1.Venue

The 4th European Social Forum will be held at the Basketball and Fencing Facilities, right next to the ex-West Airport at the area of Hellinikon. These facilities provide us with the following rooms:

• Central room for Fencing 7,000 m² (which will be properly modified).
• 2 rooms of 1000 m²
• 5 rooms of 500 m²
• 7 rooms of 100-200 m²
• 25 rooms of 50-100 m²
• 35 rooms of about 50 m²

The following facilities will also be provided:

• press room and access to the Internet, 870 m²
• a room of 650 m² as well as other spaces for the cultural events
• rooms of 30-50 people for workshops
• children’s playground
• medical surgery
• and open air space of thousands m²

The press room, the central Fencing ground and the open air space will have wireless Internet access.

These are the rooms and the space that all the seminars, workshops and the cultural events of the 4th European Social Forum will take place. At a short distance there is also a hangar of about 5,000 m², where we plan to offer free hospitality in good conditions to all those who wish to sleep in their sleeping-bags.

2. Access - Transport

The Basketball and Fencing facilities are 13 km away from the center of Athens and the means of transport that arrive directly to the venue from the city center are the following:

Bus : A1: Peiraias – Voula

(For those of you who will stay in Peiraias)

Bus: A2: Akadimia – Voula (via Amphitheas Avenue)

(Starting point: Panepistimiou Avenue, center of Athens)

Bus: B1: Peiraias – Ano Glyfada

Bus: 140 – Polygono – Glyfada

Tramway Line 5

(Starting Point: Syntagma square)

The bus-stop you should get off is the 2nd Bus-stop of Aghios Kosmas. This applies to the Tramway line as well: 2nd Tramway Stop of Aghios Kosmas.

You can also reach the venue using the following means of transport in combination:

1. Take the Metro Line 2 (Red Line), get off at Dafni Station and then you choose one of the above metioned buses (the bus-stop is just above the metro station)
2. Take the Metro Line 1 (Green Line), get off at Faliro Station and then get on to Tramway Line 3.

You should get off at the 2nd Stop of Aghios Kosmas, no matter which means of transport you have chosen.

From the Airport to the Center of Athens or Peiraias

You will find the following buses

  X94 Ethniki Amina Station (Ethniki Amina Metro Station, Metro Line 3 – Blue Line)
  X95 Syntagma
  X96 Peiraias (via Paraliaki avenue – 1st Aghios Kosmas bus-stop for those who are coming directly from the airport to the venue)
  X97 Dafni (arrives at Dafni Metro Station)

The bus service from the airport to the center of Athens or to Peiraias is every 30 minutes during the night and much more frequent during the day.

 

For further information about transport services and finding your way in Athens, please visit the following sites:

http://www.viamichelin.fr/viamichel...

http://www.oasa.gr/uk/index_gr.asp

http://www.oasa.gr/uk/airport_servi...

http://www.driveme.gr

^{The Compagny of Urban Transport has agreed to issue a special Travel card of 7,50 euros during the ESF, and they have agreed to have more frequent services during the night. Last but not least, for those few (we hope) that will prefer to travel by car there is free parking lot.} 

3. Free accomodation

^{If you wish to sleep in your sleeping-bag in the free accommodation venue of the 4th> ESF, please let us know in  online registration.} 

^{Babels interpreters will be offered free accomodation or solidarity accomodation in houses.}

^{However, if you have a serious health problem and you wish to be offered solidarity accomodation as well, please send us an email with your personal data in: info@athens.fse-esf.org and please put the word Filoxenia in the subject line.}

4. Hotels

The Society of the Athens Hotel-keepers have agreed to make a considerable discount to those having a 4th ESF card. We also plan to book hostels and pensions at low prices for the participants coming from Eastern European countries, the Balkans, Turkey and Middle East. Here is the first list of the hotels and you will be able to make  online booking.

Here is the first list of hotels. In order to take the special prices that mentioned below, please let the hotel-keeper know that you participate in the 4th ESF.

