Links and information
How to get to Bergamo
By car: Bergamo is an exit on the Milan-Venice motorway (A4). See note on public transport below.
By train: there are trains between Bergamo and Milan (Stazione Centrale) about every hour and more frequently (from Porta Garibaldi) in the rush; for more detailed information please consult the timetable of the Italian Railways www.trenitalia.it). The connection from Brescia (in the direction of Venice) is less frequent.
By bus: There is a frequent motorway bus (Autostradale) connection between Piazza Castello in Milan and Bergamo
By plane: Bergamo’s Orio al Serio airport (sometimes advertised as Milan-Orio al Serio) is very close to the city. It is a RyanAir ‘hub’ and, apart from internal connections with the South of Italy, is served by flights from more than 40 European cities.
A city bus service (N° 1) from the airport passes through the centre of the Lower Town (Porta Nuova), stops at the lower station of the funicular and proceeds to the Upper Town (Colle Aperto). Tickets cannot be bought on the bus, but are available at the local transport office (ATB) within the airport; they must be time-stamped by the yellow machine you will see when you board the bus.
If your flight lands in Milan (Linate or Malpensa) you will need to take a bus to the Stazione Centrale and from there a train to Bergamo. From Malpensa there are also trains to Milan - Stazione Nord (‘Malpensa Express’): from there (Piazzale Cadorna) you can walk to Piazza Castello and take a bus (Autostradale) to Bergamo or take the underground to Stazione Centrale and from there a train to Bergamo.
Accommodation in Bergamo
The Conference will be held in the Upper Town (Città Alta), but available beds are relatively few. If you wish to be close to the Conference venue, you are therefore advised to book well in advance.
Rates in €, inevitably subject to variation (checked at Easter 2007). Bed and breakfast accommodation. All rooms with ensuite bathroom
Miscellaneous practical matters
Public transport within Bergamo: if your hotel is in the Lower Town, you are strongly advised not to rely on a car, because parking in the Upper Town is highly restricted. All buses with the number ‘1’ (1A, 1B, 1C, 1D), which pass through the city centre (Porta Nuova), and the funicular will take you to the Upper Town. Tickets cannot be bought on the bus, but are available at newsagents’ and tobacconists’. They must be time-stamped by the yellow machine you will see when you board the bus; the green tickets (‘urbano’) have a validity of 75 minutes from the time they are stamped regardless of distance travelled withn the central zone.
Clocks: Italy is 1 hour ahead of GMT and BST.
Electricity: The current in Italy is 220 volts.
Post Offices: These are open Mon. - Fri. 8.30 a.m. - 13.30 p.m. and Sat. 8.30 a.m. - 12.00 p.m. Tobacconists’ also sell postage stamps. Please note that the Central Post Office (via Locatelli) stays open Mon. - Fri. 8.30 a.m. - 7 p.m. and Sat. 8.30 p.m. - 12.30. p.m. Further information is available at the website www.posteitaliane.it
Tourism: For enquiries and brochures, the best place to go to is the main BergamoAPT Azienda Promozione Turistica offices in: viale Vittorio Emanuele 20, (opposite the hotel Excelsior San Marco) tel. +39 035 213185 - e-mail aptbg@apt.bergamo.it; piazzale Marconi (in front of the rail station), tel. +39 035 210204 - e-mail apt@provincia.bergamo.it via Gombito 13 (at the foot of the Gombito Tower) tel. + 39 035 242226 - e-mail iat.bergamo@apt.bergamo.it. See the website: www.apt.bergamo.it
