Symposium Dates

2nd COST 929 Symposium - "Future Challenges in Food and Environmental Virology"
7- 9 October 2010

Symposium Venue
Point Hotel Barbaros, Istanbul - TURKEY

Symposium Language
Official language of the symposium is English.

Climate & Clothing
Weather in October in Istanbul is pleasant and expected to be sunny.The temperature is around 20 Celsius degree. It is advised to get light dresses for the day time and jackets for the evenings.

Post Offices
Post offices are painted bright yellow and have PTT (Post, Telegraph and Telephone) signs on the front. The central post office is open Monday through Saturday from 9 AM to 5 PM.

VAT
Value-added tax is nearly always included in quoted prices. Certain shops are authorized to refund the tax (ask).

Safety & Security
The streets of Istanbul are considerably as safe as their counterparts in the United States or Europe.

Transportation

From Atatürk International Airport to the city

Taxi: Taxis are available around the clock and operate by the meter. The trip takes between 35 and 75 minutes, depending on traffic.

Bus: HAVAS Company operates regular shuttle bus transportation at half hourly intervals from 06:00 till 24:00 hours. The trip to Taksim takes between 45 and 75 minutes, depending on traffic .

Private Airport transfers: Please contact the Conference Secretarait and provide the arrival details.

Sabiha Gökçen International Airport to the city

Taxi: Sabiha Gökçen Airport is situated at the Asian side of Istanbul. Taxi's are available outside the terminal. It can be quite expensive if you intend travelling all the way to central Istanbul as the congress venue and hotels are all situated at the European side of Istanbul.

Bus: HAVAS Company services departs at least hourly from Sabiha Gökçen International Airport to Taksim.

Private Airport transfers: Please contact the Conference Secretarait and provide the arrival details.

Currency
The monetary unit is the "Turkish Lira"(TL), which comes in bank notes of 5; 10, 20, 50 and 100 and coins of 5, 10, 25, 50 "kuruş" and 1 "TL". At present (February), the exchange rate is 1 Euro ~2.1 TL. Facilities for exchange of currency are available at the airport, hotels, banks and exchange offices. Exchange offices generally offer better rates than other options.

Credit Cards & Cheques
Visa and Master Card are widely accepted at hotels, stores, shops and restaurants. American Express Cards and traveler's cheques are rarely accepted.

Tipping
Tipping in the more expensive restaurants is expected, with around 5 to 10 percent being the usual amount. Taxi drivers do not have to be tipped. Hotel porters will expect a tip of around 2 to 3 percent of the cost of your room.

Electrical Appliances
The electrical supply is 220 volts, 50Hz. The connection for appliances is European plug (2 pin plug). Visitors who have flat 3-pin or other plugs, are advised to bring an appropriate adaptor or check availability with their hotel in advance.

Smoking
Smoking is not permitted in air-conditioned eating places, public service vehicles, museums, libraries, lifts, theatres, cinemas, supermarkets, department stores and government offices.Offenders can be fined up to TL 100. In line with the efforts to improve the nightlife experience for all, there are smoking restrictions on entertainment outlets. Smoking is no longer allowed in all pubs, discos, karaokes, bars and other public nightspots unless within approved smoking rooms /corners.

Effective 1st January 2009, smoking is prohibited at:

• indoor public places e.g. shops, shopping/neightbourhood centres, factories, offices regardless of whether or not they are air conditioned
• in lifts and hotel lobbies
• within 5m of entrances and exits of indoor areas of buildings and facilities where smoking is prohibited
• playgrounds and exercise areas
• markets
• ferry terminals