Practical Information - Octopus Conference 2019
Council of Europe
Palais de l'Europe Building
Avenue de l’Europe
F - 67075 Strasbourg Cedex
Please click here
Important Access will be granted to registered participants only. Please bring a valid ID card to access the building.
The registration desk for Octopus Conference will be open:
- on 20 November from 13:00 in front of Hemicycle
- on 21-22 November, from 08:30 in front of Hemicycle
A welcome desk will be set up in front of Hemicycle with documents (agenda and list of participants).
Participation in the Conference is free of charge to all approved participants. There is no Conference registration fee.
Participants are however required to cover their own travel, accommodation and meals expenses. Invited participants covered by the Council of Europe are contacted separately.
NEW Lightning talks on 22 November at the closing plenary session.
If you participate in the Octopus Conference, submit your proposal for a major idea that you are willing to share in 1 slide, 5 minutes with almost 500 participants attending the Octopus Conference, until Monday, 18 November, 11:00 AM Strasbourg time. Selection results will be communicated on 19 November 2019.
From the airport
Taxis are available at the airport until 11 p.m. (the arrival time of the last flight).
Train shuttles connect the airport to Strasbourg railway station and run up to 4 times per hour, with a journey time of 9 minutes.
For info: https://www.ter.sncf.com/grand-est
From Strasbourg railway station
Take Tram C from outside the train station, direction ‘Neuhof Rodolphe Reuss' and get off at ‘République' from where you can take a Tram E direction ‘Robertsau-Boecklin' directly to the ‘Human Rights' stop (your are in front of the European Court of Human Rights). Then walk to the Council of Europe entrance.
By taxi
There is a taxi rank at the airport, at the railway station and by the main entrance to the Council of Europe.
By car
From the motorway, take the ‘Wacken' exit, then follow the signposts ‘Institutions européennes' (European Institutions). Go along Avenue Herrenschmidt, through Place de Bordeaux, along Boulevard Ohmacht and Boulevard Jacques Preiss, and on your left up Allée de la Robertsau to the Council of Europe.
There is an all day free car park near the Council of Europe but public transport is strongly recommended as the number of places are limited in the vicinity.
Strasbourg-Entzheim International Airport is just 10 km from Strasbourg town centre via the motor-way.
Strasbourg can easily be reached from other nearby international airports such as Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden airport (Distance: 58 km from Strasbourg), Basel-Mulhouse airport (Distance: 130 km from Strasbourg) or Frankfurt airport (Distance: 210 km from Strasbourg).
By train
Strasbourg is connected to Paris by a high-speed train called TGV (train à grande vitesse). Paris-Strasbourg is 2.20 hrs with 16 daily returns services.
By car
Strasbourg can be reached from various directions:
- From the west (Paris, Benelux) taking the A4 highway. About 4 hours from Paris;
- From the south (Switzerland, Lyon), taking the A35 highway. About 5 hours from Lyon;
- From the north and east (Germany), taking the A5 highway.
For information about accommodations, hotels and general information about the City of Strasbourg, please visit the Strasbourg Tourist Office at http://www.otstrasbourg.fr.
Participants will be offered snacks and drinks during coffee-breaks. However, no lunches will be offered. Cafeterias and restaurants of the Council of Europe are at the disposal of participants
Evening reception on 20 November 2019 is offered by the French Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
T-CY Secretariat
Alexander SEGER
Executive Secretary
Jan KRALIK
Programme Manager
Céline DEWAELE
Programme Assistant