SIEF2015 12th Congress, Zagreb, Croatia 21-25 June

QUICK GUIDE: GETTING TO ECSAS2016:
24th European Conference on South Asian Studies,
Warsaw, Poland
Polish Oriental Society (PTO) and Faculty of Oriental
Studies - Chair of South Asian Studies, University of
Warsaw
27 to 30 July 2016
Welcome to Warsaw, the capital of Poland, to University of Warsaw and ECSAS2016! ECSAS2016
academic activities will take place in the Old University Library (Stara Biblioteka Uniwersytetu
Warszawskiego) that is situated within the Main Campus of the University of Warsaw at
Krakowskie Przedmieście 26/28 in the historical city centre.
Getting to the University of Warsaw campus
Money and tickets
In case you have no Polish currency (i.e. Polish złoty/zł/PLN), you will find ATM machines at the
airport and the railway station. You can also use money exchange offices, called ‘Kantor’ in Polish.
It is better to buy public transport tickets before boarding. Tickets can be bought from ticket
machines, kiosks (news vendors) and in some shops. Please remember to validate/activate your
ticket once you begin your journey. In many (but NOT ALL) buses and trams, they can also be
bought inside from coin- or card-operated ticket machines. (Note: tickets bought inside a bus from
a card-operated machine are already validated and for immediate use only). Bus drivers usually do
not sell tickets but in case they do, you should have the exact amount of money. (Note: if you buy
a ticket from a driver, you still have to activate it).
For rides exceeding 20 minutes you will need a 4.40 PLN ticket (valid for 75 minutes and you can
change buses/trams/ local trains), for those up to 20 minutes it is 3.40 PLN. There are also 24hour tickets (15 PLN) valid for as many rides as you wish from the time of its validation.
For more details on public transport in Warsaw (timetable, fares etc.): http://www.ztm.waw.pl/?
l=2
From Warsaw Chopin Airport
1. Take Bus no. 175 from just outside the terminal and get out at the stop “Uniwersytet” just next
to the University main gate (~40 minutes journey depending on traffic).
2. Train: consult http://www.lotnisko-chopina.pl/en/access.html. We suggest taking SKM S3 and
then following instructions given below for arriving by train.
3. Taxi: Ele Taxi, Super Taxi and Sawa Taxi licensed corporations operate from the airport and can
be found just outside the terminal. The taxi fare to the city centre is ~40-50 PLN. In many taxis,
you cannot pay with card, only cash (złoty) is accepted.
Please AVOID taxi drivers soliciting customers inside the terminal and DO NOT take just any taxi,
because in most cases you will have to pay much more than you need (this also applies to travels
within the city).
From Warsaw Modlin Airport
Please consult: http://en.modlinairport.pl/ or http://www.ztm.waw.pl/?c=572&l=2
The easiest way is to take a bus (regular ticket 33 PLN). For more details please see:
https://www.modlinbus.pl/en
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By train
Get off at ‘Dworzec Centralny’ (Central Railway Station) in the very centre of Warsaw and go
upstairs to ‘Hala Główna’ (Main Hall).
1. Take bus no. 128 or 175 from the bus stop ‘Dw. Centralny 01’ situated opposite the railway
station, on the other side of the street, just next to Hotel Marriott (to get there, use the
underpass). You should get out at the stop ‘Uniwersytet’ next to the University main gate (bus ride
takes ~15 minutes depending on traffic).
http://www.ztm.waw.pl/index.php?l=2
or
2. Take a taxi from a licensed taxi stand, which you can find on both sides of the station: Ele Taxi
operates from the stand facing Hotel Marriott and Sawa Taxi from the stand facing Złote Tarasy
shopping mall. The taxi fare to the University is ~25 PLN.
Please AVOID taxi drivers soliciting customers and DO NOT take just any taxi.
Car
The whole of the centre of Warsaw is a paying parking zone (from Monday to Friday, 8am-6pm)
and the University main campus is located on that part of Krakowskie Przedmieście street that is
available only for authorised vehicles. It is very difficult to find parking space on adjacent streets.
Safety
Warsaw generally is a safe city and most likely you will not face any problem. Petty crime,
however, exists and travellers should be on their guard against pickpockets working bus routes by
the airport and the railway station. Please remember to use clearly marked taxis of licensed
corporations (a few names have been given above); you will find their list and numbers here:
http://www.warsawtour.pl/en/warsaw-essentials/getting-around/taxis-1728.html
What to do when you have arrived?
We recommend going first to your accommodation, leaving your luggage, sleeping off some travel
fatigue and then coming to the venue at a time when the reception desk is open (opens at 12:00
on Wednesday and at 08:30 on all other conference days).
If you have chosen to stay at a local hotel, hostel or AirBnB, the accommodation facilities should
have instructions on their websites as to how to reach them from the train and bus stations.
At the reception desk, the student volunteers will check if you have registered and paid your
conference fees, and if all is in order, they will hand you your book and badge. You can then go on
to enjoy the conference.
If the reception desk finds any financial discrepancies in your record (membership or conference
payment), you will have the good fortune of standing in yet another queue, at the NomadIT office
in Room 114 located on the first floor of the Old Library!
Reception desk locations and opening hours
The Reception desk will be located in the ground floor foyer at the Old University Library (Stara
Biblioteka Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego). Reception desk opening hours: Wed 12:00-17:45; Thu
08:30-17:15; Fri 08:30-17:15; Sat 08:30-13:45.
ECSAS2016 Conference office (NomadIT)
All financial arrangements must be dealt with in the conference organisers' (NomadIT) office in
Room 114 located on the first floor of the Old Library.
NomadIT office opening hours:
Wed 12:00-15:00; 15:20-18:00
Thu 08:30-12:30, 13:00-14:45, 15:00-17:15
Fri 08:30-12:30, 13:00-14:45, 15:00-17:15
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Sat 8:45-12:30, 13:00-14:00
Welcome buffet dinner
The dinner (19:45 on Wednesday 27th July) will take place on the premises of the New Warsaw
University Library, Dobra street no.56/66 (10 minutes' walk from the conference venue), either in
the Library's exhibition room or in the gardens, depending on weather conditions.
Other events
Please familiarise yourself with all the various upcoming ECSAS2016 events via the Events page on
the website (while the panels' programme can be found here), so that you can better plan your
stay at the conference.
Emergency contact details
During the conference, emergency messages should be sent to ecsas2016(at)nomadit.co.uk. A
member of NomadIT can be contacted on a local cell/mobile phone +48 579 299 574.
Wifi
You will be able to access WiFi throughout the conference venue: connect to network
uw.saconference using the password: ECSAS2016. Alternatively use your Eduroam credentials.
Making use of your portable device
Given that the programme inevitably changes after we go to press, we suggest using your portable
device to check the conference website. If you find the book a little heavy/inconvenient to carry
around, we recommend downloading the PDF or EPUB versions.
The timetable, the panel session grid and the campus map follow. Full information will be in the
conference programme which you can collect from the reception desk along with your badge.
Travel safely!
Yours,
James and Triinu
ECSAS2016 conference administrators
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