The two most convenient airports for travelling to the conference are Frankfurt (about 120km to the North) or Stuttgart (about 85km to the south). Both are 1-2 hours travel time away, depending on your chosen method. Note that RyanAir's "Frankurt" destination is actually the Hahn airport, not Frankfurt International. From Hahn you will need to take a linking bus to Heidelberg and catch a train from there.
Those living in or near Germany may find it cheaper to fly to Stuttgart, which is in the province of Baden-Wuerttemberg and closer to Sinsheim. Discount flights to Stuttgart are available from www.germanwings.com , www.tuifly.com , and www.airberlin.com.
Getting to the Venue
The Venue is in Sinsheim, Germany, which is close to Heidelberg and Mannheim, and about 100km from Frankfurt and Stuttgart. Sinsheim has excellent transport links, being on the A6 / E50 motorway, and served by regular trains.
If coming by car, there is plenty of parking available at the venue (we're talking thousands of spaces here....). Take exit 33b from the A6 / E50, which is right by the venue. When you have left the motorway, follow the signs to the Rhein-Neckar Arena, then the Shop and Business Center parking.
On foot, the venue is about a 10 minute walk from Hotel Sinsheim and the Sinsheim Museum/Arena railway station. It's a 20 minute walk from the main Sinsheim Hauptbahnhof railway station, and 25 minutes from the town center. We'd suggest using this OpenStreetMap map to see the walking routes (they're pretty easy!)
Sinsheim has two railway stations. The Sinsheim Museum/Arena station is very close to the venue, and is served by the S5 line of the Rhine-Neckar S-Bahn. The main Sinsheim Haupbahnhof station is in the center of town, a little further away, and has both S-Bahn and long distance trains. S-Bahn (local) trains run between Heidelberg – Sinsheim - Eppingen roughly every half hour, with a journey time of about 30 minutes from Heidelberg. More information, maps and times are available (in German) on the S-Bahn site. Alternately, you can use the Deutsche Bahn English website to check train times and prices.
For additional information, please see the Community produced wiki page for the more information on getting to the venue, and the surrounding area.
Transport between Frankfurt Airport or Stuttgart Airport and the Venue
Frankfurt Airport is around 100km away from the Venue. Frankfurt Airport has flights from all over the world, and is an easy transfer to the venue, so is the recommended airport. Stuttgart Airport is a little further away, and has a smaller range of flights, but may provide better connections from certain origins and can be a cheaper flight from some points of origin.
If you're driving from either airport, there's motorway almost the whole way. From Frankfurt Airport, allow just over an hour outside of peak hours, or around 90-100 minutes during rush hour. From Stuttgart Airport, allow around 1.5 hours outside of peak hours, and 2 hours during rush hour. Please see the main transport section for driving directions and maps.
The recommended way to get from either airport to the venue is to take the train. From Frankfurt Airport (station is called Frankfurt Flughafen), journey time is between 1 hour 20 minutes and 2 hours, and a typical one way journey costs €30. From Stuttgart Airport (station is called Stuttgart Flughafen/Messe), the journey time is around 2 hours 30 minutes, and a typical one way journey is also about €30, less if you have a Bahn-Card. Trains run between Sinsheim and both airports from about 5am-11pm - basically whenever flights are arriving or departing.
To check exact journey times and prices, please visit the Deutsche Bahn English website, and search from Frankfurt Flughafen or Stuttgart Flughafen/Messe to either Sinsheim Hauptbahnhof or Sinsheim Museum/Arena. Please see the main transport section for more information on the two stations in Sinsheim, and how to get from them to the venue.
From Frankfurt airport, you'll likely end up changing trains in either Manheim or Heidelberg, check the Deutsche Bahn English website for your travel time to see the best for your journey. From Heidelberg, the train route heads through some amazingly beautiful scenery, not to be missed! The train winds its way alongside the river, past hills covered with trees and traditional houses, make sure you get a window seat to enjoy the views! From Stuttgart Airport, you'll want to take the S-Bahn a short ride into the city center (change at Stuttgart Hauptbahnhoff), then a regional train through the hills and wine growing regions to Heilbronn or the picturesque Bad Friedrichshall-Jagstfeld (check the Deutsche Bahn English website for the exact times of your journey). From there, it's a short regional or S-Bahn train ride into Sinsheim. Both routes feature some lovely scenery, so grab a window seat if you can, sit back and enjoy!
You may wish to consult this thread for advice, especially if you're not planning to take it easy and hop on the train.