Traveling to Karlsuhe
By Plane
Frankfurt/Main Airport (FRA)
Germany's largest airport provides flights to virtually every destination throughout the world. It is located 120 km to the north of Karlsruhe. High-speed trains (ICE) connect the airport and Karlsruhe main station every hour. The convenient travel takes about 60 minutes. To find a train connection, please use the online train schedule of the German railway company. By car you can drive to Karlsruhe on 130 km of the famous Autobahn. Please see the road map for details.
More information: airport website, Wikipedia, airport guide
Stuttgart Airport (STR)
The Stuttgart airport is the destination of many european and inter-continental flights. It is located 80 km to the east of Karlsruhe. Commuter trains connect it to Stuttgart main station where you can change to Intercity trains to Karlsruhe. Total travel time is around 1:45h. To find a train connection, please use the online train schedule of the German railway company. The airport is located just off Autobahn A8 from Munich to Karlsruhe so traveling by car is also possible.
You may prefer a journey via Stuttgart instead of Frankfurt because it is served by some European low cost carriers (overview page, in German).
More information: airport website, Wikipedia, airport guide
Baden-Baden/Karlsruhe Airport (FKB)
The Baden Airpark is a small regional airport located 35 km to the south of Karlsruhe. It is served by the low cost airlines Ryanair (Dublin, Girona (Barcelona), London, Pisa, Rom) and dba (Berlin), and some charter carriers. Traveling from the airport to Karlsruhe city using public transportation is a bit cumbersome, but a cheap flight may be worth the effort.
More information: airport website, airport travel information
By Train
The German railway's train schedule offers detailed information about how to reach Karlsruhe by train.
By Car
Karlsruhe is located at the crossing of the two main Autobahn A5 and A8. To go to the university get off the A5 at the 'Karlsruhe Durlach' exit. Continue driving towards Karlsruhe. Follow the four-lane road until you reach the sign that says "Universität," and then turn to the right. To go to the city center you can also use the exits 'Kalrsruhe Mitte' or 'Karlsruhe South' depending on your destination.
If you come by car and want to drive onto the campus, please use the eastern entrance (main entrance; see map) and ask for a permit at the gate.
In Karlsruhe
Public Transportation
Karlsruhe has an excellent public transportation network. Taking the streetcar is highly recommended in the city center. During regular business hours a streetcar passes by every 2 to 10 minutes. Public transportation in Karlsruhe is managed by the local transport authority, Karlsruher Verkehrsverbund (KVV), which means you can use the same kind of ticket for all streetcars and buses. For more information, please contact the KVV.
The Train Station
In front of the train station is a main streetcar stop. All of the streetcars that drive in from the left and leave to the right will take you into the city or to the university. To reach the university directly take the 2 to Durlach or the S4 to Bretten. To go to the computer science building where the welcoming reception takes place and to the conference site the best station is 'Durlacher Tor' not 'Kronenplatz / Universität' (see Karlsruhe metro map). More information about public transportation is provided at KVV.
The whole Karlsruhe city area belongs to the same fare zone. The fee for a single person one way ticket is 2 €. There are also 24h tickets available valid for one ('Citykarte') or five persons ('Citykarte plus') for 4.20 € respectively 6.50 €.
Phone numbers for taxi services
If you want to waste your money, you can also get around by taxi.
Taxi hotline +49 721 / 94 41 44
Minicar & Citycar +49 721 / 8 40 00 84
+49 721 / 8 40 00 11
Phone numbers for rental cars
Europcar +49 721 / 38 50 23
Hertz +49 721 / 37 40 40
Rent A Wrack +49 721 / 55 11 55
Sixt +49 721 / 86 64 47
This is not a complete list of numbers. For further addresses, please consult the yellow pages.