Information about the surroundings
The city : With 79,048 inhabitants, Annecy urban area is the largest city of Haute-Savoie, nested in alpine mountains with a nice lake. Its Old Town is well preserved while its lake is the Europe’s cleanest one. The city was built in the XIIth century around its castle named Annecy le Neuf to differentiate it from the neighbouring Gallo-Roman town, Annecy le Vieux (Annecy the old). It became important in the XVIth century in succeeding to Geneva as a regional capital. Annecy is well connected by highway and railways to the neighboring countries of Switzerland, and Italy.
Tourism from Annecy : The Mont-Blanc summit can be reached by car in less than one hour. Annecy airport has frequent connections to Paris and some french towns. There are hourly train connections to Chambéry, Lyon. Flights to international countries are available either from Geneva (half an hour from Annecy) or from Lyon (one hour from Annecy). For those who want to combine the conference attendance with some sightseeing in Annecy or mountains, renting a car may be an interesting option. There is no need to have a car during the conference since there is a bus line from many hotels in Annecy (line #4). Public transport is cheap and convenient using bus lines. Tickets can be purchased by paying with cash in busses or credit card in some points of sale. Visitors can choose from a broad range of hotels, many of them being located in historic buildings in the city center. More information on accommodation can be seen in commercial sites. Fares range from cheapest hotels to palaces in front of the lake. For arrangements, attendees will use the online reservation system or other online booking services on the Web, which may offer considerable discounts when booking early. Notice that some rooms in halls of residence can be available for students.
The university With 12,500 students, a rich variety of multidisciplinary education and 19 research laboratories with an international reputation, the University of Savoie is an establishment on a human scale which combines proximity with its territories, founder membership of the University of Grenoble PRES and a wide perspective on Europe and the world. On its three university campus sites at Annecy-le-Vieux, Le Bourget-du-Lac and Jacob-Bellecombette, it offers particularly attractive living and studying conditions, at the heart of an exceptional environment, between lakes and mountains. The conference and workshops will take place in the Polytech building within the campus of Annecy-le-Vieux.
Climate: May is a spring month, with stable and unstable phases. Due to the location within the Alps, thunderstorms may occur and there may be some variation in temperature between 12 and 27 degrees centigrade (50 to 90°F).
Food: Many restaurants are available in Annecy. Annecy is the city where lives one of the big chiefs in the world (Marc Veyrat) and many restaurants provide high-quality food. Basic local cuisine focuses on cheese (reblochon, beaufort, …), sausages with white wine (diots au vin blanc), or tartiflette to cite a few.
List of possible hotels in Annecy :