TRAVEL MEMO IFEX 2019 Strategy Conference & General Meeting Berlin, Germany 8-10 April 2019 Germany’s capital, and the largest city in the country, Berlin is the setting for IFEX’s 2019 Strategy Conference and General Meeting. The city is a lively and creative hub, a beautiful location set at the meeting point of the Havel and Spree rivers, and boasts universities, museums, creative industries, and historical landmarks. We are thrilled to be meeting in Berlin this year! We have put together this guide so that you can make the most of the opportunity to visit this amazing city. MEETING VENUE The strategy conference & general meeting will take place at the Maritim proArte Hotel Berlin located at: Friedrichstraße 151 10117 Berlin Germany Phone +49 (0) 30 2033-5 Email: [email protected] See map: https://goo.gl/maps/WxwRrMDua6G2 AIRPORTS Berlin Tegel Airport (TXL) is located just 10 km away from Maritim proArte Hotel Berlin, which is on the Friedrichstraße, the major culture and shopping street in central Berlin. You can travel from the airport to the hotel by public transportation or taxi. Public Transportation is an easy and fast way to get from the airport to Maritim proArte Hotel Berlin. A one- way bus fare for tariff zone AB can be bought from the driver for €2.80. Take the TXL JetExpressBus to Unter den Linden/Friedrichstr. Alternatively you can take the X9 JetExpressBus & 109 Bus to S +U Zoologischer Garten and change there to the S3, S5, S7, or S9 eastbound to Friedrichstraße. More information about Berlin’s public transportation system is below. Taxi services are available at Berlin Tegel Airport 24 hours a day and can be found in the inner ring of Terminal A at Gates 6–9 and outside Terminals C and E. The average fare from the airport to the hotel is €26.00-€30.00, depending on distance and time of day. More information about getting to and from Tegel airport can be found here: https://www.berlin-airport.de/en/ travellers-txl/to-and-from/index.php Schönefeld Airport (SXF) is located in southeast Berlin. It has a railway station that provides excellent connections (regional and S-Bahn trains) to Berlin’s centre and surrounding areas. Public Transportation: S-Bahn (urban railway) trains run every 10 minutes and serve Berlin city centre (S9). The Airport Express (RE 7 / RB 14) runs twice every hour. All stop at Friedrichstraße station close to the hotel. Be sure to purchase a ticket for tariff zone ABC (€3.40). Taxi services are available at Schönefeld outside of Terminal A. The average fare from the airport to the hotel is €45.00-€50.00. More information on getting to and from Schönefeld airport can be found here: https://www.berlin-airport.de/ en/travellers-sxf/to-and-from/index.php ★ Please make sure to only use clearly marked taxis parked at the designated ranks. Standard fares apply to all Berlin taxi drivers. In the rare event that no taxis are available at the airport, you can call for one at one of the following numbers: Taxi Berlin: +49 30 202020 / Würfelfunk: +49 30 210101 LOCAL TRANSPORTATION Berlin has a frequent and extensive public transport network of buses, trams, metro lines (U-Bahn and S-Bahn), and ferries which run all throughout the city and surrounding area. There are three tariff zones in Berlin, with AB being the tariff zone that covers the entire urban area within the city boundary, except for Schönefeld airport, which is in zone C. You can buy an extension ticket for zone C at machines if you have already purchased a day or week pass. Note that the fine for not having a ticket is €60, and tickets are regularly checked by plainclothes guards. For the AB zone, single journey tickets cost €2.80 (cash only). It is also possible to buy a ticket for unlimited travel for one day (€7.00) and seven days (€30.00). Tickets can be purchased at multilingual ticket machines on the platforms of S-and U-Bahn stations. On buses, fares are paid to the bus driver, and on trams at machines inside the trains. Before the journey starts, tickets must be validated by stamping them at the yellow or red boxes on the platforms, or on buses or trams. Day and week passes need only to be validated once. For more information about public transport in Berlin, please visit the VBB transport website. 2 of 4 REGISTRATION Registration will be held in the foyer on the 1st floor outside Saal Maritim I on: Sunday 7 April: Lunch time - 12:00-14:00 and Evening - 17:00-19:00 Monday 8 April: Morning - 7:30-9:00 Wednesday 10 April (for IFEX GM only): Morning - 8:00-9:00 AGENDA Download the Strategy Conference agenda INSURANCE & VACCINATIONS IFEX recommends that all participants acquire travel medical insurance for their trip so that they are covered in the event of needing medical treatment during the event or while traveling to and from Berlin. All participants should also ensure that their vaccinations are up to date and comply with requirements for any countries that they will be connecting through, in addition to Germany. VISA & ENTRY REQUIREMENTS Please check the German visa requirements that apply to you. Visa regulations Directory of German missions LANGUAGES SPOKEN German is the official language spoken in Germany, but English is also widely understood. Interpretation during meetings will be provided in Arabic and Spanish depending on the session. Please refer to the agenda for more details of what will be provided. WEATHER The weather in Berlin in April has an average daytime high temperature of 13°C, and in the evenings can drop to a low of 4°C. April is the start of spring in Berlin and is famous for its unpredictable and quickly changing weather (sun, rain, snow). It is a good idea to have a jacket and umbrella with you, even when day starts out sunny. CURRENCY The Euro is the sole currency of Germany. €1.00 = approx. US$1.13 Currency exchanges are available at Tegel airport, Schönefeld airport and at the Friedrichstraße station close to the hotel. ELECTRICAL SUPPLY The voltage is 220-240 Volts. In Germany the power sockets used are type F: 3 of 4 EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS Fire/Ambulance 112. Police 110. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION You can read more about Berlin to prepare for your upcoming visit here: https://www.visitberlin.de/en https://www.berlin.de/en/ https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/23/t-magazine/berlin-guide.html https://www.lonelyplanet.com/germany/berlin https://www.timeout.com/berlin LOCAL RESTAURANTS Peter Pane — Hamburgers and cocktails, vegetarian options https://www.peterpane.de Swing Kitchen — Vegan burgers in laid back atmosphere https://www.swingkitchen.com/en/ Anand — Reasonably priced Indian food for eating in or takeaway, with plenty of vegetarian options https://anand-takeaway.de Kantine at the Berliner Ensemble theatre — Buffet restaurant where you can “eat like a Berliner” in a cultural space, vegetarian options https://www.berliner-ensemble.de/en Friedrichstrasse Station Food Court — There are numerous fast food restaurants inside Friedrichstrasse station (which is just down the street from the hotel) serving Asian noodles, fried seafood, burgers, fish, and more. Dae Mon — Modern asian kitchen, hip fine dining in historical centre, open lat https://dae-mon.com/?lang=en Acht&Dreissig — Modern simple German food, nice atmosphere, affordable. https://restaurant38berlin.de/ Vapiano — Euro-chic chain for pastas, pizzas & more, ordered cafeteria-style in modern environs with a bar https://de.vapiano.com/en/home/ Einstein unter den Linden — Stylish cafe-restaurant with historic feel, framed photos, dark wood, plus booth & sidewalk seating http://www.einstein-udl.com/en/ Ishin Mittelstraße — Japanese restaurant with wood flooring serving sushi, fresh fish & seasonal vegetable- based fare http://www.ishin.de Nolle — Late night food, German specialities and pasta, outdoor seating http://www.restaurant-nolle.de/en If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with IFEX staff [email protected] We look forward to seeing you in Berlin! — IFEX 4 of 4.