General info

DATE
10 - 16 SEPTEMBER 2009

VENUE
The 13th ICUR / ICGR Meeting will take place at the Le Meridien Lav Hotel, which is situated on the Mediterranean coast in Podstrana, situated 20 minutes by car from the city of Split.

Hotel Le Meridien Lav
Grljevacka 2A
21312 Podstrana, Croatia

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE
English.  No simultaneous translation will be provided.

HLK (Croatian Medical Chamber) assigned to the 13th ICGR/ ICUR Meeting 20 credits for speakers and 10 credits for the participants!

REGISTRATION AND INFORMATION DESK WORKING HOURS
Thursday, September  10    12:00- 17:00
Friday, September  11          07:30- 18:00
Saturday, September 12      08:00- 18:00
Sunday, September 13         07:30- 17:00
Monday, September 14        08:00- 18:00
Tuesday, September 15        08:00- 16:00
Wednesday, September 16  08:00- 11:00  

SLIDE PREVIEW ROOM WORKING HOURS
The Slide Preview Room, located close to the entrance of the conference room, will be open at the following hours:

Thursday, September  10    14:00- 17:00
Friday, September  11          07:30- 17:00
Saturday, September 12      08:00- 17:00
Sunday, September 13         07:30- 17:00
Monday, September 14        08:00- 17:00
Tuesday, September 15        08:00- 16:00
Wednesday, September 16  08:00- 10:00  

Presenters are asked to check their Power Point presentations in the Slide Preview Room at least two hours before to the session (or the day before for the morning sessions).

TRANSPORT AND TRAVEL INFORMATION

AIR TRAVEL
Split Airport
21120 Split
Kaštelanska cesta 96, p.p. 2
Telephone: +385 21 203 555, +385 21 203 171
Fax: +385 21 203 422
Web:  www.split-airport.hr

The National Airline Company is linked to many European cities including Amsterdam, Vienna, Frankfurt, London, München and Paris.
The airport is located 40 minutes by car from Podstrana.  A taxi can take you to your hotel for around   48 €. 

SEA TRAVEL
The international ship line Ancona - Split – Ancona.  The sailing schedule will be posted in 2009, please visit www.jadrolinija.hr for detailed information.

RAIL TRAVEL
There is a train Zagreb – Split on average three times a day.  For more information please visit www.hznet.hr

CROATIA BY CAR
Follow the motorway A1 Zagreb – Split
Documents for entering Croatia:

• valid driving license
• vehicle registration documents
• Green Card (proof of insurance)

National Auto club of the Republic of Croatia
24 hour technical assistance, provision of information regarding travel on Croatia's roads and traffic conditions

Dial 987 for road assistance
Info center: + 385 (01) 4640 800
Web: www.hak.hr

TAXI SERVICES
Taxi's hired in street can be expensive and not always of the best quality. It is recommended to contact the company Shuttle Taxi. If you would like to organize a taxi pick up please contact Mr. Dragan by e-mail dragan@shuttle.hr  or by phone + 385 98 234 913 at least one day in advance.

BUS SERVICES
Split has an effective network of busses. Bus tickets are approximately 2,20 € one way from Podstrana to Split.

Croatia Airlines has a bus line that goes from the airport to the city center of Split to the Harbor Masters Offices at the address Obala Lazareta 1. The price of the ticket is 5 € and the bus leaves 15 minutes after the airplane lands.  
SPECIAL BUS TRANSPORT OFFERED BY ELITE TRAVEL – please see TRANSFER page

VISA
Citizens from Australasia, EU, North and South America are allowed into Croatia without a visa. Everybody else needs a visa which must be obtained before entering the republic - you cannot obtain a visa at any Croatian land border.  With questions concerning visas please contact the PCO or visit THE website www.mvp.hr

INVITATION LETTER
If you need invitation letter in order to obtain visa please contact Depol (PCO).
   
TIME
Standard time zone: UTC/GMT + 1 hour

CLIMATE
The climate of Croatia varies from Mediterranean along the Adriatic coast to continental, inland. The coastal areas have hot, dry summers and rainy winters yet the inland areas are cold in winter and warm in summer.  The coast benefits from refreshing winds in the summer and the mountain ranges shield them from bitter winds in the winter. Sea temperatures never fall below 10 degrees in the winter and in August it can be as high as 26 degrees, due to warm currents flowing north up the Adriatic coast.
To know more about the weather please visit www.meteo.hr

CURRENCY
The unit of currency in Croatia is the Kuna (abbreviation KN). Foreign currency can easily be exchanged at the airport or at exchange bureaus. The Kuna is approximately 1 EUR = 7,2 KN.

CREDIT CARDS
All major credit cards are accepted, including VISA, MasterCard and American Express in most shops, hotels and restaurants. ATMs are available.

SAFETY
It's quite safe to travel all over Croatia. You can safely walk in any town at night, but use your common sense, as always.

HEALTH
No special precautions are needed, no special vaccinations required. The hygienic standard in Croatia in general has a very high level.

ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES
The voltage in Croatia is 220 volts.

SHOPPING
Shops are generally open 08:00 - 20:00 on weekdays and from 9:00-15:00 on Saturdays. Many shops are open on Sundays as well. Most major shopping centers and supermarkets are open 8:00 - 21:00 daily.

INSURANCE
All participants are reminded that neither the Organizing Committee nor the professional congress organizer, Depol komunikacije, are liable for any losses, accidents or damage done to persons or private property. Participants and accompanying persons are requested to make their own arrangements in respect of health and travel insurance.

USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS:

• Country code is 385
• Split area code is (0)21
• Emergency number: 112
• Police: 92
• Fire department: 93
• Ambulance: 94