The conference venue in the impressive historic building of the Grand Arsenal, built by the Venetians in 1600s. The building, which has been renovated and currently houses the Center of Mediterranean Architecture, includes a modern amphitheater of 150 people capacity, as well as all dedicated areas for poster sessions, coffee break etc. It is conveniently situated just next to the old harbour at the center of the city of Chania and within walking distance of several hotels, and restaurants.
The picturesque town of Chania is located at the western side of the island of Crete, Greece. It can be reached easily by air, since the local airport of Chania is just 15km to the east of the city.
Images of Chania. The rightmost image shows the conference building.
You may fly to Chania, Crete from anywhere in the world directly via Athens, the capital of Greece. Another, not recommended option, is to fly to Heraklion airport, which is the largest in Crete, and then come to Chania by car or bus. The distance from Athens to Chania is about 300 km and the flight is just 40 minutes long. The airport of Chania is directly connected to Athens International Airport with around 10 domestic flights daily, run by Aegean Airlines. There are also other direct scheduled airline connections from major European cities as well as many charter flights. A dedicated web page on charter flights is available here. In particular Ryanair (http://www.ryanair.com/) has a hub in Chania and offers charter flights from many UK airports direct to Chania.
Chania International Airport can be reached directly with Ryanair flights departing from:
Alternatively, one may use the ferry-boat connecting Chania with the harbour of Piraeus (Athens) using ANEK Lines and the overnight trip takes about 7 hours.
Side visits
If you wish to spend a few more days in the island of Crete, before or after the conference, there are a number of excellent options for activities in close proximity to the city of Chania. Some of these are:
- Hike through the majestic Gorge of Samaria and finish after 6 hours at the village of Agia Roumeli.
- Climb the plateau of Omalos, just 38km south of the city of Chania
- Visit the lagoon of Balos, a national preserve with an exotic scenery, and pass from the islet of Gramvousa.
- Visit the impressive beach of Elafonini, a Natura 2000 protected area.
Several other possibilities are listed here.