Here the options, how to buy a ticket:
http://www.bahn.de/p/view/internatio..._booking.shtml

Please follow this in the Germany forum.

Kiwi Flyer
LH moderator

In future: Yes

When will this change happen?

Connecting from DUS to longhauls on a regular basis I've lately resorted to taking a fast and more luggage friendly train (e.g ICE or IC) to Duesseldorf main station and a taxi from there. That way arrival will be comfy and the check-in desks only a hundred meter dash from the cab.

Sorry for being very direct, but this is clearly insane advise.

You are telling us, that

• you arrive at D�sseldorf Main Station on a long distance train on platform 18 or 16,
• schlepp your luggage through the station to a cab and
• go on a 20 to 30 minutes cabride investing 20 to 25 Euro with the risk of being caught in the rush hour

instead of taking the escalator down from your arrival platform and up again to to platform 13, take the S7, arrive at DUS Terminal Station after 12 minutes (even for free as part of your long distance travel), take the escalator up and arrive at the utmost 50 meters from the taxi rank and 150 meters from check-in?

I have my German office in the heart of D�sseldorf and I normally avoid cabs to the airport but take subway and S-Bahn as I know perfectly well that this will bring me into the airport in 21 minutes. Cab is 15 minimum but can take as long as 40 minutes.

I would like to know what the opinions are for my situation:

I arrive with my family of four (2 adults, 2 young children) at DUS on a Monday evening (~17:30) in June. We need to get to Schwelm to visit friends. We will be arriving from the US so we will have several bags. I figure my options are:

1) Taxi - expensive?
2) Limo - very expensive??
3) Train from Dusseldorf Airport Terminal - no Skytrain, luggage space?
4) Train from Dusseldorf Airport - Skytrain, maybe more luggage space?

With the new info on this thread, maybe option 3 may not be so good anymore (I think that the connection was at Soligen vs. Dusseldorf Hbf.).

Opinions?

Thank you (danke).

The S7 to Solingen will still be operating in June. You might wish to check on www.bahn.de.

Either take the S7 at 18.03 from the Terminal Station and change at Solingen or (more realistic) take the S7 at 18.43 and change at Düsseldorf Main to a Regional Express Train from Platform 7. Luggage on the S7 should not be a problem. That train is never overcrowded when it starts at the airport. The RE train during rush-hour. Well....

You need two VRR tickets from the machine on the Platform for a C-Fare, 8,70 for an adult, 1,20 for a kid over the age of 6. Travel time is about an hour. Taxi should not be faster and will cost about 150 Euro for 70 km.

I wouldn't say its' insane as it got me on my Schengen flight last time just at check-in cut off when it already seemed too late.

Two points: I can tell the cab driver to speed up within his/her limits while there is always the possibility that the S-Bahn is delayed. You are of course right about rush hour but I almost never take morning or late afternoon flights exactly because of this. Last time cost was 18 EUR but I agreed on 20 before the drive to make sure to get there fast.

Second, while the schlep is there at Duesseldorf station (200 meters?) I much prefer to arrive at departures level at DUS instead in the cellar (also called "Regionalbahnhof or similar).

To give another insane advice, the Japanese/Euro fusion bistro at Immermannstrasse is quite fun to try. Young and creative Japanese team with great enthusiasm.

Japanese food is never insane. Which one you are talking about? I alweys fancy good advice for lunch.

Forgot the name but it's sandwiched between Kushi-Tei and the gay bar opposite of the Nikko hotel. Had a very fun evening there last autumn, they do the fusion stuff quite well and have a rather secure hand in both European wine and Japanese shochu & co.

But better go with friends or close business partners, the atmosphere is relaxed and casual.

I don't know what makes food "insane", but if a food can be insane, "fugu" is.

Thank you Flying Lawyer. I went to the DB website, but I don't see the S7 at 18:43, but I do see the S1 at 18:13 (perhaps this is what you meant?). But it doesn't really matter...I'll just print out the schedule and depending on how long it takes us to clear customs and get our luggage (and if necessary take the SkyTrain), we'll just get the next available train. And at ~20 euro for the train vs. 150 for a taxi, I think the train is the obvious choice

So is the 18:00-19:00 timeframe still rush hour, or will it be winding down?

Remember: There are two station:

D�sseldorf Flughafen Terminal where the S7 departs and
D�sseldorf Flughafen Fernbahnhof where the S1 departs.

If you only enter D�sseldorf Flughafen on Bahn.de, you get the Fernbahnhof which is connected to the Termnal by the Skytrain. If you want to avoid the Skytrain and the extra change, chose the Terminal station.

Between six and seven is the in the middle of rush hour.

Danke. Now I see the 18:43 S7 - this will likely be the best option (assuming our flight is on-time).