Driving in Bochum — Green Sticker in a Ruhr City of Mining and Musicals

Yes. Bochum sits within the wider Ruhr Umweltzone, which requires a green Umweltplakette on the windscreen for every car, including foreign-registered ones, or an EUR 100 fine. The sticker costs around EUR 10-12 from TUV, DEKRA or a garage and is permanent; German rentals carry one. The zone covers much of the Ruhr region, so get the sticker before driving into the area.

The Deutsches Bergbau-Museum in Bochum is the largest mining museum in the world, telling the story of the Ruhr's coal-mining heritage, with a striking winding tower (a city landmark) and a demonstration mine you can descend into beneath the building. It's one of the Ruhr's flagship attractions, reflecting the region's industrial past, and is reached by U-Bahn or car from the centre.

Starlight Express is a long-running Andrew Lloyd Webber musical performed on roller skates, which has played in a purpose-built theatre in Bochum for decades, making it one of the longest-running musicals in the world at a single venue and a major draw for visitors to the city. The theatre is on the edge of the centre, with its own parking, and the show is a popular evening out.

Use a central garage or a park-and-ride on the U-Bahn or tram and ride in. Bochum and the wider Ruhr have a dense public-transport network. The compact centre is walkable, and the Mining Museum and the Starlight Express theatre are reached by U-Bahn or have their own parking. Parking once and riding is the easy way around, keeping you clear of the Umweltzone if you stay outside it.

Plan your trip costs including parking

Not for the city — the U-Bahn, trams and a walkable centre cover it, and the Ruhr is densely connected by rail. A car helps for touring the Ruhr's Industrial Heritage Trail and the surrounding region, driven from a park-and-ride rather than used in the Umweltzone centre. Remember the green sticker is needed across the Ruhr zone.