361 days a year Wacken is a small town with 2000 souls in the middle of Schleswig Holstein, Germany.
But for three days in August the population increases to 75000. Wacken is located 10 km north of Itzehoe and 50 km north/west of HAMBURG. Directions can be found at: www.uk.map24.com.

It´s important that all festival visitors obey the instructions of the stewards and security. We encourage you to carpool in order to cut down on the traffic and resulting waiting times. Save time and money!!!

Advice to all users of navigation systems: Only use navigation systems untill you achieve the signposted travel route. From then on you can trust our guidance-system. Much more important is this fact for your departure! Because then we are depend on the fact that not all of you hit the same freeway. So please follow our departure-advices, even if they look like a detour. Please use your navigation system not before you are on the freeway. At least this helps to prevent the traffic-jam in Northern Germany. ATTENTION: For the departure we use both freeway A 23 and freeway A 7as the rout toward south-direction.

Travel with your own car (from Hamburg):
Hamburg A7 towards Kiel; A23 towards Heide; get off at Schenefeld then follow the signs.

Travel with your own car (from Kiel)
The A215 towards Neumünster. Then follow the B430 towards Wacken (follow the signs).

Car Sharing Service to the W:O:A 2010

Here you find some links to car-sharing sites, until our own service is open again:

www.mitfahrzentrale.de - www.mitfahrgelegenheit.de

Rent a car:
You can rent a car at the Airport-Lübeck and also at the Airport-Hamburg. It´s the easiest way to travel to Wacken. From Lübeck you can travel directly to Wacken without the way over Hamburg. Here are the links to the most important Rent a car companies which have their stations also in Schleswig Holstein:

Hertz - Rent a Car (Sixt) - Europcar - Avis - Budget

Travelling by bus/train:
To Itzehoe by train. Here you get the Info of the deutsche Bundesbahn
Maybe it´s cheaper here: www.fahrkartenpartner.de or here Kartenfuchs.

Transfer from the airport Lübeck - airport Hamburg:
For passengers from Ryanair (but also for all other passengers) there will drive an airport bus from Hamburg to the airport Lübeck Blankensee and back. The bus will wait for flights which come too late to the airport so you don´t have to wait a long time. It will drive 1:15 h and cost 8,00 EUR (for one way). You can´t reservate!
Departure from Hamburg (Central bus station called ZOB) and from Lübeck will be in front of the terminals!

Transfer from the airport Lübeck and Bremen to Wacken:
If you should plan to arrive in Bremen or Lüeck airport and take the bus to the festival from there, please forward your arrival information to Metal Travel. They will collect and coordinate arrival times of all guests and provide busses accordingly. Return tickets and schedule information can be found under: www.metaltravel.de

You can also travel with the "TRAVELiner" (the company is called Autokraft): Lübeck - Bad Oldesloe - Hamburg Airport (driving 9 times each day in both directions). Departures in fromt of the terminall 1 and 3/4 - for more informations please call: +49 (451) 8 88 10 77

From airport Hamburg to Wacken:
From Hamburg airport there is a Metal Travel Bus the goes nonstop to the festival site. From the railroad station you are able to travel with local trains called "S-Bahn S21" and "S31" to the "Holstenstraße" to Remedy Records for a fee of 1,50 EUR. At Remedy Records you can purchase, also on short term basis, your ticket for the Metal Travel Bus at € 16.- oneway.

The Metal Travel Bus schedule and a pricelist you can find here

From the railroad station Hamburg to the railroadstation Itzehoe:
Every hour the trains drive from the railroad station Hamburg to the railroad station Itzehoe. Watch out: Times. From here you´re able to drive with the shuttle service to the festival area in Wacken.

Shuttle-bus to the railroad station Itzehoe:
Also this year you´re able to drive with a Shuttle bus from the railroad station Itzehoe to Wacken. Here are the times (also as .pdf - for downloading and printing!). You need the Acrobat Reader which you get here for free.

Travelling by bus:
There are many companies abroad, where you can buy bus travels incl. tickets for the W:O:A.
here is the list: Bus Tours Europe.

In Germany: Metal Travel Busses leave from Berlin, Bremen, Lübeck and Hamburg nonstop to Wacken:
Information under: www.metaltravel.de or tel.: +49 (0) 30 - 3236066

And BOCK-TOURS makes you an offer:
Travelling by bus + tickets, from Deutschland, Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland to Wacken.
Informations at:
Tel: +49 (0) 5442 - 80 30 65
Fax: +49 (0) 5442 - 80 30 67

Attention:
Cops usually control the main roads for drunken drivers & drugs!

No campground reservation for groups under 50persons neccesary!
There will be enough space for all visitors!