Venue & Local Information

SoCS 2022 will be held at Technische Universität Wien (TU Wien) located in the heart of Vienna, Austria.

More specifically, the venue is the "Freihaus", the green building at Wiedner Hauptstraße 8, 1040 Vienna, close to Karlsplatz, and all talks will be in room FH6, 2nd floor, green area. The registration, reception as well as all the coffee breaks will be in the green area in front of the lecture room - follow the signs within the building. Note that another, independent conference will be held in the same building during the same time. Everything outside of the green area does not belong to us!


About Vienna (Austria)

Vienna is the capital of Austria with a population of 1.8 million. It is very popular as a destination for conferences and conventions as it is easy to reach, has plenty to offer and is considered one of the safest cities in the world. All year round, Vienna is a leading tourism destination, attracting visitors with its historic city and numerous cultural attractions, such as museums, opera houses, concert halls, theaters, as well as architecture from several epochs. For those who like to enjoy culinary pleasures, Vienna is well-known for its coffee culture, which is best experienced at the impressive imperial coffeehouses, as well as its ”Heurigen” inns (local wine taverns) in and around the city. Vienna has a long academic history with 9 universities and hosts major international organizations such as the UN, UNIDO, IAEA, OECD and OPEC.

For further information on Vienna and Austria you can visit the following sites: www.wien.info, www.austria.info

Getting to Vienna

By Train

The main train station of Vienna is called Wien Hauptbahnhof (commonly abbreviated as "Wien Hbf", translating to Vienna central station). It is directly connected to the underground line U1, as well as many other bus lines. The majority of trains in Austria are operated by the ÖBB.

By Plane

The Vienna International Airport is an international transport hub and is conveniently located close to the city.

To get to the city center, you have the following options:

  • Train: There are two options, the "S-Bahn" and the more prominently advertised "CAT". Both stations are located next to each other. The ride to the city center by the S-Bahn takes a couple of minutes longer than on the CAT as it stops at more stations. However, tickets for the S-Bahn are cheaper. For the S-Bahn, you can buy a ticket (valid in two zones) at the ticket machines in the train station (€4.20 euros, including public transportation in Vienna). For an overview of all stops on the way from the airport to the city center, please see the schedule. For the CAT, there are separate ticket machines and one ride costs €12.

  • Airport Bus Shuttle: There are regular buses running from the airport to

    • Wien Dörfelstrasse/Meidling (with connection to underground line U6)

    • Wien Westbahnhof (with connection to underground lines U3 and U6)

  • The bus station is located directly in front of the airport arrival hall. Buses leave every 20 to 30 minutes. It takes around 30 minutes to get to Vienna by bus. Tickets (8 euros) are available on the bus or at the self-service ticket machines. Please note that the tickets are only valid for the shuttle bus, and not for public transportation in Vienna.

  • Taxi: The taxi stand at the airport is located in front of the arrival hall. It takes about half an hour to get to the city centre (approx. 36 euros).

Getting to the Conference Venue

Public Transportation

Vienna has an excellent public transportation system, operated by the "Wiener Linien".


The fastest way to get around in Vienna is by using the underground. The university buildings of TU Wien are in short walking distance to the underground stations "Karlsplatz". Wiener Linien offer a weekly pass for the entire public transportation network of Vienna at the reduced fare of €17.10. Tickets are available at every underground station.

The conference will be held in room FH6 of the Freihaus, Wiedner Hauptstraße 8, 2nd floor, 1040 Vienna, very close to the Karlsplatz with its underground station and the Resselpark:

Accomodation

There are several hotels within walking distance of the conference venue, for example:

Hotels

Hostels

Please also check out the major hotel booking platforms.

Lunch

Lunch is on an individual basis on your own. The easiest way to get some food and drinks is the Mensa (student canteen) in the same building just one floor below in the yellow area.

If you prefer something else, there are several restaurants closeby. Here are a few possibilities:

Conference Dinner

In the evening of July 22, we will have our conference dinner at Heurigen 10er Marie, a typical Austrian “wine restaurant”. This event is sponsored by the Mayor of Vienna, and a representant will officially welcome us.

The address of this Heurigen is:

Heuriger 10er Marie
Ottakringerstraße 222-224
https://10ermarie.at

A bus will bring us from the conference venue to this Heurigen. It leaves at 19:30 from in front of the main entrance of the Freihaus. Do not forget your dinner ticket, which you get when registering, and do not be late!

You can go back to the conference venue with the bus at 22:00 or - if you prefer to stay longer - also easily on your own by public transport. The Heurigen is well connected with underground line U3 (orange), station Ottakring, see the walkway below. Of course also Uber and Taxis are further possibilities.

Internet

WLAN is available essentially in the whole building of the venue (as well as in all other buildings of TU Wien). If you have an eduroam account, you should be able to directly connect with it. Otherwise you can obtain an individual username and password at the registration desk.

Concerning Covid

As in most other European countries, fortunately, the Covid situation has much improved over the recent months and, correspondingly, Covid regulations for getting to Austria as well as the regulations at the University have been substantially relaxed. This means we can celebrate our symposium (almost) without any substantial restrictions!

In essence, proof of vaccination/recovery or a test are no longer needed to enter Austria, see here for more details from our government. In all public transport within Vienna, however, you still have to wear an FFP2 mask, and a mask is also recommended by the University to wear within University buildings when getting together with others (but it is not mandatory).

We, the organizers, suggest to make a Covid test before the symposium if you have the possibility. In this way, our event might be a little safer for all of us. But we leave the decision on this to you and will not check.