Kaiserslautern

Kaiserslautern is in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

Understand
Nicknamed "K-Town", Kaiserlautern was home to many military personnel during the Cold War, and several American military installations, including Ramstein Air Base, are still in operation nearby.

In the Middle Ages, the town was chosen by Emperor Friedrich I (Barbarossa) as a seat of government.

Kaiserslautern was the smallest of the twelve host cities for the 2006 World Cup.

Touristically, this town has not much to offer but some nice restaurants, bars and nightclubs.


 * Check out the city tourism site for more information.

By plane
While the biggest military airport in Europe is Ramstein, just outside Kaiserslautern, the city doesn't have any commercial airports of its own.
 * Frankfurt Airport is the easiest way to get in by plane, one of the busiest airports in Europe, with numerous destinations all over the world. Lufthansa offers a shuttle bus service between Frankfurt and Kaiserslautern, bookable under destination code KLT in conjunction with most European and intercontinental flights to/from Frankfurt. You can also book the shuttle bus on its own for EUR 27 one way with Lufthansa directly if you want to connect with other flights, or to high-speed trains via the airports railway station. There are multiple buses per day, the bus ride takes 1h 45min and counts as a Lufthansa flight for Miles&More purposes. See also below for the DeLux shuttle serving the same route. Rail&fly is also an option if not flying Lufthansa. For more on that topic see rail air alliances
 * Saarbrücken Airport  is close to Kaiserslautern, but offers very few flights, mainly to other German cities and to Luxembourg.
 * Frankfurt-Hahn Airport  and Baden Airpark (Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden)   are further away but have many destinations with low-cost companies.
 * Stuttgart Airport  and Luxembourg Airport   are also further away but have good connections.

By train
Regional trains travel to Kaiserlautern from Saarbrücken (55 min, €12.20). An S-Bahn line connects Kaiserslautern with Neustadt(Weinstr) (30 min), Mannheim (1 hour) and Heidelberg (1¼ hour). An ICE from Frankfurt takes 1½ hours and costs €36. There are also several ICE and TGV trains each day from Paris East Station (2½ hours, €87).

By car
Kaiserslautern is located on the A6 Federal Motorway. The city is 65 km away from Mannheim, 70 km away from Saarbrücken and 120 km away from Frankfurt (on A63). Hitchhikers can also look for cars online.

By bus
see also: Intercity buses in Germany

A private bus line Luxembourg - Trier - Kaiserslautern - Mainz - Frankfurt Airport - Frankfurt am Main is run by DeLux Express and runs every 2 to 3 hours, taking 1½ hours and costing €20. See also above for the Lufthansa shuttle bus.

From Frankfurt airport, military travelers can take a shuttle bus to various posts around Kaiserslautern, Ramstein, and Landstuhl. Most shuttle services will cost you around €45 one way. At the airport, go to the U.S.O. office and ask them to arrange for a shuttle, you'll need to have your ID ready.

Get around
Kaiserslautern has a city bus system. It has also night buses, but mostly during weekends. You can get tickets from the driver for €1.90 one-way. Group tickets, day tickets and three-day tickets are also available. The buses also accept US dollars.

An popular way to get around is by bicycle. Most of the streets have bicycle lanes, either as a part of the sidewalk or near the car lanes. You can get usually get from one side of the city to the opposite in less than an hour. However, be aware that some streets have steep hills. You can rent a bicycle online for €15/day (€9/day reduced) and pick it from the Central Station. VELO Projekt also lends bicycles for 6 months for a deposit of €75.

See




Go next

 * Worms