Practical info
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Conference Venue: Hotel Mona Plaza**** The conference venue is located at the corner of Cara Uroša and Solunska Street, where the first Serbian chocolate factory once stood, now stands the 4-star Mona Plaza Hotel. The perfect combination of contemporary design with the industrial and historical elements which remained from the sweet factory is a trademark of the hotel. Address: Street Solunska 21, Belgrade Pricing Prices do not include a city tax.
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Belgrade Inn **** Distance from the conference venue: 1.4 km, 20 minutes by walk Located in the very heart of Belgrade, about 200 m from the Republic Square and a few steps from the bohemian Skadarlija district, Hotel Belgrade Inn was built in 2016 and offers an on-site restaurant. Free WiFi access is provided throughout the property. Address: Francuska 11, Belgrade, Serbia Pricing
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Palace **** Distance from the conference venue: 1.5 km, 20 minutes by walk Only 202 m from the Knez Mihajlova shopping street and the Kalemegdan Fortress in Belgrade, Palace Hotel offers air-conditioned rooms with free Wi-Fi and 2 restaurants. Overlooking Sava River on the 6th floor, the Belgrade Panorama Restaurant offers fine dining accompanied by a musical program. The air-conditioned Classic Restaurant serves buffet breakfast and lunches. Palace Hotel features a TV and internet hall, a hair salon as well as a garage. Stari Grad is a great choice for travelers interested in nightlife, cafes and food. Address: Toplicin venac 23, Belgrade, Serbia Pricing Prices do not include a city tax |
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Best Western City Hotel Leiden*** (fully booked) Address: Lange Mare 43, 2312 GP Leiden, the Netherlands Prices do not include a city tax. Cancellation & Changes: Rooms can be changed or cancelled until 1st of April, 2019 without any charge. After this date, the total sum of the hotel reservation will be charged. Exceptions to these terms may apply, please contact the Conference Secretariat for details: info@issaconference.net.
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De Doelen*** (fully booked) Address: Rapenburg 2, 2311 EV Leiden, the Netherlands Luxury Single Room incl. breakfast: 104 EUR Prices include a city tax. Cancellation & Changes: Rooms can be changed or cancelled until 1st of June, 2019 without any charge. After this date, the total sum of the hotel reservation will be charged. Exceptions to these terms may apply, please contact the Conference Secretariat for details: info@issaconference.net. |
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Boutique Hotel d'Oude Morsch (fully booked) Address: Park de Put 1, 2312 BM Leiden, the Netherlands Delux Single Room incl. breakfast: 139 EUR Prices do not include a city tax. Cancellation & Changes: Rooms can be changed or cancelled until 1st of June, 2019 without any charge. After this date, the total sum of the hotel reservation will be charged. Exceptions to these terms may apply, please contact the Conference Secretariat for details: info@issaconference.net. |
Are you signing up for the ISSA Conference 2019, and do you live outside the European Union? Please note that you may need a Visa. Different rules apply to various nationalities! Requesting a visum takes time. So if you need one, best to apply before 30 April 2019, to ensure adequate processing time.
A short-stay Schengen visa will usually suffice if you visit the Netherlands for a maximum of 90 days. Visas must be applied for at your national Dutch embassy, consulate or representing consular Schengen office in your country.
Invitation Letter
To get a visa, you’ll also need to submit an official ‘letter of invitation’. We are happy to provide you with one, but do note that we can issue such a letter only after registration and full payment.
Please contact the Conference Secretariat for the invitation letter: info@issaconference.net
The following information has to be included in the invitation letter, please send it along when you are requesting it:
Name:
Surname:
Date of birth:
Passport No:
Issue date:
Expiry date:
Issued by:
Issued in:
Arrival date:
Departure date:
Accommodation name and address in the Netherlands:
Other information
https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/travel-and-residence/visas-for-the-netherlands/short-stay-schengen-visa/. Several (legal) documents may need to be submitted when you apply for a visa.
Addresses of Dutch Embassies and Consulates:
https://www.government.nl/topics/embassies-consulates-and-other-representations/overview-countries-and-regions
Directly download the Schengen-visa application form: https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/documents/publications/2017/01/01/schengen-visa-application-form
Getting there
By Plane
Visitors flying to Belgrade arrive through Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport.
Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport is located 18 kilometers away from the city center. Major airlines that fly to Belgrade include Air Serbia, Aeroflot, Qatar Airways, Turkish, Lufthansa, Austrian, Alitalia and Swiss International. Depending upon where your final destination is, there are several available options:
Public transport:
- A1 Mini bus (Airport – Slavija Square): Ticket price is 300 RSD if purchased in the bus, and approximate travel time is 30 - 40 minutes.
- PTC Belgrade Line 72 (Airport – Zeleni Venac Square): Ticket price is 89 RSD if purchased in kiosk and 150 RSD if bought in bus. Approximate travel time is 40 - 60 minutes. The bus runs every half hour from the bus station near the Terminal 1 departure level.
