[Travel]

READ THIS IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT AIR AND TRAIN TRAVEL FIRST!


A word from the author

The information in this document has been collected with great care. However, as usual, it cannot be guaranteed that this information is correct at the time of your travel, so please check with your travel agent a few days before carrying out the trip. If you find an obvious error in this document, or if you have any travel-related question that is not covered here, feel free drop me a line.

Getting to the con by car

Take A45 to exit Olpe (18) and turn eastwards onto B54/B55 direction Olpe. Pass the first exit, at the second exit turn left and cross the reservoir. After about 2 km, you arrive at Eichhagen. Turn *left* onto Stader Straße. After the underpass, you will cross the lake again. Turn right after 400 metres, then turn left after you reach the parking lot. After driving through the forest for a while, you'll find the youth hostel on the right shoulder.
When in doubt, follow the Jugendherberge signs.

For your convenience, use the route finder at MapQuest Direct. (German language only, sorry folks!)

Getting to the con by train

Don't forget to get the proper ticket for your trip! Many foreign railways cannot sell tickets to smaller, rural stations since German Rail does not provide the neccessary tariff data for them. Try getting a ticket to Olpe or Siegen if your travel agent cannot provide you a ticket for Eichhagen. There is *no* ticket sale on the train to Eichhagen, and if you cannot show a proper proof of transportation, you will be fined € 40 on the spot.

Most European railways now offer the new German discount passes. Examples are:
UPDATE: Check out this year's DB special offer - 29 EUR from anywhere to any place

All trains in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia have individually assigned numbers and descriptive names, I'll use them in this guide to help you find the proper train faster (the names and numbers are announced at the departure boards and on the train).
Since I cannot describe the Ruhr valley rail network in all gory details, I will give you information from the two larger cities next to the con site: Hagen (north) and Siegen (south). Hagen has a connection to the IC/ICE network, while Siegen is easily reachable from Frankfurt and Fulda. From either Hagen or Siegen, take one of these trains:
  • RE 16 Ruhr-Sieg-Express
  • RB 91 Ruhr-Sieg-Bahn
Get off the train at Finnentrop.
From Finnentrop, there is only one train that will lead you to the con site:
  • RB 92 Biggesee-Express (direction Olpe)
You have to get off at Eichhagen for the convention site.

Get personalized timetable information by clicking here:
(English, German, French, Italian)
If you click on the image to the left, a larger version showing the connecting railways will open in a new browser window. (65k)
A version suitable for printing is also available. (69k)
 		[rail network map, click on image for a bigger image]

Getting to the con by plane

The airport nearest to the convention site is Düsseldorf International (airport code DUS), which has direct connections to many European and North American cities. Clicking on the logo will open the airport homepage in a new window.
[Düsseldorf International]
Düsseldorf Airport has two train stations: Düsseldorf Flughafen Terminal and Düsseldorf Flughafen (Fernbahnhof). Since you have to change trains at Düsseldorf Hbf (central station) anyways, you can choose your departure station freely. The long-distance station is linked with the terminals by the so-called "SkyTrain" monorail and served relatively often, while the local station is situated directly underneath the terminals and has a train running every 20 minutes only.
[rail network map]

If you did not buy a train ticket in advance, keep your credit card ready and buy a ticket to Eichhagen at the touch-screen ticket machines in the station hall at Düsseldorf Flughafen Fernbahnhof. If you intend to depart from Düsseldorf Flughafen Terminal, use one of the orange ticket machines and enter the number 0011 to get the proper ticket to Düsseldorf Hbf. (€ 1.80 at the time of writing this, cash only.) Then buy a ticket to Eichhagen there.
Ticket machines and railway attendants can communicate in English.

Take S1,RE3,RE5,RE6 or RE11 trains from Düsseldorf Flughafen Fernbahnhof or S7 from Düsseldorf Flughafen Terminal to Düsseldorf Hbf (Düsseldorf Central Station). Do not take ICE or IC trains as these are not covered by your ticket.


From Düsseldorf Hbf, take either one of the following trains:

  • RE  4 Wupper-Express (destination Dortmund)
  • RE 13 Maas-Wupper-Express (destination Hamm)
You can also take the S8 trains to Hagen, they are a bit slower than the other options, though.
Get off the train at Hagen Hbf and change to any of these trains:
  • RE 16 Ruhr-Sieg-Express (destination Siegen)
  • RB 91 Ruhr-Sieg-Bahn (destination Siegen)
Get off the train at Finnentrop.
From Finnentrop, there is only one train that will lead you to the con site:
  • RB 92 Biggesee-Express (direction Olpe)
Not really "express", but what the heck. Better connection than last year.
Trains to Olpe run hourly, so you might be in for a bit of waiting at Finnentrop, depending on your schedule. Bring something to eat and a soda with you.
You have to get off at Eichhagen for the convention site.

For the not-so-timetable-savvy, use the on-line timetable system and enter your plane's arrival time.
ATTENTION!
STATION EICHHAGEN: TRAIN STOPS ON REQUEST. CUSTOMERS WISHING TO ALIGHT MUST INFORM THE ON-TRAIN STAFF PRIOR TO DEPARTURE. CUSTOMERS WISHING TO JOIN THE SERVICE MUST GIVE A CLEAR HAND SIGNAL.

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ACHTUNG!
DIE STATION EICHHAGEN WIRD ALS BEDARFSHALT BEDIENT, FAHRGÄSTE BITTE MINDESTENS ZWEI STATIONEN VORHER BEIM TRIEBFAHRZEUGFÜHRER MELDEN BZW. BEIM EINSTEIGEN AN DER STATION BEMERKBAR MACHEN.

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ATTENTIE!
STATION EICHHAGEN: TREIN STOPT ALLEEN OP VERZOEK. REIZIGERS DIENEN ZICH VOOR VERTREK BIJ DE MACHINIST TE MELDEN!

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