All sessions of the meeting will take place at the Barceló Sants Hotel.
The hotel is located directly above Sants Train Station and has direct access to the AVE (high-speed train) and regular trains.
If the conference hotel is full, note there are many other hotels and hostels around Sants Station. Please, if you rent a tourist flat, check that it is legally registered.
Barcelona is a lively and cosmopolitan city offering many things to do, and it has made an effort to become a more accessible city.
Sants Station, located right below the conference venue, is a large transportation hub in Barcelona and combines a train and metro station.
If you are planning to use the metro and local trains (recommended) or buses we recommend you buy a multi-day pass with access to the airport, or a “T-Casual” metro card of 10 trips without access to the airport. Until March 2020 multiple people can use the trips in a T-Casual. Note the metro card also gives you access to trains within the city limits. The metro runs until midnight on weekdays.
Taxis in Barcelona are black and yellow. Available taxis are identified by a green light on top, and drivers appreciate but do not expect tips. Most well-known ride-sharing apps are not licensed to operate legally in Barcelona.
Violent crime is extremely rare in Barcelona, but pickpocketing is a problem. Please be mindful of your belongings, particularly in crowded areas, escalators in/out of metro stations, near tourist attractions, and on the train and buses coming from/to the airport. Do not carry your wallet in your back pocket, do not leave your phone or wallet over the table, and keep your bag on your lap or in front of you at any cafe/bar/restaurant. Beware of strangers approaching you, bumping into you, or blocking your way on purpose, as pickpockets operate almost invariably in groups.
The phone number for emergencies is 112. You can also dial 091 for the police, and 061 for health emergencies.
It is a well-known fact that people in Barcelona sleep very little :-) Most restaurants open 19:30-20:30.
Below we suggest a variety of restaurants to go for each one of the evenings/nights of the conference. They are in nice neighborhoods with many bars and restaurants that are easily reachable from the conference venue. We recommend you go by metro or train (same card works for both), as the metro runs until midnight on weekdays.
In many neighborhoods there are tons of excellent bars/restaurants within walking distance of each other. Most of these are small so do not waste your time walking around searching for an available table for ten people. And if you do not find even a small table, do what some locals do and stand for a little bit in a bar having a drink or some tapas, then move to another bar for the next one.
Plaça dels Ocellets is a good meeting point (5 minutes ride in metro L3 from Sants Estació to Poble Sec).
Plaça d'Osca is a good meeting point (10 minutes walk from the venue).
Placa de la Universitat for Raval and Eixample (5 minutes ride in commuter train R1/R3/R4 from Sants Estació to Plaça Catalunya, then 5 minutes walk) and Cathedral of Barcelona for Casc Antic and Born (same ride in commuter train to Plaça Catalunya, then 10 minutes walk) are good meeting points.
Note: the Raval area has many Halal restaurants.
Plaça de la Vila de Gràcia is a good meeting point (5 minutes ride in metro L5 from Sants Estació to Diagonal, then 10 minutes walk through a nice neighborhood).