Symposium Venue

The Symposim venue will be the Institute of Ceramics of the University of Santiago de Compostela. This is located close to the Faculty of Biology on the South Campus.

The University of Santiago de Compostela (www.usc.es/), founded in 1495 by Lope Gómez de Marzoa, is the cradle of university studies in Galicia. It is located in the two historical cities of Santiago de Compostela and Lugo, and now covers a total area of one million square meters with 82 bulidings. It offers 63 official degrees and 6 own degrees as well as a wide variety of doctoral programmes, Masters and specialist courses.

Travel

Santiago International Airport, 12 km from the town centre, is served by several airlines including low-cost companies (e.g. Ryanair, Vueling, Easyjet, Air Berlin) and by connections to the main international airports at Madrid and Barcelona. Other nearby airports are at A Coruña (60 km) and Vigo (75 km), and Porto (Portugal) is within ca. 2.5 hours by car.

AENA provides information about airports in Spain.

Accomodation

There is a wide range of accomodation options in the centre of Santiago. Delegates must choose and book their own accommodation. Below there is a list of establishments that cover different types of hotels, boarding houses and hostels. These and other options are available in TURGALICIA, in the Turistic Guide of Galicia or other web sites.

Galicia

Galicia is an autonomous Spanish community located in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula and sharing borders with Portugal to the south and the Spanish communities of Castilla and león and Asturias to the east. It boasts one of the longest and most unspoilt coastlines in the whole of Spain, and is home to what is probably the world´s best known walk: the Santiago Way.

The spoken languages are Galician, the local language that shares roots with Portuguese, and Spanish.

The weather is Atlantic, with mild temperatures throughout the year. The more mountainous parts of the eastern provinces of Ourense and Lugo experience significant frosts and snowfall during the winter months.

For Galician tourist information see TURGALICIA

Santiago de Compostela

Santiago de Compostela, with about 94,000 inhabitants, has been a World Heritage City since 1985. As the cultural capital of Galicia, the final destination of the legendary medieval pilgrim route Camino de Santiago, and a prime example of historical, urban and environmental regeneration, its uniqueness attracts thousands of visitors each year. There are many places to visit within the city including the cathedral, the Hospital Real, the Rajoy Palace, the Colegios de San Jerónimo and Fonseca, the Gelmirez Palace, the Plazas del Obradoiro, Quintana and Platerias, and many other historical buildings, museums, squares and streets.

Santiago, the capital of Galicia, is also a centre of institutional services, with a privileged location on the Atlantic Axis. The city has one of the most famous universities in Europe, with more than 500 years of history, and a large number of students give the city a unique ambience.The deep-rooted university tradition supplies innovative business initiatives with technological and scientific resources.

For more information...

Council of Santiago de Compostela
Santiago Turismo
Council of Lugo
Weather information

Climate

Galicia has a temperate maritime climate. The weather in Santiago is usually pleasant in spring, although rain is quite probable. The mountains, however, can be cold and wet. A raincoat and adequate shoes are recommended for the field trips.

For weather forecast visit METEOGALICIA

Currency and Banks

The currency is the EURO and banking times are 09.00-14.00 Monday to Friday. Some banks are open until 17.00 on Thursdays.

Shopping

Most shops and department stores are open from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 20:00 Monday to Saturday, but some do not close for lunch. Major credit cards are widely accepted.

Power

The electrical current in Spain is 220 volts, 50 Hz. Electrical sockets take 2-prong flat-pin plugs.

Language

There are two official languages in Galicia, namely Galician and Spanish. The congress language is English.

Hotels

	Single room	Double room	Breakfast
Hotel San Francisco (**, 83 rooms)	132	165	12
Gran Hotel Santiago (**, 143 rooms)	86,5 - 155	108 - 194	11
Hotel Hesperia Peregrino (**, 149 rooms-	50 - 110	50 - 135	11
Hotel Virxe da Cerca (*, 43 rooms)	65 - 105	75 - 115	8
Hotel San Lorenzo (*, 54 rooms)	48 - 72	60 - 90	7
Hotel Hesperia Gelmirez (*, 138 rooms)	80	95	8
Hotel Husa Universal (**, 54 rooms)	30 - 75	35 - 95	5

Prices per day in ?. (VAT 7% not included)

Bourding houses and hostels

	Single room	Double room	Breakfast
Seminario Mayor (126 Rooms)	28	44	3
Windsor (50 Rooms)	26 - 33	50 - 60	3,5
San Martín (7 Rooms)		36 - 40	2,5
Galicia (25 Rooms)	17	28 - 34
Paz de Agra (13 Rooms)	20 - 26	32 - 36
Maycar (40 Rooms)	25 - 34	39 - 61	3,5
La Estela (14 Rooms)	24 - 28	32 - 38
Almadraba (18 Rooms)	20 - 25	33 - 35	2,5
Campanas de San Juan (7 Rooms)	40 - 47	55 - 65	4,5