Best things to do in Bochum

Credit: Karlheinz Jardner

1. German Mining Museum 

Address: Am Bergbaumuseum 28, 44791 Bochum

What to see in Bochum? The German Mining Museum in Bochum is a good start. The largest museum of its kind in the world and is devoted to the history and development of mining in the region. It is also a well respected mining research centre where the key focus is mining history. Above the ground there are various fascinating exhibits that demonstrate mining techniques and history. Below ground there is a reconstruction of  a mine that can be a wonderful experience to gain first hand knowledge of the process. The museum attracts a high footfall and has become a popular destination for tourists visiting this area. 

2. Bochum Dahlhausen Railway Museum

Address: Dr.-C.-Otto-Straße 191, 44879 Bochum

The Bochum Dahlhausen Railway Museum in the suburb of Dahlhausen is home to the largest museum of its kind in Germany. It is a wonderful place for railway and steam locomotive fans to step back in history and experience the bygone days of train travel. The museum was founded in 1977 and is located on an erstwhile railway depot built in 1916. The museum occupies a staggering 46000 square metres. Highlights of a visit here include a central engine shed with 14 tracks, cooling, watering and sanding facilities and a preserved turntable. The museum is part of the Ruhr Industrial Heritage trail. In the summer time there are organised train trips along with the occasional opportunity to board a steam train. This is a wonderful chance to nostalgically step back in time and experience train travel history in an unforgettable way.

Prices: Tickets are €10 for adults and kids, 6-14 pay €5

Note: Museum is closed for the winter season and reopens on 1st March, 2023.

3. Planetarium Bochum

Address: Castroper Str. 67, 44791 Bochum

Bochum Planetarium is a great place to learn about the stars and watch various fascinating shows about astronomy. The Zeiss Planetarium Bochum opened in 1964 and has a spectacular 20 metre diameter dome to project shows onto the dome roof. 260 people at a time can watch projections of the stars in the night sky and the entire atmosphere feels very special. Around the projection hall, there is a circular corridor that contains various exhibits of interest. Tickets to shows are 9.50 euros with reduced ticket rates available for children, students, apprentices, the handicapped, unemployed, volunteers and holders of a discount card among others. 

4. Catch a game at Vonovia Ruhrstadion

What do in Bochum on a weekend ? Well, if you are looking for something different and a great matchday experience, then Bochum who got promoted to the Bundesliga this year, are worth looking into. Matchday tickets starts from just €13. ( Checkout the official website:  – VfL BOchum offers day-tickets – fans have to check this site or instagram ). Also worth noting that transport is free on matchday in the Rhein-Ruhr area with the match ticket (the stadium is about a 20 minute walk from the city centre or a few stops on the U-Bahn). The stadium and the club itself has a really traditional feel to them and in my opinion that makes it more interesting to go and see a game here. Atmosphere is fantastic. Teams enter the pitch to “Tief im Westen” (in the deep west) song by local German superstar Herbert Groenemeyer. 

Capacity of the stadium is 28000. It is like a typical British stadium, the 4 stands enclose the ground and let you be really close to the pitch. They serve the local Fiege brew for a mere €4.2 for a half pint.

5. Checkout Bochum’s coolest neighbourhood- Ehrenfeld 

Similar to Dortmund’s Kreuzviertel, the hip neighbourhood of Ehrenfeld is a must visit – pop into one of the cool cafes, have a stroll through the streets, explore some of the independent shops and stop for a drink in one of the area’s many fine bars. Pop into the colourful Fräulein Coffea (Oskar-Hoffmann-Straße 34, 44789 Bochum) where you’ll find locals reading the paper or catching up with friends over their excellent coffee and range of cakes (vegan options too).

If you’re looking for original gift ideas from local designers, the cosy concept store, stueckgut ( Königsallee 12, 44789 Bochum) is worth a visit. You will find selected range of local brands, small fashion and clothing accessories and even sustainable and vegan backpacks. 

Walking around Ehrenfeld you will also notice a rich collection of fantastic street art which was the legacy of the Street Art Festival “WRIGHT” which was organized by the local Sold Out Gallery.

On Alte Hattinger Straße, on the left hand side of the cool concept store, Die Kulturtasche ( Alte Hattinger Straße 11), you will find  Zone 56’s meditation on the world of cyber and nature.

Just above Die Kulturtasche  you will find the three dimensionally beautiful work of André Silva aka TRAFIC, a Dortmund based street artist, with Portuguese roots and unmistakable handwriting.

