The 2008 IRCOBI Conference will be held in Bern, the federal capital of Switzerland. Bern is situated in the heart of Switzerland, which in turn lies at the center of Europe. Thanks to its central location, Bern is easily accessible and a favorite starting point for trips and excursions to the Alps or the Bernese Oberland. The Old Town of Bern is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and invites you to enjoy the charm of the covered arcades, cobbled streets and decorated facades. The conference itself will take place on the campus of "Inselspital", the university hospital of Bern.
The conference hall is situated in the building "Kinderklinik" (childrens hospital). Use entrance 31B. Download here a map of the conference venue.
Futher city maps can be found on www.berninfo.com.
Access
Bern is connected directly to the international railway network, and is the only European capital visited by all three high speed trains: the TGV, ICE and Cisalpino. By plane Bern can be reached via the airport Bern-Belp or other Swiss international airports like Zurich, Geneva, EuroAirport Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg from which direct train connections to Bern exist (travel time between 1 and 2 hours; for timetables see Swiss Federal Railways SBB on www.sbb.ch).
Within the city of Bern we recommend to use public transport. The conference venue can be reached either by tram (Nr. 5, station "Brunnhof") or bus (Nr. 11 or Nr. 12, station "Inselspital"). A timetable can be found on www.bernmobil.ch.
Accommodation
Although the city offers a wide range of hotels we strongly advise you to book your hotel accommodation far in advance since September is usually a very busy period. Bern Tourism is informed about the conference and will assist you in booking your accommodation. In fact, Bern Tourism has arranged some pre-reservations at a selection of hotels (special conditions). You can access a special website by Bern Tourism to book those hotels by clicking here. Alternatively, please visit www.berninfo.com for contact details.
