Contact
Max-Planck-Institut für Gesellschaftsforschung
Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies
Paulstr. 3 | 50676 Köln | Germany
Tel. +49 221 2767-0
www.mpifg.de
info@mpifg.de
@MPIfG_Cologne
Reception opening hours
Monday to Thursday 8:30-16:30
Friday 8:30-15:30
Directions
By car
Take the Cologne Autobahnring to the southern junction (AB-Kreuz Köln-Süd). Follow the signs for Köln-Bayenthal. When you get to the circle, follow the signs for Köln-Bayenthal again. This will put you on Bonner Straße, which you stay on for 2.5 km until you see a train underpass. Get in the left-turn lane and turn left after the Shell station onto Bonner Wall. Turn right at the next light onto Vorgebirgstraße (which later turns into Ulrichgasse).
After 1 km - when you have crossed the Sachsenring (street car tracks) and passed the Ulrepforte on your right (remains of the medieval city wall) - the Institute, a 5-storey brick building, is on your left at the corner of Paulstraße (the third street after the ring) and Ulrichgasse. But you should turn left one street earlier, onto the second street on your left, Vor den Siebenburgen. Take your second left, Waisenhausgasse, and then your first left, Kartäuserwall, in order to find a parking space (parking on Paulstraße is difficult). On Kartäuserwall, which runs parallel to the Sachsenring, many of the spaces are designated for all-day parking.
The Cologne Low Emission Zone
Drivers, please note that downtown Cologne has been declared a low emission zone. The MPIfG is inside the zone. You need to buy an emission sticker to drive into the zone – if you don't, you can be fined. The type of sticker you get depends the car's EU emission group. Many neighboring countries have established procedures for getting stickers there. For information about getting a sticker for a foreign plated car, see the city's website or this commercial site. You can also ask the MPIfG visitor's liaison for assistance.
After 1 km - when you have crossed the Sachsenring (street car tracks) and passed the Ulrepforte on your right (remains of the medieval city wall) - the Institute, a 5-storey brick building, is on your left at the corner of Paulstraße (the third street after the ring) and Ulrichgasse. But you should turn left one street earlier, onto the second street on your left, Vor den Siebenburgen. Take your second left, Waisenhausgasse, and then your first left, Kartäuserwall, in order to find a parking space (parking on Paulstraße is difficult). On Kartäuserwall, which runs parallel to the Sachsenring, many of the spaces are designated for all-day parking.
The Cologne Low Emission Zone
Drivers, please note that downtown Cologne has been declared a low emission zone. The MPIfG is inside the zone. You need to buy an emission sticker to drive into the zone – if you don't, you can be fined. The type of sticker you get depends the car's EU emission group. Many neighboring countries have established procedures for getting stickers there. For information about getting a sticker for a foreign plated car, see the city's website or this commercial site. You can also ask the MPIfG visitor's liaison for assistance.
By train
From Cologne main train station (Hauptbahnhof Köln),
a taxi takes about 10-15 minutes. Ask the driver to take you to Paulstraße, corner of Ulrichgasse in the Südstadt, postcode 50676. This is important since there is more than one Paulstraße and more than one Max Planck Institute in Cologne;
By public transportation takes about 20 minutes. When you arrive at Cologne main train station, follow the signs marked U/Dom/City to the exit on the west side of the station near the cathedral (Dom). Go down the steps to the subway (U-Bahn). Buy a CityTicket 1b at the window or the machine. Go down the steps marked Neumarkt. Take Line 16, which is marked Bonn-Bad Godesberg. Get out at the sixth stop, Ulrepforte (about 15 minutes). Cross the tracks and the Sachsenring to your left. Walk along the Ulrichgasse for about 5 minutes, passing Kartäuserwall and Vor den Siebenburgen, until you get to the MPIfG at the corner of Paulstraße and Ulrichgasse.
If your train stops at Köln-Deutz train station, you can also take the subway from the Bahnhof Deutz-Lanxess Arena stop, Line 3 or 4 marked Bocklemünd or Mengenich (Kurzstrecke), to the Severinstraße stop. From there, it's a 500-meter walk to the Institute via Severinstraße and Josephstraße.
a taxi takes about 10-15 minutes. Ask the driver to take you to Paulstraße, corner of Ulrichgasse in the Südstadt, postcode 50676. This is important since there is more than one Paulstraße and more than one Max Planck Institute in Cologne;
By public transportation takes about 20 minutes. When you arrive at Cologne main train station, follow the signs marked U/Dom/City to the exit on the west side of the station near the cathedral (Dom). Go down the steps to the subway (U-Bahn). Buy a CityTicket 1b at the window or the machine. Go down the steps marked Neumarkt. Take Line 16, which is marked Bonn-Bad Godesberg. Get out at the sixth stop, Ulrepforte (about 15 minutes). Cross the tracks and the Sachsenring to your left. Walk along the Ulrichgasse for about 5 minutes, passing Kartäuserwall and Vor den Siebenburgen, until you get to the MPIfG at the corner of Paulstraße and Ulrichgasse.
If your train stops at Köln-Deutz train station, you can also take the subway from the Bahnhof Deutz-Lanxess Arena stop, Line 3 or 4 marked Bocklemünd or Mengenich (Kurzstrecke), to the Severinstraße stop. From there, it's a 500-meter walk to the Institute via Severinstraße and Josephstraße.
By plane
From Cologne/Bonn Airport you can take
a taxi, which takes about 30 minutes, to Paulstrasse, corner of Ulrichgasse in the Südstadt (this is important since there is more than one Paulstrasse and more than one Max Planck Institute in Cologne). By public transportation take the regional train (S-Bahn 13) from the airport station to Cologne main train station (Hauptbahnhof Köln); travel time about 15 minutes. From the main train station, follow the directions above "By train, public transportation." Fare: the CityTicket 1b covers the whole ride via regional train and local public transit.
From Düsseldorf Airport take the regional train (Regionalexpress) toward Aachen or Koblenz to Cologne main train station (Hauptbahnhof Köln); travel time about 40 minutes. From Cologne main station, follow the directions above "By train, public transportation."
Frankfurt Airport (FRA) is slightly further afield but a good alternative for visitors traveling from abroad. The airport has its own station with quick and frequent connections to Cologne throughout the day. Direct intercity trains (IC or ICE) to Cologne take around an hour.
More information on all train connections is available on the Deutsche Bahn website (https://www.bahn.com/en).
From Düsseldorf Airport take the regional train (Regionalexpress) toward Aachen or Koblenz to Cologne main train station (Hauptbahnhof Köln); travel time about 40 minutes. From Cologne main station, follow the directions above "By train, public transportation."
Frankfurt Airport (FRA) is slightly further afield but a good alternative for visitors traveling from abroad. The airport has its own station with quick and frequent connections to Cologne throughout the day. Direct intercity trains (IC or ICE) to Cologne take around an hour.
More information on all train connections is available on the Deutsche Bahn website (https://www.bahn.com/en).
Instructions for GPS users and taxi passengers
There is more than one Paulstraße and more than one Max Planck Institute in Cologne. Tell your driver to go to the corner of Paulstraße and Ulrichgasse, near Ulrepforte. GPS users be sure to enter the postal code 50676 and Paulstraße 3 or 5 (as some systems don't respond to No. 3).