General Information

The Cracow Epiphany Conference has had a different topic every year. The series started in 1995. By bringing in new subjects and inviting new participants every year the meetings offer a general forum to discuss the frontiers of physics. The number of participants is about one hundred and there are up to thirty invited talks.

Place, registration and correspondence:

The conference will be held in the Henryk Niewodniczański Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences ( IFJ PAN), 152 Radzikowskiego Street, Cracow, Poland (see map). Participation by invitation only. Persons interested in attending the conference and in getting help with accommodation in Cracow please send e-mail to epiphany@ifj.edu.pl before December 7th, 2016.

About the city

Cracow is one of the places in the world which have been included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list. The architectural complex of the Old Town has survived all the cataclysms of the past and preserved the same, unchanged layout since the Middle Ages. The Old Town together with the Wieliczka Salt Mine have been recognized as some of the most valuable architectural treasures of the world. There are over 300 town-houses and 58 churches and palaces, all considered historical monuments just within the old centre of Cracow and that is just a small part of all the monuments of this city. Cracow, which had been the capital of the Polish state until the 17th century and has kept the character of a spiritual capital till the present day, is at the same time an important cultural centre. Cracow is the oldest Polish academic centre, with the Jagiellonian University founded in 1364, the second oldest university in Central Europe.

How to get there

A number of flights connect Cracow airport, the John Paul II International Airport Kraków-Balice, to many international destinations.

From the Cracow airport you can reach the town by:

• Train:
  A one-way ticket from Kraków Airport to Kraków Main Railway Station costs 8 PLN, i.e. about 2 EUR (see train time table).
  Train tickets can be purchased:
  - passenger terminal - level 0 (ticket machine);
  - train station (ticket machine);
  - train (ticket machine or train conductor on board).
  Payment in cash or with credit/debit card.
• Taxi:
  Kraków Airport Taxi service is the official partner of John Paul II International Airport Kraków-Balice - the fare for a ride from the airport to The Florianska Gate (in the city center) or to the Rondo Ofiar Katynia (close to the Institute and Q Hotel Kraków) is approximately 70 PLN (i.e. about 16 EUR) and you can pay by cash or by electronic card.
  There are several taxi companies operating in Kraków (e.g. Megataxi +48 12 19 625 -> 33 PLN cash i.e. about 8EUR). They can be identified by the company names or phone numbers (such as +48 12 19*** for mobile phones) marked on the vehicles. You can pay by credit card and, in most of the taxies, also by electronic card. So to be sure, ask about the payment methods while calling or entering a taxi.
  There is also another options you can chose - iCar, and then the fare approximately is 36 PLN (i.e. about 9 EUR) but you can pay only by cash.
  
  
• bus - get #208, #252 or #902 to the city centre (check time table). A one-way ticket costs 4 PLN, i.e. about 1 EUR;

Cracow is also well connected to the railway and roads. Useful links and maps you can find here.

Accommodation and getting around in Cracow

We propose two options for the accommodation:

• The University Guest houses located in the very centre of Kraków,
  
• Q Hotel Kraków (5 minutes of walk to the venue).
  

How to get to the University Guest houses
The University Guest houses at 7a Garbarska Street (Bursa Pigonia located in the courtyard behind the building # 7), tel. +48 12 422-30-08, 429 63 31 or at 49 Florianska Street, tel +48 12 421-12-25, 429 17 87. Garbarska Street is only two streetcar stops (# 4,14,24,64) away from the Main Train Station. Florianska Street is in the Old Town, within a walking distance from the Main Train Station and the Main Market Square; see the map. Accommodation will be in single rooms (for families in double) with breakfast. Please, note that number of rooms is limited, especially at Florianska Street.

How to get to the Q Hotel Kraków
Q Hotel Krakow is situated in the northwest part of the city (5 minutes of walk to the venue). The location of the hotel is convenient for guests using public transport, because the hotel is placed near to the big transport hub, Rondo Ofiar Katynia. Very good location allows quick and easy access by car to the A4 motorway and it is possible to reach in a few minutes the Airport in Cracow Balice.

How to reach the IFJ PAN from the city centre

The simplest and fastest option is to team up for a taxi. It costs around 20 PLN and takes some 20 minutes to reach the IFJ PAN. The taxi can be called at the reception desk.

Alternatively one can take a tram 4 or 24 from the stop "Stary Kleparz" in the direction "Bronowice Male". The stop is located 5 minutes on foot from the hotels. You should get off the tram at the stop "Balicka Wiadukt". To reach the IFJ PAN one should either walk (slightly uphill) 10 minutes or take one of the buses: 120, 172, 173, 210, 230, 238, 248, 258, 268, 278, 501 or 572 from the stop "Bronowice Wiaduct" and get off at the next stop “Rondo Ofiar Katynia”. The typical duration of such journey is 45 minutes (including walking).
The time table can be found here. The tickets can be purchased from the ticket machine at the bus stop (payment in cash or with credit/debit card) or the authorized ticket machines found in a tram/bus (payment in cash – coins only) with the cost of 3,80 PLN.