Conference Site

The Conference will take place at the
Kongresshaus Stadthalle Heidelberg
(Heidelberg Convention Centre)
Neckarstaden 24
D-69117 Heidelberg
Germany

which is located in the historic Old Town of Heidelberg, right at the river Neckar.

Accommodation

We have pre-booked a total of 200 rooms in hotels of different price categories near the centre of Heidelberg. The hotel selection and booking can be done online: English version, German version.

Please find here an overview map with all pre-booked hotels.

Deadline for the hotel booking was Nov 8, 2010. If you still want to book a room, please contact Mrs. Francisca Ntimpirangeza (Heidelberg Marketing) directly as some rooms are still available.

Local Transport

The conference site (Stadthalle) is close to the central tram (lines 5, 21, 22, 23, 26) and bus station at Bismarckplatz (approx. 500m along the river). It is also conveniently connected to Heidelberg's main railway station (Heidelberg Hauptbahnhof) by bus number 32 which runs every 10 minutes, with a journey time of approximately 20 minutes.

Single tickets (EUR 2.20) can be obtained from vending machines or the bus driver. If you intend to use local transport several times during your stay in Heidelberg, we recommend buying either day tickets ("Ticket 24", EUR 5.20, valid within 24 hours after validation), or a week ticket ("Wochenkarte", EUR 19.-, valid from Monday 12am to the following Monday 12pm). Note that week tickets can only be bought at RNV service stores, e.g. in front of Heidelberg's main station.

A schematic map of Heidelberg's public transport system can be found here. Heidelberg main railway station is marked as "HD-Hauptbahnhof.". The bus stop for the conference site is denoted "Kongresshaus" (just to the right of "Bismarckplatz").

Detailed information on timetables and tickets can be obtained on the regional transportation network webpages. A pdf document containing local maps and basic travel information can be downloaded here (unfortunately in German only).

Getting to Heidelberg

Heidelberg is located in central Germany, approximately 80km south of Frankfurt and is easily accessible by plane, train, or car.

By Plane:

The closest international airport (80 km, 1 hour by car) is Frankfurt Rhein-Main Airport (Flughafen Frankfurt) with a wide selection of national and international connections. There are two terminals at the airport, with Terminal 1 occupied by Lufthansa and its partners and Terminal 2 for all other airlines.
Transportation between the airport and Heidelberg is available by a regular train service. Frankfurt Airport is directly connected to the German long-distance rail system by its own train station (without need to use local transportation to Frankfurt Main station first), with most connections to Heidelberg's main train station (Hauptbahnhof) involving a change to a regional train (S-Bahn) in Mannheim. One way price: ICE 24.50 EUR , journey time: 51min.
Additional modes of transportation to Heidelberg include a dedicated Lufthansa Airport Bus Service (depature: Terminal 1, Exit B4; journey time approx. 75 min; drop off at Crown Plaza near the City centre; return ticket for 40.- Euro; please make sure that you have a reservation) and individual (usually more expensive) shuttle services like TLS.

Stuttgart Airport is located approximately 125 km (1.5 hours by car) from Heidelberg and has regular European connections including several low-cost airlines. It does not have direct access to the long-distance rail network, but is connected by local transport to Stuttgart Main Station (Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof) with regular train service to Heidelberg.

Many low-cost flights are available to Frankfurt-Hahn Airport (which is not actually in Frankfurt). The distance to Heidelberg is approximately 150 km. There is no train connection but a dedicated bus service (8 times per day, 2h10min).

Several low-cost connections are as well available to the Airport Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden which is about 90 km (1 hour by car) south of Heidelberg. There is a dedicated bus service to Heidelberg available.

By Train:

Heidelberg Main Station (Heidelberg Hauptbahnhof) is linked regularly to most German and European destinations by long-distance train service. Information on schedules is available on the homepage of Deutsche Bahn.

By Car:

Heidelberg is centrally located approximately 80 km south of Frankfurt on the "A5", one of Germany's major north-south motorways. Please use the above Google Maps link to receive detailed travel instructions. Due to the location in the historic city centre, parking in the vincinity of the conference site is limited. There is an underground car park available (subject to charges), simply follow the signs marked "P8". It is marked on the local map that can be downloaded here.

Visa

Please familiarise yourself with the Visa regulations of the Federal Republic of Germany. Official information is provided by the German Federal Foreign Office.

EU nationals do not require a Visa to enter Germany.

Generally speaking, all other foreigners require a Visa for stays in Germany. A Visa is not required for semi-annual visits of up to three months for nationals of those countries for which the European Community has abolished the Visa requirement.

Visa are issued by the German embassies. If you need a Visa to enter Germany, please get in contact well in advance with the embassy in the area in which you have your ordinary residence or domicile. If you require an invitation letter, please download the following pdf or word document, i.e. Invitation_letter.pdf or Invitation_letter.doc, fill in the required details and send it back to the conference secretariat (Fax: +49 6221 516 549). Please note that you have to register first before applying for a VISA invitation letter.