VENUE

The location of the ICANN 2007 conference will be Porto, Portugal. The first and last day will be devoted to tutorials and workshops respectively, with the main Conference taking place from 10 to 12 September.

The conference will take place at Ipanema Park Hotel (Rua de Serralves, 124
4150-702 Porto, tel. (+351) 225 322 100, fax (+351) 226 102 809, e-mail: ipark@ipanemaparkhotel.pt).
 
ICANN 2007 conference will include a welcome reception at the conference centre at the end of the first day of the main Conference and a formal dinner at the end of the second day of it.

Porto is one of the oldest cities in Europe and is Portugal's second largest city, with 263000 habitants in 15 parishes and with 1600000 habitants in the Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto, of which Porto is the cultural and administrative Centre. Porto is proud to be known as the "city of work" and its population has a hospitable, dynamics and passionate spirit, which gives them a respectable and authentic image, with its typical north accent. Local food and wine are excellent, and in particular Porto is the home of Port Wine. The city has a rich variety of monumental and artistic heritage and offers many attractive sightseeing possibilities as the river Douro and its seven bridges, the Port Wine Cellars and Porto's historical centre that was awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in 1996.

Porto has an international airport ("Aeroporto Sá Carneiro"), with many international direct flights and with good connections to the centre of Porto by bus or by metro. All other public transports (train, bus, etc.) can also be used to reach Porto. It has an extensive network of buses, metro and a tram, which makes it very easy to stroll around the town. It also has train and bus connections to many tourist attractions in the region. Lisbon is three hours away by train, and all other major Portuguese cities can be easily reached either by car or by train.

Porto lies just to the north of a coastal Mediterranean climate zone that encompasses most of central and southern Portugal. Summers are typically sunny with temperatures between 16ºC and 27ºC but can rise to as high as 40ºC during occasional heat waves. Winter temperatures typically range between 5ºC during morning and 16ºC during afternoon, but can occasionally drop below 0ºC at night. Spring and Fall are smooth transitions between the neighbouring seasons. Rain increases in frequency between late September and late October, and becomes less common in mid April or early May. Note that Portuguese time is one hour earlier than Central European time.

Porto is a city of sports' champions. Football is the most important sport in the city. Top division champions FC Porto and Boavista FC are both from Porto. FC Porto won the UEFA Champions League twice, in 1987 and in 2004. Porto is also the birth town of Rosa Mota, a Portuguese former marathon runner considered one of the best marathon runners of the 20th Century.

If you want to enjoy your free time visiting the city of Porto or other places of its Metropolitan Area, you may use buses or metro.

You can buy an "Andante"-ticket at any metro station, which is a general-purpose ticket for metro, some buses, tram, funicular and some trains. It is a special ticket that you can recharge at any metro station. Additional information about "Andante" can be obtained in some metro stations such as "Casa da Música", "Trindade", "Campanhã".

Close to the Ipanema Park Hotel there are two bus stops (named "Lordelo") where you may take buses in two different directions:

Bus 204
Station at Hotel side: direction "Foz" (sea-side).
Station at opposite side: direction "Hospital de S. João" (via "Boavista"), stops namely at "Casa da Musica" metro station.

Bus 504
Station at Hotel side: direction "Norteshopping" (via "Fundação de Serralves" and "Parque da Cidade").
Station at opposite side: direction "Boavista", stops namely at "Casa da Musica" metro station.

Bus 200
Station at Hotel side: direction "Castelo do Queijo" (sea-side).
Station at opposite side: direction "Bolhão" (via "Palácio de Cristal"), stops namely at "Bolhão" metro station.

Bus 207
Station at Hotel side: direction "Mercado da Foz" (sea-side).
Station at opposite side: direction "Campanhã" (via "Palácio de Cristal"), stops namely at "Batalha" (near the funicular that goes to "Ribeira") and stops at "Campanhã" train and metro stations.

Ipanema Park Hotel is at about 3km from the nearest metro station - "Casa da Música" (about 30 minutes walking). In your first tour from Ipanema Park Hotel you may wish to take the bus 204 in the direction "Hospital de S. João" or the bus 504 in the direction "Boavista" and buy the ticket directly from the bus driver (1.30 €). You may leave the bus at "Casa da Música" and proceed to "Casa da Música" metro station, close to the bus stop, where you may buy your "Andante"-ticket and ask for additional information at the "Andante"-shop.

You may also exploit the Hotel neighbourhood by walk. The "Fundação the Serralves" (Serralves Foundation) is at about 1 km away from the Hotel and deserves a visit to discover the beautiful Serralves Gardens and the Contemporary Art Museum. Turn right when you exit the Ipanema Park Hotel and go along "Rua de Serralves" to get to "Fundação de Serralves".

You may also walk to River Douro by descending "Rua das Condominhas" (right in front of the Hotel) and walk about 1 km to "Rua do Ouro" (a street along the river). At "Rua do Ouro" you can catch the tram, which travels along the river, passing by the Port Wine Museum.

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