The local organizing committee is making any effort to provide you with all the required information to facilitate your travel to Pisa, Italy, and your stay.
As you plan your travel, please check this page for latest updates.
This page contains information about:
For a better organization of your stay, please check also the pages about the conference venue and proposed excursions.
The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) does not issue formal invitation letters for visas to attend ACM sponsored conferences. However, ACM can issue a visa support letter. For visa support letters, please send all requests to the Office of SIG Services at supportletters@acm.org.
Please be sure to include all of the following information in your original email:
All this information is necessary, and omitting any of it will delay the issuing of the support letter.
Visa support letters are answered in the order they are received. You will receive a PDF letter by email within the 4-5 business days. Please note that ACM does not fax visa support letters. The PDF serves as a signed electronic version of the original letter which will be mailed to your current mailing address. If you do not receive the letter by post mail on time for your visa appointment, please print out your PDF letter and take it with you.
Please plan accordingly.
The main airport of Tuscany is named "Galileo
Galilei" (IATA code: PSA), located in Pisa: it is the first
option to reach the conference place.
As a second option, airport "Amerigo
Vespucci" (IATA code: FLR) in Florence provides convenient
connections to Pisa.
If you arrive in one of the two main Italian hubs, Roma Fiumicino
(FCO) and Milano Malpensa
(MXP), frequent domestic flies let you get to Pisa airport. Going
from FCO or MXP to Pisa by train is also possible, although more
complicated: you have to reach the main Rome/Milan train station
by transportation available at the airport, and then take the
train to Pisa (possibly you have to change train in Florence).
Arriving at PISA Airport
Pisa
airport, despite its small size, is an important hub for low-cost
airlines operating in Europe, with lots of domestic and European connections.
If you come from outside Europe, likely you have to pass through
one main European hub (Rome, Milan, Paris, London, Frankfurt,
Madrid, etc.); we suggest to carefully select your exact
itinerary, as the ticket price may change remarkably.
Pisa airport is just out of town. As you land in Pisa, the most
straightforward way to reach your destination is by bus: go
straight ahead out of the arrival gate to the bus platform and get
on bus "LAM ROSSA"; tickets, 1.20 EUR for a 70 mins ride, possibly
also on multiple buses, are available there at the vending machine
(or on board, for 2 EUR). Remember to stamp the ticket onboard at
the stamping machine. In 5 mins you will reach the main stop in
front of "Pisa Centrale", the central train station; from there
you can reach any place in town, possibly changing your bus, with
no need to stamp your ticket again.
Optionally, taxis at the airport are available as well.
Arriving at FLORENCE Airport
The
airport in Florence, a little bit smaller than Pisa airport, is
also well connected with lots of domestic and European destinations.
The airport is 7 km - 4.5 miles from the center of Florence. Pisa
is about 80 Km - 50 miles away, and can be reached by train. A
shuttle bus (ticket 6 EUR to be validated onboard) leaving from a
platform on the right just out of the exit doors, in 20 mins can
take you one block off the main train station (Firenze Santa Maria
Novella).
On average, there are three trains per hour to Pisa, taking about
1 hour 10 mins to get to the destination: check
train departures from Florence at the time you need (set
"destinazione" to "pisa" on the form). Train tickets, 8.10 EUR
each, can be purchased on place at the ticket office
("biglietteria") or at ticket machines in the station hall, or
online on the Trenitalia
portal (specify: from "Firenze S. M. Novella" to "Pisa
Centrale" at the desired date/time).
Taxi can be used instead to reach Firenze Santa Maria Novella
Station from the airport; going to Pisa by taxi is not recommended
because of the cost.
Once at "Pisa Centrale" train station, the main bus stop and
taxis are just outside the main hall.
Likely, the most convenient way to move across the town is by bus. Three main lines, named "LAM", connect the principal areas:
Bus tickets are sold in bars, tobacco shops, kiosks; vending
machines are placed at main bus stops. One regular ticket (1.20
EUR) is valid for 70 mins on any bus in town since the first
stamping aboard: no further stamping is required for the same
70-mins ride.
A 4-ticket book costs 4 EUR, and a 10-ticket book 9 EUR.
A daily ticket costs 3.70 EUR, and it is valid until midnight.
Pedestrian areas include the most touristic locations, like
Piazza dei Miracoli, upper part of via Santa Maria, piazza
Cavalieri, Borgo Stretto, Corso Italia.
Hotels in the inner part of Pisa are usually small ones, while in
the surrounding areas larger and more modern hotels can be found.
Hotels in the very centre
of the city are typically hosted in old/historic buildings, where rooms
and bathrooms might be quite small.
We recommend to make reservations as soon as possible, reasonably before
March 2016, so to be able to find
the most convenient accommodation for you.
Please note that a city tax of 2 EUR per person per day is always applied to every stay.
Hereafter we provide a short list of possible comfortable accommodations
in Pisa with guaranteed prices;
reservations can be obtained at the reported email addresses.
In the text of the reservation email you have to mention:
"SAC 2016 (COCES)" plus your SAC registration code.
Please check on
the hotels' websites for
included services.
HOTELS
|
||||
**** |
AC Hotel Pisa via delle Torri, 20 Pisa [map] |
LAST MINUTE OFFER: single room: 95 EUR |
LAST MINUTE OFFER: double room: 105 EUR family room: 140 EUR |
Business hotel on the east end of Pisa, just out of the city centre. Palazzo dei Congressi
(SAC venue) can be easily reached by bus (LAM BLU, direction Pisa Centrale, 10 mins). For reservations: acpisa@ac-hotels.com |
**** |
Hotel Repubblica Marinara Via Carlo Matteucci, 81 Pisa [map] |
single room: 74 EUR |
double room: 84 EUR |
It is placed just out of the city centre, along the same street of Palazzo dei Congressi (SAC venue), which can be reached in 10/15 mins by foot or quickly by bus (LAM BLU, direction Pisa Centrale). For reservations, by 02/29/2016: info@hotelrm.it |
**** |
Hotel Bologna via G. Mazzini, 57 Pisa [map] |
single room: -10% on best current price |
double room: -10% on best current price |
This hotel is placed in the historical centre of Pisa.
To the congress venue: by bus (bus to main
train station, then LAM BLU up to Palazzo dei Congressi, about 20 mins)
or by foot (20 mins). For reservations: info@hotelbologna.pisa.it |
**** |
Grand Hotel Bonanno via Gabba, 71 Pisa [map] |
single room: 87 EUR |
double room: 95 EUR |
This hotel is placed on the north-western side of Pisa, not far from the
leaning tower. The congress venue can be reached by bus (LAM ROSSA to the train station, then LAM BLU up to Palazzo dei Congressi, about 20/25 mins). A shuttle bus can be provided by the hotel. For reservations: info@grandhotelbonanno.it |
*** |
Hotel Verdi piazza della Repubblica, 4 Pisa [map] |
single room: 45/55 EUR |
double room: 85 EUR |
A small hotel placed in restricted traffic zone, between the very centre of
Pisa and the SAC venue, which can be reached by foot in 10/15 mins. For reservations: hotelverdi@sirius.pisa.it |