two nights in

Essen

Essen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. A highlight of Essen is Zeche Zollverein, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with several museums. Wikivoyage

Population 573,618 (Wikidata)

Live guide From your hotel

Before you go

Emergency numbers in Germany

Visas and entry What your passport needs for Germany
Tourist office · 320 m Tourist Info

Getting there

Remembered in this browser only, with the last few you used.

Best-documented sights

All of them in the guide

Within a kilometre of the centre, ordered by how well documented each is — not by a "best" anyone decided. Each opens on the map in the guide. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited there.

Through the year

  1. Spiel

    October

    Internationale Spieltage SPIEL, often called the Essen Game Fair after the city where it is held, is an annual four-day public boardgame trade fair held in October (Thursday to the following Sunday) at the Messe Essen exhibition centre in Essen, Germany.

    Official site Wikipedia

  2. International Christmas Market

    November – December

    International Christmas Market from late November to early December the streets and historic alleys of the city centre are filled with over 200 arts and crafts stalls

Annual events from Wikidata and Wikivoyage (Essen); descriptions from Wikipedia where it has one, photos from Wikimedia Commons. Dates move year to year — check before you plan around one.

Markets

  • Innenstadt (Marktkirche / Flachsmarkt)

    1. Monday: closed
    2. Tuesday: 09:00–18:00
    3. Wednesday: closed
    4. Thursday: closed
    5. Friday: 09:00–18:00
    6. Saturday: closed
    7. Sunday: closed

    09:00–18:00

    190 m from the centre

  • Rüttenscheider Markt

    Mittwochs und Samstags Wochenmarkt

    1. Monday: closed
    2. Tuesday: closed
    3. Wednesday: 08:00–13:00
    4. Thursday: closed
    5. Friday: closed
    6. Saturday: 08:00–14:00
    7. Sunday: closed
    Times vary by day
    Wednesday
    08:00–13:00
    Saturday
    08:00–14:00
    2.3 km from the centre

  • Marktplatz Frohnhauser Platz

    1. Monday: closed
    2. Tuesday: 08:00–13:00
    3. Wednesday: closed
    4. Thursday: 08:00–13:00
    5. Friday: closed
    6. Saturday: 08:00–13:00
    7. Sunday: closed

    08:00–13:00

    2.9 km from the centre

Markets mapped on OpenStreetMap, with their hours where someone has added them. Check locally before you go.

Eating nearby

All 57 places to eat

Somewhere to run

Getting around

Train stations: Essen Hauptbahnhof 730 m, Essen Süd 2.2 km, Essen West 2.4 km, Essen-Altenessen 3.0 km, Essen-Frohnhausen 3.5 km, Essen-Bergeborbeck 3.6 km, Essen-Stadtwald 3.9 km, Essen-Kray Süd 4.1 km, Essen-Borbeck Süd 4.2 km, Essen-Steele 4.3 km, Margarethenhöhe 4.4 km, Essen Zollverein Nord 4.5 km, Essen-Kray Nord 4.7 km, Essen-Borbeck 4.9 km, Essen-Überruhr 5.0 km, Essen-Steele Ost 5.3 km, Essen-Gerschede 5.7 km, Essen-Hügel 6.0 km

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Places © OpenStreetMap contributors, as of 9 October 2026. Description from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA). Events from Wikidata and Wikivoyage, population from Wikidata.