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EPIA will take place in the city of Porto. The scientific program will be held at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP).
The City of Porto
Porto is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Porto is the largest city of Northern Portugal. The Historic Centre of Porto, classified as World Heritage by UNESCO, is one of the most attractive entertainment venues for visitors, providing a rich variety of monuments and ordinary dwelling, from different periods stretching back as far as the 14th century. The city of Porto and its river, Douro, cannot be dissociated. The Douro valley, with its lovely terraces of vineyards clinging to the hillsides, is the kingdom of the famous Port Wine and offers visitors spectacular views. Porto is the centre of a culturally and naturally rich region that gathers together history, arts and nature (sea and mountains); it is a perfect starting point for tourist excursions.
The City of Porto has one of the richest artistic, cultural and historical heritages in Portugal. This was officially recognized by UNESCO which considered Porto as “World Heritage”.
Porto is also a city where its history can be found in a small street or in a dialogue with its inhabitants, so we invite you to explore it.
Port Wine is world-famous and has left its mark in Porto. Although this wine comes from the schist
ose lands of the High Douro region, it is brought to age in Vila Nova de Gaia, in the semi-darkness of the cellars, in oak casks or in bottles. This precious nectar has endured and, as time goes by, improves its qualities. Visiting Port Wine Cellars is a must: various companies offer a unique opportunity to discover this universe of subtle charms, to learn the secrets of this generous wine and to taste it.
Visiting Porto
In 1996, UNESCO recognized Porto historic center as a World Heritage Site. Among the architectural highlights of the city, the Oporto Cathedral is the oldest surviving structure, together with the small Romanesque Church of Cedofeita, the Gothic Igreja de São Francisco (Church of Saint Francis), the remnants of the city walls and a few 15th-century houses. The baroque style is well represented in the city in the elaborate gilt work interior decoration of the churches of St. Francis and St. Claire (Santa Clara), the churches of Mercy (Misericórida) and of the Clerics (Igreja dos Clérigos), the Palace of the Archbishop, and others.
The neoclassicism and romanticism of the 19th and 20th centuries also added interesting monuments to the landscape of the city, like the magnificent Stock Exchange Palace (Palácio da Bolsa), the Hospital of Saint Anthony, the Municipality, the buildings in the Avenida dos Aliados, the tile-adorned Sao Bento Train Station and the gardens of the Crystal Palace (Palácio de Cristal). A guided visit to the Palácio da Bolsa, and in particular the Arab Room, is a major tourist attraction.
Porto has several museums, concert halls, theaters, cinemas, art galleries, libraries and bookshops. The best-known museums of Oporto are the Soares dos Reis National Museum (Museu Nacional de Soares dos Reis), which is dedicated especially to the Portuguese artistic movements from the 16th to the 20th century, and the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Serralves Foundation (Museu de Arte Contemporânea).
The city has concert halls of a rare beauty and elegance such as the Coliseu do Porto by the Portuguese architect Cassiano Branco; an exquisite example of the Portuguese decorative arts, it is seen by many as one of the best and most elegant concert halls in Europe. Other notable venues include the Rivoli theatre, Batalha cinema and Casa da Música. The Guardian elaborated a list of the world’s top bookshops, featuring Oporto’s Lello bookshop in third.
FEUP
FEUP has up to 7.174 students and 552 teachers distributed by 9 different engineering departments, including Informatics Engineering. FEUP has kept a steady pace towards excellence and innovation.
FEUP has been a partner of several education institutions for research projects and innovative postgraduate courses, such as University of Texas – San Marcos, MIT, CMU and University of Texas at Austin.
On-Campus Conference Facilities
The campus has a 90 000 m² area nested between new and suited buildings and grassy inviting open areas. Wireless connection is also available all over the campus.
Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto (FEUP)
Reaching FEUP
FEUP is located at the Asprela Campus, in the heart of the main research and academic district of Porto.
By Metro
The metro system is the most convenient way to move around in Porto. The Asprela Campus is served by the yellow line (line D, direction Hospital São João – station IPO). This line connects the Asprela Campus to the city centre in less than 10 minutes. The D line (yellow) connects the University Pole to the Town Hall of Gaia in 15 minutes, passing through Trindade, where it has connection with lines A (blue), B (red), C (green) and E (violet).
