Right in the heart of the Ruhr region – convenient access to RETRO CLASSICS ESSEN®
Messe Essen is centrally located in the Ruhr region and is easy to reach thanks to its excellent transport links – whether by car, train, or public transport. The modern exhibition center impresses with its short distances, good infrastructure, and optimal location in the urban environment of the city of Essen.
Nestled in a lively metropolitan region, the surrounding area offers numerous opportunities for a pleasant stay: a wide range of hotels and restaurants are located in the immediate vicinity, as are attractive leisure and cultural activities – from industrial culture and museums to green oases in the Ruhr region.
This makes a visit to RETRO CLASSICS ESSEN® a special experience, not only in terms of automobiles, but also outside the exhibition hall.
Further tips on accommodation and leisure activities in Essen can be found on the official website of Essen Marketing GmbH:
Arrival by public transport
You can reach us quickly and in an environmentally friendly manner by train, and make good use of the time until your arrival. Essen Central Station is well connected and is a hub for over 120 ICE, InterCity, EuroCity, and InterRegio connections in all directions every day. From there, you can reach us in just 5 minutes with subway line 11.
DB timetables and tickets
Travel to Essen Central Station in an environmentally friendly way with Deutsche Bahn.
Homepage
U 11 timetable
Take local transport directly to the Messe Ost/Grugahalle and Messe West/Messe Süd exhibition entrances.
Timetable information
Please note – night network
The last U 11 departs at 11:30 p.m. After that, however, you can use the RUHRBAHN night network.
Night express timetable information
Arrival by car
The excellently developed motorway network in North Rhine-Westphalia makes traveling by car easy and convenient, and you can enjoy maximum flexibility once you arrive.
You can reach MESSE ESSEN via the major Rhine-Ruhr motorways A52, A3, A40, and A42.
Signs to the exhibition center will guide you easily to our grounds, where you will find ample parking spaces from which MESSE ESSEN can be easily reached on foot or by exhibition bus.
Address for navigation systems:
Messeplatz 1, 45131 Essen
Parking fees:
Outside trade fair and event periods, the parking fee is €2 per hour or part thereof, max. €12 per day.
By Caravan
Thanks to the excellent motorway network, you can easily reach MESSE ESSEN in your own motorhome.
In the south of Essen—located on the Ruhr and Lake Baldeney—there are two campsites where you can park your motorhome during your visit to the trade fair.
DCC Campground at Lake Baldeney
The Baldeneysee campground offers a beautiful view of the water. The campground is open year-round and has a garden restaurant, restaurant, and kiosk. The sanitary facilities are wheelchair-accessible and child-friendly. The nearest town is about four kilometers away.
KNAUS Campingpark Essen-Werden
In the Werden district of Essen, right on the Ruhr, there is a campsite close to the city yet surrounded by greenery, with paved MoCa pitches, 100 tourist pitches, and 180 permanent pitches. Essen Werden is a small district with a historic old town, half-timbered houses, and cobblestone streets. When the weather is good, the Ruhr and Lake Baldeney are ideal for a walk, a boat trip, or a round of mini golf. Thanks to excellent local transport connections—the S-Bahn is only a few minutes' walk from the site—the campsite is a good starting point for visiting the trade fair and the city of Essen.
By plane
The excellent connection to Düsseldorf Airport allows for quick and convenient travel, even from far away. Düsseldorf Airport is only a 20-minute drive from the Essen exhibition grounds and also has excellent rail connections. With over 500 takeoffs and landings daily, it offers flight connections to over 170 cities in Germany and abroad.
There is a dedicated MESSE ESSEN information counter in the center of the arrivals hall in Terminal B. In addition to Düsseldorf Airport, Essen/Mülheim Airport is also a convenient option. From there, MESSE ESSEN can be reached by car or taxi in 10 minutes.
Barrier-free
MESSE ESSEN wants to offer all guests the best possible service for a pleasant and successful visit to the trade fair.
On this page, we have compiled important information so that you can enjoy your barrier-free journey and stay and plan in advance.
Barrier-free brochure with site overview
Overview of barrier-free exhibition grounds
Wheelchair rental on site
You can reserve a wheelchair in advance (Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.). Please order in good time, as the number of wheelchairs is limited. This service is only available for events organized by Messe Essen GmbH, not in the Grugahalle. Our wheelchairs are self-propelled but not electric. Upon arrival, please report to one of the information desks, where the hostesses will be happy to assist you. A deposit of €50 (or your driver's license/ID card) is required when picking up the wheelchair. The deposit will be returned to you when you return the wheelchair.
Messe Essen info hotline:
Tel. +49 (0)1805 221-514
Barrier-free access:
MESSE ESSEN has special parking spaces for people with disabilities. These are located in the immediate vicinity of our east, south, and west entrances. Please have your disabled parking permit or severely disabled ID card ready. Our traffic marshals will be happy to assign you a special parking space.
People with a degree of disability of >=80% and the markings aG or G on their severely disabled pass can park free of charge. You can have your parking tickets discounted at the information desk or, if the barriers were open when you entered, you can obtain a ticket for free exit there. All you need to do is present your disability pass and acknowledge receipt of the discount or ticket.
The east entrance can be accessed via parking lot P1. Special parking spaces are available in underground parking garage P6 A and parking garage P5 for the south/west entrances.
Please note that not all entrances are open for every trade fair. The entrances that are available are listed on the trade fair-specific websites.
Subway line 11 runs directly from Essen Central Station to the entrances. We recommend the West entrance. From the train platform at this stop, a ramp leads to the entrance after only 160 meters. From there, it is approximately 270 meters to the South entrance and approximately 700 meters to the East entrance. There is an elevator at the East entrance subway station.
Barrier-free access to the exhibition grounds:
The MESSE ESSEN grounds are optimally designed for barrier-free access. The east, south, and west entrances are at ground level. Cloakrooms and ticket sales are located directly on the ground floor. All other halls can be easily reached by elevator. For more detailed information, please refer to the site map.
Disabled-friendly toilet facilities are located near the foyers. These are equipped with EURO WC locks on the exhibition grounds. If you do not have a key for this, the toilet maintenance staff on site will be happy to unlock the toilet for you. You can also obtain a key at any exhibition information desk upon presentation of your ID card and a deposit.
You can purchase one of the keys, which can be used at 6,700 locations throughout Europe, from the Club Behinderter und ihrer Freunde (Club for Disabled People and Their Friends) in Darmstadt.
CBF contact details:
Tel: +49-6151-81 220
Email