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OpenAIRE - COAR Conference 2014, May 21-23 Athens, Greece.

Open Access: Movement to Reality
Putting the pieces together

 

Venue

The Conference will take place at the Acropolis Museum (21-22 May 2014) and at the Cultural Center of the University of Athens - Kostis Palamas Building (23 May 2014) . 

Map for the Acropolis Museum (15 Dionysiou Areopagitou str.)

Map for the Kostis Palamas Building (48 Acadimias str. and Sina str.)

The two venues are a 15' walk from each other. Their relative location is shown on the map.

 

 

Accommodation

TBC

 

Getting around the city 

Taxi (yellow cabs) is relatively inexpensive in Athens. There are not many taxi ranks, but you can always hail a taxi on the street. Make sure the meter is running and ask for a receipt. Tipping is optional but very welcome.
There is a reliable metro network with three lines: the blue/line3, the red/line 2 and the green/line 1. The green line is the oldest (mostly overground; we call it the 'electric') and runs from the port of Piraeus to the northern affluent suburbs of Athens (Kifissia). The blue line runs from the Airport to the western working class suburbs of Athens (Agia Marina); the red line runs from the western working class suburb of Anthoupoli to the mixed eastern and southern suburbs of Athens (Elliniko). Follow the link for a map. Here is the Athens Metro website.
 

Places you can visit by metro (though almost all are within walking distance from the Acropolis Museum):

  • The Parthenon: the temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the maiden goddessAthena, whom the people of Athens considered their patron deity. The Parthenon is regarded as an enduring symbol of Ancient Greece, Athenian democracy, western civilization and one of the world's greatest cultural monuments (few minutes walk from the Acropolis Museum).
  •  Plaka:the old historical neighborhood of Athens, clustered around the northern and eastern slopes of the Acropolis, and incorporating labyrinthine streets and neoclassical architecture. Plaka is built on top of the residential areas of the ancient town of Athens. It is known as the "Neighbourhood of the Gods" due to its proximity to the Acropolis and its many archaeological sites (few minutes walk from the Acropolis Museum).
  • Thission (with a magnificent temple of Hephaestus plus trendy cafes and restaurants. Another place you have to visit if you want to say you have visited Athens.) (Thission station, green line)
  • Monastiraki (a rather touristy but picturesque flea market; also next to Plaka and Psiri—a recently reclaimed area of Athens with lots of restaurants, bars and street life) (Monastiraki station, green and blue lines) 
  • The impressive Archaeological Museum of Athens (Victoria station, green line)
  • Athens' Concert Hall (Megaro Moussikis station, blue line)

There are various types of tickets available. You can get a one-day travel card (4 Euros), but you can also get an ordinary ticket which you can use for 90 minutes on all means of public transport (except for the journey to and from the airport). This costs 1.40 Euros.
There is also a light rail system (tram), with two lines that connect the center of Athens (Syntagma Square) with some of the affluent seaside suburbs of Athens.

There is a dense network of buses and trolleys in Athens. For information, go to the OASA site (Athens Urban Transport Organization - click top right for English). You will find right there all the information you may need about routes, tickets and times regarding all means of public transport: metro, train, tram, buses, trolleys as well as information about travelling from Athens airport to the centre or port.
 

Banking hours

From 08.00am to 14.00pm Monday - Thursday. Fridays until 13.30pm. Closed Saturday and Sunday. There are plenty of ATM cash machines on both Kostis Palamas Building and Acropolis Museum areas.