Symposium Venue
The Symposium will take place in the International Conferences Centre and in the Palace Hotel.
Inaugurated in 1913 as a replica of the Monte Carlo Casino, all the architectural elements of the International Conferences Centre breathe an aristocratic air, which flows over the whole resort. During the 1930s, the Casino (as it used to be referred to) was at its zenith,
shadowing the fame of the
Peles
Castle itself. Special
trains would bring players to Sinaia from all over the country and beyond. An
impressive income accrued to the city, supporting its development. In 1947, the
“social magnet” diminished when the Casino was closed for a very long period of
time. From 1955, it was re-opened as a culture house. Today, with its
spectacular past, with its uniquely elegant and stately architecture, and with
the benefit of its recent renovations, the monument now re-opens its gates as
an
International
Center of Conferences , inviting the
success of all the events convened there!
The Palace Hotel is located in the central park of Sinaia, near the Conferences Centre and it is generally known to provide its worldwide guests the scent of history, marked by peacefulness and hospitality. Buit in 1911, the hotel delights through its special architecture that reminds of an age of elegance and refinement.
The town of Sinaia
is situated on the
Bucharest -
Brasov railway. There are plenty of trains leaving from
Bucharest North (Bucuresti Nord) station and the trip takes 1h30 to 2h. For a
railway timetable, see www.cfr.ro. Bucharest North can easily be
reached from Bucharest Henri Coanda (Otopeni) international airport by taking
the RATB express bus 780 directly to Bucharest North train station ("Gara de Nord"). More information
about airport access is available here.
Getting to Romania
1/ By air - www.otp-airport.ro
Regular and charter flights of Romanian air carriers
(notably TAROM the national airline), or the foreign airlines (Air France,
British Airways, Austrian Airlines, Alitalia, Lufthansa etc.) connect Bucharest
to the world’s major airports. The most important airport from
Bucharest is Henri Coanda.
International
express trains connect the main central European capitals with
Bucharest . The most important train station
in Bucharest
Romania takes from 6 hours (
Budapest to
Timisoara ) to about 46 hours (
London to
Bucharest ). Most train tickets allow several
stopovers en route so train travel can be an affordable and relaxing way to
include
Romania in a European trip.
First and second-class sleepers are available for journeys longer than 10 hours
and for overnight trains.3/ By car:
Border
crossing between
Romania and its western neighbors is just
a formality. When renting a car in
Europe please check with the car rental company about its
policy regarding taking the car across national borders. Insurance can be
purchased at any Romanian border crossing point. Documents required by Romanian
Customs are the vehicle's registration, proof of insurance and a valid driver's
license from the driver's home country.
There are many bus routes that connect
Bucharest and
Romania 's main cities with
Athens ,
Berlin ,
Budapest ,
Copenhagen ,
Frankfurt ,
Istanbul ,
London ,
Milan ,
Munich ,
Paris ,
Rome , and
Vienna .
There are many bus routes that connect
Language
Whilst Romanian (a Latin family
language) is spoken throughout
Romania , you will easily find English
speakers. Most of the hotel and restaurant staff speak English.
Bank and Exchange
Most Romanian banks will change
traveller’s cheques as well as cash. Banking hours in general are from Monday to
Friday,
9.00 AM to 5.00 PM. Automated cash dispensers are
located outside most banks, cash can be withdrawn there 24 hours a day.
Mastercard, American Express, Visa and Diners are accepted. Credit cards are
also accepted by numerous hotels, restaurants, shops and gas stations. Money
can be changed at the airport, at banks, exchange bureaus and larger hotels.
You should ask about the charges before changing money, as charges can vary
considerably. Foreign exchange facilities are available at the Henri Coanda
(Otopeni)
International
Airport , in the railway stations, and in
most hotels in Sinaia.
Currency
The local currency
is Romanian Leu (RON). Current exchange rates are as follows: 1 EUR ~ 4.2 RON and 1
US $= 3.2 RON. For various transactions and
money exchange, we strongly recommend that you contact only authorized
institutions, such as banks or exchange offices.
Local time
The local standard time zone in
Romania is GMT + 2 hours.
Electricity
Romanian networks
supply 220 volts and a frequency of 50 Hz. Plugs are continental-style two-pin.
A plug adaptor should be taken along, if incompatible elcetric/electronic
gadgets are to be used.
Tipping
Service is not included in restaurants and it is customary
to add a 10% tip of the total. Taxi drivers, hairdressers etc. are also normally tipped
10%. Bellhops, porters, doormen, parking boys etc. generally receive at least
10 LEI per suitcase or per service rendered.
Other
useful information
The climate is temperate-continental of
transitional type, specific to
Central Europe ,
with local differences caused by altitude and by slight oceanic (to the West),
Mediterranean
(to the South-West) and continental (to the East) influences.
VISA APPLICATION - GENERAL
INFORMATION
Foreigners
who travel to
Romania have the prior obligation to apply
for a visa at a Romanian diplomatic mission or consular post, with the
exception of the citizens arriving from those countries with which
Romania concluded agreements on the
abolition of visa requirements or has unilaterally renounced the visa
requirement (see lists below). The foreigners visiting
Romania for scientific purposes will have
to apply for a short-stay visa, identified by the C/ZA symbol.
