Practical information

We have two conference venues for this year's Omentielva.

The conference starts in the place where we will be staying, Hotel Zaleze in Katowice.

On Friday 5 August the day programme takes place in the historic Collegium Maius at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków.

For Friday evening and the weekend we again use the facilities at Hotel Zaleze.

Arriving in Poland

Poland has lifted all of its COVID-related entry rules for all travellers, and now permits free unrestricted entry for all travellers regardless of their country of origin or vaccination status.

Traveling to Katowice from the Warsaw Chopin International Airport (Warszawa Lotnisko Chopina)
By train
There is a local train directly from the airport with multiple stops across Warsaw (tickets are purchasable via automatic ticket dispensers on this train). The airport train station is easily accessible via an indoor corridor from the concourse baggage claim area. (This train station stop shares its name with the airport: Warszawa Lotnisko Chopina). Take this train to Warszawa Zachodnia station, and from there board an intercity train to Katowice.

Intercity train tickets can be purchased in advance at Bilkom.

Select Warszawa Zachodnia as your site of departure, and Katowice (note: without any additional town names in popup menu) as the arrival. Toggle on "direct connections" to eliminate transfer hassles. There are three kinds of intercity trains: express and express premium (travel time of both up to 2.5 hours), as well as regular (travel time up to 5 hours). Travel durations will be listed on all the results options. Note that you may have to tweak the "departure hours" on the selection menu to see the full route listings for your chosen travel day.

Make sure to check and closely follow the electronic board of departures at the train station, as the assigned train track for your train may change within the hour of its arrival. Note: Most intercity trains will have a scrolling list of route stations displayed electronically on wagon sides, and it is easy to miss seeing "Katowice" in the scrolling list. To check that you are boarding the correct train, pay attention to the train category/model number listed on your ticket. The express trains are IC InterCity and EIP / EIC Premium. The regular train is TLK. Both non-premium trains will often have "route names" attached that makes them easier to tell apart on scrolling electronic displays and announcement boards.

The conductors will pass through the train to inspect tickets at a random time. Printing the ticket on paper in advance and having it within easy reach, even if moving around or visiting the dining wagon, is recommended for convenience. The arrival station name is Katowice (Dworzec PKP), the central city station.

Reaching the hotel from the Katowice train station (by city tram)
Exit the station northwards via its main entrance. Once outside, you are only a short minute's walk from the street 3 Maja with trams that will take you to the conference hotel. There is an automated tram ticket kiosk located at the Katowice-Rynek tram stop platform just a block away from the Katowice train station. Follow the 3 Maja street heading east (in the left direction, when facing away from the train station entrance) to reach it. From the Katowice-Rynek tram stop, take the tram #7 or #20 heading west towards the Zaleze neighborhood. Exit at the stop "Zaleze - Janasa". Hotel Zaleze is right across the same street.

Traveling to Katowice from the Katowice Airport (Katowice-Pyrzowice Port Lotniczy)
By bus
Automatic bus ticket machine is located in the outdoor parking area directly across the street from the Arrival Terminal C. [Note: the airport website claims these bus ticket machines are positioned inside the Arrival Terminal C concourse, but this info is no longer current and the bus ticket machine kiosk has been stationed outside the terminal near the outdoor bus stop itself]. The airport express bus lines between Katowice Airport and Katowice city center are the bus lines AP2 and AP3. Both buses stop right outside the Arrival Terminal C. Katowice is located 40 km away from the airport and buses run around the clock, every day/night of the week.

Take the bus AP2 or AP3 to Katowice and exit at the stop "Katowice Dworzec (Railway Station)". The bus stop is in the underground tunnel with escalators leading up to the train station ground level. Upon exiting the station, see the paragraph above on reaching the hotel by city tram.

Additional notes on booking flights

Katowice Airport serves regional airlines with flight routes within the EU and Schengen area. Checking these smaller airlines while planning Polish flights may be more budget-friendly for those who don't mind multiple transfers and traveling light without checked-in luggage. In particular, WizzAir has many connecting flights across Europe and booking directly with them may yield discounted rates.

Flight ticket comparison sites such as Kayak are useful for picking travel dates with better flight deals. Consider plugging in multiple departure/arrival airports in the search menu to get a broader range of results. If traveling to Poland from the US, Icelandair sometimes runs discounted rates if the flight route involves a layover in Iceland.

If planning to make multiple flight transfers, remember that some countries within the EU and Schengen area still maintain some Covid-related entry requirements. Check the up-to-date list of EU countries that lifted all their travel restrictions, as well as EU countries still keeping some entry requirements.

Those who wish to spend extra days in Kraków before the conference may consider flying in directly to the John Paul II Kraków-Balice Airport. Note that using this airport for the purpose of arriving to Katowice is not the best option due to logistical inconveniences (longer intercity travel times), and the Katowice Airport is recommended as a more expedient landing spot instead.

Should any questions or concerns arise over practicalities, please contact the chairman, Miriam Mayburd.