Congress dates
June 7-10
***

Finnish Press Release
Lehdistötiedote
***

ESBRA 2009 - June 7-10, 2009
The 12th Congress of
European Society
for Biomedical Research
on Alcoholism
organized by the
University of Helsinki and the
Finnish Society of Addiction Medicine

Welcome to Finland and Helsinki

Congress venue Biomedicum Helsinki Haartmaninkatu 8, Helsinki, Finland Website and "how to to get to Biomedicum Helsinki": www.biomedicum.com

Registration and information desk
Open hours during the Congress at Biomedicum 1, Helsinki, Haartmaninkatu 8:

How to get to congress dinner at Hilton Kalastajatorppa, Round Room

Hilton Kalastajatorppa can be reached either by Congress bus (time-table below) or by tram. For return trip, please take a tram or a taxi.

1 st bus

• At 19:00 departure from Holiday Inn City Centre, Elielinaukio 5
• At 19:20 Crowne Plaza, Kivelänkatu 2
• At 19:45 Hilton Kalastajatorppa, main entrance

2 nd bus

• At 19:00 departure from Hotelli Helka, Pohjoinen rautatienkatu 23
• At 19:10 Hostel Academica, Hietaniemenkatu 14
• At 19:40 Hilton Kalastajatorppa, main entrance

3 rd bus

• At 19:15 departure from Holiday Inn City Centre, Elielinaukio 5
• At 19:35 Crowne Plaza, Kivelänkatu 2
• At 20:00 Hilton Kalastajatorppa, main entrance

Tram routes 4 and 4T to Hilton Kalastajatorppa

Get of at the terminal stop. You have ahead of you Uimarinpolku street. Turn right to Uimarinpolku, walk about 200 meters. Next turn right to Kalastajatorpantie, walk about 200 meters. Hilton Kalastajatorppa reception is on your left and the Round Room Restaurant on the right hand, on the other side of the street. One-way ticket á 2,50€ can be bought from the chauffer.

Tram time-table from the terminal stop towards city centre at:

Finland

Finland, a member of the European Union since 1995, has about 5.2 million inhabitants and is one of the largest countries in Europe by area. Finland is a northern country of great beauty with a distinctive cultural life. Approximately two-thirds of the country’s surface area is forest, and there are nearly 200 000 lakes. Finland’s coast – with more than 95 000 islands – is one of the most beautiful archipelagos in the world. The miraculous brightness of the northern summer night is a well-known fact, but it is impossible to imagine and comprehend without experiencing it.

Currency: EUR (Euro, €)
Weather: The average daytime temperature in June is 15–22°C. Nights are colder. Rain may occur.

For more details, please see:

• www.visitfinland.com
• www.virtual.finland.fi
• www.fmi.fi/weather/climate.html

Helsinki

The town of Helsinki was founded in 1550 by King Gustav Vasa of Sweden and has been the capital of Finland since 1812. The architecture and the culture of the city were both influenced by the East and the West. Helsinki is today the centre of Finland’s cultural and business life.

More than one-fifth of the country's population lives in the Helsinki area. It is easy and safe to get around the capital. Public transport is good. Nature is near, even in the middle of Helsinki, as over thirty per cent of the city is devoted to landscaped parks. Helsinki is located by the sea and the sea is an essential part of the personality of the city.

For more details, please see:

• www.helsinki.fi
• www.visithelsinki.fi

How to get to Helsinki

By plane

Helsinki-Vantaa airport has direct flights from dozens of European airports, for example. The airport is situated 19 kilometres from the centre of Helsinki and can be reached by taxi in about 25 minutes (about EUR 35). You can also take the Finnair airport bus (about EUR 5.20), which stops at the Hotel Scandic Continental, or Bus 615 (about EUR 3.60) to the Helsinki Railway station.

For more details, please see: www.finavia.fi

By ferry

There are daily ferry services to Helsinki from Sweden and Estonia. For more details, please see:www.tallinksilja.com, www.vikingline.fi, www.lindaline.fi, www.eckeroline.fi

The city of Helsinki and the metropolitan area (street search and zoom):
Helsinki.fi -portal: