Getting Around Solingen
Solingen sits in the Bergisches Land, southwest of Wuppertal, and its shape matters for how you travel: the city stretches across a wide area, and the main rail station is not in the centre but at the edge of the Ohligs district, several kilometres away. Plan your journeys around that split, and you will find the city well served by public transport.
Public Transport: Trolleybuses and Buses
The most distinctive way to move around Solingen is the trolleybus. Solingen is one of only three remaining German cities with buses driven by overhead wires, alongside Eberswalde and Esslingen. The network is run by the municipal transport bureau under VRR fares, so standard regional tickets and passes apply.
- Trolleybus network: The lines run within Solingen, with one exception that continues to Wuppertal-Vohwinkel station. All trolleybuses meet at the Graf-Wilhelm-Platz stop, which makes it a convenient interchange point in the city centre.
- Regular buses: A few conventional buses cross the city on their way to neighbouring towns. From Solingen Hauptbahnhof, buses run to Haan and Düsseldorf; from Graf-Wilhelm-Platz, services head to Wuppertal, Leverkusen and even express routes to Cologne.
- Tickets: Because the system operates under VRR fares, buy tickets through the usual VRR channels — machines, the driver, or the regional fare app — and use a VRR day pass or multi-day pass if you plan several trips.
Rail Services
Solingen has two stations that matter to visitors, and they serve different purposes.
- Solingen Hauptbahnhof: The main station, located at the edge of the Ohligs district roughly five kilometres from the city centre. It handles regional and local trains to Wuppertal, Düsseldorf, Cologne and beyond, with the occasional ICE stopping here. It is well connected to the rest of the city by trolleybus and regular bus, including services toward Düsseldorf.
- Solingen-Mitte: A small local stop near the city centre, on the winding railway line toward Remscheid and Wuppertal. Useful if your destination is the centre rather than Ohligs.
Note that Solingen has no metro or tram network — the trolleybus is the closest thing to a rail-bound urban service, and it is complemented by the regional rail lines above.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
The source material does not describe taxi or ride-hailing provision in Solingen. As a general rule for a German city of this size, taxis can be found at the Hauptbahnhof and at central stands such as Graf-Wilhelm-Platz, and can be booked by phone or app; ride-hailing availability is typically limited outside the largest cities. Confirm locally on arrival rather than relying on either being readily available at all hours.
Walking and Cycling
Walking is practical for the immediate area you are in — the centre around Graf-Wilhelm-Platz, or the streets around whichever station you arrive at — but Solingen's geography works against long pedestrian journeys. The city is hilly and spread out, so getting between districts on foot is not realistic for most visitors.
Cycling is possible but not effortless: the local terrain is not exactly calling for Dutch levels of bike traffic. If you do ride, the Korkenziehertrasse is a notable route — a cycle path built on an old rail alignment toward Wuppertal.
Getting In from the Airport
Solingen has no airport of its own, but several major airports lie within close proximity: Düsseldorf, Cologne/Bonn, Dortmund and Frankfurt. Düsseldorf is the nearest of these and the most natural arrival point.
From Düsseldorf, the practical route is by rail: take a train to Solingen Hauptbahnhof, which sees regional and local services toward Düsseldorf and Cologne, and then continue into the city by trolleybus or bus, since the station sits at the edge of Ohligs rather than in the centre. If your final destination is the centre itself, check whether a connection via Solingen-Mitte suits you better. Buses also run from Solingen Hauptbahnhof toward Düsseldorf, giving you a second option on that corridor.
Practical Tips
- Treat Graf-Wilhelm-Platz as your central hub: all trolleybuses meet there, and long-distance bus services to Wuppertal, Leverkusen and Cologne depart from it.
- Decide early whether your destination is best reached via Solingen Hauptbahnhof (Ohligs, main line) or Solingen-Mitte (city centre, local line) — they are not interchangeable.
- Buy VRR tickets or passes rather than single fares if you will make several journeys; the whole local network, trolleybuses included, falls under VRR fares.
- Allow extra time for hilly, spread-out terrain if you plan to walk or cycle between districts.