Jul 5 – 11, 2020
Portorož
Europe/Ljubljana timezone
05 - 11 July 2020, Portorož, Slovenia

LOCATION, TRAVEL

LOCATION

Congress centre Bernardin in Portorož is neatly located at the outskirts of the picturesque city of Piran, with rich history and romantic medieval streets. Simultaneously, east of the congress centre, awaits Portorož with its touristic vibe.

The  average  July  air  temperature  is  23°C,  when  daytime  temperatures  are  28°C  and  the nights are cool at 17°C. The sea borders the whole municipality and with its average July sea temperature of 24°C offer a pleasant relaxation during the whole summer.

 

Piran and Portorož are conveniently located in northern Istria, with major attractions close by. Romantic souls will enjoy a boat ride to Venice and back in a day, history and city lovers will be able to reach Trieste, Ljubljana, Pula and Rijeka within an hour, while the whole of Slovenia, Istria and the Karst area in all three countries (Slovenia, Croatia and Italy) offer an endless number of adventure and outdoor tourism options. One of the last active salt-pans, the  largest  Adriatic  flysch  cliffs,  the  cradle  of  the  Lipizzan  horses,  the  UNESCO  protected Škocjan caves, the world-famous Postojna cave, which you visit with a train, and endless other locations await you just a short ride away from Portorož and Piran.


TRAVEL

Access to Portorož and Piran and possible through a number of different routes.

By car

The central location of Slovenia and the congress venue enable an easy access by car from a number of different European countries. Within a 500 km radius lie the capitals of Italy, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Hungary, Slovak Republic, Czech Republic and Austria.

A motorway system enables short travel times from

  • Vienna (5 hrs)
  • Venice (2 hrs)
  • Zagreb (2.5 hrs)
  • Budapest (5 hrs)
  • Bratislava (5.5 hrs)
  • Prague (8 hrs)
  • Belgrade (6 hrs)
  • etc.

By plane

There are a few airports in the vicinity, which enable good connections to Europe and beyond. Trieste, Venice, Pula and Ljubljana airports are all close by, while low-cost airlines operate on three of them (Trieste, Venice Treviso and Pula).

A well-organised shuttle service decreases the time and costs of transport from (and to) airports. Congress organisers have made arrangements with the GoOpti company, which offered special transfer prices for congress participants.

By train

Koper can be reached by train via Ljubljana, where international trains stop. Germany, Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Switzerland are all connected with direct routes with Ljubljana, where you can board a train to Koper. Between Koper and the congress venue run local buses connecting the three cities of Slovene coastline.

A ride from Munich to Koper starts at € 40, while you can even reach Koper by train from Frankfurt for € 70.


ACCOMMODATION FACILITIES

St Bernardin resort

St Bernardin resort includes 3 hotels (GH Bernardin*****, Hotel Histrion**** and Hotel Vile Park***) and apartments Barka***. It is also the place, where all the congress events will take place. 

Indoor and outdoor swimming pools, 6 tennis courts, water sports centre, PADI scuba diving school, basketball and volleyball courts can all be found and used within the resort. Numerous bars and restaurants provide a diverse selection of food and drinks, while the Paradise Spa in GH Bernardin and Wellness Histrion in H Histrion round out the resort’s offer.

The congress prices start from €78 per person per night and resort's capacity surpasses 1,000 beds. 

The offer for guests includes: 

  • bed and self-service breakfast in a selected hotel
  • welcome package
  • free entry to pools and hotel beaches
  • free parking
  • €10 discount on wellness offers
  • special prices for prolonged stays
  • pools will be open from 7 am during the event
  • special offers for guests

More about St bernardin resort can be found on their webpages


ADDITIONAL ACCOMMODATION IN THE AREA

Piran and Portorož offer a variety of accommodation possibilities. With over 113,000 beds in the municipality of Piran, you can choose anything from a hostel room starting at € 15 to a room in a luxurious Kempinski Palace Portorož hotel for € 250.

If you prefer to stay in a privately owned house, pension and apartment owners offer studios and larger apartments starting at € 60, or you can decide to live at a touristic farm, where a special pristine charm will be yours for € 20 a day.

Do not forget, that the university dorm Korotan is situated just next to the Turistica faculty and only a few steps away from the St Bernardin congress centre, where some guests will be able to reside during the congress. It offers 130 beds and the market prices start at € 30.

You can check the accommodation offers at www.booking.com or consult the local tourist website: www.portoroz.si/en/accommodation, while the student housing is described here: www.sd.upr.si/turizem_eng/hostel_korotan_eng.


FOOD

»If you really want to understand this land, don’t read books about it, have a good meal!« an old folk saying.

Our ancestors of course used the ingredients that they found nearby: fresh fish, seasonal vegetables, fruit, fresh herbs and spices from their own gardens or friends’ and relatives’ gardens.

It is this tradition that the local master chefs strive to preserve. Their culinary art is a fusion of Mediterranean and Istrian cuisine that strengthens one’s health: with some of the best salts, some of the best olive oil, world renown, ecologically farmed sea bass from the Fonda family, excellent vegetables and tasty fruit from the Dragonja river valley.

Hundreds of restaurants will provide options for all diets. If you fancy a quick snack or a bite pizza, you can stop at a local bakery, while more demanding guests can eat in the regions top restaurants.

Generally, €10 - €15 will be enough for a large meal accompanied with a drink in the majority of restaurants. One of the more than 800 restaurants is bound to please your tastes.

More about food in the area: www.portoroz.si/en/experience/istrian-cuisine/restaurants.