ACHINCASEY

Hello:
Going to Germany for 1st time! Will be staying in Cologne (nearest train station - Bahnhof Ehrenfeld) and need to go to and from Messe Düsseldorf for a convention for 4 days (Nov. 20 to Nov 23) - please tell me the way to get back and forth each day on train. Should I pre-buy tickets and what tickets for what trains do I need?
Also, how much warm clothing will I need for Germany in November (I live in Miami) and not used to thinking about dressing for cold weather!
Thank you.

sparkchaser

http://www.bahn.de/i/view/DEU/en/index.shtml

Origin: Köln (or COLOGNE)
Destination: Messe-Center, Düsseldorf

What train and bus combination to take relies entirely upon when you have to depart (or arrive) from Cologne and depart from Dusseldorf.

sparkchaser

As for clothing, dress for freezing and wet (rain will be more likely than snow) temperatures and you will be fine.

Hans

Use the link provided by sparkchaser and put in

Koeln Ehrenfeld as start
Duesseldorf Messe as destination

For most connections you need to change at Cologne main Station (in German Hauptbahnhof or Hbf).

The connection from Duesseldorf main station to the congress center seems to be time consuming. Maybe it'd be better to take a taxi.

Hans

And for some bad news: November is the worst month of the year in Germany, dark, cold and wet (at least in most years).

The best way to deal with it is layers, a rain jacket and staying in a brewery pub where you can drink beer and get a hearty meal.

ACHINCASEY

Thanks so much for your replies and help.
We would like to arrive in Dusseldorf Messe at 10am, then leave Dusseldorf Messe about 6pm.

We need to take this trip for 3 or 4 days, should we buy a pass that covers more than 1 roundtrip and that would give flexibility as far as the times we take the trains? Or, should we just buy the tickets each day?

Oh, one other question - should we exchange dollars to Euros before we get there?

Thanks again, Anna

sparkchaser

Oh, one other question - should we exchange dollars to Euros before we get there?

NO.

Use your debit card to get Euros from an ATM (Geldautomat in German). And make sure your bank knows you will be in Germany.

Cowboy1968

First, check the convention's website which entrance you will need to use. The fairgrounds are connected to Düsseldorf main station by subway (U-Bahn), but depending on which entrance you need to use, you need to take a different subway line.

Second, check if your convention's entrance ticket does not already include public transport. This is not always the case, but not uncommon.

Third, if you have to pay for your transport, I would suggest to check the staffed desk at Cologne main station when you get into town. As Cologne and Düsseldorf are in two different transit areas, getting a ticket that covers the whole journey is not as simple as commuting, for example, from Cologne to Bonn.
From what I can see on the website of Cologne's transit area, the ticket you want/need is a
Wochenticket (weekly pass), fare zone "RegioTicket 5", for €61.50. This will be much cheaper for four days than single rides which are €10.80, i.e. 21.60 return.
The weekly ticket will also cover any other rides within Cologne's and Düsseldorf's city limits and in between both cities.

The website you need to check is www.vrsinfo.de - which you can set to work in English.

ACHINCASEY

Thank you sooooo much for your helpful replies!