You need train line RE2 bound for Münster, which generally leaves from Track ("Gleis") 5. Recklinghausen is the 6th stop, and you'll arrive 51 minutes later. There is more frequent service, but the other trains involve a change in either Essen or Duisburg, which may be a bit confusing. Fireflyer05 already gave you the link to the local public transportation authority VRR's website - you can pull up the schedules, all ticket prices and lots of other information there.

From Recklinghausen station, I would just catch a cab to your brother's place - Google maps tells me Datteln is about 12 km (7.5 miles) away, the cab fare should be under EUR 30. So total cost is under EUR 50, with a direct train and a cab. Travel time is just over an hour, with up to an hour's waiting time at the airport train station.

Last but not least, given the rather remote location your brother lives in, having a car at your disposal is probably a must, however I assume that your brother has one you can use once you're there. If that were not the case, I would strongly recommend renting one at DUS, as recommended by Concerto. You can use the excellent and free HERE app on your phone for offline navigation with turn by turn instructions.

Hope this helps,
Andre

Thank you all so very much !!!!!! This will help a lot .

You can take the train to Recklinghausen and from there take bus 231 to Am Moselbach,Waltrop.

The bus stops in Datteln after 37 min.

But it´s way faster if you use the Castrop - Rauxel connection.