Transportation
Travel to Austria
- By car — Please note that there is a charge for using Austrian motorways and expressways. A ‘vignette’ toll sticker must be bought for all vehicles of up to 3.5 tons maximum permitted total weight – cars, motorbikes and light campervans are required to display a vignette.
- By train — The main railway station in Graz is one of the most important stations in Austria and is not far from the Graz city centre, which can be reached by tramlines 1,3,6 and 7 in a few minutes. There are direct train and coach connections for example from Vienna, Salzburg, Linz, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Munich, Stuttgart and Frankfurt. Taking the train from Vienna main station to Graz main station takes just 2:35 hrs, with a train running every hour. And the best of it is that you will enjoy a pittoresque ride of 41 km across the Semmering mountains, a UNESCO world heritage site dating back to 1854. Please check the website of Austrian Railways ÖBB.
- By plane — In recent years the modern airport of Graz has become a major transport hub. About a million passengers fly into Graz every year. Visitors to Graz particularly appreciate the airport’s very close proximity to the city centre with good transport connections. Direct international flights include connections such as Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Munich, Zurich, Amsterdam, Istanbul, Berlin, and Palma de Mallorca. Please check the website of Graz Airport.
To the Venue
You can reach the conference center by using either tram line 4 to the stop Stadthalle right in front of the entrance or tram line 5 to the stop Jakominigürtel plus a 3 minute walk to the entrance.
Online purchase of public transport ticket
Graz is a relatively small city, but we still recommend to use public transport as the most convenient means to get around in the city. It is sufficient to have a ticket for the “Zone 101” which is the city area including the conference centre and all social event sites, all hotels booked through Graz Tourism, the main railway station, and it even extends up to the International Airport.
The most efficient choice is to buy a weekly pass (“Wochenkarte”) even before you arrive in Graz via the online portal specified further below. The price is a bargain at EUR 15.20 for an entire week and it is up to you to select the first day of validity as you wish. So if you spend already the weekend before the conference in Graz (e.g., to join the ISCA-SAC Doctoral Student Consortium or to enjoy the “Aufsteirern” folk culture festival), you choose Sat, Sep 14 as the starting date and the ticket will be valid until Fri, Sep 20. After buying the ticket online you can print it and bring it along with you (don’t forget your foto ID) such that even your first trip from the airport to the hotel will be covered already!
On the website you choose “Graz city tickets”. On the second page you enter the starting date for the validity in the top left field and you choose “VST Wochenkarte Graz” in the center column. Once you click “add to basket” you will be asked for your name, email address, and payment method. Upon completion of your payment you will receive your ticket to be printed before arriving in Graz.
