Arriving at the Institute
Travelling by train
Whether coming from the north (Berlin/Leipzig) or south (Munich/Nuremberg) you can reach Jena at Jena-Paradies station. When coming from the west (Frankfurt/Main, Kassel, Göttingen), you can reach Jena at Jena-West station with a change in Weimar or Erfurt. From both stations, the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology can be reached on foot in approx. 15 minutes.
On foot from Jena-Paradies: Turn left in front of the station and follow the road for about 1000 meters (first Knebelstraße, then Vor dem Neutor from the traffic circle Kahlaische Straße). About 30 meters after the Kahlaische Straße/Sandweg intersection, a footpath on the right leads up to the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology.
On foot from Jena-West: Cross the station forecourt and walk straight ahead down Hohe Straße. At the end of Hohe Straße, take the stairs to Hainstraße and follow it to the right until you come to Felsenkellerstraße. Follow Felsenkellerstraße uphill. The Max Planck Institute is located at the end of Felsenkellerstraße at the Sandweg junction.
Travelling by plane
On arrival in Berlin-Schönefeld (SXF) or Berlin-Tegel (TXL): Continue by S-Bahn or bus (line TXL) to Berlin-Hauptbahnhof or Berlin-Südkreuz (travel time approx. 30 min. each). There are usually hourly ICE trains from there to Jena-Paradies (journey time approx. 2 hours 20 minutes). Please note: Some trains do not stop at Berlin Südkreuz!
ICE trains run almost every hour from Frankfurt/Main Airport (FRA) to Erfurt or Weimar, from where there are two connections to Jena-West every hour. (Travel time approx. 3.00 hours.).
From Munich Airport (MUC) there are S-Bahn trains to Munich main station. There is an ICE connection from there to Jena-Paradies, sometimes with a change in Nuremberg. Travel time approx. 5 hours.
Leipzig/Halle Airport (LEJ) is directly connected to the Deutsche Bahn rail network, the journey time to Jena-Paradies is approx. 90 minutes.
Frankfurt Hahn Airport (HHN) is mainly served by low-cost airlines from all over Europe. Please note: The travel time from Frankfurt Hahn to Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof is around 2 hours, so the travel time Frankfurt Hahn - Jena-West is at least 5 hours.
Directions from the train station to the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology - see above
Travelling by car
Coming from the north or south: Jena is located near the highway junction A4/A9 - “Hermsdorfer Kreuz”. The Max Planck Institute can be reached via the A4 Frankfurt/Main - Dresden. Coming from the north-south direction on the A9, change to the A4 at the Hermsdorfer Kreuz interchange in the direction of Frankfurt/Main.
From the A4 highway: Leave the highway at the Jena-Göschwitz exit (exit 53) and drive straight ahead in the direction of Jena-Stadtmitte. Follow Rudolstädter Straße and later Kahlaische Straße. After about 5 kilometers, the green district heating pipes cross the road. Just after this district heating bridge, turn left onto Sandweg. (If you come to the traffic circle, you have gone too far. Drive back to Sandweg).
Parking: You can park your car on Sandweg in the parking deck of the institute. A short walk to the end of Sandweg - turn left before the railroad underpass - will take you to the institute.