There are 3 major airports we would recommend for easy(ish) access to Dortmund - listed below in order of our recommendation: 1. Amsterdam (NL) - easiest for US travelers
2. Düsseldorf - easiest for European travelers
3. Frankfurt *Note*: Because the opening night of the 2024 Summer Olympics takes place in Paris on the same day as our Dinner & Dance Party (July 26th), we recommend *avoiding* any flights which connect through Paris during the week of our party.
--1. Amsterdam (Schiphol - AMS)Has direct flights to many major U.S. cities. In addition, it should be relatively painless to take a train from downtown Amsterdam to Dortmund - est. travel time is ~3-4 hours (full disclosure though: we haven't tried it ourselves yet!).We recommend flying in and out of Amsterdam if: (1) you are planning to stay for ~5+ days, and/or (2) you would be interested in exploring Amsterdam, the Netherlands or other major European cities (which you'll be able to connect to easily from AMS!) 2. Düsseldorf (DUS)This is the closest airport to us in Dortmund (~45 min - 1 h by car / train); however, so far we have not found any direct flights from Düsseldorf to any of the U.S. cities we frequently visit. So, our recommendation is to travel via Düsseldorf if: (1) you are planning to stay for <~5 days and (2) don't mind having a layover or two.
For travelers from European countries: Düsseldorf is probably your best bet!3. Frankfurt (FRA)Frankfurt is a major hub with many direct flights to both the U.S. and other major European cities; however, we find the airport itself not-so-great (i.e. confusing signage, disappointing stores and restaurants if you have to spend a long time at the airport). In addition to that, it's a ~2-3 hour high-speed train ride from Frankfurt to Dortmund, so there's no huge time savings by flying into Frankfurt over Amsterdam (although there *are* plenty of direct trains to Dortmund from Frankfurt, whereas most coming from Amsterdam would require at least one transfer). That said, if (1) you are planning to stay in Germany/Europe for ~5+ days, and (2) are looking to travel to other parts of the country or continent which have convenient connection through Frankfurt, then this might still be the best option for you!  

1. Cash
2. Sundays
3. Rent-a-Car vs. Public Transport (Train)--1. Cash - you will definitely need some cash to get around in Germany! While some businesses like hotels, larger supermarket and department store chains do accept credit cards, smaller businesses like mom-and-pop stores, many restaurants/cafes and farmers' markets will only take cash or something called an "EC Card" (it's like a debit card but only issued by German & EU banks). Also, most public restrooms, including at train and gas stations, will cost €0.50-1.00 to use. In some places you can pay the fee with a credit card, but it is not uncommon to still see cash/coin-only payment. 2. Sundays - the only businesses open on Sundays in Germany are: gas stations, museums, and (some) restaurants and coffee shops. Plan accordingly! 3. While roads and highways in Germany are generally well-maintained and safe to drive on, the signage and some rules of the road are very different from what you'd see in the U.S., and almost nothing is written in English. So our recommendation is, *only* rent a car if you are planning a longer stay in Germany/EU and willing to make an effort to learn some of the basic road signage. A good alternative to renting a car if you are planning to travel extensively through Europe is the Eurail pass. If you are planning to take the train through Germany only, then you can book tickets directly with the Deutsche Bahn (aka "DB"). **Word of caution**: The DB has been hampered by last-minute delays and cancellations in recent memory, which can get worse during the summer months because of high travel season. In order to stay informed as you travel, we highly recommend downloading the DB Navigator App, which is available in English as well as German. Here's the link to download the DB Navigator App! 

Here are some of our favorite places to visit in: 1. Dortmund
2. North Rhine-Westphalia (the state where Dortmund is located) --1. Dortmund Neues Schwarz Coffee Shop - best coffee in town, in the city centre closer to the Mercure Hotel (here or here) or close to our home (here)
Fischer am Rathaus - located just a block away from the Mercure, this is the oldest bakery in Dortmund and home of the Salzkuchen (note: it looks, but doesn't taste, like an everything bagel!)
Farmers Market also just a few minutes from the Mercure and takes place on Wed, Fri, & Sat (07:00 - 13:00) - Saturdays are the best tho 🙃
Babuschkas Kitchen - one of our favorite restaurants in Dortmund, features Ukrainian cuisine 
Bude 116 1/2 - outdoor pub with great local beer offerings here (surprisingly they don't accept cash ;)
Ostfriedhof - historical cemetery with graves and memorials from Dortmund's 19th century coal mining period
Rombergpark - botanical garden / park, nice for relaxed walks
2. North Rhine-Westphalia Tetraedar in Bottrop - walkable alien-like sculpture on top of a colliery, great views from above the Ruhrgebiet (not suitable if you are afraid of heights 😱), parking here
Landschaftspark Duisburg - former steel factory, open to the public and a great place to explore the industrial history of the region
Münster - very pretty historical city centre with lots of nice shops, also many churches and on Saturday an impressive farmers market with local specialities close to the St. Pauls church
Düsseldorf - visit the old town and try the local beer (Altbier) or have a stroll along the Promenade of the river Rhine
Cologne - similar to Düsseldorf, except their beer is called "Kölsch" and they have a bigger church (Cologne Cathedral), you can walk above the Hohenzollern bridge and cross the Rhine
Burg Eltz - If you want to see a castle and cannot make it to Neuschwanstein, this is a good alternative