Bielefeld is easy to reach (see below) both by car and by train: every hour an intercity train on the route from Cologne/Bonn to Berlin stops at Bielefeld Hbf. Then you take "Stadtbahnlinie 4" with direction "Lohmannshof" till "Universität" (7 minutes).

Plan of Bielefeld "Stadtbahn-Netz" (in German)

By car, you can take the A 2 from Dortmund to Hannover, exit at "Bielefeld-Zentrum", follow the street signs towards the centre ("Zentrum"), and from there the University ("Universität") is signposted (see town map).

The nearest international airports are Hannover (110 km), Düsseldorf (190 km) and Frankfurt (320 km). In Düsseldorf and Frankfurt there are train stations in the airport, Bielefeld can be reached from these and any other major town by trains running on an hourly schedule (Eurocity train system: marked EC, IC or ICE on the train schedule).

German Airports:
http://www.german-airports.de/

Next airports:
Paderborn/Lippstadt and Hannover

If you arrive by plane, we would recommend the following airports (the ordering reflects our preferences):

Düsseldorf (approx. 190 km from Bielefeld)

At Düsseldorf airport there is a Skytrain which takes you from the terminal to Düsseldorf Airport Rail Station in approx. 5 minutes, departing frequently between 3:45 and 0.45 hours. Depending on the type of train you catch (direct or with change in Hamm or Duisburg) the journey takes 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Frankfurt (approx. 320 km from Bielefeld)

There are intercity trains from Frankfurt airport  to Bielefeld (departure at least every hour with a change in Cologne or Hannover - journey time approx. 4 hours).

There is also the possibility of changing planes at Frankfurt and flying from there to Düsseldorf or Hannover. This is generally more expensive and does not necessarily save time.

Hannover (approx. 110 km from Bielefeld)

The suburban tram line S5 takes you in 12 minutes from  Hannover airport  to Hannover train station.

Intercity trains from Hannover to Bielefeld leave every hour. The journey takes approx. 50-60 minutes (it is not necessary to change the train).

Köln-Bonn (approx. 200 km from Bielefeld)

There is an hourly intercity train connection from Köln-Bonn airport to Bielefeld, taking approximately 2 1/2 hours.

Dortmund (approx. 110 km from Bielefeld)

You can either take a free shuttle bus from Dortmund airport to Holzwickede, which takes about 5 minutes and from there a local train to Bielefeld, changing in Hamm (travel time approx. 1 hour) or you take a shuttle to Dortmund main station (25 minutes) and from there a direct train to Bielefeld (travel time is a bit less than 1 hour).

Paderborn/Lippstadt

Paderborn-Lippstadt Airport is located very close to the country´s main road network. With just a stone's throw away from the motorways A33 and A 44 you will find excellent road links making access easy and very convenient.

Plan of Bielefeld
moBiel - das Verkehrs-Unternehmen der Stadtwerke Bielefeld GmbH Fahrplanauskunft, Netzplanübersicht plus Tarifauskunft etc.
VerkehrsVerbund OstWestfalenLippe - regionale Suchmaschine mit Informationen zu relevanten Tickets (Geltungsbereich, Preise)Vehrkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr - Sekundenschnelle Verbindungslisten zwischen allen Haltenstellen des ÖPNV in Bielefeld und NRW
Verkehrsverbünde Nordrhein-Westfalen (Übersicht)
Verkehrsgruppe der Universität Bielefeld
Fahrplanauskunft der Bahn AG
Stauvorhersage des WDR für Nordrhein-Westfalen