How to get to Karlsruhe?

We are sure all alumni will remember the location of Karlsruhe. Nevertheless, we provide some information how to get to Karlsruhe so you won't miss the alumni meeting.

Larger map

... by car

It is relatively easy to get to Karlsruhe by car as Karlsruhe is located near a motorway interchange. From the north, take the motorway A5 towards Karlsruhe/Basel and exit the motorway at junction "Karlsruhe-Durlach". From the south, take the motorway A5 towards Frankfurt. You should also exit the motorway at junction "Karlsruhe-Durlach". From the east, take the motorway A8 towards Karlsruhe until you reach the motorway interchange in Karlsruhe. Turn north onto the motorway A5 (direction Frankfurt), then exit the motorway at junction "Karlsruhe-Durlach".

At junction "Karlsruhe-Durlach", continue driving towards Karlsruhe (centre), i.e. take the first exit. Follow the four-lane road (Durlacher Allee) until you reach the sign "Universität" (Durlacher Tor). Please turn right into "Adenauerring". The campus south (east entrance) will be located directly on the left side.

... by train

Karlsruhe train station is a hub for all ICE, InterCity, EuroCity, and InterRegio connections. Please check the web site of Deutsche Bahn for details on how to reach Karlsruhe and available tickets.

Once you have arrived in Karlsruhe, leave the train station by the main exit and walk towards the streetcar stop. Except for tram no. 6, all of the trams and streetcars arriving from the left and leaving to the right will take you to the town centre. To reach the University directly, please use tram no. 2 to Wolfartsweier, tram no. 3 to Heide, or streetcar S4 to Bretten/Gölshausen (or Heilbronn). Exit the tram or streetcar at the station "Kronenplatz/Universität" or "Durlacher Tor".

Alternatively, you could use a taxi from Karlsruhe train station. Taxis are located directly in front of the train station on the left side of the main exit. Getting to the KIT campus will cost you about 10 to 15 EUR.

... by plane

Frankfurt airport has its own train station. There are frequent ICE train connections from Frankfurt airport to Karlsruhe, usually every hour (some are direct connections, other connections require to change in Mannheim). Please check the web site of Deutsche Bahn for details and follow the instructions given in the section "... by train".

Unfortunately, Stuttgart airport doesn't have its own train station. However, it isn't complicated to get to Stuttgart main train station in the town centre via taxi or streetcars S2 or S3 (no change required). From Stuttgart train station, you can easily catch direct trains to Karlsruhe, see the web site of Deutsche Bahn for details and follow the instructions given in the section "... by train".

If you arrive at the Baden-Airpark, please use a taxi or bus no. 205 (direction Baden-Baden/Merkurwald) to get to the train station in Baden-Baden (approx. 20min journey). Alternatively, you can take bus no. 234 (direction Bahnhof Rastatt) to get to the train station in Rastatt. Both stations are located within the area of the local transport authority KVV, see below. From Baden-Baden or Rastatt train station, you can easily catch a train or streetcar (S4) to Karlsruhe. Please check the web site of Deutsche Bahn for details and follow the instructions given in the section "... by train".

If you arrive at Strasbourg airport (France), please use the shuttle service to get to the Strasbourg main train station. From there, you can catch a train to Karlsruhe with a change in either Offenburg or Appenweier. Again, please check the web site of Deutsche Bahn for details and follow the instructions given in the section "... by train".

How to get around in Karlsruhe?

If you would like to get a first impression of Karlsruhe, here's a link to an interactive street map of Karlsruhe.

Karlsruhe has an excellent public transportation network. If you stay in or near the town centre, taking the streetcar/tram is highly recommended. 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, trams, and buses. For details on available tickets, please check the KVV web site or visit the web site of the town Karlsruhe which has a chapter on "How do I use the busses and trams in Karlsruhe?".

You can check the timetable of all KVV streetcars, trams, and buses online.

If you need a taxi, please call +49 (0)721 944144 (taxi hotline), +49 (0)721 8400084 (minicar), or +49 (0)721 8400011 (citycar).

How to get to the Geophysical Institute (Westhochschule)?

The Geophysical Institute is located at the Westhochschule (Hertzstraße). You may require up to 40min (one-way) to travel from the main campus to the Geophysical Institute or vice versa.

If you are near the main campus or east of the town centre, use streetcar S2 or trams no. 1 or 4 to go west to "Europaplatz" (this is the western end of the pedestrian area in Kaiserstraße). Here, you should take tram no. 2 to "Siemensallee" and exit at "Hertzstraße". Then proceed north along Hertzstraße for about 150m until you reach the campus of the Westhochschule on the right side. Work groups of the Geophysical Institute can be found in buildings 6.36 and 6.42.

If you are near the train station or west of the town centre (near Karlstraße or ZKM), you can take tram no. 2 to "Siemensallee" directly and you don't have to change at "Europaplatz". Once you've arrived at "Hertzstraße", please follow the instructions given above.

