Local Information

CPC 2010 will be held at Vienna University of Technology in Vienna, Austria.

Conference Venue

CPC 2010 will take place on the sixth (topmost) floor of the "new" wing of Vienna University of Technology's Electrical Engineering Building, Gußhausstraße 27-29, 1040 Vienna, Austria. This building is close to the historic city center and just a short walk away from Karlsplatz, one of Vienna's main public transport hubs, which is served by underground lines U1, U2, and U4.

The Electrical Engineering Building and the approximate location of the conference room on the topmost floor are highlighted on this map of the Karlsplatz area (larger size; note the orientation: north is to the right). The conference room is equipped with a video beamer. The venue is covered by a wireless local area network providing free Internet access. Network and user account information will be provided at the registration desk.

About Vienna, Austria

Vienna (in German: Wien) is one of the most beautiful cities and provides highest quality of living. Its famous historic center was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As the capital of the former Austrian empire Vienna played an important role in Europe for centuries, giving us magnificent buildings like the Hofburg and the Schönbrunn and Belvedere palaces. Today Vienna is the capital as well as cultural and economic center of the Republic of Austria and hosts major international organizations such as the United Nations, OPEC, and OSCE. Vienna is still regarded as the musical capital of Europe or even the whole world. Exciting concerts and impressive exhibitions attract tourists at any time of year.

See Vienna's official tourist information website.

Orientation:

The city map shows the historic evolution of Vienna: Circular streets passing around the city center reflect earlier city limits, and radial streets connect the center with the neighborhood in each direction. Well-known circular streets are the Ringstraße enclosing the historic city center and the Gürtel as an arterial road. All streets have names, and all houses in a street have mostly consecutive numbers that increase with the distance from the city center. Many signs on houses and crossroads tell you your current position.

Public Transport:

Vienna has efficient means of public transport. There are underground, tram, and bus lines as well as railways, all usable with the same ticket. A single ticket is valid for travelling one way (no loops) in one zone, where the whole city of Vienna is a single zone. You can change to different lines in the course, but you must not interrupt your journey. Single tickets can be purchased at a price of € 1.80 at ticket machines in underground and railway stations and at points of advance sale. Tobacconists (shops marked "Trafik") also sell tickets. Usually there are no ticket machines at tram and bus stops.

You can purchase tickets on board of busses and trams at an increased rate of € 2.20. Tickets must be validated at the begin of a journey. To validate a ticket, stamp it at the blue or red machines located at the entrance of underground and railway stations as well as on buses and trams. Tickets bought directly from the tram or bus driver (and some tickets from ticket machines - be careful) are automatically validated and need not be stamped. Apart from single tickets there are passes for longer periods of time. Passes are available for 24 hours and 72 hours (beginning at the time when stamped) and as weekly, monthly and annual passes.

Airport transportation:

The Vienna International Airport (VIE) in Schwechat is about 20 km away in the south-east of Vienna. Train lines S7 and S2 connect the city center with the airport. You need a single ticket for two zones (3.60 Euro) between the airport and any place in the city. To go from the airport to the CPC 2010 location you may change at Landstraße/Wien Mitte to the U4 underground line (towards Hütteldorf) and ride to the Karlsplatz station. The City Airport Train (CAT) is a slightly faster and more comfortable line connecting the airport with Wien Mitte (8 to 10 Euro one way). Furthermore, there are bus services to and from several places in the city.

The taxi fare to or from the airport is around 40 Euro. If you wish to book a taxi online ahead of time, you can try http://www.airportdriver.at/ or http://www.ck-airportservice.at/.

Parking:

At the CPC 2010 location (and everywhere around the city center) long-term parking is difficult. The entire area is a short-term parking zone from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 8 pm. You must fill in a prepaid parking voucher (Parkschein) for a maximum duration of 1.5 hours. On weekends and during the night parking is free in many streets. There are convenient Park & Ride facilities in the outer districts of Vienna.

Weather:

The average daily maximum temperature in July is 27°C and the average daily minimum is 17°C. There is a high chance of fair weather although rainy days are possible.

Time:

Austria is, as most European countries, in the Central European Time zone (CET) and uses daylight saving time (Central European Summer Time, CEST, this is UTC+2).

Safety:

Vienna is one of the safest cities. Nonetheless it is advisable to take care of valuables especially at crowded places and in public means of transport.

Telephones:

To call international locations, dial 00 followed by the country code. The country code of Austria is +43, and the area code of Vienna is 1.

Payment:

The currency is the Euro (€, EUR). ATMs are available at many places. Maestro cards are accepted in almost all shops, credit cards (mainly MasterCard, Visa, and American Express) only if there are corresponding signs on the door or cash register. It is customary to tip waiters and cab drivers up to about 10% depending on the quality of service. Advertised prices include all taxes (VAT of 10% or 20% depending on the product type).

Data About Austria:

Austria has a population of about 8.3 million on an area of 83,872 km². Its terrain is largely mountainous due to the presence of the Alps. The majority of the population speaks German which is the official language. Austria is composed of nine federal states. It is a member of the European Union and belongs to the Schengen Area (no border controls within this area).

Data About Vienna:

Vienna has a population of about 1.7 million on an area of 414.9 km². It is located at the easternmost extension of the Alps in the Vienna Basin. The Danube River flows through the northern part of Vienna; only a small branch (Danube canal) touches the city center. Vienna is a federal state of Austria composed of 23 districts.