Visas
If you’re traveling from Ireland to France (if you attended Interspeech before SSW), note that Ireland is not a Schengen country. Therefore, if you need visas, keep in mind that you will need separate visas for Ireland and France.
ISCA code of conduct
ISCA is committed to a pleasant conference experience without harassment and discrimination. Our code-of-conduct can be found at: https://www.isca-speech.org/iscaweb/index.php/about-isca?id=278
Accessing Grenoble
International Air Access
You can reach Grenoble from three airports:
● Lyon St Exupéry (LYS) is located 90 km/56 miles north west from Grenoble city center. It is the 4th main French airport with 12M passengers/year. All major European carriers (British Airways, Lufthansa, Air France, Swiss) serve LYS with several flights per day. The major European discount airlines (Ryanair, Easyjet, Eurowings, Vueling) fly from/to LYS from more than 90 cities (including Dublin), at very low cost. LYS is a multimodal hub: every hour, a direct shuttle bus (flixbus or blablabus) connects LYS to the Grenoble bus/train station (~1h). The trip could also be performed by train from/to St Exupery TGV.
● Grenoble Airport (GNB) is located 46km/29 miles west from Grenoble city center. During summer and winter seasons, it has regular connexions with Most European cities including Dublin, Rotterdam, Varsovie, Porto, Stockholm and several UK cities. A shuttle bus connects GNB to the Grenoble bus/train station.
● Geneva Airport (GVA) is another solution. It is located 145 km/90 miles north from Grenoble. A shuttle bus also connects GVA to Grenoble train station (~2h).
National Train Access
You can also reach Grenoble from Lyon (1h), Paris (3h), Marseille (3h) by TGV.
Grenoble
Grenoble urban area is close to 450000 inhabitants. It lies where the river Drac joins the Isère at the foot of the French Alps. Grenoble is a rather low (200m above the sea level) and flat city (like most of the Grenoblois, our ecologist mayor cycles!), surrounded by high mountains. Grenoble will be the European green capital in 2022. University Grenoble Alpes (UGA) is the third largest university in France with about 60,000 students and over 3,000 researchers.
Accommodation
We advise to find accommodation in the city centre where you can wander at night across its numerous squares (Grenette, Gordes, Saint-André, Notre-Dame, Jardin de Ville, etc.) and friendly restaurants/bars. The city centre goes from tram stations « Gare » to « Notre-Dame » (West to East) and from the Isère river to the tram station « Chavant » (North to South).
Local Transportation
Grenoble has five tramway lines and numerous buses. The venue is located on campus and connected by tram directly from the train station (tram B, ~20 min) and the city centre (tram B or C*, 10-15min). The whole city is full of cycle paths, which is a very enjoyable way to move around. City bikes are available for lease for one or a few days, at very low prices and a bike ride from the city centre to the campus is 10-15min.
*note that until August 27th included, the tram line C makes its last stop at « Les Taillées – Universités. » which is 5mn walk before the venue
Weather
Grenoble has a continental climate, August is the plain summer in France and the best month to enjoy mountain riding (or even summer skiing in Les 2 Alpes!) and lake swimming (several spots around Grenoble: Laffrey, Monteynard, Paladru, etc.). The days are quite warm (daytime is 24-28°C). Expect plenty of pleasant, sunny days in August.
Touristic activities
Grenoble has several museums downtown (Grenoble museum, Dauphinois, L’ancien évéché, Stendhal, etc.). Entrance is often free. The city has several microbreweries (La furieuse, Mandrin, Irvoy, La dauphine, etc.) and many bars where you can taste them. Grenoble hosts one the largest cultural centers (Maison de la culture or just “Macu”) in France. You can enjoy concerts in numerous spots (la belle electrique, la bobine, Le Drak-Art, etc.).
A city bus line can also drive you to the core of the Chartreuse mountains (famous for its liquor), in the village of le Sappey-en-Chartreuse (~20min), for outstanding landscapes. Many regional buses connect most ski resorts from Grenoble (the closest being < 1h) for hiking and enjoying breathtaking viewpoints.