The official language of the conference will be English.
No simultaneous translation will be provided.

All non-residents of the EU are required to have a valid passport.
Participants should check regarding visa requirements for travel to Austria. Applications should be made to the nearest Austrian Embassy or Consulate as soon as possible. Citizens of member states of the European Union and the USA do not need visas.

Vienna can be reached

• by plane via Vienna International Airport ( VIE ). To reach the city you can use taxis (ride takes approximately 20 minutes), busses (ride takes approximately 20 minutes, departure in front of the arrival area of VIE, interval 20 minutes), the City Airport Train (CAT, approximately 16 minutes) or train ('Schnellbahn', ride takes approximately 35 minutes, interval 30 minutes, City Terminal is station 'Landstraße'). From station 'Landstraße' take the subway U4 (green line) in direction "Hütteldorf". The conference site is in walking distance of the station "Karlsplatz".
• by train ( ÖBB ). Arrival is at Wien-Meidling or Wien-Westbahnhof.
  From Wien Meidling take U6 (brown line) in direction "Floridsdorf" and change at station "Längenfeldgasse" to the U4 (green line) in direction "Heiligenstadt". The conference site is in walking distance of the station "Karlsplatz".
  From Wien Westbahnhof take the subway U3 (orange line) in direction "Simmering" and change at the station "Volkstheater" to the U2 (purple line) in direction "Karlsplatz". The conference site is in walking distance of the station "Karlsplatz".
• by car via the A1 (from the west) or the A2 (from the south). Follow the signs directly to the center of Vienna ('Zentrum') and proceed to Karlsplatz. Within and around the center of Vienna there is a short term parking zone (payment zone) requiring to park the car in a garage.

Information about available tickets and detailed line plans can be found at Vienna's ' Getting Around ' website.

On request, the Congress Chairman is willing to send personal invitations to prospective participants of the XXIV^th ECHC. Such invitations are only for the purpose to help participants to raise travel funds or to obtain visas, and will only be sent to participants, who have submitted an abstract. No commitment is implied on the part of the organizers to provide financial support.

Participants are advised to arrange whatever insurance they consider necessary. No responsibility can be assumed by the Congress for personal accidents, sickness, theft, or property damage suffered by the participants.

Weather in August is usually warm and sunny (18-28°C). However, there is some possibility of brief showers. Thus, a jacket and an umbrella may be useful.

The electrical current is 230 volts, 50 Hz.

Bank hours are
Monday - Wednesday, Friday 08:00am - 12:30pm and 1:30pm - 3:00pm
Thursday 08:00am - 12:30pm and 1:30pm - 5:30pm

Since the beginning of 2002 the EURO is the official currency in Austria. 1 Euro = 100 Cents.
Coins: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 Cents; 1, 2 Euros
Banknotes: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 Euros

Money can be changed at the airport, at banks, exchange bureaus, and larger hotels.

For a cash advance, credit cards and Maestro-cards can be used at cash dispensers (Bankomat) which are available all over the city.

Typical shopping hours are Monday to Friday 09:00am - 6:00pm and Saturday 10:00am - 1:00pm (5:00pm). Apart from some tobacconists and small supermarkets at petrol stations and at the main railway stations, shops are closed on Sundays.

Luxury shops with an elegant clientele can be found in the pedestrian zone of the Graben and of Kärntnerstraße (underground U1, U3 / station Stephansplatz). Street entertainers and outdoor cafe's contribute to the special atmosphere of this area.

A well known shopping area is Mariahilferstraße (underground U3 / station Neubaugasse).