School on Algorithmic Game Theory
December 18 - 19, 2006    -    Patras, Greece

The AEOLUS School will be held in the amphitheater of the at the new building of the Research Academic Computer Technology Institute, located at the campus of the University of Patra in Rio (Kazantzaki street).

R.A.C.T.I. is reachable by bus, but since the buses are quite infrequent, it is recommended to take a taxi (the cost from Patra’s center should be around 7 €, from Rio around 2.50 €). If the taxi driver does not speak English, ask him to take you to the university (PANEPISTIMIO). When reaching the campus, tell him to follow the street (KAZANTZAKI str.) towards the IFIGENEIA restaurant. The isolated building at the top of the hill is the building of R.A.C.T.I.

The new building of R.A.C.T.I. - Here is how it looks from Google Earth

Patras is located at the Western part of Greece’s mainland on the Northwestern coast of Peloponnesus. It is the third largest city of Greece and has always been a path to Europe, a gate towards the West and a commercial channel to the ports of Italy, France and England. Patras is the European Capital of Culture for 2006. In the duration of the school and the workshop, there will be several events taking place in the city of Patras. The important archeological site of Olympia is situated at 90km from Patras, while Delphi lies 115km away.

At 6km from Patras and 2Km from the University stands the Rion-Antirion suspended bridge. With over 2200m of suspended length (over 3km total) it is the longest suspended bridge in the world and an impressive technological feat given the adverse physical features of the environment (strong winds, strong seismic activity etc.). The bridge is also a beautiful sight (and a nice walk for the hiking lovers) especially in the night. (You may find more info on wikipedia).

Patra is reachable by plane (via Athens) or by ferryboat from Italy. The closest convenient airport is Athen’s Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport.

Comming via Athens

• By Train -- The Proastiakos (suburban) railway connects the airport to Athens and to the railway network of southern Greece operated by the OSE company. The Proastiakos station in the airport is just opposite to the main airport building and is accessible by a pedestrian bridge. You have to change twice, the first time in Kifisias station, and then in Korinthos. The schedule of the trains follows:

   

  Airport	Kifisias (arrival)	Korinthos (arrival)	Korinthos (departure)	Patras (arrival)
  07:05	07:27	08:28	09:27 *	11:38
  09:05	09:27	10:28	11:27	13:53
  11:05	11:27	12:28	13:27 *	15:38
  13:05	13:27	14:28	14:37	17:15
  15:05	15:27	16:28	17:27 *	19:39
  17:05	17:27	18:28	19:27 *	21:41

  
  * Intercity

  The ticket for the whole trip is 14.490 €. Note that if you miss the Kifisias station when coming from the airport, do not worry: you can change also at one of he next two stations, Neratziotissa or Iraklio.

• By Bus -- You must first go to the KTEL Coach Station at Athens by taking the X93/E93 express bus that departs just outside the airport terminal at the Arrival level (Exit 5). The ticket costs 2.90 and you can buy it in the bus or at the bus stop. It takes between 40 and 60 min to get there. Alternatively you can take a taxi that will cost about 40 €.

  From the coach station there is a bus to Patra almost every 30 min and the trip is around 3 hours. The first bus is at 05:50 and the last at 22:00. The ticket costs around 14 € and you must buy a ticket before boarding. There is a big ticket hall at the east side of the station. Head for the booth with the signs “Achaia” and/or “Patra”. There is no need to reserve tickets in advance, you will usually find a ticket for a bus leaving in the next hour.

• By Car -- Several car rental agencies operate on the airport. The new “Attiki Odos” high-speed toll motorway connects the airport with Athens and the main greek highways. Leave the airport following initially the signs to ATHINA and then to ELEFSINA to enter “Attiki Odos”. From that point on just stay on the highway following the signs to ELEFSINA, subsequenty to KORINTHOS, and finally to PATRA. After Korinthos, the highway splits into two and you must follow the right way (there are signs to PATRA). On this second half of the trip you must be a bit more careful, as the highway gets narrower - one lane plus the emergency one. It is typical to drive on the emergency lane so that other cars (moving faster) can bypass. The total distance between Athens airport and Patras is ~250km and the total cost of the tolls is 7.2 €. When reaching Patras, immediately after the toll station, take the exit “University of Patras”, and then follow the signs to “R.A.C.T.I.”.

Comming via Italy