Dusseldorf Airport is about 8 km from the city center, and transport costs are unusually knowable here because both the public transport fares and the taxi meter are set by published tariffs.
Price comparison table
| Option | Cost (EUR) | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| S-Bahn / Regional train | EUR 3.80 | 20–25 min total | VRR Preisstufe A; the same ticket covers the SkyTrain |
| Deutschlandticket | EUR 63/month | 20–25 min | Works on all local/regional trains |
| Taxi | Metered: EUR 5.00 start + EUR 2.70/km + EUR 2.00 airport surcharge | 15–25 min | No negotiation, and no night surcharge |
| Taxi, airport ↔ Messe | EUR 25.00 flat | 15–25 min | Official fixed fare in the city tariff |
| Private transfer | Fixed when you book | 15–25 min | Price shown before you pay, meet-and-greet |
| Uber / Bolt | Quoted in the app before you confirm | 15–25 min | Surge pricing possible |
Fixed-price private transfer
DUS Düsseldorf
From€68for 2 passengers
Other destinations
VRR fares are valid from 1 June 2026; the taxi tariff has been in force since 1 May 2025. Both are revised periodically — check before you travel.
What affects the price
Train tickets are fixed. A single adult fare within Dusseldorf (VRR Preisstufe A) costs EUR 3.80 and a child fare EUR 2.10; under-6s ride free. A 24-hour ticket for Preisstufe A is EUR 7.60. (VRR, valid from 1 June 2026.)
Taxi fares depend on distance and on how long you sit still. Düsseldorf taxis run on the city's official Taxentarifordnung, in force since 1 May 2025: EUR 5.00 to start, then EUR 0.10 for every 37.04 m — which works out to EUR 2.70 per kilometre — plus EUR 0.10 for every 8.37 seconds the car is stationary (EUR 43.00 an hour), which is what makes a fare in traffic higher than the same trip on a clear road. A journey to or from the airport adds a EUR 2.00 airport surcharge, and a large taxi for more than four passengers adds EUR 9.00. There is no night or weekend surcharge in the Düsseldorf tariff. The city revises it periodically — check the [current Taxentarifordnung](https://www.duesseldorf.de/stadtrecht/3/33/33-202) before you travel. Luggage does not cost extra.
Private transfers are quoted at booking time and do not change — the figure you see before you pay is the figure you pay, and it includes flight monitoring, a waiting period, and meet-and-greet. Airport Transfer Portal is a marketplace, so the price comes from the local supplier running the route.
Tipping
Tipping taxi drivers in Germany is customary but modest — rounding up to the nearest euro or adding 5–10% is standard. For private transfers, tipping is appreciated but not expected.
Cost per person perspective
If you are traveling solo, the train is clearly cheapest at EUR 3.80. The structural point is that the train charges per person while a taxi or transfer charges per vehicle — so every extra passenger makes the vehicle look better and the train look worse. By three or four people the gap narrows a lot. Work it out on the day with your actual party size: the train fare is published above, and a transfer quotes you a figure before you commit.