Private transport:
By Car
Please be advised that there are rigorous penalties if you exceed speed limit on highways. Some partcipants from neighboring countries may choose to drive. Please find the driving information below:
- From Hungary: Use the E75 highway (M5 in Hungary, A1 in Serbia). After crossing the border at Horgoš – Röszke, pass through Subotica and Novi Sad. It is a 2-hour drive from the border.
- From Montenegro: Use the E763 highway, also known as the Ibarska magistrala (M22 in Serbia). After crossing the border at Gostun – Dobrakovo, pass through Zlatibor, Užice and Čačak before reaching Belgrade. Beware of the mountainous road condition and possible road works. It takes about 5 – 6 hours from the border to Belgrade.
- From Slovenia and Croatia: Use the E70 highway when coming from Ljubljana or Zagreb (A3 in Croatia and Serbia). Enter Serbia at the Batrovci – Bajakovo border crossing, which is 1 hour away from Belgrade.
- From Romania: Use the E70 highway when coming from Timișoara (M10 in Serbia, DN59 in Romania). Cross the border at Vatin – Moravița and pass through Vršac and Pančevo. It takes around 2 hours to Belgrade.
- From FYR Macedonia: Use the E75 highway (A1 in FYR Macedonia and Serbia). Cross the border at Tabanovce – Preševo, and go through Niš and Kragujevac before reaching Belgrade. It takes about 4 hours and 30 minutes to get to Belgrade.
- From Bulgaria: Use the E80, and the E75 highways (A4 and A1 in Serbia). After crossing the border at Kalotina – Gradina, use the E80 to Niš, and join into the E75 there, continuing to Belgrade. It takes 4 hours to complete the trip from the border.
- From Albania: Use the Tirana – Priština highway, then continue to Niš and join into the E75 highway to Belgrade. It takes 6 hours to complete the trip from the first border.
- From Bosnia and Herzegovina: When coming from Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is recommended to go into Croatia and use the A3 highway to Belgrade.
- From Kosovo*: use E 80 highway from Pristina, pass Prokuplje, close to Niš turn right A1 / E75 and then continue along: A3 / E75 to Belgrade. It takes 4h 30 min to get to Belgrade
By Train
Belgrade’s main railway station (Belgrade Center Station) is located a few kilometers away from the city center. All national and international trains stop here except for trains coming out of Pančevo, Zrenjanin, Vršac and Timişoara, which stop at Belgrade with connection by BG Train to New Belgrade and suburbs.
Trains to Belgrade from other European cities are as follows:
- Budapest: Two daily trains between Budapest and Belgrade. InterCity Avala leaves at 12:05 from Budapest – Keleti station, arriving in Belgrade at 20:13. Another daily train, the Ivo Andrić leaves at 08:05 from Budapest – Keleti station, arriving at 16:32. In addition to that, the overnight train Beograd leaves at 22:25 from Budapest – Keleti station and arrives in Belgrade at 06:21.
- Ljubljana: One daytime train, leaving at 08:25 and one night train, leaving at 21:05.
- Podgorica and Bar: One daytime and one night train.
- Skopje: One daytime train, leaving at 08:20 and a night train, leaving at 22:14.
- Sofia: One night train, which leaves at 20:30.
- Thessaloniki: One night train which leaves at 18:30.
- Timisoara: Two daily trains (06:50 and 15:38). Need to make 2 train changes to Belgrade: from Timisoara – Nord station to Vršac station, and then from Vršac to Belgrade – Dunav station.
- Vienna: Daily train from Vienna – Hauptbahnhof at 09:12.
- Zagreb: One daytime train, leaving at 11:05 and one night train, leaving at 23:48.
- Kosovo*: twice a day bus is going from Priština to Belgrade, at 23:15 and 05:30
Transportation within Belgrade
The most convenient way to move in Belgrade is taking a taxi. You may also consider the public transport, which includes bus, tram and trolleybus.
- Taxi: Taxis are the fastest and the prices are lower compared to many other European cities. You will recognize taxi cars in Belgrade by their “Taxi” signs or by their license plates which start with “BG” and end with “TX”. If you are taking a taxi on the street, please ask the driver for price before you get in
- Public Transport: Purchase the BusPlus ticket from any kiosk in order to use public transport. Daily smart cards are available for purchase at newsstands, and are valid for 1, 3 or 5 days. The bus station close to the Yugoslav Film Archive Museum is Studentski Trg
Here you can find all the prices and validity periods of BusPlus cards: www.busplus.rs/lt/pocetna
*"This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSC 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence".
Belgrade (Beograd) is the capital of Serbia, and has a population of around 1.6 million. It is situated in South-Eastern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula, at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. It is one of the oldest cities in Europe and has since ancient times been an important focal point for traffic, an intersection of the roads of Eastern and Western Europe.
