IATUL

Useful Information

CONFERENCE ORGANIZATION

The system of participants’ registration, payment, accommodation, tourist and social program is operated by the: „CONGRESS-OR” Congress & Tourism Bureau.

Admission to sessions and other events is permitted only to those wearing the official Conference badge distributed at the main Reception on the first day of the Conference.

CURRENCY AND CREDIT CARDS

Polish currency unit is the złoty (international abbreviation: PLN), worth 100 groszy (gr).

The current exchange rate to EURO and US Dollar can be checked at www.oanda.com/convert/classic (choose PLN as the Polish currency code).

ATMs (Polish: bankomat) are plentiful around Warsaw. Visa, MasterCard, and Maestro are widely accepted at most establishments. AmEx and Diners' Club are not as common. Some establishments require minimum purchases of 10-50zł for credit card purchases.

The participants can exchange foreign currency at many banks located in the centre of the city, many exchange offices, hotels, at the railway station and at the airport.

Banks are open Monday-Friday 09:00-16:00, some operate also on Saturday 09:00-13:00.

LANGUAGE

The official language is Polish. The most popular foreign language is English. German and Russian are also spoken.

ELECTRICITY

Voltage and electric power frequency in Poland: 230 V/ 50 HZ.

CLIMATE

In May and June the weather in Warsaw is usually warm and pleasant, however the evenings might be a little bit colder and it may rain. The average daytime temperature varies from 20 to 25 C

SHOPPING

Most shops (except for food stores) are open from 10:00 until 18:00. Some department stores open earlier or close late on weekdays and on Saturdays and Sundays.

It is worth seeing Polish craftwork: wood craving and hand-woven rugs come mostly from the Zakopane region. Other souvenirs include: glass, hand-woven baskets, paper cut-outs and crystal. One of the most popular souvenirs is amber from the Baltic Sea.

Poland is also known for silver jewellery, sometimes combined with amber to create unique Polish pieces.

FOOD

Poles are known for their hospitality and love for food, maybe that is why Polish food is actually some of Eastern Europe's best. An important part of dinners and suppers, besides delicious fish, meat and salads, are soups which are usually rich and very thick. The following regional specialties should be mentioned: bigos (sauerkraut, fresh cabbage, onion and the whole variety of meats), salted and rolled herring fillets with pickles and onions, kabanos (long, thin sausages), pierogi (dumplings stuffed with either meat, mushrooms and cabbage, cheese or fruit) and kasza (buckwheat).

Tips:

It is generally accepted that in restaurants and cafes the tip should be 10 to 15% of the total bill. Tipping in self-service restaurants is not expected.

CITY TRANSPORT

The public transport system in Warsaw is generally well-developed and you can travel by bus, tram or by underground Metro. Tickets can be purchased in kiosks, ticket vending machines and any shop that displays the Sprzedaż biletów ZTM ("WTA tickets sold here") stickers.

For buses and trams, the tickets can also be bought on board from the driver. Immediately validate your ticket after boarding the bus or tram.

INTERNET

Internet cafés (Polish: kawiarenka internetowa) are rare in Warsaw; however, wi-fi hotspots are common. Free wi-fi is available in most of Old Town, as well as in several hotels, cafés, restaurants and shopping centres

TELEPHONE INFORMATION

Mobile phones:

Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Pre-paid SIM cards with Polish phone numbers cost as little as 5zł and can be purchased from just about any major carrier.

Pay phones are very rare and it is therefore best to rely on other means of communication. Pay phones are only operable using calling cards that can be bought at post offices and hotel receptions.

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

The common European emergency number is 112.

You can also call emergency services using the following numbers:

Ambulance: 999

Firefighters: 998

Police: 997