Düsseldorf airport has its own train station from where you can take the train directly to Duisburg and Essen. The shuttle service "SkyTrain" takes you directly from the airport to the train station within 7 minutes.

From here you can travel with the regional trains (RE/RB, S-Bahn) of the VRR to Duisburg within 10 minutes and to Essen within 25 minutes. For a journey to Duisburg you need a ticket in price category B and to Essen one in price category C.

Cologne-Bonn Airport also has its own railway station. From here, you can take the RE6 regional train directly to Duisburg and Essen in about one and a half hours.

Alternatively, you can take a regional train (RE/RB or S-Bahn) to Cologne Central Station (Hbf) and then take a long-distance train (IC/ICE) to Duisburg or Essen. In this case the trip takes about one hour to Duisburg and one and a quarter of an hour to Essen.

From Dortmund airport, the shuttle service "AirportExpress" will take you to Dortmund Central Station (Hbf) within about 25 minutes. From Dortmund central station you can take a regional train (RE/RB, S-Bahn) of the VRR and reach Essen within 25 minutes and Duisburg within 40 minutes. For the journey to Essen you need a ticket in price category B and to Duisburg one in price category D.

The airport in Frankfurt is well connected to the rail network, so that Duisburg and Essen can be reached by long-distance train (IC/ICE) in less than two hours. A one-way ticket costs between 70 and 80 euros; ticket and seat reservations are recommended. In addition, some airlines offer reduced rail tickets in the form of Rail&Fly packages.

Amsterdam airport offers an alternative to the German airports mentioned above. Many international airlines fly to Amsterdam. Duisburg and Essen can be reached by long distance train (ICE) within two or three hours (unfortunately no direct connection), and the ticket is with 40 to 50 Euro cheaper than one from Frankfurt. However, be sure to check if your visa/residence permit allows you to travel through the Netherlands to reach Germany.

You can get to the main campus in Duisburg (areas L and M) from Duisburg Main Station either by bus line 933 (terminating at Uni-Nord) to the stop "Universität", by bus line 926 (terminating at Uni-Nord) to the stop "Uni-Nord" or by tram line 901 (terminating at Mülheim Hbf) to the stop "Zoo/Uni".

To get to area B of the Duisburg campus, take bus line 926 (terminating at Uni-Nord) and get off at the stop "Oststraße" or bus line 933 (terminating at Uni-Nord) and get off at the stop "Bismarckstraße".

You can plan your arrival at both campuses with public transportation on the website of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR).

To get from Essen Main Station to the Essen Campus, you can take the tram lines 105 (terminating at Frintrop-Unterstr.) or 106 (terminating at Germaniaplatz) to the stop "Rheinischer Platz" (left exit). You can also take the subway U11 (terminating at GE, Buerer Str.) or U17 (terminating at Karlsplatz) to the stop "Universität" (exit Reckhammerweg).

However, you can also get off at "Berliner Platz" and walk 5 minutes to the campus. This stop is served by the following lines: Trams 101 (terminating at Helenenstraße), 105 (terminating at Frintrop-Unterstr.) and 109 (terminating at Fronhausen), U-Bahn U11 (terminating at GE, Buerer Str.), U17 (terminating at Karlsplatz) and U18 (terminating at Essen Berliner Platz).