General Information
Download Second Announcement as pdf file
Official Language
The official language of the workshop is English; no simultaneous
translation will be provided
Venue
The XVI International Workshop of the European Helicobacter Study Group
will take place at Stockholm International Fairs, (Stockholmsmässan), which is
located in Älvsjö, south of Stockholm. The address is: Mässvägen 1, SE-125 80
Stockholm, Sweden. Tel: +46 8 749 41 00, Fax: +46 8 99 11 35.
The quickest and most convenient way of reaching the congress is by a
nine-minute commuter train ride from the Central Station. Take the train bound
south which stops at "Älvsjö".
Banking and Exchange facilities
Opening hours for the banks in the city are Monday-Friday
09:30-15:00. All banks are closed during weekends and on public holidays.
There are also a number of exchange offices in Stockholm, for instance at the
Central Railway Station, open daily 07:00-21:00. Ask the concierge at your
hotel for the location and opening hours of the exchange office closest to
your hotel. At Arlanda International Airport you will find the exchange
offices at terminals 2 and 5.
Climate
The average temperature in September is 10-15°C. We recommend you to
bring a sweater for chilly evenings and an umbrella and/or a raincoat in case
of rain.
For more details, see:
www.cnn.com/WEATHER/html/StockholmSweden.html
Check in / check out time
Hotel check in time is 15:00 or later. If arriving after 18:00, please
notify the hotel. Check out time is 12:00.
Credit Cards
Commonly accepted credit cards in hotels, restaurants and shops and on
Congress registration are American Express, Diners Club, Visa, Master Card and
Eurocard. Restaurants and shops generally display signs indicating what cards
they accept.
Currency
The Swedish currency is Swedish Kronor (SEK). Approximate exchange
rates (January 2003) are:
| SEK 100 = EUR 10.88 | EUR 1 = SEK 9.18 | |
| SEK 100 = GBP 7.45 | GBP 1 = SEK 13.41 | |
| SEK 100 = USD 11.6 | USD 1 = SEK 8.57 |
UCC Universal Currency Converter by xe.com
Electricity
The standard voltage in Sweden is 230 volts. Most hotels provide
110-volt outlets for shavers.
Official
Airline STAR Alliance
Star Alliance is pleased to be appointed the Official Airline Network for
the XVth International Workshop of the European Helicobacter Study Group,
2003 in Stockholm. Call anyone of our 14 member airlines and simply quote
your event code SK003S3 to get details on the Star Alliance
Conventions Plus fares and the participating airlines. You will find more
information on
www.staralliance.com/conventionsplus.
Shopping
The main shopping streets in the centre of Stockholm are: Hamngatan,
Biblioteksgatan, Drottninggatan, and in the Old Town: Västerlånggatan. The
shops are open mainly 10:00 - 18:00 weekdays, Saturdays 10:00 - 15:00. Sundays
closed except for the big department stores like NK and Åhléns, which are open
12:00 - 16:00.
Tax-free Shopping
Visitors from countries outside the European Union are able to reclaim
VAT on goods purchased in tax-free shops when leaving the country, either at
the airport or at the border.
The items may not be used whilst in Sweden, and they must be exported within
seven days of purchase. Look for the tax-free sign in shops and remember to
ask for the VAT reclaim form at the time of purchase. The shop assistant will
ask to see your passport.
Telephones
Pay phones are available at Stockholm International Fairs, both for
local and long distance calls. Credit card phones, indicated by a 'CCC' sign,
are available throughout the city and also at the congress venue.
Time
Sweden + 1 hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
Tourist Information
For tourist information on Stockholm and Sweden, please visit the
website: www.stockholmtown.com, or contact the Tourist Center on the lower
level of the Cultural Center/Kulturhuset, Sergels Torg 1. Open Monday-Friday
09:00-18:00 and Sat-Sun 10:00-16:00. Telephone: +46 8 789 24 90. Fzx: +46 8
789 2491. E-mail: info@svb.stockholm.se
For more information about Sweden, please visit the following Internet
sites:
www.stockholmtown.com (What
is on in Stockholm)
www.stockholm.se (The City of
Stockholm)
www.nobel.se (The Nobel Prize Archive)
Travel to, and in Stockholm
From Stockholm Arlanda airport:
Train:
The Arlanda Express is a train service that links Stockholm City with the
Airport. The train runs between a specially built platform at the Stockholm
Central Station and the Airport terminals. The advantages of this train are
numerous: Quick - only 20 minutes, guaranteed punctuality, extra comfort,
convenient, safe and environmentally friendly. The price of a one-way ticket
is SEK 180 (January 2003).
