The Merkur Spiel-Arena is the stadium where the football club Fortuna Düsseldorf plays its home matches. Many other events also take place there: famous musicians such as Herbert Grönemeyer, the Rolling Stones and Lady Gaga have already performed in the stadium, and with the European Handball Championship, the Invictus Games and the ISTAF Athletics Trophy, the Merkur Spiel-Arena also attracts numerous sports fans beyond those of football. Fans can comfortably reach Fortuna Düsseldorf's home games in the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia by train and public transport. There are connections to the modern stadium in the Stockum district via Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof and the station Düsseldorf Flughafen.
The Merkur Spiel-Arena impresses with its green location on the Rhine.
Overview
Merkur Spiel-Arena Düsseldorf: fixture list and stadium information
Address: Arena-Straße 1, 40474 Düsseldorf
From the outside, the multifunctional arena presents itself as a gigantic rectangle with a roof that can be closed completely. Inside, football fans can expect the perfect stage for big games. The red, yellow, blue, grey and black seat shells in the grandstand are striking. In combination with the green pitch, they stand for the colourfulness of the world. The transparent façade, which conceals aluminium tubes, is also a real eye-catcher. With a diameter of a classic Düsseldorf Altbier glass, they serve as a windscreen and projection screen for colour displays. The stadium has a capacity of 52,000 spectators.
The Merkur Spiel-Arena is located in the northern part of the city, in the district of Stockum. The Rhine and the Düsseldorf International Trade Fair are in the immediate vicinity. Visitors can reach the stadium quickly and in an environmentally friendly way using the Rheinbahn U78 tram line. From the Merkur Spiel-Arena/Messe Nord stop, an almost 650-metre-long footpath leads to the stadium in about 8 minutes.
Travelling to the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf by public transport
During the Bundesliga season, Deutsche Bahn is taking football fans to matches in Düsseldorf in an environmentally friendly way. With Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof in the city centre and the station at Düsseldorf Flughafen (DUS), the green metropolis is well-connected to regional and long-distance transport.
A ticket is included in the price of admission to all events held at the Merkur Spiel-Arena, including all Bundesliga matches involving Fortuna Düsseldorf. This means that no additional ticket has to be purchased; the return journey to the event in 2nd class is free of charge in the entire VRR area upon presentation of the combi-ticket. The corresponding logo is printed on the tickets. It is valid from the departure point on the most direct route to the Merkur Spiel-Arena for the game until the end of operations the following day (3:00) after the final whistle.
On match days, the U78 Rheinbahn line usually takes visitors to the Merkur Spiel-Arena every 5 to 10 minutes. The stop there is called D-Merkur Spiel-Arena/Messe-Nord. After the games, special Rheinbahn trains depart from the stop every 2.5 minutes.
To plan your journey in detail, you can access precise arrival and departure times and connections via this link.
Travelling via Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof
At Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof, travellers will discover several bakeries, cafés and restaurants serving regional and international dishes before setting off for the European Championship stadium. With a food market, a pharmacy, a chemist and shops selling fashion, accessories, floristry, technology, coffee specialities, press and books, Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof is also an inviting place to take a stroll. The Mein_EinkaufsBahnhof website provides detailed information on the catering facilities and shops at the station. You can also withdraw money at the Reisebank. Toilets are located next to the station mission on the ground floor of Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof. To store luggage, lockers are available in the connecting corridor from the main passage to the station's north tunnel. The track and site plan of Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof will help you find your way around. There is also free WiFi in the station.
Take the U78 from Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof to the Düsseldorf Arena:
- At Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof, take the U78 at platform 1 on level -1 in the direction of Merkur Spiel-Arena/Messe Nord and get off at the last stop.
- From the stop Merkur Spiel-Arena/Messe Nord, walk about 500 metres along Arena-Straße to the stadium.
