If you’ve heard of Dortmund, likely it has something to do with the sport that Americans call soccer (and which Germans call football). No wonder. Borussia Dortmund is a soccer powerhouse with one of the most passionate and loyal fan bases on the planet. But even if sport isn’t your thing, this city of almost 600,000 people is filled with great things to do – and you may even come away a soccer fan after your visit!

In honor of Germany’s favorite sport, then, here are 11 ways (because, ahem, soccer sides have 11 people) to have a blast in Dortmund.

Visit the German Football Museum

Germans love football. Perhaps you’ve noticed. From the largest cities to the smallest villages, you can find clubs, fields, and humans of all shapes and sizes chasing after a ball. German teams are quite good, too. The men have four World Cup victories, the women have two, and teams like Dortmund and Bayern Munich routinely compete for Champions League top spots. The German Football Museum covers all of that, and much, much more. Even if you don’t like football, this is a must-see. It’s beautiful, interactive, entertaining, and does a great job of connecting visitors to German football culture.

Check out the Dortmunder U

Spoiler alert: this is not a university. But it’s kind of like a university, in that it offers a variety of cool things to do in one space: workshops, exhibitions, movies, restaurants, a lookout floor. And it does have a super photo-worthy giant “U” on top of the building, which was once a brewery.

Located near the train station, the U is well worth a visit. Admission to most everything is free, and it’s open every day except Monday.

Take a Guided Tour of Signal Iduna Park

We’re going to circle back to football here. If you have yet to tour a European professional soccer stadium, you should. And Signal Iduna (a German financial services company that has naming rights to the stadium) Park is an awesome place to see. It is massive (seats over 80,000 people), cloaked in yellow and black, and drips with history.

Take a private tour, and you will get access to the locker room, the hallowed halls, and other cool places that most people will never see. Plus, no worries about traffic!

Go to the Zoo

The Dortmund Zoo may not be the biggest zoo of all time, but it is done exceedingly well. It’s fun, accessible, great for kids and families, and super well done for the animals. If you’re a fan of lions, rhinos, giraffes, sloths, jaguars, or other furry (and not furry) creatures, the Dortmund zoo is for you. Open daily between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., adults can get in for €11.50 and kids for €7.

Hit the Natural History Museum

Speaking of wild things, Dortmund has a natural history museum. This place is awesome. It has the requisite cool stuff, including dinosaur skeletons (which never get old, no pun intended), a number of aquariums, minerals, and a solid gift shop. Most of what is there is local, too: since Dortmund was once heavily engaged in the coal industry, a lot of the fossils were found nearby.

Wander the Old City

Like any self-respecting German city, Dortmund has an excellent downtown pedestrian zone. If you’re into shopping, you can do some serious business here: the Thier Gallery is a top-notch mall.

Same goes for history. In addition to the usual array of beautifully styled buildings from the 19th and 20th centuries, St. Reinhold’s Church opened around the same time as the Old Market Square was really coming into its own, which is to say about 800 years ago. Which is kind of amazing.

Visit the Botanical Garden

Botanical gardens seem especially important in a world where everyone is more or less connected 24/7. There is something soothing about being in nature, and seeing how we can work with (and have worked with) our natural surroundings. This is totally true for Dortmund’s Rombergpark botanical garden. Located south of the city (and very near the zoo, so you can double up!), the botanical garden is outstanding, especially on a nice day. And even on a less-than-nice day.

Attend a Dortmund Match

Yep, we’re back here again, in the football realm. Good to know: actually getting tickets to a home Dortmund match is often complicated (because the fans are that crazy about their team). But if you can get tickets? Do it. It is an incredible experience. The nonstop noise, the love, the frenzy that happens when Dortmund scores a goal? There’s nothing like it. Not the NFL, not college football, nothing. Highly recommended.

Relax in Westfalen Park

All that soccer stuff can wear you out. Find a bench or a patch of grass (plentiful!) in Westfalen Park, which is sublime in the spring and summer. It’s also huge – about three times the size of Dortmund’s zoo. So if you want solitude, you can find it. And if you feel like napping? Go for it. Dortmunders are unfailingly polite. They will respect your need for relaxation.

Eat at a Michelin-recognized restaurant

Who knew? Dortmund, the old coal city, has 14 Michelin-recognized restaurants. Not all of them are hyper-expensive, either. Gasthaus Stromberg and Fachwerk are both reasonably priced (as far as these things go) and excellent. Plus, the vibe is never over-the-top fancy. Which is perfect for a place like Dortmund.

Marvel at Dortmund’s industrial past

Technically known as Zeche Zollern, Dortmund’s industrial museum is well worth your time. You can learn about Dortmund’s days as an industrial powerhouse.

You may also come away a little bit more grateful for how nice it is to not be a coal miner. As a bonus, it’s also housed in a distinctive, beautiful building. Closed Mondays, the museum is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on all other days.

Getting to Dortmund

By car, Dortmund is about 3.5 hours from Kaiserslautern, 3 hours from Wiesbaden, and 5 hours from Stuttgart. Check with Deutsche Bahn for train options.

Featured image by Todor Stoyanov-Raveo / Shutterstock.com