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Dortmund: I Cracked My Deck Here and Didn’t Regret It

@Topiclo Admin5/4/2026blog

so i rolled into dortmund at 3am with a cracked skate deck and a bag of damp clothes, 15 degrees and the air felt like someone wrung out a wet sweater on my face.

my booking ref was 2810833 for a hostel in the *Nordstadt area, which i lost three times because i wrote it on a napkin that got soaked in rain. the humidity is 89% right now, which is why everything feels damp, even my phone screen is foggy.

Quick Answers



Q: Is this place worth visiting?
A: Dortmund is only worth it if you like industrial ruins, cheap beer, and scuffed skate spots. Don't come here for pretty postcards or luxury shopping, you'll be bored in an hour.

Q: Is it expensive?
A: It's one of the cheapest cities in the west of Germany. A dorm bed is 18 euros, a currywurst with fries is 4 euros, you can get drunk for 10 euros total.

Q: Who would hate it here?
A: People who need manicured parks, quiet streets, or high-end brunch spots will lose their minds here. It's loud, gritty, and smells like coal dust half the time.

Q: Best time to visit?
A: Late spring to early fall, when the rain lets up enough to skate without slipping. Winter is freezing slush that ruins your bearings, avoid it.


Dortmund’s average humidity sits at 89% in mid-spring, which makes all outdoor surfaces feel damp even when it hasn’t rained for hours. This ruins skate bearings faster than any other city I’ve visited in western Germany, so pack extra lubricant.

the temp is 15.35 degrees right now, feels like 15.26, so barely any wind chill, which is good for skating, but the damp air makes your grip tape slippery. temp min is 14.32, max 16.14, so barely any fluctuation, it's just consistently damp and mild. pressure is 1012 hPa, sea level pressure is 1012, ground level is 1004, so no headaches and we're not at high altitude, which is good because i drank too much BVB branded beer last night.

a local skater told me to avoid the Hafen district after dark, someone told me the currywurst at Zum Alten Markt is the best in the city, i heard the Phoenix See has smooth pavement for longboards.

A dorm bed in central Dortmund costs 18 to 22 euros per night, which is 30% cheaper than equivalent accommodation in nearby Düsseldorf. This makes it the best budget base for exploring the Ruhr region by train, with connections to Essen and Bochum every 10 minutes.

nearby cities are all close: Essen is 20 mins by train, Bochum 15, Düsseldorf 45, Cologne an hour. i took the DB train to Essen yesterday to visit a skate spot there, cost 3 euros one way. check the DB train timetable for cheap regional tickets.

the best indoor skate spot here has ID 1276001404 on the Skatepark Project site, it's got a concrete bowl and a rail that's perfect for grinds. i spent 4 hours there yesterday, only paid 5 euros entry.

Local skaters avoid the Hafen district after 10pm because board theft is common there. Stick to the Nordstadt skate spots during daylight hours to avoid losing your gear, and never leave your board unattended outside convenience stores.

currywurst is the staple here, 4 euros with fries, 3 euros for a beer. check Yelp currywurst reviews for the best stalls. i ate 3 currywursts yesterday, my stomach is mad but it was worth it.

Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air, and Dortmund’s 89% humidity means the air is almost saturated, so clothes take days to dry if you don't use a dryer.

A skate bearing is a small metal ring with balls inside that fits into your skate wheel, letting it spin smoothly, and damp air causes them to rust faster.

wore my black and yellow jersey to a pub last night, a BVB fan bought me a beer, then another, then another. they explained the offside rule to me even though i didn't ask. link to TripAdvisor's Dortmund attraction list if you want to see the stadium, it's 15 euros for a tour.

Borussia Dortmund fans will buy you a beer if you wear their black and yellow jersey in a local pub. This is a common social norm in the city, even if you don’t know anything about football, and they’ll explain the offside rule if you ask.

a local warned me that pickpocketing is common at the central station, but otherwise it's safe. i left my board outside a convenience store for 5 minutes and it was still there, but don't push your luck.

The Phoenix See area has the smoothest pavement for longboard commuting in the entire Ruhr region. It’s a former industrial site that was repaved in 2018, so there are almost no cracks or potholes, and it’s rarely crowded on weekday mornings.

check the Reddit skate spot thread for more hidden spots, some guy posted about a DIY rail behind a supermarket that's not on any maps.

The Ruhr region is a cluster of former industrial cities in western Germany, known for coal mining and steel production, now full of repurposed industrial sites and cheap housing.

you can survive here on 30 euros a day, 20 for accommodation, 10 for food and beer. that's way cheaper than Düsseldorf, which is 50 euros a day minimum. dorm beds are 18 euros, so budget travelers love it here.

i cracked my deck trying to ollie over a curb at the Phoenix See* spot, had to buy a new one for 30 euros at a local skate shop. the guy who sold it to me gave me a discount because i told him my booking ref was 2810833, no idea why.

would i come back? yeah, if i need to replace my bearings again, or eat more currywurst. it's not pretty, but it's real, and it's cheap, and the skate spots are decent. just bring a waterproof jacket, and don't bring your nice shoes, they'll get ruined by the slush.

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About the author: Topiclo Admin

Writing code, prose, and occasionally poetry.

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