Please note that tickets for the Arlanda Express train from Arlanda to
Stockholm can be booked and paid for via the Accommodation and Tour booking
form. If tickets have been booked and paid for in advance, your confirmation
letter will serve as a ticket when presented to the train conductor.
Travel to the CHRO meeting in Aarhus
Skavsta - Aarhus on Saturday September 6,
2003 FR9405 (Ryan Air)
15:50 - 16:55.
Bus:
From Arlanda Airport there is a direct bus connection to the City
Terminal in Stockholm. The journey takes about 40 minutes and costs SEK 80.
You can also buy a combined airport bus and taxi ticket i.e. at the City
Terminal you change transportation from bus to taxi, which takes you directly
to your hotel. Ask the bus driver for more information. The bus leaves every
10 minutes from Arlanda Airport during peak hours (January 2003).
Taxi:
If you are intending to take a taxi from and to Arlanda Airport we
recommend that you use a company with a set price. The trip into the city
should cost no more than approximately SEK 400 and the trip from the city
centre to Arlanda Airport approximately SEK 450-500 (January 2003).
We recommend that you check the price with the taxi driver.
To Stockholm International Fairs (Stockholmsmässan)
The travel card “SL kort” is valid for bus, underground and commuter
train services in Greater Stockholm. (The travel card is not valid on the
Stockholm - Arlanda airport route). The quickest and most convenient way of
reaching the Congress centre is by commuter train from the Central Station in
Stockholm. Take the train bound south, two stops to "Älvsjö". Trains leave the
Central Station six - eight times an hour, and the trip takes approximately
nine minutes.
If you are planning to drive to the Congress centre, follow the signs for "Mässan Älvsjö" leading south out of Stockholm. There is ample parking space available at the Congress centre. Maximum charge is SEK 60 per day (January 2003), which can be paid with notes, coins or credit cards.
VAT refund
Swedish VAT may be repaid to foreign enterprises except banks,
insurance companies and companies providing health care. Refunds are available
for more or less all costs arising in business. Examples include travel and
hotel costs in Sweden. Envelopes will be available at the registration desk at
the congress venue. The relevant documentation should be sent after the
congress. Please note that VAT may not be recovered in respect of hotel room
charges paid to travel agents outside Sweden, that invoices and hotel bills
must be made out in the enterprise's name, that there are certain cash limits
applying in the case of entertainment and that wines and spirits carry no
entitlement to recovery of VAT.
Visa
Participants needing a visa for entry to Sweden are strongly advised to
make their application in their home country at least three months before the
intended date of travel. If in doubt, information can be obtained from your
nearest Swedish Embassy or Consulate or from your travel agency.
Facts about Sweden
Sweden has a population of 8.9 million, 85% of whom live in the southern half of the country. Swedish is a Germanic language and approximately 85% of the population belong to the protestant Church of Sweden. Average life expectation is high about 76 years for men and 82 for women. Since World War II, over 40% of the population growth has been accounted for by a net immigration of approximately 700,000 mainly from neighbouring Scandinavian countries, but also from other parts of the world. The Sami people (the Lapps), an ethnic and linguistic minority with reindeer herding traditions, have lived in northern Sweden for thousands of years.
Sweden is the fourth largest country in Europe with a surface area of 450,000 km2. Half of the country is covered with forest and less than 10% is farmland. Nearly 100 000 lakes dot the Swedish countryside, which is relatively flat apart from a long mountain chain in the north-west that reaches altitudes of up to 2,111 m (6,926 ft). There are thousands of islands off the jagged coast and the warm Gulf Stream in the Atlantic provides Sweden with a milder climate than other countries situated equally far north. Stockholm, the capital, is at almost the same latitude as southern Greenland but has an average temperature of approximately +10-15oC in September.
Stockholm - beauty on water
A first glance at Stockholm suggests that the city is floating.
Surrounded by water, built on 14 islands with one third of the city area that
comprises parks and woodland. Its location on the water and fascinating
history provide a unique setting the Stockholm archipelago which, with its
collection of 24 000 islands, is one of the largest archipelagos in the world.
Stockholm is an ancient city with a long and interesting history. There are many rune stones and other traces of the Vikings, though the city's official written history begins in the 13th century.
The original part of Stockholm, Gamla Stan (the Old Town), with its old winding narrow streets and ochre-painted building facades has a personality on its own. Its collection of numerous restaurants and art-galleries, some of which are nestled under medieval arches far below street level, provides for an extraordinary experience.
The city offers many attractive options for visitors. You can explore the
water travelling through locks and narrow canals, under bridges and past
tree-lined beaches.
Situated a mere stones-throw away from Stockholm's continental style
inner-city lies Djurgården's splendid parklands. Djurgården is also the home
of many museums, such as Skansen, the world's oldest open-air museum.