Travelling via the station Düsseldorf Flughafen
In the Lohausen district, there are several connections from the station Düsseldorf Flughafen for for onward travel to the Merkur Spiel-Arena after landing by plane. The station, with connections to the S-Bahn and regional and long-distance transport, is located on the eastern edge of the airport grounds. The SkyTrain overhead railway connects the airport with the station. It takes travellers from terminals A, B and C to the station in 7 minutes. WiFi is available free of charge at the station. If you want to go shopping or get a bite to eat before your trip to the stadium, you will find a wide range of offers at Düsseldorf Flughafen. There are numerous shops, bakeries, restaurants, cafés and bistros in the security area and on the public arrivals and departures levels. The site plan of the airport provides an overview. There is also a 24h Sparkasse bank on the arrivals level for withdrawing money.
From Düsseldorf Flughafen station, take the RE1, RE3, RE5, RE6, RE11 or RE19 in combination with the U78 to Merkur Spiel-Arena Düsseldorf:
- At Düsseldorf Flughafen station, take the RE1 in the direction of Aachen Hauptbahnhof or the RE5 in the direction of Koblenz Hauptbahnhof and travel to Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof.
- Alternatively, take the RE6 in the direction of Flughafen Köln/Bonn station, the RE3, the RE11 or the RE19 in the direction of Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof and travel to Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof.
- At Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof, take the U78 in the direction of Merkur Spiel-Arena/Messe Nord from platform 1 on level -1 and travel to the final stop.
- From the Merkur Spiel-Arena/Messe Nord stop, walk about 650 metres along Arena-Straße to the stadium.
From Düsseldorf Flughafen station, take the S1 in combination with the M1 and U78 to the Merkur Spiel-Arena:
- At Düsseldorf Flughafen station, take the S1 in the direction of Solingen Hauptbahnhof from platform 4 and travel to Unterrath.
- At Unterrath station, change to the M1 low-floor bus in the direction of Freiligrathplatz from platform 5 and travel to Freiligrathplatz.
- At Freiligrathplatz, change to the U78 in the direction of Merkur Spiel-Arena/Messe Nord from platform 2 and travel to the final stop.
- From the Merkur Spiel-Arena/Messe Nord stop, follow Arena-Straße for about 650 metres to the stadium.
Alternative travel options
Travelling to the Merkur Spiel-Arena by bike
A trip by bike is also a good way to get to the Merkur Spiel-Arena on the site of the time-honoured Rheinstadion. Bikes can be rented cheaply directly at Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof. The Radstation on Bertha-von-Suttner-Platz offers an attractive selection of adult and children's bikes and accessories. The bike-sharing providers Call a Bike and nextbike are also represented in the Rhine metropolis.
The Merkur Spiel-Arena is clearly signposted throughout Düsseldorf. From Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof, an almost 8.2-kilometre route leads northwards to the stadium. It passes through the Japanese-influenced district of Little Tokyo and the old town, passing several parks. These include the historic Hofgarten, which lies like a green island in the middle of the city. The beautiful bike route runs along the Rhine Park Golzheim and the Nordpark, always close to the river. There are numerous parking spaces for bicycles in front of the Tulip Inn hotel at the stadium.
Travelling to the Merkur Spiel-Arena by car
Football fans can also visit the Düsseldorf stadium by car. The A44 motorway runs right past the neighbouring exhibition centre. There are parking spaces and a multi-storey car park at the Merkur Spiel-Arena, and parking tickets can be reserved in advance in the event calender of the arena. The parking fee per vehicle varies depending on the event.
From the AS29 Düsseldorf-Messe motorway exit, drivers reach the car park after about one kilometre. The route initially heads northwest towards Stockumer Höfe. Stadium visitors should follow the road for about 400 metres, then turn left onto Lotzweg and reach the car park after another ten metres. There is no shuttle bus available from the car park to the arena. A 23-minute walk should therefore be planned. The route leads along Lotzweg and Am Staad to Arena-Straße, where the football stadium is located.
To enjoy a Fortuna home game or any other event with as little stress as possible, we recommend using public transport, as there may be increased traffic. If you still prefer to drive to the stadium on match days, you can use a park-and-ride facility in the vicinity of the Merkur Spiel-Arena. Park-and-ride facilities are directly connected to public transport. Alternatively, the station pages linked above also provide information about parking at the station. Car park information is also available for many other stations. The station search can be used to find and access the desired train station. On the corresponding station page, interested parties simply click on the ‘Parking’ button and will then receive a list of parking options at the respective station with information on address, opening hours and rates.