Travelling to North Rhine-Westphalia
Central location and dense infrastructure network
Not quite all roads lead to North Rhine-Westphalia – but the region is extremely well connected all the same.
This is thanks to its central location at the heart of Europe on the one hand, and to the densest infrastructure network on the continent on the other. Over 400 direct international flights depart from two international airport hubs and a further four airports serving European destinations. From London alone, a flight takes off roughly every hour, landing passengers in Düsseldorf or Cologne an hour or so later.
For those taking the overland route, a dense road and rail network shortens the distance between Britain and North Rhine-Westphalia. Extending for around 2,200 kilometres, the autobahn network provides a direct and fast link between NRW and Europe’s motorway system. North Rhine-Westphalia is equally well placed when it comes to rail connections: with over 6,000 km of tracks, it has the densest railway network in all of Germany. Rail travellers from Britain can make it to Cologne from London in around five hours.