Travel Information
Attention ICSE visitors: There will be a bus from Zurich to Passau on Sunday, June 10th. Tickets for this bus can be purchased on the registration site. This bus leaves at 8:30 am from the parking lot at the corner Limmatstrasse/Sihlquiai (just north of the main station).
Travelling by Plane
Passau is reachable from several major airports:
Munich (MUC)
From the airport, there is a connection to Passau by Deutsche Bahn at every hour which takes about 2:20 h. Take bus 635 from the airport to the train station of the town Freising. From Freising take the regional train to Passau, station 'Hauptbahnhof'. The last connection for the day leaves at around 23:00. The train ticket costs 21 € (“Bayern Ticket Single”) or 29 € for a group ticket for up to 5 people (“Bayern Ticket”).
Warning: During ICPC there will be railroad constructions between Freising and Passau. Some trains might be replaced by busses or take a little bit longer than usually. Please re-check your connection online (the website now has the updated connections). If your train is replaced by a bus between Freising and Landshut, you can look at the second-to-last page of this PDF for a map of the two stations with the locations of the bus stops (the purple markers labeled “SEV” show where the busses leave and arrive).
Frankfurt (FRA)
From the airport, take the train to Passau Hauptbahnhof (at most one transfer is needed). The connection takes about 4:30 h and costs 84 €. Tickets can be bought online up to 3 months in advance from Deutsche Bahn. If you book early, you may be able to get a savings price which is up to 50% cheaper. These tickets are valid only for a single connection. A seat reservation is recommended. All ICE trains and some IC trains have power outlets at all seats.
Linz (LNZ)
This smaller airport has only flights to some cities in Europe. There is a bus from the airport to Linz central station (Linz Hbf) and a train from Linz to Passau. The connection takes about 2 hours. Tickets can be bought from ÖBB.
Travelling by Car and Train
Passau is well reachable from most of Germany and the neighboring countries by car and train. There are ICE trains every two hours on the line Frankfurt – Nuremberg – Passau – Linz – Vienna. From Munich there is an hourly regional train (see information above). Tickets can be bought online up to 3 months in advance from Deutsche Bahn. The relevant station is “Passau Hauptbahnhof” (sometimes abbreviated as “Passau Hbf”), which is the main station of Passau. If you book early, you may be able to get a savings price which is up to 50% cheaper. These tickets are valid only for a single connection. A seat reservation is recommended where possible. All ICE trains and some IC trains have power outlets at all seats.
For travelling to Passau by car take highway A3 (Frankfurt – Nuremberg – Passau – Linz – Vienna). From Munich take highway A92 to Deggendorf and follow highway A3 to Passau. Parking is difficult in the centre of Passau, but most Hotels provide parking possibilities.
In Passau
The train station, most of the hotels, and the conference venue, are located in the center of Passau and are thus in walking distance from each other. See this map with markers for all important locations.
The conference venue is the building “Nikolakloster” (marked on the map above). Approach the building from the north (where the small park is) and enter through the big gate. From there you will see our signs leading you to room 403.
German taxis all have a beige color. The rate is the same for all taxis in an area. In Passau it is 2,80 € plus 0,20 € per 140m (after 22:00 there is an extra fee of 2,00 €). Drivers are required to give a receipt if requested.
The central bus station (where all bus lines pass through) named “ZOB” is just north of the venue (also marked on the map). A one-way ticket costs 1.70 €. A trip planner is available online.
Further Information
Time
Germany uses the Central European Summer Time (CEST) like most other western and central European countries. During ICPC, this time zone is 2 hours ahead of UTC (UTC+2).
Electricity
All power outlets in Germany are of the “Schuko” type. Plugs of the two-pin “EuroPlug” type fit without an adaptor. The British and North-American plugs do not fit. The voltage is 230 V.
Money
The currency in Germany is the Euro (EUR, €). Credit cards are not as common as in other countries, but most shops and restaurants accept them. However, they may refuse them for amounts smaller than 5 €. Newsstands, bus drivers, and taxi drivers will only accept cash. ATMs are common and present at stations and shopping malls.
Shopping
Bavarian shopping hour-laws are strict! After 20:00 and on Sundays all shops are closed, with the only exceptions being shops in train stations and gas stations (but do not expect 24/7 opening hours for those). Be prepared when you arrive on Sunday in Passau. Restaurants, bars, etc. are of course open.
Internet
Public WiFi hotspots are uncommon in Germany and not even present in cafes and restaurants. T-Mobile operates some of them in stations and airports (5 € per hour). However, most hotel rooms include free internet access.
Phone
The calling code for Germany is +49 and the area code for Passau is 851. A long distance phone number in Germany consists of the trunk prefix 0, the area code, and the subscriber number. An international phone number in Germany consists of the country code +49, the area code, and the subscriber number. The prefix for international calls from within Germany is 00.
The emergency number is 112 (no prefix). For the police, call 110.
There are four mobile providers (T-Mobile, Vodafone, O2, and E-Plus) operating GSM/UMTS networks at 900/1800 MHz.
Public payphones exists, but have become rare. At airports, they accept credit cards, otherwise only cash.