For more about street art in Bochum, hop to this blogpost (it is in German).

6. Visit the Bermuda3eck, the action packed nightlife hotspot

With over 80 bars, cafes and restaurants, the Bermuda3Eck has been THE place to party in the Ruhr Valley. Especially when the weather is nice, you will find the party spilling from the bar terraces onto the street which gives the vibe of a big open air party.

In the Bermuda3eck you have to stop for a beer at Pinte Bochum  (Kortumstraße 11) a popular place for football fans before or after the match. It is the smallest pub in Bochum but in terms of atmosphere, range of local beers and service, one of the best.

If you’re more of a wine lover, then you should pay a visit to Le Kork Wine Bar (Konrad-Adenauer-Platz 3 44787). If you want to spend a few hours of wine tasting then you will love this  concept — load up a prepaid credit from €5 to €50 (if there is any money left, you get it back) depending on how much you want to drink and then tap your card and choose from 84 high class international wines which the help of their innovative self service wine dispensers.

7. Bonus tip: Do not leave Bochum without eating here

While Berlin may claim to have invented the Currywurst , in the Ruhr Valley, the food has iconic status and is THE pre and post match snack for football fans. Best place to try it here? The cult local butcher, Dönninghaus from Bochum, which was founded in 1935 by Otto Dönninghaus, is probably the best in the Ruhr area for the classic bratwurst with its iconic curry sauce whose composition is a carefully guarded family secret.

Further resources

For more ideas of things to do Bochum and the Ruhr Valley, checkout the Ruhr Valley Tourism website. If you are planning a football themed break to Bochum and the Ruhr Valley, checkout the Ruhr Fussball website.

If you are planning a long weekend in the area, you may want to checkout my recent guide to the best things to do in Dortmund

This post was produced in partnership with Germany Tourism and Ruhr Fussball project but the views represented here are my own.

In a relatively short radius of Witte de Withstraat you can discover the best of Rotterdam’s eclectic nightlife scene where on any one night you can listen to anything from Motown Jazz, dub step, electro, house or Britpop-this is my favourite place to party in Rotterdam. First of all, lets talk about food!

Where to eat in Rotterdam

If you’re looking to line your stomach with some cheap and delicious food, these are the places where go to line their stomach before the big night out in town

1. Bazar

Witte de Withstraat 16
Phone +31(0)10-206 51 51

I am a huge fan of Bazar which specialises in North African and Middle Eastern food. One of the reasons I love coming back to Rotterdam is to eat here. I highly recommend their Tavuk Shish Kebab. Plus the breakfast they serve is one of the best I’ve ever tasted.

2. Restaurant “Bierhandel” De Pijp

The oldest restaurant in Rotterdam built in a former garage, Restaurant “Bierhandel” De Pijp is one of those locals only places that is kind of a hidden secret. “If you haven’t even been to de Pijp you are not a real Rotterdammer!” claims Monique Segeren from Hostel ROOM. “It’s nothing fancy- you just sit down to people you don’t know and just chat, drink and eat.”

3. Hans Bode

Last but not least, do visit Mr Hans Bode, an icon of Rotterdam. In Coolsingel, you’ll find his food cart: Hans Worst where he roasts his biological, calorie busting, delicious Rotdogs .Hans also loves serving his dogs with very spicy chillies-he has with him a special variety of habanero peppers that apparently is the 2nd hottest chilli in the world. You have been warned.

Where to drink in Rotterdam

4. Sjatzi

A favourite hangout spot for local is Sjatzi , an old stripclub turned hipster bar. Place still breathes the hedonistic atmosphere of its neon light past with with poles on the bar and mirrors all around. Male and female pole dancers grease the pole on weekends while attentive bartenders serve a nice selection of German beers, Russian vodka, cocktail and various kinds of caviar.

5. Suicide Club

If you are looking for something more upmarket and expensive,  cocktails at Suicide Club are fantastic plus they have a great rooftop view.

6. Aloha Bar

Home to the former swimming pool Tropicana ( complete with the wild water slopes that hostel owner Monique used to love as a kid) Aloha Bar is another bar popular with locals in the summer, thanks to its advantageous location by the river.

“On the outside terrace they built swings..where you have the best view of the skyline of Rotterdam.”