A/ The list of the countries whose
nationals are exempted from the Romanian visa requirement
I. STATES
|
1.
|
18.
|
|
2.
|
19.
|
|
3.
|
20.
|
|
4.
|
21.
|
|
5.
|
22.
|
|
6.
|
23.
|
|
7.
|
24.
|
|
8.
|
25.
|
|
9.
|
26.
|
|
10.
|
27.
|
|
11.
|
28.
|
|
12.
|
29. Seychelle* |
|
13.
|
30.
|
|
14. Holy See |
31.
|
|
15.
|
32.
|
|
16.
|
33.
|
|
17.
|
34.
|
II. SPECIAL
ADMINISTRATIVE REGIONS OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF
CHINA
1.
Hong Kong SAR(1)
2.
Macao SAR(2)
(1) The visa requirement exemption
applies only to holders of a "Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region" passport.
(2) The visa requirement exemption
applies only to holders of a "Região Administrativa Especial de
Macau" passport.
III. BRITSH CITIZENS WHO ARE
NOT NATIONALS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND FOR
THE PURPOSES OF COMMUNITY LAW:
British Nationals (Overseas)".
* The exemption from the visa
requirement will apply from the date of entry into force
of an agreement on visa exemption
to be concluded with the European Community.
B/ The list of the countries whose
nationals must be in possession of visas when enter
Romania
I. STATES
|
1.
|
44.
|
87.
|
|
2.
|
45.
|
88.
|
|
3.
|
46.
|
89.
|
|
4.
|
47.
|
90.
|
|
5.
|
48.
|
91.
|
|
6.
|
49.
|
92.
|
|
7.
|
50.
|
93.
|
|
8.
|
51.
|
94.
|
|
9.
|
52.
|
95. São Tomé and Príncipe |
|
10.
|
53.
|
96.
|
|
11.
|
54.
|
97.
|
|
12.
|
55.
|
98.
|
|
13.
|
56.
|
99.
|
|
14.
|
57.
|
100.
|
|
15.
|
58.
|
101.
|
|
16.
|
59.
|
102.
|
|
17. Burma/Myanmar |
60.
|
103.
|
|
18.
|
61.
|
104.
|
|
19.
|
62.
|
105.
|
|
20.
|
63.
|
106.
|
|
21.
|
64.
|
107.
|
|
22.
|
65.
|
108.
|
|
23.
|
66.
|
109.
|
|
24.
|
67.
|
110.
|
|
25.
|
68.
|
111. Timor-Leste |
|
26.
|
69.
|
112. The
|
|
27.
|
70.
|
113.
|
|
28.
|
71.
|
114.
|
|
29.
|
72.
|
115.
|
|
30. Djijbouti |
73.
|
116.
|
|
31.
|
74.
|
117.
|
|
32.
|
75.
|
118.
|
|
33.
|
76. Muntenegru |
119.
|
|
34.
|
77.
|
120.
|
|
35.
|
78.
|
121.
|
|
36.
|
79.
|
122.
|
|
37.
|
80.
|
123.
|
|
38.
|
81.
|
124.
|
|
39.
|
82.
|
125.
|
|
40.
|
83. Northern
|
126.
|
|
41.
|
84.
|
127.
|
|
42.
|
85.
|
128.
|
|
43.
|
86.
|
129.
|
NOTE:
* The states whose nationals must be
in possession of an invitation noticed by the Romanian Office for Immigration that they submit when
they apply for the visa.
** The states whose nationals,
besides this condition, they are subject to the airport visa requirement
II. ENTITIES AND TERRITORIAL AUTHORITIES THAT ARE NOT RECOGNISED AS
STATES BY AT
LEAST
ONE
MEMBER
STATE
1. Palestinian Authority*
2.
Taiwan
NOTE:
* The states whose nationals must be
in possession of an invitation noticed by the Romanian Office for Immigration that they submit when
they apply for the visa.
** The states whose nationals,
besides this condition, they are subject to the airport visa requirement
The
Romanian law provides that the competent authorities shall grant Romanian entry
visas as follows:
(1) The
Romanian visa is granted by the Romanian diplomatic missions and consular posts
abroad.
(2) Short-stay
visas are granted by the Romanian diplomatic missions and consular posts
abroad, according to the following provisions:
(a) without the prior approval of the
Romanian
National
Visa
Center , for foreigners arriving from the
states mentioned at point A/ and for which the invitation procedure is not
mandatory;
(b) with the prior approval of the
Romanian
National
Visa
Center , for foreigners arriving from the
states enumerated in the from point B/.
(3) In
view of the approval of short-stay visas applications, the
Romanian
National
Visa
Center claims the approval of the
Romanian Immigration Office only in those cases established through the
protocol endorsed by means of the common order of the Romanian Minister of
External Affairs and the Romanian Minister of Home Affairs.
(4) The
Romanian Immigration Office will give the approval within 7 working days’ time,
starting from the date when the visa application is received from the
Romanian
National
Visa
Center . In highly justifiable
occurrences, the term can be prolonged up to 7 working days.
(5) Some
foreigners may need official invitations from the organizers in order to apply
for visa. These invitations are issued on request.
More
information about the Romanian visa, as well as the application forms can be
found on the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, www.mae.ro.