	HOTEL	AREA	SINGLE BED / DOUBLE BED (€)	PHONE NUMBER / FAX	WEB SITE / E-MAIL
1	TRITON	PIREAS	40 / 60	2104173457-8 / 2104177888	www.htriton.gr htriton@otenet.gr
2	ΙΟΝΙΟΝ	PIREAS	45 / 65	2104110820 / 2104110613	www.ionionhotel.com
3	THE JOHN'S HOTEL	GLYFADA	50 / 70	2108946837 / 2108980210	info@johns.gr www.johns.gr
4	HELLINIS	SYGROY AV.	50 / 60	2109311494 / 2109349616	hellinis@hellinis.gr
5	ODEON	ATHENS	55 / 70	2105239200 / 2105233953	www.hotelodeon.gr hotelodeon@galaxynet.gr
6	MISTRAL	PIREAS	60 / 80	2104117150 / 2104122096	www.mistral.gr   hmistral@otenet.gr
7	CAROLINA	ATHENS	60 / 80	2103243551 / 2103243550	www.hotelcarolina.gr info@hotelcarolina.gr
8	DELIS	ATHENS	70 / 80	2107238311-3 / 2107238314	www.delice.gr delicegr@yahoo.com
9	DORIAN IN	ATHENS	73 / 84	2103305215-6	kritsia@kritsia.gr
10	ACROPOLIS HOUSE	ATHENS	75 / 97	2103222344 / 2103244143	www.acropolishouse.gr hotel@acropolishouse.gr
11	ILISIA	ATHENS	81 / 93	21072440516 / 2107241847	www.bestwestern.com/... ilisia@internet.gr
12	ATHOS	ATHENS	85 / 100	2103220080 / 2103210548	www.athoshotel.gr athoshtl@otenet.gr
13	GLYFADA	GLYFADA	85 / 75	2108944081 / 2108985068	infoglyf@otenet.gr www.glyfadahotel.gr
14	ACROPOL	HALANDRI	95 / 95	2106845057 / 2106845057	www.acropol.gr hoac@ath.forthnet.gr
15	ESPERIA	ATHENS	100 / 120	2103238000 / 2103238100	www.esperiahotel.com.gr info@esperiahotel.com.gr
16	PARK	ATHENS	120 / 140	2108894500 / 2108216107	www.athensparkhotel.gr reservations@athensparkhotel.gr
17	ROYAL OLYMPIC	ATHENS	120 / 140	2109288580 / 2109233317	www.royalolympic.com info@royalolympic.com
18	ZAFOLIA	ATHENS	132 / 145	2106449002 / 2106442042	info@zafoliahotel.gr www.zafoliahotel.gr
19	STRATOS VASSILIKOS	ATHENS	140 / 140	2107706611 / 2107708137	reservations@airotel.gr
20	CONGO PALACE HOTEL	GLYFADA	80 / 100	2108946711 / 2108946719	www.congopalace.gr congopalace@vivodinet.gr
21	NOVOTEL	ATHENS	88 / 97	2108200707 / 2108200777	www.novotel.com www.novotelathens.gr
22	ARGO	PIREAS	45/60	2104121795 / 2104122420	argoanita@hotmail.com www.hotelargoanita.com
23	ΑNITA ARGO	PIREAS	40 / 50	210 4121795 / 2104122420	argoanita@hotmail.com www.hotelargoanita.com
24	ΙΚΑΡΟΣ	HELLINIKO	34 / 60	2108981321	ikaros@first.gr
25	AMARILIA HOTEL	Vouliagmeni	80 /95	210 8990391/ 210 8955790	info@amarilia.gr/ www.amarilia.gr

5. Solidarity fund

The Greek Organizing Committee has already provided 50,000 €, and they are trying  to increase this sum as much as possible, to support the transfer and accommodation of delegations or individuals from Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Middle East and Northern Africa, as well as smaller delegations from Latin America and Asia. Since our budget is much more limited than the budget of the organizers of the previous European Social Forums we make the following proposals:

a)   If people from the above-mentioned places which happen to be up to1500 km away from Athens want to be supported by the Solidarity Fund, they should travel by bus or by train;

b) Western European trade-unions and NGOs    that are financially robust should “sponsor”    financially – that is to cover the overall expenses − the trade-unions or other delegations from the Eastern Europe etc.

