GermanyGelsenkirchen (; German: [ˌɡɛlzn̩ˈkɪʁçn̩] ; Westphalian: Gelsenkiärken) is the 26th-most populous city of Germany and the 12th-most populous in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia with a population of 266,199 as of 2025. On the Emscher River (a tributary of the Rhine), it lies at the centre of the Ruhr area, the largest urban area of Germany, of which it is the fifth-largest city after Dortmund, Essen, Duisburg and Bochum. The Ruhr is located in the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region, the second-biggest metropolitan region by GDP in the European Union. Gelsenkirchen is the fifth-largest city of Westphalia after Dortmund, Bochum, Bielefeld and Münster, and it is one of the southernmost cities in the Low German dialect area.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Places in Gelsenkirchen
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Plan your days in Gelsenkirchen
Your Gelsenkirchen day plan
Grouped by neighbourhood, lunch included. Built from places we verified recently.
How many days?
Longer trips (up to 10 days): part of Pro
2 days · Balanced · about 8 stops
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Climate in Gelsenkirchen
Best time to visit: Jun–Sep
Average temperature
3°Jan
3°Feb
7°Mar
10°Apr
14°May
17°Jun
19°Jul
19°Aug
15°Sep
11°Oct
7°Nov
4°Dec
Crowd level (0–5)
1Jan
1Feb
1Mar
1Apr
1May
2Jun
2Jul
2Aug
1Sep
1Oct
1Nov
2Dec
Flights to Gelsenkirchen
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London
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Berlin
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Madrid
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Gelsenkirchen
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- Boarding pass№ 04
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Athens
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Gelsenkirchen
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Rome
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Paris
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Vienna
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Bucharest
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Day trips and nearby cities from Gelsenkirchen
Staying more than a few days? These cities are close enough for a day trip or a night away. Distances are straight-line from Gelsenkirchen; times are rough estimates by road.
Day tripBottrop
Germany
12 km≈ 15 min
Day tripRecklinghausen
Germany
13 km≈ 15 min
Day tripMarl
Germany
15 km≈ 15 min
Day tripMulheim An Der Ruhr
Germany
17 km≈ 20 min
Day tripOberhausen
Germany
18 km≈ 20 min
Day trip
Witten
Germany
18 km≈ 20 min
Day tripDorsten
Germany
19 km≈ 20 min
Day tripVelbert
Germany
19 km≈ 20 min
From Gelsenkirchen you can reach Bottrop (12 km), Recklinghausen (13 km), Marl (15 km), Mulheim An Der Ruhr (17 km) and Oberhausen (18 km) in about 15 min to 20 min by road. Each city page has its own sights, a day plan and flights.
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Questions about Gelsenkirchen
The most pleasant months are Jun to Sep, with comfortable temperatures and lighter crowds. Right now it averages about 7°C in November.
We are collecting fresh places for Gelsenkirchen. Check back soon for photos and opening hours.
You can fly into Dortmund Airport, Düsseldorf Airport, Weeze (Niederrhein) Airport. Use the flight links on this page to compare fares and set a price alert.
Most visitors enjoy 2 to 3 days. Use the route builder below to get a day-by-day plan that groups sights by neighbourhood and includes lunch.