Travelling to Bochum

If I remember rightly Dortmund was the closest airport, and I flew with Easyjet. I also flew to Düsseldorf once but that was further.

The people in the train stations were always lovely and helpful and spoke English.

I stayed at a hotel called Acora which was lovely and a nice walk to the Theatre. There's a hotel right next to the Theatre (I've forgotten what it's called) and a couple of Ibises in the town I think.

I honestly wouldn't advice a stranger, especially when travelling single, to make the long slog back to Düsseldorf after an evening performance of Starlight Express. Maybe I'm seeing this from the (careful) female perspective, but it first involves a 15 minute walk through a dark empty area (there's only another entertainment venue and the football stadium between the theatre and the bus/tram stop), waiting for a tram to make it back to the central station, then waiting for a train to go to Düsseldorf and neither trams nor trains run that frequently late in the evening (this isn't London, public transport is appalling in the later hours of the day). And there's often fairly questionable folks around on the trains that late.

For convenience's sake and, assuming you'll be tired after the long journey from the UK to Bochum and the show, I'd chose the Ramada next door to the theatre. If you consider having a drink/late night meal, choose a hotel near the central station in Bochum in what's called the Bermuda Triangle (Bermuda Dreieck). Bochum has a very big and well-known university and the Bermuda Triangle attracts students from all over the city and beyond in the evenings, so it's still very lively in the late evening with lots of bars, restaurants, etc. open.

If you have time to spare in Bochum, you could visit the Deutsche Bergbaumuseum, one of the biggest/best museums dedicated to the Ruhrgebiet's history as Europe's biggest coal/steel area but that's about it.

Go back to Düsseldorf next morning (if you've chosen Düsseldorf as your airport which IS good advice), spend a few hours strolling around there before taking a late-ish flight back to Britain. The Königsallee is one of Germany's prettiest and poshest shopping miles and the Altstadt (Old Town) next-door by the Rhine is filled with all sorts of pubs and restaurants.

Not sure when you're planning to go, but Disney's Tarzan is transferring to Oberhausen (basically next-door to Bochum) in autumn, so if you wait a few months, you could see two shows that aren't in the UK, add a day, make the trip a bit more worth the expense and all.

I usually stay in the Mercure Hotel Bochum City - it's a really nice hotel and is directly over the road from Bochum's train station. From there it's about a 20 min walk to the Starlight Express theatre, or takes around 7 mins in a taxi from the station.

Yes it is in German. It's not a problem if you know the basic plot/characters.

Saturday and Sunday are a good idea as there's two shows both days. (Well, there was when I last went.)

I think it's definitely worth it. It's such a special Theatre and one you can't experience over here.

Well you've all done a good job in reassuring me, so much so I've just booked my flights for a weekend in July!

Any advice on buying tickets for the show itself?

Here's the official site: www.mehr.de/en/musical/starlight-express-the-musical/tickets/ which is forwarding you to Ticketmaster after you've chosen your date.

Maybe some of our board members who - unlike me - regularly see shows here in Germany can advice on where to find offers (if any).

I might recommend sitting in the front-Parkett where they have 360 degree seats. (Not that I've sat in them, but they sound amazing.) I also think the right-hand side of the Mitteltribune is good for getting a feel of the whole Theatre. I mean really, wherever you sit you'll have a pretty good view.

Hopefully this link will work:

media.ticketmaster.eu/germany/8344df87d4b22d4ae5d8577526feb902.png

That would be great No rush at all as I assume it won't sell out before then. (Which would be awkward since it's the reason I'm going ha)

Well the time has come, and tomorrow I will be making my way to Bochum for the first time . Thanks for all the advice, it has been very useful! And I wouldn't be going without you all!

Safe travels! And please report back. Being German myself, I'd love to hear your experiences.

Nah, just that Duesseldorf Airport is the sixth circle of hell (followed by the seventh circle, JFK) and the railways are a joke... More recently some ticket inspector in Munich made a Chinese tourist burst into tears because she hadn't stamped her ticket correctly...

I hope our djdan managed alright.