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The Town’s History
The city's imposing St James’ (Jacobi) and St John’s (Johannis) churches as well as the Old Town Hall date from this prosperous medieval period and still dominate the cityscape today.
After a period of decline, Göttingen’s fortunes changed dramatically with the founding of the Georg-August-Universität in 1737 by the British King George II, who was concurrently Elector of Hanover, the kingdom of which Göttingen was a part of until 1866. The university rapidly gained an outstanding international reputation, attracting brilliant minds from across Europe.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, Göttingen became one of the world’s leading centres of science and mathematics. The legendary mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss worked here, as did the Brothers Grimm, who taught at the university. Over the centuries the university has been associated with 45 Nobel Prize winners.
Today Göttingen is a lively, cosmopolitan city of around 135,000 inhabitants, where students make up a significant proportion of the population, giving it a young and dynamic atmosphere.
Getting to Göttingen
✈ Air Nearest airports: Hannover (130km) or Frankfurt (220km)
🚆 Train ICE high-speed stop
🚗 Car A7 motorway, Exits Göttingen or Göttingen Nord
🚌 Bus FlixBus connections from major German cities
Train travel times
From
Frankfurt approx. 2 – 2.5 hours (ICE)
Hamburg approx. 2.5 hours (ICE)
Berlin approx. 2.5 hours (ICE)
Hannover approx. 30–40 minutes (ICE)
Tip
Always check www.bahn.de for current schedules and prices, as these can vary depending on the specific connection and whether it is a direct service or requires a change.
Getting around in Göttingen
The historic centre is small, mostly pedestrianised, and very walkable. As for the rest, Göttingen is covered – from about 5/5:30 am (later on Sundays) to about 11:30 pm/midnight by buses run by the local transport company GoeVB. Timetables can be found on the goevb.de website or on the FahrPlaner App. Tickets can be purchased on the bus. For one person a one-way fare (Einzelkarte) is EUR 2.60, a daily ticket (Tageskarte) EUR 6.20. A daily ticket can be purchased for groups of up to 5 travelling together. Weekly tickets are not available on the bus, but can be purchased at the office of the GoeVB located at Groner Straße 40, 37073 Göttingen, Ph. +49 551 38444-444 (Mon-Fri 9 am to 6 pm, Sat 9:30 am to 2:30 pm). Tickets for local and regional buses are also available at the VSN Service Centre (regional transport company) at the main bus station (Mon-Fri 7 am to 5 pm – it is the building looking like a small yurt with a spire). Please note that paper tickets need to be validated on the bus.
Cheaper and more convenient tickets can be obtained by downloading the FAIRTIQ App (Apple and Google app stores). The app uses GPS to track your route and automatically calculates the best possible fare for your trip. Payment via credit card or other digital methods is possible. Information on how to use it can be found here and how to switch to a different language here.
Taxis can be found in various locations: the train station, behind Old City Hall near St John’s Church, near the theatre, at the new City Hall and at the corner of Jüdenstraße and Weender Straße. They can be ordered by phone ringing +49 551 693030. There is a basic fare of 4,50 EUR + appr. 3 EUR per kilometre.
A popular, slightly less expensive alternative to taxis is PUK Minicar which charges by the distance only. If you order one (+49 551 484848), please look for a red car, not the usual taxi yellow.
General Advice
Shopping and Money Matters
Most shops except for those at petrol and train stations are generally closed on Sundays and public holidays. However, some supermarkets in the city centre are open for a few hours on Sunday mornings. When you buy drinks in cans or bottles from a shop, you will note a deposit (Pfand) being added to the price. Supermarkets have special reverse vending machines where you can return the bottles. The machine will print a voucher that can be redeemed for cash at the register.
The official currency is the Euro. Although debit and credit cards are accepted in supermarkets and large restaurants, cash is still widely used, especially in small cafés, bakeries, and shops.
In restaurants and cafés, tipping is usually not included in the bill; it is customary to simply round up the amount or add 5 (to max. 10)% of the check. Often, change is just left on the table. However, tipping is entirely discretionary. If, when paying electronically, the host has preselected a default tipping amount (Trinkgeld) on the bill, you are completely free to change or uncheck this option.
Safety and emergencies
Göttingen is generally considered to be a safe travel destination. Although – if you have visited before – the town may appear somewhat more run-down than a decade or two ago, it is considered to be among the safest cities in Germany, with the southern and eastern suburbs regarded as the best areas. Serious crime is rare, but common precautions should be taken (e.g. avoiding walking alone late in unlit areas and keeping a distance from group gatherings). The current volatile geopolitical situation may also lead to protest marchs and other manifestations. However, the most dangerous thing to do in Göttingen is probably to step onto a bicycle path without looking. Cyclists ride very fast and are extremely territorial about bike paths, so stepping into their path is the surest way to make acquaintance with the (excellent) local health system (see below).
Emergency numbers are: 110 (police), 112 (ambulance and fire brigade) and 116117 (after- hours GP service for non-emergency medical problems). The state-of-the-art University Medical Centre (Klinikum) has an emergency department (Notaufnahme) as well as an after- hours GP practice (Bereitschaftsdienstpraxis) located in the same building. Please make sure you have appropriate travel health insurance if not covered by the European Health Insurance Card. Pharmacies (Apotheke) are easy to recognise by the large red stylised letter „A“. If a pharmacy is closed, there is always an address for the nearest on-call location posted on the door. Please note that common non-prescription drugs such as painkillers or antihistamines, differently from many other countries, are not sold at chemist chains (such as DM or Rossmann) but over the counter in pharmacies only.
Food and Drink
The congress will provide you with coffee and tea for the morning and afternoon breaks (except on Monday morning and Wednesday afternoon).
A self-service water counter will be provided by the municipal utility company. Please note that the tap water in Göttingen is of excellent quality and can safely be drunk.
You will be able to buy lunch at the Central campus dining hall (Zentralmensa) between 11:30 am and 2:30 pm. Cashless payment is accepted in all dining hall and cafeterias. The following payment methods are available to external guests: debit card, credit card, GooglePay and ApplePay. Menus can be consulted on the student facilities website.
Restaurants are plentiful especially in the old town (at appr. 10-15 mins walking distance). The tourism office has a current list (in German). Alternatively, the search terms “Restaurants Göttingen Innenstadt” should give satisfactory results on an online map.