Joyce Brouwer, Hostel Ani & Haakien

Photo: Marc Heeman

Where to party in Rotterdam

My happiest memories of Rotterdam are all under a blurry sheet of darkness when the street lights switch on. The volume goes up a few notches the moment the sun sets and all of a sudden you find yourself swimming in a pool of glorious humanity. Booze too. Witte de Withstraat. Rotterdam’s party street and one of Europe’s greatest streets. Think of Rotterdam as Ibiza but without the pricetag. Some of Europe’s coolest concept bars and clubs can be found in this city.

8. The Performance Bar

Checkout the The Performance bar on Boomgaardsstraat  which consists of a bar, a musical organ, a bathtub and a stage.They have interesting performances every hour on top of the bar…if its not turned into a bathtub.

9. De Witte Aap

Once voted as Europe’s best bar by Lonely Planet readers, you have the evergreen 9. De Witte Aap which has a great selection of cocktails and beers.

10. Rotown

I love the tropical charm of the Tiki Bar, Café LaBru with its vintage New York interior plus Rotown (Nieuwe Binnenweg 17-19 ) is another key favourite. By day a diner, in the evening the tables gets cleared and the decks come out. Often they host upcoming bands-the owners Tare great for picking out talented artists and bands that subsequently become major acts like The Wombats, Saybia, The Kooks and Franz Ferdinand have all performed. So who knows who you will see?

“If you like Soul & Jazz then BIRD is the best place to go in Rotterdam. Especially during the North Sea Jazz Festival you can see some really nice shows from big names here as they are the official afterparty for the Festival (Boogieball). Their location is also really nice; located under an old railway viaduct.”

Mirjam Verschoor, Hostel ROOM

11. Blender

Blender (Schiedamse Vest 91-93 ) Blender for cocktails is also a good shout. The trendy, industrial interior of Blender is modelled on the cocktail bars of New York.The place follows the concept of being part cocktail bar and part restaurant serving up nouvelle gastronomy. The restaurant gives way to becoming a nightclub at night where you find a very fashionable 25+ crowd of glamorous people dancing their night away. Cocktails here are on the pricer side starting from 7-10 euros pricemark but even just for the one drink, very worthwhile stopping here on your Rotterdam nightlife odyssey.

12. Worm

WORM (Witte de Withstraat 63 ) If you love experimental music, definitely checkout the very avant garde art gallery/ venue WORM. By day Worm is an exhibition space for artists inspired by punk, dada and futurism and at night its serves as a venue for inspiring events. I met some very quirky personalities there. Was good fun. Drinks are very reasonably priced with spirit w/ mixer around €7 euros and draft beers for 4 euros. They even stock Brewdog beer so any place that serves Brewdog gets the thumbs up from me! I had a chance meeting with Dutch party guru Ted Langebach at Worm.He is the founder and creative director of the Rotterdam dance club Now & Wow which I’ve been told is one of the biggest club nights in the area and not to be missed.

13. Club Vibes 

If you like clubs that are small, intimate and easygoing then you’ll love the next place I visited: Club Vibes ( Westersingel 50a ) Popular with locals for almost 10 years, Vibes is where the party continues all night well into the early hours ( 5 am to be precise ) It’s the kind of club attracts a mixed crowd where everyone just gets on really well and knows how to have a good time. On Thursdays alternative music is played like dub step or electro. For mainstream pop and good old classics, visit Vibes on Fridays and Saturdays. It’s free admission before 1 am on Friday or Saturday with the Rotterdam Welcome Card
Tip: Worthwhile investing in the Rotterdam Welcome Card  for your weekend in Rotterdam. Costing just 12 euros, give you unlimited travel on public transport and 54 discounts within local visitor and nightlife attractions.

I covered a fair bit in this places but there are so many more places -hope this article does give you an idea of the variety and depth of the nightlife scene in Rotterdam. To all tommorrow’s parties in Rotterdam…. I can’t wait to go back.

How to get to Rotterdam

Access to Rotterdam is easy thanks to a highspeed train that takes only 26 minutes (€12.80 for a single ticket) from Schiphol while the regular train takes 49 minutes (€10.70 for a single ticket) I however took advantage of a more budget friendly alternative -the Eurolines service from London Victoria to Rotterdam where booking early, you can get return fares for as little as £39 return. It’s a long journey at around 10 hours so I recommend possibly breaking journey at Lille along the way to make this is a more interesting alternative to flying plus gets your from city centre to city centre. Plus incentive of 30 kgs hand luggage allowance so ideal for people flying in to London as a starting point for their European odyssey.