Sponsors:
MFCS 2020 is organized in cooperation with EATCS
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Information about the Conference Location
Venue
The conference will be held in the building of the School of Computer Science, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of the Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
The conference building itself (House for Professed) is dated to the 1691, however it also contains remains of an 11th century rotunda.
This building has a convenient location in the historical city center, in the area called Lesser Town (Malá Strana) close to local attractions like Charles Bridge (Karlův most) and Prague Castle (Pražský hrad).
The building has been renovated.
During the conference coffeebreaks will be served in the corridors in front of the lecture
room, lunches are included in the conference fee and will be served in the faculty restaurant
in the basement.
Address:
Charles University
Faculty of Mathematics and Physics
Malostranske namesti (Square) 25,
118 00 Praha 1
The entrance to the building is located here:
Arriving in Prague
- By plane:
Prague airport (called Václav Havel Airport Prague PRG) is one of the major airports in central Europe with many direct flights from major European cities and some direct flights from large cities around the World.
To get from the airport you can use:
- Public transportation: price 32 CZK/per 90 minutes. To get from the airport use bus no. 119 to metro A (green line) station Nádraží Veleslavín and then to the city center
(e.g. metro station Můstek). You can consult an online connection search or Google maps. Bus tickets can be bought at a ticket machine at the bus stop, which also accepts credit cards (it is advisable not to exchange or withdraw money at the airport).
- Special Airport Express (AE) bus: price is 60 CZK, paid directly to the driver (5:30 am - 9 pm).
The route is Terminal 1 - Terminal 2 - Náměstí Republiky (yellow metro line B), and then it continues to train stations.
- Shuttle: you can pre-order a shared shuttle, which takes you from the airport to any address in Prague.
The price is 290 CZK for one person. If you pre-order, the shuttle driver will pick you up with a name plate at the airport.
- Taxi: the price from the airport should be about 600 CZK and might increase if you get queued in a traffic jam (about 6 CZK/min of waiting). To avoid trouble we advise to ask the driver to estimate the price before you start the ride. If the driver knows that you are aware of the expected price, you might get a fair ride.
Always ask the driver for printed receipt – handwritten receipts are illegal.
- By train: Trains from Western Europe usually arrive at the Holešovice railway
station, others at the main station. Both stations are connected to the metro line C
("Nádraží Holešovice" and "Hlavní nádraží" stations), so both conference venue and
hotels are easy to reach. There are several good connection mostly from neighboring countries. If you will buy tickets online in advance (via cd.cz eshop) there can be a significant discount.
- By bus: The cheapest but maybe the most uncomfortable way. However there are plenty of buses from every major city in Europe.
Most international coaches arrive at the "Florenc" bus terminal. The terminal is connected to metro line C ("Florenc"
station), so the conference venue and is easy to reach.
Public transportation
The conference venue is located in the historical city centre, in the area called Lesser Town (Malá
Strana), so it could be a nice walk from your hotel if it is somewhere nearby (e.g. from the
Old Town or from Hradčany). Prague has good public transport, the tram stop
"Malostranské náměstí" of lines 12, 15, 20, 22 and 23 is right in front of the faculty building.
You can also take metro line A (green) to the station "Malostranská" and then
either go one stop by tram (lines 12, 20, 22, 23) to the stop "Malostranské náměstí" or walk
there through the lovely Valdstejnska street (approx. 10 minutes).
Sightseeing
There are many guidebooks about Prague. For a selection of interesting places you can check wikitravel. Another warmly recommended source is the Honest Guide.
Things to be aware of
Since Prague is a major tourist destination, it is unfortunately unavoidable that certain tourist traps exist, which you should be aware of. You can find a whole list of YouTube videos by the Honest Guide on scams found in Prague. Generally speaking Prague is a very welcoming city, but you probably should know about the following potential traps.
- At the airport: it is advisable not to exchange money, nor to withdraw money at the airport (tickets for public transportation can be bought at a ticket machine at the bus stop, which accepts credit cards). The exchange offices at the airport often have terrible exchange rates (see also the note about exchanging money below). Many ATMs at the airport will try to fool you into withdrawing large amounts of cash, by only offering huge values. Remember that 1 Euro is approximately 25 or 26 CZK, and that Prague is still quite cheap compared to other European cities (even including drinks a good lunch will cost you about 200 CZK and a nice dinner 500 CZK). If you need cash, it is recommended to either exchange or withdraw money in the city (see comments below), or bring it with you. Most places in Prague will accept major credit cards though.
- Exchanging money: especially in the very touristy old town of Prague, some exchange offices will try to offer you terrible exchange rates (for example 15 CZK for 1 Euro, while 1 Euro is worth about 25 CZK). Always check the exchange rate thoroughly: it should be at around 24 CZK for 1 Euro. Also, never exchange cash in the streets, as you will most likely receive some completely worthless currency instead of Czech crowns! We recommend eXchange, which has fair rates. Most places in Prague will accept major credit cards though.
- Withdrawing money: at the airport some ATMs only offer to withdraw huge amounts of cash, which you will most likely not need (again, even including drinks a good lunch will cost you about 200 CZK and a nice dinner 500 CZK). In the city you can come across ATMs that try to convince you that you should use their exchange rate instead of your bank's rate: you will get a choice between using the rate of the bank that the ATM belongs to and your bank, but the button for your bank will be colored red while the ATM's bank will be colored green to indicate that the latter is the supposedly better choice. However, this is often not the case, as the ATM's bank will have a worse rate.
- Taxis: some taxi drivers will try to charge you horrendous rates, e.g., 5000 CZK instead of 500 CZK. It is recommended to try and avoid getting a taxi on the street (it's advisable to call one of the major Prague Taxi services) and if you have to, try to negotiate the price in advance. The maximum price designated by the city council is 28 CZK per kilometer.
- Shops and restaurants: in the old town area, some restaurants and corner stores will be quite overpriced. It is recommended to always check the prices before deciding to buy something at a store or ordering at a restaurant.
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