Practical Information

Paris, a city with an international profile 

Apart from being a major international conference city with modern infrastructure, Paris is recognised as being one of the most attractive cities in Europe and one of the safiest cities in the world.Paris is also a “small” city (downtown Paris, there are only 1,3 million inhabitants and the size of the city is twice smaller than the one of London; Paris is only 10 by 12 kilometers big), any place is close !  

For more information about Paris, you can visit :
http://www.parisinfo.com
 

Access Paris can easily be reached by plane, train or car, due to its location at the crossroads of Europe. It is served by two international airports (CDG and Orly) and a very convenient railway system. The shuttle buses from CDG airport arrive in front of the Palais des Congrès, which is also accessible through all Paris public transports.     

Reaching Paris is EASY from ALL OVER the world :

There are two international airports in Paris, one being the second largest in Europe for its traffic; Air France and KLM joined company are offering one Hub in Paris, one in Amsterdam which therefore allows easy connections from all parts of the world. Air France is strongly supporting the bid of Paris and will be the Official airline of the congress, thus offering special discounts to congress participants worldwide.

Charles de Gaulle airport (in the North) with its 7 terminals accepts all airlines and low-cost companies too; there is an annual passenger flow of over 65 million people (more than the French population in all).
This airport has direct shuttles to the Palais des Congrès, the anticipated convention site.Orly airport in the South of Paris is France’s premier airport : built in the 1950s’, it still is the favourite airport of the French people; domestic flights use this airport such as a few low-cost companies and airlines from southern European countries.

Thanks to the two airports (with direct flights from almost all over the world), reaching Paris, as you can see, is pretty easy.

Shuttles from the airports and express rails (one airport is located 15 kilometers South of Paris–Orly-, the other one is 32 kilometers North) are convenient and cheap.

Direct buses link the airport to the Palais des Congrès; departure every 30 minutes.
Trains depart both ways every 5 minutes enabling the flow of passengers, tourists and convention participants to reach the city in a maximum of 30 minutes.

There are also 6 train stations in Paris. The city can be reached by High Speed Trains (“TGV” in French) from most major European cities. We dare to say that there are 365 TGV’s in France, 16 Eurostar roundtrips per day link the French Capital to London and 28 Thalys to Brussels. Madrid, Frankfurt/Berlin and Milan will also be linked by TGV’s before the year 2014.           





Climate & Clothing

The weather in Paris in September is usually warm and sunny with daily temperatures ranging from 20°C to 25°C. Night temperatures may be milder between 12°C to 16°C.  

 City transportation

Because Paris is also a “small” city (downtown Paris, there are only 1,3 million inhabitants and the size of the city is twice smaller than the one of London; Paris is only 10 by 12 kilometers big), any place is close !

Convention centre and hotels are very close to each other; therefore a shuttle system from hotels to the venue is not necessary.

Metro

A fast and ever-developing means of transport, essential to the Parisian’s life, the metro is probably the best and quickest way to travel within the city.

Timetable: it operates from 5h30 to 0h30.

Information about the Metro can be obtained from the RATP Website: www.ratp.com   

 

 

 

 

Bus

Local bus service is also available. Although slower than the Metro or the RER at certain hours of the day (depending on the traffic), the RATP buses (green) are frequent from 8h00 am to 20h00. The services are more irregular after 20h00.

The Noctambus service (for night-birds) operates during the night: 10 bus routes lead from the heart of Paris.  

Taxi

Where can you find a taxi? At stations, airports and near main traffic thoroughfares in more than 470 taxi ranks. 14 900 taxis are in service in Paris. You can identify a free taxi by the light on its roof and hail it. There will already be an initial charge on the meter.

It is customary to leave a tip of up to 10% of the total fare.  

Cars

To reach the Palais des Congrès, exit the Boulevard Périphérique (ring-road surrounding Paris) at the “Porte Maillot”. The car park is under the Congress Center with direct access to the meeting. 

Bicycles

Paris provides you with an excellent Self Service “bike hire” system available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Multi pick up and drop off location allows you to pick up your bike from one service point and drop off to another. An unusual and pleasant way to discover the city!http://www.velib.paris.fr/      

Useful web sites

PARIS TOURIST OFFICE: www.parisinfo.com; www.franceguide.com     
MAIRIE DE PARIS : www.paris.fr 


RATP (City Transport Network): www.ratp.com
MAPPY (itineraries/directions): www.mappy.com
AIR FRANCE: www.airfrance.com
SNCF (French Railways Network): www.sncf.com
ADP (Paris Airports): www.aeroportsdeparis.fr 

Currency

ALL RATES will be given in EUROS: €  

Visas & Passports

Every person entering France should be in possession of a valid passport and/or identification card (except for members of the Euro zone). Some countries require a visa.
Please contact the nearest French Embassy or Consulate to your home for further information. 
You can get detailed information from the web site of French Ministry of Foreign Affairs at: http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/france_159/entering-france_2045/index.html