You must get out at the IPO station, contour the Campus S. João, and carry on that long street. You must cross the transversal road and get to FEUP! Inside the city limits you need a Z2 ticket (€1.20 for 1 trip).
The Metro ticket, called Andante, needs to be validated at the entry of every station (the ticket is valid for one hour), and can be refilled in a Metro payment machine available at most Metro stops. There are also the Andante 24 hours and Andante Tour options The Andante ticket is also valid on the bus lines marked with the Andante sign. For more information, please visit www.metrodoporto.pt
By Bus
The Asprela Campus is served too by bus. There are 4 bus lines in the Faculty’s area: 204, 300, 301 and 803. From the S. João Hospital, there are other lines of STCP and regular routes to other cities. To choose which one is more appropriate for you, please visit www.stcp.pt
By Car
The best way to find the Faculty of Engineering is to follow the indications to Hospital de S. João.
- If you come from Ermesinde, Gondomar and Valongo by the “Estrada da Circunvalação (EN12)”: You must go by the EN12 until you find the Hospital de S. João on your left. Continue through the traffic lights with Roberto Frias Street and keep left. At the next crossing with traffic lights, turn left onto António Bernardino de Almeida Street (IPO will be on your right) and go straight until the intersection with Dr. Plácido da Costa Street, where you should straight ahead. Keep to the left until the next crossing, where you must turn left. Drive straight along this street until you reach another intersection, where you must turn left. Continue until the end of the road that intersects with Dr. Roberto Frias Street, where you must turn left. Keep right until the intersection with Via Estruturante, where you must turn right.
- If you come from Maia and Matosinhos by the”Estrada da Circunvalação (EN12)”: You must go by the EN12 until you find the IPO on your right. At the crossing with traffic lights, turn right onto António Bernardino de Almeida Street (IPO will be on your right) and go straight until the intersection with Dr. Plácido da Costa Street, where you should straight ahead. Keep to the left until the next crossing, where you must turn left. Drive straight along this street until you reach another intersection, where you must turn left. Continue until the end of the road that intersects with Dr. Roberto Frias Street, where you must turn left. Keep right until the intersection with Via Estruturante, where you must turn right.
By Train
If you arrive to Porto by train, you’ve got 2 choices:
- To get out at the Campanhã Station. In this case, you must catch the metro and choose one of the following lines: A (blue), B (red), C (green) and E (violet). You must do the transfer at the Trindade Station and catch the D line (yellow). After that, you must follow the indications that are given in the “By Metro” option.
- To get out at the S. Bento Station. In this case, you must catch the D line (yellow) of the metro. You do not have to do any transfer. Then, just follow the indications that are given in the “By Metro” option.
By Plane
The quickest way to get to FEUP, if you don’t have your own car and if you don’t want to go by taxi, is to catch the Metro, line E (violet). In order to reach the city centre or FEUP, you will need a Z4 ticket (€1.95 for 1 trip). To reach FEUP, you must do the transfer at the Trindade Station and catch line D (yellow). After that, you must follow the indications that are given in the “By Metro” option. Taxis are not very expensive; within the city limits, the rates charged are those shown in the meter at the end of the ride. On Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays, and Monday to Friday between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., a 20% additional rate applies to normal fares. The FEUP-Airport cab trip costs around €25.
Accommodation
Porto has currently a wide variety of accommodation facilities, from top ranking hotel chains to hostels. We here include a short list of options:
Hotels List
Sheraton Porto Hotel & Spa (5*)
Site: http://www.sheratonporto.com/Porto/Sheraton
Hotel Teatro (4*)
Site: http://hotelteatro.pt/
Eurostars Oporto Hotel (4*)
Site: http://www.eurostarsoporto.com
Star Inn Porto – Low Cost Design Hotel (3*)
Site: http://www.hotelstarinnporto.com/
Holiday Inn Express Porto Exponor (3*)
Site: https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/porto/prtpe/hoteldetail
Hotel Douro (3*)
Site: http://www.hoteldouro.pt/en
Hotel Ibis Porto São João (2*)
Site: http://www.ibishotel.com
Hotel Moov Porto Centro (2*)
Site: http://www.hotelmoov.com/en/hoteis/moov-hotel-downtown-oporto/
In the map below we show the position of the conference venue (FEUP, in dark red) and of the hotels listed above, colored by category (gold = 5*, purple = 4*, blue = 3*`, green = 2*).