Congress venue
Technical University of Darmstadt
Registration, lectures and the exhibition take place across the city-centre campus around Karolinenplatz, with registration in S1|01 Karo 5, a short tram ride from Darmstadt Hauptbahnhof.
Darmstadt - A Science City in the Rhine-Main Region
MSE 2026 takes place in Darmstadt, officially a Wissenschaftsstadt - a City of Science - in the Frankfurt Rhine-Main region, where Jugendstil heritage meets a strong research culture. Home to the Technical University of Darmstadt and the European Space Operations Centre, the city is easy to reach, with Frankfurt Airport and its ICE hub about 20 minutes away, and rewards a visit with the UNESCO World Heritage Mathildenhöhe, leafy parks and a compact, walkable centre.
How to reach Darmstadt
Darmstadt sits right beside Frankfurt, one of Europe's busiest transport hubs. Frankfurt Airport and Frankfurt's main station are both about 20 minutes away, ICE and IC trains call at Darmstadt Hauptbahnhof, and the A5 and A67 autobahns frame the city.
By train
ICE, IC and EC trains call at Darmstadt Hauptbahnhof; Frankfurt is about 20 minutes away on frequent regional trains. DB Event Tickets are available for participants.
By plane
Nearest hub: Frankfurt (FRA), around 25 km away. The AirLiner express bus reaches Darmstadt in about 30 minutes, or take the train via Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof.
By car
The A5 and A67 meet at the Darmstadt interchange. Follow signs for Stadtmitte to the Schlossgarage car park at Karolinenplatz, beside the campus.
Around Darmstadt
Trams 2 and 3 link Darmstadt Hauptbahnhof to the Schloss stop in the centre in a few minutes. The campus and most hotels are within walking distance.
Stay nearby
Darmstadt offers a wide range of hotels within walking or short-tram distance of the venue. Book early, as 29 Sep - 01 Oct 2026 is a busy travel window in the Rhine-Main region and the DGM does not hold a room contingent. Frankfurt am Main, 20 to 30 minutes away by train, has many more rooms if Darmstadt fills up.
Please note: the DGM has no partner travel or accommodation agency for MSE 2026. If anyone contacts you offering to arrange hotel rooms on the congress's behalf, treat it as a fraud attempt and do not share payment or personal details. Official messages come only from DGM email addresses.
A few hours in Darmstadt
Travelling for a congress is a chance to see the city, too. These highlights are worth a detour before or after the program.
Mathildenhöhe
The Jugendstil artists' colony on the hill above the city, with the Hochzeitsturm (Wedding Tower), exhibition hall and the gilded Russian Chapel.
ESOC - ESA mission control
The European Space Agency's main control centre, where Europe's satellites and deep-space missions are flown. Public guided tours run on selected dates.
Herrngarten & Residential Palace
The city's largest park wraps around the baroque Residential Palace, a two-minute walk from the campus at Karolinenplatz.