Venue and Accommodation

Conference Location:  Latvia and Lithuania

Conference Venue

The conference will be held at the Academic Centre for Natural Sciences of the University of Latvia situated in the heart of Riga - the capital of Latvia with about 700 000 inhabitants. Heritage of 800 years old Gothic churches, built by founders of Riga, medieval buildings in the Old Town, exquisite Art Nouveau, as well as wooden buildings make Riga a true pearl of architecture.

Accommodation

Accommodation should be booked independently by each participant. The hotels in Riga are expected to be busy over the conference dates. The organizers therefore strongly recommend that you make your hotel reservation as early as possible (February-March) to secure your room.

http://www.latvia.travel/en/page/accommodation

Accommodation is not included in the basic registration fee, but we have reserved a limited number of rooms at student dormitories for economic travellers. This can be selected during the registration process and added to your invoice. Click here to book your accommodation (you need to be registered and logged in). Student dormitories offer triple rooms for 7 EUR/person per night. Basic kitchen equipment (stove, microwaves, fridges) and dining-room on the each floor's household area (no pans, pots, dishes included) is available, shared shower/WC for all tenants of each floor, NO breakfast included. Direct public transport connects dormitories and the conference venue. Booking possible only for the whole stay period (payment should be done also for nights you will not stay in a dormitory (e.g. pre-conference excursion).

Traveling

Riga is well connected both by plane http://www.riga-airport.com/en and busses http://www.autoosta.lv/?lang=en. Traveling from Riga’s airport to the city center is 30 min with public transport https://www.rigassatiksme.lv/en/.

Here are few guidelines about public transport in Riga and how to get from the Riga airport to the Conference Venue and Students' Dormitory (Burtnieku street 1).

Maps:

If you are planning to arrive from the Riga airport, please use the bus number 22. If you need to get directly to the Conference Venue, get off the bus at the stop "Nacionālā Bibliotēka" (the National Library) and then go by foot for about 650 meters. If you are going to the Center of the City or to the Dormitory, get off the bus at the stop "Autoosta" (The bus terminal). If you need to go further to the Dormitory, wait at the same stop for the bus 21. Of course, you can also use taxi services.

If you are going to the Dormitory from the Center of the City (from the Central Railway station or from International Coach Terminal), you can use buses 1, 14, 21 and 40. You will need to get off the bus at the stop "Zemitāna laukums" (Zemitana Square).

The only bus which goes from the Dormitory to the Conference Venue and back is the bus number 21. The stops you need to remember are "Nacionālā Bibliotēka" (at the Conference Venue) and "Zemitāna laukums" (at Dormitory).

The only bus that runs directly from the City Center to the Academic Center of Natural Sciences (conference Venue) is the bus 23. If you have chosen to use this bus, you need to get off the bus at the stop "LU Akadēmiskais centrs" (the Academic Center of the University). You can also go by foot over the bridge from the City Center to the Conference venue (about 2-2.5 km if measured from the International Coach Terminal).

You will need an e-ticket to use public transport in Riga – buses, trolleys and trams. Time tickets, group tickets and tickets for a certain number of trips are available. It is possible to buy e-tickets in ticket vending machines, kiosks of "Narvesen", "Latvia Post" offices in Riga and ticket trade outlets of "Rīgas satiksme".  The e-ticket is designed to register one person’s trip. If a ticket for several persons is necessary, then a group ticket for two or three persons should be bought. The price for one trip is 1.15 Euros.

When entering public transport – bus, trolley or tram, a passenger has to apply an e-ticket to an electronic validator located in public transport vehicles. When green light appears, everything is all right and the route is paid.

More information about the public transport in Riga (map of routes and stops; traffic schedules) you can find here:

https://www.rigassatiksme.lv/en/

Visas

In case you need an invitation, please contact Lauma Gustina (lauma.gustina@lu.lv). For those who would likte to participate in the post-conference excursion personal data will be asked by organizers, because a visit in EU borderland with the Russian Federation is planned.

Useful information

Travelling to Latvia, visas, customs procedures:
http://www.pmlp.gov.lv/en/
http://www.latvia.travel/en/article/travelling-latvia-visas-customs-procedures

Tourist information:
http://www.latvia.travel/en/article/discover-latvia
http://www.latvia.travel/en/city/riga-8