Coimbra — Portugal
Local arrangements
PPDP 2009 will be hosted by University of Coimbra. The University, founded as Studium Generale in Lisbon in 1290 by King D. Dinis I and relocated several times to Coimbra, was definitively transferred to the premises of Coimbra Royal Palace in 1537 by King D. João III. Built on the banks of the Mondego river, the the irreverent Coimbra of "fado" and students is an ancient city, full of history and tradition. The Joanine Library, a Baroque library, is a notable landmark of the ancient university. The Baroque University Tower, built between 1728 and 1733, is another ex-libris of this historical city.
Getting to Coimbra
There is no airport in Coimbra, so you must fly to Lisbon or Porto international airports and reach Coimbra by train, coach or car.Porto Airport (OPO) is a modern infrastructure, recently renewed. Several companies fly to Porto and Lisbon, including low cost. Lisbon Airport (LIS) is more convenient for intercontinental flights.
The distance from Porto to Coimbra is around 125 km (to the south) and from Lisbon to Coimbra is around 200 km (to the north). Although there are several daily buses connecting Lisboa-Coimbra-Porto, the best option is to take a train.
By train:
There are several types of trains in Portugal, the best and fastest
being Alfa Pendular (AP) and
Intercidades (IC), the latter not as fast but
still with just a few stops.
For timetables, prices and
purchasing tickets on-line, please check
AP
and IC.
- Arriving in Porto: there are several trains connecting Porto-Campanhã station to Coimbra (railway station Coimbra-B) in about 1 hour. The cheapest and possibly the fastest option to reach Campanhã station from the airport is to take Line E (Violet) of "Metro do Porto". It takes around 30 minutes.
- Arriving in Lisbon: trains leave from Santa Apolónia Station or Oriente Station to Coimbra (railway station Coimbra-B), taking about 2 hours. From the airport, you can take a taxi to Gare do Oriente (which is closer to the airport; it should cost around 10 euros) or a bus (this is cheaper; the ticket may be purchased from the driver).
By coach: There are several daily coaches connecting the three cities (Lisboa-Coimbra-Porto). The coach stations are not located in the airports so you must take a taxi or use the public transportation system to reach them (Carris, in Lisbon, or STCP in Porto). To find information about coach schedules please look at the Rede-expressos web site (in portuguese).
By car: The A1 motorway connecting Lisbon and Porto goes by Coimbra.
Visa Requirements
Portugal is in the
Schengen area (comprising
15 EU countries), for which foreigners generally need an entry visa.
You may check whether you need it in (e.g.) MediaVisa.net.
If you do need it, please make sure you apply for it well in advance
before your departure.
In the Schengen area
you may travel freely between member countries.
Accommodation
PPDP'09 will be held at the Department of Mathematics. Participants wishing to stay in one of the hotels offering special rates for the CSL09/PPDP09/LOPSTR09 conferences should contact the hotel directly and mention that they are "participants in the conferences CSL09/PPDP09/LOPSTR09".Prices indicated are per room, per night. Breakfast is also included in the price (except Hotel Ibis). Prices have been confirmed for the conferences, September 2009.