In order to go back to the main campus (or town centre), at "Hertzstraße" take tram no. 2 to "ZKM" and exit at "Europaplatz". Then take streetcars S2 or S5 or trams no. 1 or 3 to proceed east and exit at "Kronenplatz/Universität" (or "Durlacher Tor" in case you use tram no. 1 or the streetcars).

Finding an accommodation in Karlsruhe

Karlsruhe hosts many conventions and has therefore many hotels (1 star to 5 stars). Here is a selection of hotels of various categories. The "Distance" is an approximate walking distance in kilometres to the Department of Physics at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. It should give you a first impression how far away the hotel is located from the site where most of the alumni events will take place. As mentioned above, using a streetcar or tram may be advisable. Please see the section below the table for our recommendations.

Name	Location	Distance	Category
Renaissance Karlsruhe Hotel, Mendelssohnplatz, 76131 Karlsruhe [-]	map	0.8 km	****
Hotel Kaiserhof, Karl-Friedrich-Strasse 12, 76133 Karlsruhe [-]	map	0.8 km	****
Novotel Karlsruhe City, Festplatz 2, 76137 Karlsruhe	map	1.5 km	****
Best Western Queens Hotel, Ettlingerstrasse 23, 76137 Karlsruhe	map	1.8 km	****
Hotel Santo, Karlstrasse 67-69, 76137 Karlsruhe [-]	map	2.0 km	****
Schlosshotel, Bahnhofplatz 2, 76137 Karlsruhe [-]	map	2.5 km	****
Hotel Residenz, Bahnhofplatz 14-16, 76137 Karlsruhe [-]	map	2.6 km	****
Hotel am Markt, Kaiserstrasse 76, 76133 Karlsruhe [-]	map	0.7 km	***
Hotel Blankenburg, Kriegsstrasse 90, 76133 Karlsruhe [-]	map	1.0 km	***
Hotel Markgräfler Hof, Rudolfstrasse 31, 76131 Karlsruhe	map	1.1 km	***
Art Hotel Royal, Kriegsstrasse 94, 76133 Karlsruhe [-]	map	1.1 km	***
Alfa Hotel, Bürgerstrasse 4, 76133 Karlsruhe	map	1.3 km	***
Hoepfner Burghof, Haid-und-Neu-Strasse 18, 76131 Karlsruhe	map	1.4 km	***
Hotel Berliner Hof, Douglasstrasse 7, 76133 Karlsruhe (see note below)	map	1.5 km	***
Hotel Kübler / Kübler Stars, Bismarckstrasse 37-43, 76133 Karlsruhe	map	1.5 km	* /
Hotel Kaiser Barbarossa, Luisenstrasse 36-38, 76137 Karlsruhe	map	1.6 km	***
Hotel Hasen, Gerwigstrasse 47, 76131 Karlsruhe	map	1.7 km	***
Hotel Ambassador, Hirschstrasse 34-36, 76133 Karlsruhe	map	1.8 km	***
Hotel Rio, Hans-Sachs-Strasse 2, 76133 Karlsruhe [-]	map	2.0 km	***
Hotel Eden, Bahnhofstrasse 15-19, 76137 Karlsruhe	map	2.1 km	***
Hotel Erbprinzenhof, Erbprinzenstrasse 26, 76133 Karlsruhe (see note below)	map	1.2 km	**
Hotel am Karlstor, Karlstrasse 46, 76133 Karlsruhe	map	1.7 km	**
Hotel Astoria, Mathystrasse 22, 76133 Karlsruhe	map	1.9 km	**
Ibis Karlsruhe City, Poststrasse 1, 76137 Karlsruhe [-]	map	2.4 km	**
Jugendherberge (youth hostel) Karlsruhe, Moltkestrasse 24, 76133 Karlsruhe	map	1.5 km

Hotel recommendations

Based on our experience, the feedback from visitors of the Geophysical Institute, and the locations of the various hotels, we would like to suggest considering the following hotels first:

4 stars: Novotel Karlsruhe City.

3 stars: Hotel Berliner Hof. Here we have arranged a special price exclusively for our GAP and alumni meeting visitors. You need to mention a keyword when making a reservation, otherwise you will be charged the regular price. Please get in touch with us to obtain the keyword or price information. The special offer is valid from 13/05/2010 to 16/05/2010 and holds for a standard single room (incl. breakfast) or a comfort single room (incl. breakfast).

2 stars: Hotel Erbprinzenhof. Here we have also arranged a special price exclusively for our GAP and alumni meeting visitors. Again, you need to mention a keyword when making a reservation, otherwise you will be charged the regular price. Please get in touch with us to obtain the keyword or price information. The special offer is valid from 13/05/2010 to 16/05/2010 and holds for a standard single room incl. breakfast and a KVV transport ticket.

Hotels marked with "[-]" in above table are very close to major roads or tramlines and people who are sensitive to traffic noise might prefer to look for alternatives. Please note that this comment does not state anything about the quality of the corresponding hotel, though.