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5th ENSEMBLES General Assembly

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Check the programme of the meeting (pdf version).
Map of social events and places.

General Information:
The 5th ENSEMBLES GA will take place in Santander, in The Magdalena Palace site (43°28′09″N 3°45′58″O), the former summer residence of the royal family during the first decades of the XX century and later, the headquarters for the prestigious Universidad Internacional Menendez Pelayo (UIMP) summer courses. Santander is located in the region of Cantabria, in North of Spain, 400 km North from Madrid and 100 km West from Bilbao (see the map below for more information; view a larger map with node details).


The parallel sessions on Monday and Wednesday (morning) will be held at the Magdalena Palace, whereas the Plenary Sessions on Tuesday - Thursday will be held at the Royal Stables, as shown in the map below (view a larger map).


Accommodation:
The organization has booked accommodation at a hotel near the conference site (see the map below). Special hotel rates per room and night, with breakfast and VAT included are (wifi connection is available at the special price of 6€/day; this can be directly reserved in the hotel reception desk):

To make the reservation at this special rate, you need to fill-in and submitt the following (Hotel Reservation Form). The deadline for special-price hotel reservation is August 31.

After this date, accommodation at regular prices can be reserved by contacting directly with any of the hotels from this complete list.

Travelling:

  • Santander airport (SDR) located 5 km away from the city center (see the map for more information), operated by the following airlines (click here to see all possible connections):
    • Iberia: Madrid (8 flights/day), Barcelona (3), Alicante, Sevilla, Gran Canaria.
    • Ryanair: Barcelona (Reus, REU), Dublin (DUB), Francfort (Hahn, HHN), London (London Standsted, STN), Madrid (MAD), Rome (Ciampino, CIA). Check timetables here.
  • Bilbao airport (BIO), located 100 km away from Santander (1 hour driving distance: see the map for more information), with many international connections (including Brussels, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Lisbon, London, Milan, Munich, Paris and Stuttgart; click here to se all possible connections). A taxi to Santander will cost around 150€. There are also buses from the airpot to Bilbao bus station, and from there to Santader.

    On Sunday 19th October, free buses from Bilbao airport to Santander will be arranged by the organization according to the arrival times. Pick-up point map

  • Ferry: Twice a week there is a ferry boat connecting Santander and Plymouth (UK). The trip last about 24 hours (Santander-Plymouth).

Turistic Information:
Cantabria is a beautiful region with many turistic attractions, including prehistoric caves in abundance (ten caves have been declared UNESCO World Heritage) and the naturalist's paradise of Picos de Europa National Park.
Santander, the capital of the region, is set on a tranquil bay with a pleasant summer climate and boasts a long and distinguished cultural heritage. Some of Santander's museums include the Maritime Museum of Cantabria, and the Museum of Prehistory and Archaeology. Beautiful and noteworthy plazas, such as the Plaza de Cañadio, create an excellent backdrop to enjoy pleasant afternoons drinking coffee and observing Spanish life. Visitors will also appreciate spending afternoons on Santander's beautiful beaches. In July, Santander has two main festivals: the International Festival of Music, Dance and Theatre and the Festival of Santiago, with fifteen days of celebrations and events.