Venue
The workshop talks take place at Residència d'Investigadors, in the old town of central Barcelona, Spain. The school, held on the first day of the event (18 May) will be held in the nearby La Real Academia de Ciencies i Arts de Barcelona.
Accommodation
There are numerous hotels and hostels both in Barcelona as well as in its outskirts, and we encourage the participants to find their own preferred accommodation. While May is not yet peak season in Barcelona, the town is a very popular tourist destination, and we strongly recommend participants to book both their travel as well as the accommodation well in advance.
While accommodation in the center of the city tends to be on the expensive side, more affordable accommodation can be found eg. to the direction of the adjacent cities of Badalona and L'hospitalet de Llobregat, still within a reasonable travel time to the conference venue and well connected by metro and other methods of public transportation.
Travel Information
Flights: Barcelona is a major hub served by the Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport located close to the city. There are numerous daily flights to Barcelona from around the world. Website. Please ensure from your local authorities you have the correct Visas and documentation to travel. Should you need a Visa, see here for information on how to obtain one with Spain as your primary destination. Note that the application process may last up to several months.
Train: For those looking to travel by land, Barcelona is also served by high-speed long-distance trains from various destinations in France and the rest of Spain, with the main long-distance train station being Barcelona Sants.
Bus: Barcelona is served by some long-distance buses to Spain as well as the rest of Europe, especially France. The main bus stations are Barcelona Sants and Barcelona Nord.
Local Transportation: Public transportation is frequent and generally reliable, with trains running from early morning to midnight on weekdays, and the metro running through the night on weekends. The airport is served by the lines L9 (metro) and R2 (rodalies commuter train), with the travel time to the old town being ca. 45--60 minutes. There are also airport buses (A1, A2) that are separate from the general public transportation. The conference venue is within a short walking distance (ca. 5 minutes) from the stations of Liceu (metro line L3) and Sant Antoni (metro line L2), and a slightly longer walking distance (ca. 10 minutes) from one of the main squares of the city, Plaça Catalunya, with numerous connections to train and metro lines and buses.
At the time of writing, an unlimited monthly T-usual travel pass to 'Zone 1' (Barcelona, its very immediate surroundings, including the airport) costs ca. 22 euros, and is a good option in many cases, despite its lengthy duration. It can be used on the metro, buses, and the trains, as well as some of the funiculars in the city. Single one-way tickets to the airport cost ca. 6 euros, and a 10-trip T-casual pass for 'Zone 1' not covering the airport (but otherwise also valid on trains, metro, and the buses) costs ca. 14 euros. The Hola Barcelona cards aimed at tourists are typically only a good option for stays of less than 48 hours. For those looking to travel outside Barcelona and its very closest neighbouring cities, there are number of commuter train lines. For the Rodalies trains run by RENFE, there currently exists an 'Abono Bonificado Mensual' pass for 20 euros / month, allowing unlimited travel on the Barcelona-based Rodalies lines (R1, R2, R3, R4, R7, R8) across large parts of the province.
The current map of the metro and train lines can be found here.
Tourist information
Barcelona is a large metropolitan hub with over 5 million people living in its metro area. It is the capital of the autonomous province of Catalonia, and located on the Mediterranean coast. The city is also a major tourist destination with a long history starting from the Roman times, and the site of the Works of Antoni Gaudí UNESCO world heritage site consisting of numerous architecturally important buildings, including the Sagrada Familia church being constructed in the city. There are ample opportunities for shopping and dining in a city the size of Barcelona.
Please mind your belongings. Avoid leaving your laptop unattended when having a coffee, don't keep your phone, wallet, passport, or other valuables in your back pockets, and so on. Partly due to its tourist-attracting status, Barcelona has a lot of pickpockets, and being mindful particularly, but not exclusively, while in crowded areas (such as the surroundings of the conference venue), and at night, is necessary.
The conference venue is adjacent to the Gothic quarter (Barri Gòtic) of Barcelona, famous for its old buildings and narrow streets. It is relatively close to the beach of Barceloneta, although the water temperature of the Mediterranean sea in May is likely still below 20C, as well as to the Montjuïc hill, featuring botanical gardens and a castle, and the extensive Parc de la Ciutadella.
Away from the city, there are numerous spots for a wide range of recreational activities. To list a few, the Collserola natural park and the Tibidabo mountain in it overlook the city and are accessible by metro and buses for shorter hikes. The famous Montserrat and the monastery on it as well as the Sant Llorenç del Munt i l'Obac and Montseny national parks offer possibilties for more extended hiking opportunities around an hour from the city by train. The coast towards both South and North from the city is full of seaside towns and impressive vistas, notable examples including the town of Sitges to South and the Costa Brava to North. Further away from the city, the towns of Girona and Tarragona are popular day trip destinations famous for their history.
Weather in late May is typically pleasant, with daytime highs of 20--25C and nighttime lows of 15--20C.
The Catalan and Spanish languages are spoken by local people, but due to its status as a major tourist hub, English is also widely spoken and understood in the city.
The Montserrat mountain
Coastline near Sitges
