Practical Information

The 9th Porvoo Group meeting, 11 - 12 May, Ljubljana

MEETING VENUE:

The members of Porvoo Group from Ministry of Public Administration of Republic of Slovenia are pleased to invite you to join Porvoo 9 seminar in Slovenia. The meeting will be held in the capital, the political, cultural and educational centre of Slovenia, in Ljubljana from 11-12 May 2006.

Ljubljana lies in a basin between the Karst and the alpine regions at 298 metres above sea level. We like to say it is sufficiently large to contain everything that a capital should have, and small enough to preserve the individuality of its inhabitants. It is a city with a soul, featured by the Baroque Old Town which is nestled at the foot of Castle Hill and the Art Nouveau mansions.

The meeting will be held in the Hotel Lev Ljubljana. The hotel is located in the centre and business district of Ljubljana, just five minutes walk from the major sightseeing attractions, the old town and the fairgrounds and is easily accessible from all major highways.

The full address of the Hotel Lev is:

Hotel Lev Vošnjakova ulica 1 SI-1000 Ljubljana Slovenija Phone: +386 (0) 1 433 21 55 Fax: +386 (0) 1 230 25 78 E-mail: info@hotel-lev.si http://www.hotel-lev.si/eng_index.html

TRAVEL:

Slovenia lies in the heart of Europe, and Ljubljana is easily accessible from any part of the continent by air, rail, and car:

By Air: to Ljubljana international airport Brnik.

The national air carrier of Slovenia is Adria Airways. Adria has regular connections with all of the major European airports (Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, Zurich, Brussels, Paris, Barcelona, London, Dublin, Manchester, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Moscow, Split, Skopje, Sarajevo and others).

WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND AN EARLY BOOKING OF YOUR FLIGHT!

By Road: from Austria - Klagenfurt 83 km, Vienna 383 km, from Italy - Trieste 100 km, from Croatia - Zagreb 142 km, from Hungary - Budapest 441 km (more details on venue location)

By Rail: by direct trains from all major European cities.

REGISTRATION:

All participants are required to fill in a registration form, which can be found on the Porvoo 9 website. Registration to the Porvoo 9 seminar does not include the hotel reservation.

HOTEL ACCOMMODATION:

The participants can be accommodated at the Hotel Lev, meeting venue location and some other hotels in the walking vicinity. For details about the hotel accommodation please go to the Porvoo 9 web site Accommodation.

WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND AN EARLY BOOKING OF YOUR HOTEL!

SOCIAL EVENT:

On Thursday on 11th of May, after the first day meeting, you are invited to visit Postojnska jama (appropriate footwear needed!).

The mysterious Postojnska jama (cave) world is the part of Slovenia which has been carved, shaped and created by water; deep within these world-famous caves hide the most precious beauty created througt millions of years, a drop after a drop, year after a year... More than 26 millions people from all over the world have admired the stalagmites and the stalactites of the Postojnska jama in 175 years of organised tourism. However, ancient signatures in the entrance passages prove that the cave was first visited in the 13th century. The 20-kilometre long underworld system is a miracle in itself, but one gets truly astounded at the look of the mysterious human fish (Proteus anguimus), wondering at the strange form of life preserved in the underground kingdom. Another mystery of the underground... The cave is accessible without special equipment, and has a constant temperature of 8° C. Visitors are taken for a tour by a special cave train, accompanied by experienced guides. A visit takes an hour and a half (more details).

USEFUL INFORMATION:

It is expected that Slovenia will introduce Euro next year. Now the the Slovene currency is SIT (Slovene Tolar). 1 EURO is approximately equivalent to 239 SIT, 1 USD is around 199 SIT. Please check the current excange rate. Foreign currency may be exchanged at banks, exchange offices, travel agencies, hotels, airports and railway stations. All major credit cards (American Express, Diners, Master Card-Eurocard and Visa) are widely accepted in hotels, stores and restaurants. In addition, ATM machines are available at the local banks.

Throughout the week the normal shopping hours are 9.00 to 19.00. On Saturdays, shops are only open until 13.00.

Tap water is safe to drink in Slovenia.

Voltage:220 V,50 Hz.

One hour ahead of Greenwich mean time (GMT).

• Ljubljana-tourism - Forecast Map

• Slovenia in Brief
• Slovenian Tourist Office
• About Ljubljana
• About Slovenia

• Government of the Republic of Slovenia
• Ministry of Public Administration Republic of Slovenia
• Ministry of foreign affairs Republic of Slovenia

• Slovenia in Brief
• Wine guide

CONTACTS:

For information about the Porvoo 9 seminar, please contact the organizational comitee from the Ministry of Public Administration of Republic of Slovenia.