EDOC 2011, 29th August - 2nd September in Helsinki, Finland | EDOC 2011

EDOC 2011, 29th August - 2nd September in Helsinki, Finland

The conference is located in Helsinki, Finland, at the university campus of Kumpula. (Note that there are multiple campuses; Kumpula is not the downtown one.)

 

Conference venue

The conference will be held in the Exactum building of the University of Helsinki, at Gustaf Hällströmin katu 2B. The main entrance to the building is on its southeast side, near Pietari Kalmin katu.

 

Travelling to Helsinki

 

Visas

Citizens of a few countries are required to have a visa for entry into Finland. Check the requirements here.

To and from the airport

The Helsinki-Vantaa airport is located about 25 km north of the city centre. The airport site has a summary of ways to get to and from the airport.

To arrive to Kumpula from the airport, you can optionally either travel to the city centre and from there to Kumpula campus (simplest, particularly if your hotel is downtown), or travel directly to Kumpula (shortest, but the route is slightly more adventurous). From the railway station it is about 5 km to the Kumpula campus.

When heading to the airport, please reserve enough time for check-in: the exact check-in times vary per operator, but for example SAS (Scandinavian Airlines), Air France and Lufthansa recommend 1.5-2h check-in time (Finnair slightly less). Please note that Helsinki-Vantaa is a reasonably busy transit airport.

Airport - Centre of Helsinki (Rautatientori, Central Railway Station)

Bus no. 615: Single fare from the airport is 4.00 EUR, and the journey time is about 35 minutes to the main railway station (see the airport bus line descriptions for further options). The bus ticket (type: regional, as the airport is outside the city) is valid for transfers within 80 minutes, so you can continue by tram or bus to the campus or your hotel if you prefer not to walk. You can consult the Journey Planner for the exact route. See "Local bus tickets" below.

Finnair bus : Single fare is 5.90 EUR, journey time is 35 minutes and the bus goes to the main Railway station like bus no. 615. But note that the ticket is not valid on any other means of travel (trams, other buses, etc.).

Airport taxi : The airport taxis (yellow minivans) have flat rates (27 or 37 EUR for 1 person/stop, less for multiple people) and leave when the minivan has enough passengers.

A "normal" taxi (yellow taksi sign on the roof) to the centre of the city from the airport should be about 40-45 EUR. All taxis have a meter and charge the same rate, and they accept major credit cards.

Airport - Kumpula

By local bus: The same fares apply as with bus no. 615 above. See the Journey Planner for a suitable combination of buses or take a taxi from the airport.

Centre of Helsinki - Kumpula

By local bus: A number of buses leaving from Rautatientori (Central Railway Station) pass by the campus; you can ask the driver if they stop at the "Kumpulan kampus" stop or, again, use the Journey Planner to find the perfect bus for you. A single fare ticket within Helsinki costs 2.50 EUR and is valid for one hour; see also "Local bus tickets" below.

From nearby hotels in the west: Messukeskus area - Käpylä - Kumpula

By local bus: Take e.g. the 506 from the Messukeskus bus stop (Joukolan puisto stop in Käpylä) towards Viikki. The Journey Planner can find you alternative routes as well. The same fares apply as when coming from the centre of Helsinki.

Local bus tickets

The public transport in Helsinki uses the same ticket for buses, trams, subway (metro), local trains, and the HSL Suomenlinna ferry (but not the JT-Line waterbus). You can change between transports without limit during the ticket's validity.

Within Helsinki, a single fare ticket costs 2.50 EUR and is valid for one hour. The airport is outside Helsinki, so to travel to/from it you need a regional ticket, which costs 4 EUR and is valid for 80 minutes. There are also 1-7-day traveller cards  available for your travel within Helsinki, although these are mostly useful if you take more than the default two trips a day.

You buy your ticket from the bus or tram driver, or beforehand from a kiosk (a blue-and-white-striped "R-kioski") or a ticket vending machine. Both kiosks and vending machines are available at the central railway station and the airport; vending machines are generally located near subway ("metro") stations. A ticket bought beforehand is cheaper, but note also that these tickets become active immediately when sold - i.e. you cannot buy them all on the first day. Vending machines and kiosks accept credit cards and cash. Note that the bus drivers only accept cash, and cannot handle larger bills than 20 EUR, so try to reserve exact change.

 

Helsinki attractions

Helsinki, the capital of Finland, is located on the south coast of Finland. It has a population of 561 000, but the cities in the metropolitan area - Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Grankulla - form an area with over one million inhabitants. Helsinki was founded in 1550 by the Swedish king Gustav Vasa. Read more about Helsinki at the Helsinki Tourism Website, the Helsinki Expert or Helsinki This Week. Or visit the Helsinki Expert Tour Shop at Pohjoisesplanadi 19.

Interesting places to visit downtown

Senate Square, Cathedral, Market Square and Market Hall, Sederholm House, Helsinki City Museum, Uspenski Cathedral, many restaurants and cafeterias, City Tourist Information, and Esplanade Park.

 

Finland

Finland (in Finnish Suomi) is a republic and a member of the European Union since 1995. Its population is 5.3 million and its surface area 338 145 sq. km. Finland has about 190 000 lakes and as many islands. Read more about Finland at the web sites of the Finnish Tourist Board, Virtual Finland, Finland.fi, Finland in Wikipedia, Wikitravel, the CIA World Fact Book and Statistics Finland.

 

Nearby attractions: St. Petersburg and Tallinn

From Helsinki, you can take a 4-hour train ride over the Russian border to visit St. Petersburg: see list of attractions, train schedules and fares. For most tourists to Russia, a Russian visa is required. You should apply for a Russian visa beforehand (from your country of residence). Contact your local Russian embassy for details. You can find some more information in English on Visitrussia.org.uk; the site is directed for UK residents.

In the south, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is only 2 hours away by ferry (a day cruise costs about 25-40 eur). Both Finland and Estonia are Shengen countries (see Shengen agreement). For ferry schedules and prices, see the ferry line site of your choice: Tallink/Silja Line or Eckerö Line or Lindaline.

 

 


Banner photograph of Helsinki from above by /kallu (see http://www.flickr.com/photos/kallu/), some rights reserved.

The HTML "program at a glance"  table design has been adapted from EDOC'2010 in Brazil. It and the program booklet layout are designed by João Paulo Almeida, some rights reserved.