How to reach the CTA Project Office and recommended hotels

How to reach Heidelberg from the Frankfurt am Main international airport

By train
There is a train station directly at the airport. From Terminal 1 you can walk to the train station. From Terminal 2 there is a no-cost skytrain to Terminal 1 (10 minutes). In general the best connections are from Frankfurt airport via Mannheim, even if direct trains or connections via Frankfurt main station might be available at specific times (it takes approximately 30 minutes to Mannheim and then 10 minutes to Heidelberg with the S-Bahn). Train tickets can be bought beforehand online on the DB website (you will need a credit card).
With the Lufthansa Shuttle bus
From 7 a.m. until 10.30 p.m. shuttle busses of Lufthansa travels to Heidelberg every 1-2 hours. You do not have to fly Lufthansa in order to travel with the Lufthansa bus, although Lufthansa passengers pay a little less than the others. See information here (google for "Lufthansa shuttle Frankfurt-Heidelberg" in case the link doesn't work) The bus stop at the airport is at Terminal 1, arrival level, hall B, exit B4-5 Tickets for both Frankfurt Airport shuttle routes can be booked directly via email at info@heidelberg-airport-shuttle.de or by phone at 06152 / 9769099, Fees:
- Lufthansa Passengers: One way € 20; return € 38
- others: One way: € 22; return: € 40
Tickets are sold by the bus driver and have to be paid in cash. The bus stop in Heidelberg lies at the Crown Plaza Hotel Passage, Kurfürstenanlage 1-3 (see fig.3). From the Crowne Plaza, you can walk to Bismarckplatz and then take the bus no. 39 direction Königstuhl (see bus description at point a))
With the transfer service TLS
Call TLS at 0049-(0)6221-770077 the night before the trip after 6 pm and inform them about your desired pick-up time and your flight time while making the reservation. You will be picked up at the meeting point at terminal 1, hall B (passengers arriving at terminal 2 are requested to proceed to the Meeting-Point in hall E). You will be driven where you want to. Fee: € 35 for a shared transfer. See complete information on the website of TLS.

How to reach Landessternwarte

From the train station

Fig. 1: From the train station
- by taxi: a taxi stand is at the exit of the train station. It will take approximately 20 minutes to reach the Landessternwarte and cost € 15-20. You can also call a taxi: 0049-(0)6221-302030).
- by bus: Travel first to Bismarckplatz by bus no. 33 (direction "Ziegelhausen, Köpfel" or 32 (dir. Universitätsplatz) or tram no. 5/OEG (direction Weinheim) or tram no. 21 (direction "Bismarckplatz") – get off at stop "Bismarckplatz", from there take the bus no. 39 (direction Königstuhl) and travel to LSW. See fig 1. The bus no. 39 travels between Bismarckplatz and Königstuhl. The bus stop "Sternwarte" is close to Königstuhl. It takes approx. 25 minutes from Bismarckplatz to the Sternwarte.
  
  The bus travels between 6 am and 7 pm every hour (twice between 8 and 9 am). After 7 pm you can call a "Ruftaxi" to leave the Sternwarte. The "Ruftaxi" must be ordered in advance at least 30 minutes before the desired departure time. To do this call the number (06221) 302030 and book the taxi at the desired time. The "Ruftaxi" replaces the bus. It operates on the fixed route Königstuhl-Sternwarte and costs as much as a bus ticket.
  
  You can check the bus and taxi times at www.vrn.de (only in German)
  
  Where to buy tickets: Tickets can be bought at all ticket machines (at Bismarckplatz, at the main train station and at all main bus and tram stops). A ticket for Zone 2 costs € 2,20. With this, you can change bus and/or tram within 1,5 hour, but no return trip is possible. For the whole day, you can buy an all-day ticket for € 5,30.
  
  Tickets must be validated in the bus/tram.
From the Lufthansa shuttle bus station and/or from the recommended hotels
The Lufthansa shuttle bus station at hotel €Crowne Plaza€ and almost all recommended hotels are in the vicinity of the "Rohrbacherstraße", where you can find the bus stop for the bus no. 39 that leads you to LSW. Alternatively, you can call a taxi.
From the old town - The funicular
In the old town, there is a funicular which travels between Kornmarkt and Königstuhl. You have to change train at Molkenkur station. Departures from Kornmarkt are daily between 9:00 and 20:20 (summer) or 17:10 (winter), every 10 min. It takes approximately 15-20 minutes.

Tickets can be bought at the counter at the entrance. More information on the Bergbahn (funicular) website

How to reach Heidelberg from Stuttgart airport

From the airport you can travel to the central railway station (Hauptbahnhof) with the municipal rail lines (S-Bahn) S2 (direction Schorndorf) or S3 (direction Backnang). This takes 27 minutes. From the central railway station you can travel to Heidelberg directly or by changing train in Mannheim. Train tickets can be bought beforehand online on the DB website (you will need a credit card).

How to reach the Landessternwarte by car

The Landessternwarte is located at the western peak of the Königstuhl (566 m high) close to the "Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie" and the "Märchenparadies".

