Conference Venue
The conference will take place at the Bad Honnef Physics Center (Physikzentrum Bad Honnef; PBH). The palatial building is located in a scenic spot at the foot of the Siebengebirge ("The Seven Hills"), well known for its numerous hiking trails and the views of the Rhine valley.
PBH offers sophisticated lecture theaters and in-house residence and meals for the conference participants. The Center is run by the German Physical Society (Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft; DPG) and supported by the University of Bonn and the state of North-Rhine-Westphalia.
Bad Honnef is a small but scenic town on the bank of river Rhine. It is close to and well connected with the city of Bonn through public transports and motorways.
Below you will find how to reach the venue and general information regarding arrival and departure.
Please contact Kristina Biehl at biehl@astro.uni-bonn.de for any questions regarding your arrival and stay.
This is how you can reach PBH using public transport:
From Frankfurt Airport (Flughafen):
Go to the airport's long-distance railway station or the "Fernbahnhof". From there, you can take ICE (InterCity Express) to the Siegburg/Bonn station (takes approx. 35-45 minutes). From the Siegburg/Bonn station, take tram/underground ("U-Bahn") No. 66 towards Bad Honnef (you need to go one level down from the train platform to reach the tram platform) and step off at the station "Am Spitzenbach". From there it is only a 5 minutes walk to the PBH. Alternatively, you can take ICE or IC trains from the Frankfurt Fernbahnhof to the Bonn Main Railway Station (Bonn Hauptbahnhof/Hbf; takes more than 2 hours). From there take the underground No. 66 towards Bad Honnef and get down at the Am Spitzenbach stop.
From Cologne-Bonn Airport:
From the exit level of the Cologne-Bonn airport, walk out of the airport building to find the bus stand (approx. 2 minutes from the exit doors). Take the airport bus No. "SB 60" to the Bonn railway station (Bonn Hbf). It takes about 35 mins and you can pay the bus driver directly (6 Euros). From Bonn Hbf you can reach the PBH at Bad Honnef as suggested above.
From Dusseldorf Airport:
Go to the airport's railway station (or Fernbahnhof). You need to take the "SkyTrain" service from the airport terminal to the train station. You can take the local trains (the REs or RBs) or the InterCity connections to the Bonn railway station (Bonn Hbf) and then reach PBH as suggested above.
From train stations:
You can take local or InterCity train connections from Cologne or Dusseldorf train stations to the Bonn station and then change to the underground (U-Bahn) line 66 to reach Bad Honnef (see above). To reach Bad Honnef from Frankfurt Main Station (Frankfurt (Main) Hbf) follow similar steps as you would do from the Frankfurt Airport Railway Station (see above).
Note:
You can buy tickets for trains and undergrounds from the ticket vending machines at the train stations. You can also approch an attended ticket office (a "Reisezentrum") at the train stations or airports but expect queues. If you wish, you can also purchase train tickets online (see below).
Find a timetable for Line 66 (up/down, weekdays/weekends) here.
Find a timetable for the Cologne-Bonn airport bus SB 60 (up/down, weekdays/weekends) here.
You can find some additional directions for reaching PBH including roadways here.
There is a parking area in front of the PBH building where the participants can park their vehicles for free during the event days.
This is the website for the German Rail (Deutsche Bahn or DB) where you can look at time tables and buy train tickets. If you buy online tickets, please do not forget to bring along the identity you selected during your purchase.
Arrival/departure information
You will receive your PBH room keys, a modest conference kit and your badge upon arrival at the PBH reception. Those of you staying in hotels can also collect the kit and the badge at the PBH reception. If you are staying in a hotel, you can check in your hotel directly upon arrival at Bad Honnef, if you prefer so.
Arrival on Saturday/Sunday:
If you are arriving over the weekend and staying at the PBH you can find your room information at the PBH reception. It should be easy for you to find your room key in the key-hive of the reception. Availability of a personnel at the PBH reception is not guaranteed over the weekend. The hotel receptions are usually open for 24/7. There will be dinner served at the PBH for the participants arriving on Saturday and Sunday.
Arrival at night:
If you are arriving at night (any day) and staying at the PBH you can find your room information at the PBH reception. It should be easy for you to find your room key in the key-hive of the reception. There is no personnel at the PBH reception at night. The hotel receptions are usually open for 24/7. It might be a good idea to grab some food at the airport or train station if you are arriving at Bad Honnef at night (particularly after 9 pm) since the PBH dinner is likely to be over by then and you may not find any restaurants open in Bad Honnef.
PBH door secret code:
You will be e-mailed a 4-digit code for the main entrance of the PBH. You can use it to enter the premises anytime during the event.
Checking out:
For those who will pay for your stay after arrival, please make sure that your due payment is cleared before your departure. If you are staying at the PBH or at a hotel booked for you by the PBH, you should pay at the PBH. If you have arranged your own stay, then, of course, you will follow your own check-out procedure.