Location
Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Coimbra (ISEC)/Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra (IPC), Rua Pedro Nunes, Quinta da Nora, Coimbra, Portugal.
Language
English will be the conference language.
Local TimeUTC/GMT + 1 hourThe Local Time is according to the Universal Time Coordinated (UTC)/Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
Climate
In general, the climate tends to be temperate all year, with long hot summers, mild springs and autumns, and relatively mild winters, although temperatures and weather conditions are marked by strong local differences. When you travel to Portugal visit the IPMA – Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera/Portuguese Sea and Atmosphere Institute website (http://www.ipma.pt/en/index.html) to prepare yourself to the trip.
Currency
Euro (€) is the currency used in Portugal, as in the most European countries. Banks offer normal currency exchange services and most establishments accept credit and debit cards.
ATMs - Automatic Teller Machines (Multibanco): Portugal has a national network of cash machines (ATMs) identified by the symbol MB (Multibanco), from which you can withdraw cash 24 hours a day.
Currency Exchange: you can exchange money at banks, which are open from 8.30 a.m. to 3 p.m. five working days a week; at bureau de change; and at automatic currency exchange machines (these are for currency sale transactions only).
Credit cards: in Portugal, the most commonly used credit cards are Visa, American Express, Diners Club, Europay/MasterCard, JCB and Maestro.
Tipping: tipping is optional, since the service is included in the bill. Adding 10% to the amount is regular practice in taxis, restaurants and bars.
Sales Tax
Sales Tax, VAT (Value Added Tax), is included in prices quoted. Visitors to Portugal who are not resident in any of the European Union member states can be reimbursed for the VAT paid on purchases that they have made in Portugal and are being transported in their personal luggage. For non-European Union residents, tax free shopping schemes are available in many shops, which give substantial savings to visitors.
Health
If you require medical assistance contact the local Health Centre. Hospital emergency services should be used only in serious situations (serious injury, poisoning, burns, infarction, thromboses, breathing difficulties, …).
In case of illness or accident while visiting Portugal, Nationals from the 27 European Union countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland are entitled to free or reduced-cost healthcare (the same benefits as Portuguese citizens). In order to have access to health services, citizens from the above-mentioned countries, who are not resident in Portugal, must produce their European Health Insurance Cards (issued by the origin country) together with passports or identity cards.
Health Requirements: people from areas where yellow fever is endemic will need to present the vaccination certificates.
Pharmacy: pharmacies are open on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. (some close for lunch from 1 to 3 p.m.) and on Saturdays between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. In every area you can find one that is open 24 hours. The symbol for pharmacy is a white cross on green background. They display an illuminated green cross outside when open at night. All pharmacies have information posted on the door indicating the nearest pharmacies that are open at night.
Emergency Number: in case of emergency call 112.
Local Opening Hours
Banks: banks are open from 8.30 a.m. to 3 p.m. five working days a week.
Post Offices: in general, post offices are open from Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central and airport offices have extended opening hours and may be open on Saturdays and in some cases also on Sundays. Stamps are sold in post offices and vending-machines in the streets. More detailed information about opening hours and services available at each office can be found on www.ctt.pt
Shops: Traditionally, shops are open from Monday to Friday, from 9 or 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Some close for lunch from 1 to 3 p.m. On Saturdays, shops generally close at 1 p.m.
Shopping centers: There are plenty of shopping centers inside and outside the cities that are usually open from 10 a.m. to midnight every day of the week. They generally have stores with the main international brands.
Traditional shops: Portuguese products can be found particularly in the streets of the older neighbourhoods of towns and cities.
Smoking
The Portuguese law, in accordance with Regulations of European Union, does not allow smoking in any public transportation or in any closed public areas (some restaurants and bars may have a designated smoking area).
Electricity
The electric current in Portugal is 230/400 volts at a frequency of 50 Hz and sockets comply with European standards (with two pins).
Travelling to Coimbra
Coimbra is easily accessible by highway or railway. It is located between Oporto (OPO) and Lisbon (LIS) airports and linked to main Portuguese cities by train or express buses.
By Air:
Portugal makes part of the network of the major international airlines, so it is easy to find frequent and regular connections from all parts of the world. The airports nearer to Coimbra are in Lisbon (190 km away) and in OPorto (120 km away).
Arrival Points:
Lisboa – Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport
Porto – Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport
Airlines and Destinations
ANA - Aeroportos de Portugal (Airports of Portugal) is the Portuguese airport authority and provides departure and arrival information on http://www.ana.pt.
From Lisboa (Humberto Delgado) International Airport:
By train: you will need to take the Metro (Underground) or to catch a taxi to Lisboa-Oriente railway station; the journey should take approximately 10 minutes and cost around 8 Euros. Trains to Coimbra run every hour and you should expect the journey to take approximately 2 hours. The price of one ticket in the Intercity train should cost around €25.25/€20.00 (Price 1st/2nd class) and for Alfa Pendular train should cost around €34.40/€24.10 (Price 1st/2nd class). For more information, please check Portuguese train company website: https://www.cp.pt/.
By express bus: you will need to catch a taxi to “Sete Rios” Bus Station; the journey should take approximately 10 minutes and cost around 10 Euros. Express buses to Coimbra run every hour and you should expect the journey to take approximately 2 hours and a half. The price of ticket should cost around €15.
Please, check the website of the express buses network to check the timetable and prices (http://www.rede-expressos.pt/).
By car: when leaving the airport you should take the A1 motorway to Coimbra and exit in “Coimbra Sul”. You should expect the journey to take 2 hours.
From Porto (Francisco Sá Carneiro) International Airport:
By train: from Porto airport you will need to travel to “Gare da Campanhã” (the main train station in Porto). It is recommended that you travel to this station by taxi or Metro. You will find taxis readily available at the front of the airport and the underground station as well. You should expect the journey to take approximately 30 minutes by taxi and about one hour by Metro. For more information, please check Portuguese train company website: https://www.cp.pt/.
Several trains run from Porto to Coimbra daily. You should expect the journey to take 1 hour and 10 minutes. The price of one ticket in the Intercity train should cost around €17.85/€13.75 (Price 1st/2nd class) and for Alfa Pendular train should cost around €23.00/€17.60 (Price 1st/2nd class).
By express bus: you will need to travel by metro (line E) until the “Bolhão” Stop (25 minutes). From there, you can catch a taxi or walk to the Bus Station “Garagem Atlântico”, Street: “Rua Alexandre Herculano” (8 minutes). Express buses to Coimbra run every hour and you should expect the journey to take approximately 1 hour and a half. The price of ticket should cost around 13 euros.
Please, check the website of the express buses network to check the timetable and prices (http://www.rede-expressos.pt/).
By car: when leaving the airport you should take the A1 motorway to Coimbra and exit at “Coimbra Norte”. You should expect the journey to take 1h 15m.