Belgrade is the capital of Serbian culture, education, science and economy. As a result of its tumultuous history, Belgrade has for centuries been home to many nationalities, with Serbs of the Orthodox Christian religion making up the majority of the population (90%). The official language is Serbian, while visitors from abroad can use English to communicate.
In the inner area of the City of Belgrade there are over 5,500 streets, 16 plazas and 32 squares. The oldest streets that have retained their original routes are: Vase Čarapića, Kralja Petra, Cara Dušana, Jevrejska, Narodnog fronta, Gavrila Principa, and Karađorđeva Streets. The development of the street network started in 1867, after the Turks had departed, when the regulatory plan of Belgrade was adopted, which had been drawn up by engineer Emilijan Josimović. In the territories of the 10 City municipalities, the oldest is the Student Square, and the most famous one is the Republic Square.
Knez Mihailova Street is a pedestrian zone and shopping center - protected by law as one of the oldest and most valuable monumental complexes of the city, with a large number of representative buildings and urban houses built at the end of 1870s.
High above the Sava and Danube confluence, on the rocky ridge which opens the view of Novi Beograd, Zemun and wide plains of Pannonia, there is the Belgrade Fortress with Kalemegdan, the former historical and urban center of Belgrade. Kalemegdan represents the most beautiful and biggest park in Belgrade, which is also the most important cultural and historical complex. The name Kalemegdan applies only to the spacious plateau surrounding the Fortress, which was turned into a park in the eighties of the XIX century. When the Fortress served as Belgrade's chief military stronghold, the plateau was a place from which the enemy was kept under observation and where preparations were made for combats. Its name derives from the Turkish words kale (fort) and megdan (field) - Kalemegdan.
Kalemegdan now includes the Military Museum, Cvijeta Zuzorić Art Pavilion, City Institute for Protection of Cultural Monuments, Zoo, a children's amusement park, a large number of sports fields, restaurants and so on.
Additional important sights in Belgrade are the National Museum, the National Theatre, the Palace of the Assembly of Serbia, the White Palace, "?" Café, Konak Kneza Miloša, Konak Kneginje Ljubice, Kapetan-Mišino Zdanje, Pobednik monument, etc.
Info about Belgrade
The following websites have excellent information on the city.
https://www.facebook.com/visit.belgrade
http://www.beograd.rs/cms/view.php?id=201004
Eating out in Belgrade
Here you may find information on resturants in Belgrade.
Climate and Weather
Belgrade has a moderate continental climate, with four seasons. Autumn is longer than spring, with longer sunny and warm periods - the so-called Indian summer. Winter is not so severe, with an average of 21 days with temperature below zero. January is the coldest month, with average temperature of 0.10C. Spring is short and rainy. Summer arrives abruptly.The average annual air temperature is 11.70C. The hottest month is July (22.10C). The lowest temperature in Belgrade was recorded on January 10, 1893 (-26.20C), and the highest on August 12, 1921 and on September 9, 1946 (41.80C). From 1888 to 1995 only six days with temperature of over 400C were recorded. The average annual number of days with temperature higher than 300C - the so-called tropical days - is 31 and that of summer days with temperature higher than 250C is 95.The characteristic of Belgrade climate is also Košava - the southeast-east wind, which brings clear and dry weather. It mostly blows in autumn and winter, in 2-3 days intervals. The average speed of Košava is 25-43 km/h but certain strokes can reach up to 130 kmh. Košava is the largest air cleaner of Belgrade.The average annual rainfall on Belgrade and its surroundings is 669,5 mm. The rainiest months are May and June. The average annual insolation is 2.096 hours. The highest insolation of about 10 hours a day is in July and August, while December and January are the cloudiest, with insolation of 2 to 2.3 hours per day. The average number of snowy days is 27, snow cover lasts from 30 to 44 days, and its average thickness is 14 to 25 cm.Mean atmospheric pressure in Belgrade is 1,001 millibars and mean relative humidity is 69.5%.
Currency and main exchange rates
The official currency in Serbia is dinar, abbreviated RSD. Money can be exchanged in all banks and post offices, as well as in authorized exchange offices, which you can find all around the city. The current exchange rate may be checked on the website of the National Bank of Serbia.
Exchange rate as of 13. February 2020 is:
1 EUR = 117.09 RSD
1 USD = 108.44 RSD
Exchanging money
Foreign currency can be exchanged at the airport or the front desk of your hotel. Local banks are open from 08.30 to 17.00 hrs from Monday to Friday. On Sundays only duty banks and post offices are open. All banks and post offices have exchange offices, and payphones.
There are also private foreign exchange offices throughout the city that operate between 09.00 to 18.00 hrs. The current exchange rate may be checked on the website of the National Bank of Serbia.
Electricity
230 Volt, 50 Hz
Plug type: F
Emergency numbers
These are the most important emergency numbers in Belgrade and Serbia. If you’re dialing from mobile, you might need to add the Belgrade calling code prefix 011
Police: 192
Firefighters: 193
Ambulance: 194
For phone information dial 988
News on the Keynote Speakers will follow soon!