 

We will do everything in our power to prevent every comrade from not coming to the 4th ESF due to financial reasons.

6. Visas

As we have already stated in the Enlargement Group report from the European Preparatory Assembly of Vienna, we need to have – for the participants in need of a visa – the lists of names with all the relevant information well in advance so that we can send a personal invitation for the granting of a visa. If this is the case, please download the relevant form for visa, fill it in and send it to info-send@athens.fse-esf.org

The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that you DO NOT have to pay 35 euros for your visa issue (there will be issued “group” visas of 50 people, in which only the coordinator would have to pay 35 euros and the rest of your 1 euro), and you will NOT have to pay 20 euros for your health card.

 

All those in need of a visa should send their applications as soon as possible. This is even more urgent for those delegations that are in need of a “group” visa.

For further information about visa issues, please contact us right away. The Technical Secretary of the European Social Forum can be reached at the phone number: 0030-210-5288034.

7. Participation fee

Registration for the 4th ESF will cost 20 € for those people who wish to attend all four days or 5 € for attending one day; there will be a special care for the unemployed, immigrants and students. The cost of holding a stall is 150 € and every Western European association that will take part at the 4th ESF will pay 100 € for collectives and movements  that act in regional and local level and 200 € for trade unions, international movements and NGOs to the Solidarity Fund. The cost of organizing seminars with interpretation in 5 languages will be 150 euros for rooms of 40-80 people, 300 euros for rooms of 100-350 people, 500 euros for rooms up to 500 people and 1000 euros for rooms more than 1000 people. In the 6th  of April, the registration and payment procedure will begin through the internet.

8. Registration

As you know the registration for individuals and organizations is fully functional.

Please tell people who want to come to Athens ESF to register as soon as possible.We don’t have many days until the antiracist opening of the 4^th ESF.


Please register using our website.  This is the only way which you should use to register.

Payments are done with a credit card or bank transfer.  If you pay by bank/wire transfer, please send us the bank receipt  by mail or by fax 00302105288022 so that we can monitor the process.

Contact persons for organisations do not need to register as individual participants.

All the others have to register as individuals!

Organisations that need to register with a discount (100 euros) are kindly requested to send an email to the Organizing committee.  If the request is granted, the organisations can pay via bank transfer.

Registration for an organisation automatically allows you to apply for stalls.  Each stall is constituted by 3 folding screens 2m20 hight,1m width and 1 table.  Each organisation can have a maximum of 3 stalls. 

You can ask and pay for a stall until 28^th of April.

Please don’t make several tests on the website and if you are not sure please don’t register several times. If you fill on the form the right email address the website automatically will inform you for your registration.

 Registration for an individual automatically allows you to apply for free accommodation in the venue (you must bring your own sleeping bag), and to apply for press accreditation.

 There will be a really small place for camping but we prefer the ESF participants stay with sleeping bags at the housed facilities (properly modified aircraft hangars).

 

The free accommodation will be available from 2/5 until the morning of 8/5

 

We will provide to anyone who wants a receipt for registration fee in the office of finances working group in Athens during the days of the event.

9. For any help contact with us

Contacts:

General informations:+30-210-5288022 

Logistics Working Group:+30-210-5288038, +30-210-9842941

Enlargement Working Group(Visas):+30-210-9843179

Programme Working Group:+30-210-5288034, +30-210-5288052

Babels-Alis:+30-210-5288051, +30-210-5288023

Network of Culture:+30-210-9847682

info@athens.fse-esf.org

GREEK ORGANIZING COMMITTEE FOR THE 4th ESF