Attending

The conference will take place on March 6-9, 2011 in Lausanne, Switzerland. It will be located at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL).

Travel to Lausanne and EPFL

Lausanne is located 60 km northeast of Geneva, and 225 km southwest of Zurich. The easiest way to reach Lausanne from either the Geneva-Cointrin Airport or the Zurich International Airport is by train, with respective travel times of approximately 40 minutes and 2 hours.

The city center of Lausanne is a short distance from the train station: 2 minutes by metro, 5 minutes by bus or 10-15 minutes (uphill) by foot. All of the hotels recommended below are located either at the train station or in the city center. The main metro stop for the city center is Lausanne-Flon, where the m1 and m2 metro lines intersect. The major bus interchanges are Saint-Francois and Chauderon.

EPFL is located 6 km west of Lausanne, and is accessed most easily by metro. The ride on the m1 line from stop Lausanne-Flon to stop EPFL takes 12 minutes (direction: Renens or Renens-Gare).

Tickets for the bus and metro lines in Lausanne should be purchased prior to boarding, from machines located at each bus/metro stop (make sure to have coins, as bills or credit cards are often not accepted). A single ticket costs CHF 2.60 for zone 11 (just the city) and CHF 3.00 for zones 11-12 (to reach EPFL from the city), and will be valid for 1 hour (from the time of purchase) of unlimited travel on any method of transport (bus, metro, local train) within the zone. A day pass also is valid for any method of transport, and costs 7.60 CHF for zone 11 and 8.60 CHF for zones 11-12. Note that some hotels provide day passes to their guests.

Public transportation in Switzerland is very efficient and accessible. Most employees of the train service will speak some English, and while in Lausanne it is possible that the bus and metro employees will speak only French, the interfaces for the ticket machines are multi-lingual (at a minimum French and English, usually also German and Italian). Visit the SBB CFF FFS website for trip planning (including local transport lines).

Local Attractions

Lausanne is located on the shores of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) in the French-speaking part of Switzerland (Romandy). To the east of Lausanne lies the Lavaux wine growing region, with terraced vineyards that are a UNESCO World Heritage site. Architecture in the old town dates back to medival times, with a 12th century cathedral. The port of Ouchy offers a promenade along the water and ferry transport to other cities on the lake (e.g. Montreux, Évian). The Swiss Alps are nearby and clearly visible from the city, with the closest ski areas being in Vaud and Valais (1-2 hours by train).  Further tourism information about Lausanne and the Lac Léman region may be found here.

Hotel Information

Coming soon.