From Heidelberg (South, West, North, East, north of the Neckar) In Heidelberg follow the sign to "Schloss" (castle) or center, respectively. After the tunnel, take the first road to the right in direction Gaiberg, Königstuhl, Märchenparadies. This is only allowed for normal cars. Buses and trucks are not allowed on this road. These have to take the second road to the right after the tunnel (direction "Schloss"), pass the castle and after the castle take the first road to the right. After "Molkenkur" (turn left) they meet the road for normal cars again. Always follow the road without side-turns. After several turns and several km., you will find a hut ("Blockhaus") and a parking lot. Here you have to turn left direction "Königstuhl", "Max Planck Institut für Astronomie", "Märchenparadies"). Directly at the crossing on Königstuhl follow the small road to "Sternwarte" in a sharp right turn. After about 150 meter you reach the gate of the Sternwarte.
From Heidelberg (East, south of the Neckar) At Karlstor turn left (away from the Neckar) direction "Schloss" (castle). Shortly after the tunnel turn left in direction to "Königstuhl". If you miss this road, take the next opportunity to turn (direction "Eberbach") and then turn right direction "Gaiberg", "Königstuhl", "Märchenparadies". Always follow the road without side-turns. After several turns and several km., you will find a hut ("Blockhaus") and a parking lot. Here you have to turn left direction "Königstuhl", "Max Planck Institut für Astronomie", "Märchenparadies"). Directly at the crossing on Königstuhl follow the small road to "Sternwarte" in a sharp right turn. After about 150 meter you reach the gate of the Sternwarte.
From Leimen (South) - best possibility for buses and trucks Before you enter Leimen (coming from Heidelberg) turn left in direction "Gaiberg". After "Lingenthal" turn left in direction to "Heidelberg". After a few km. turn right in direction "Kohlhof", "Königstuhl", "Max Planck Institut für Astronomie". Do not follow the road to Waldhilsbach, but turn left after "Kohlhof" to "Königstuhl". Later do not take the exit to "Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie". At the next crossing on Königstuhl follow the sign to "Sternwarte" to the left. After about 150 meter you reach the gate of the Sternwarte.
From Sinsheim Highway A6 via B45 (South-East) Drive the B45 drection "Neckargemünd". After the two exits to "Bammental" turn left in direction to "Waldhilsbach", "Königstuhl". After passing Waldhilsbach follow the road until "Kohlhofklinik". Continue at the road to the right direction "Heidelberg". Do not follow the sign to "Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie". At the next crossing on Königstuhl follow the sign to "Sternwarte" to the left. After about 150 meter you reach the gate of the Sternwarte.

Please park outside the gate.

Fig. 2: Landessternwarte

Distances (by car)
Bismarckplatz – Sternwarte: 6 km
Main train station – Sternwarte: 7,3 km
Funicular station Kornmarkt – Sternwarte: 5,2 km
Old Bridge – Sternwarte: 6,7 km
Sternwarte – Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie: 800 m
Sternwarte – Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik: 5,3 km

Landessternwarte and the CTA Project Office

LSW is composed of several buildings. Right after the gate, you will see a residential house on the right. Following the path leading left up the hill, you will walk by the Happle laboratory and the main building. The CTA meetings usually take place either in the CTA Project Office or in the Lecture Hall. The CTA Project Office is located on the first floor of the "Nord-Institut", which used to be the house of the former director of LSW. Bigger meetings are held in the Lecture Hall of the "Ost-Institut". See map on the right for details.

Recommended hotels

Fig. 3: Recommended hotels

Hotel Kohler Goethestraße 2; Phone: +49 (0) 6221 - 97 00 97 – info@hotel-kohler.de Family-run hotel. Rooms are equipped with with direct in/outward telephoning, cable-colour-TV, radio and smoke detectors. Single room: € 64 incl. breakfast - Ask for special rate for the Landessternwarte!
Hotel Elite Bunsenstraße 15; Phone: +49- (0)6221 - 2 57 34 – hotel-elite-heidelberg@t-online.de Family owned middleclass hotel. Internet over Wireless Lan and cable connection (high speed RJ45) free of use. Additional cable and satellite TV with programs in your language. Single room: Euro 66 incl. breakfast - Ask for special rate for the Landessternwarte!
Exzellenz Hotel Rohrbacher Straße 29; Phone: +49 (0) 6221 91 50 – info@exzellenzhotel.de Parking lots available, wlan connection Single room: € 69 (breakfast: € 9,90) - Ask for special rate for the Landessternwarte!
Altstadt Hotel St. Anna Gasse 9; Phone +49 (0)6221 / 33 70 79 – altstadthotelhd@gmx.de Internet access (WiFi) Single room: € 75 incl. breakfast - Ask for special rate for the Landessternwarte!
Boarding House Rohrbacher Str. 32; Phone: +49 6221 434050 – info@boardinghouse-hd.de Studio apartments, internet access Single room € 75, double room for single use € 85, breakfast included - Ask for special rate for the Landessternwarte!

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