Amazing weather
València is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third largest city in Spain after Madrid and Barcelona, with around 800,000 inhabitants in the administrative centre. Located in the east coast of Spain, it has more than 300 sunny days per year and average temperatures in June between 22 and 30 degrees. And, of course, being on the Mediterranean, the sea temperatures are pretty nice too.
Well connected city
València has an international airport (IATA code VLC) with direct connections to/from most European Capitals. The airport is just 8 Km. to the west of the city and it takes less than 20 minutes to get to the downtown of the city from the airport by taxi and about 30 minutes by metro. Most of València’s monuments and important buildings are in the historic quarter, meaning that you can get about on foot if you wish. Another way to get to anywhere in the city is using the public transport system (bus, metro or tram), which will take you to all the places of interest, the City of Arts and Sciences and the beach. The Universitat Politècnica de València is easily reachable using public transportation. More detailed information regarding transportation can be found here.
A tourist attraction
The city of Valencia has received around 2 million tourists during 2017, which is a new record! Not bad for a city of about 800,000 inhabitants. Maybe the blue-flagged beaches of the city, its rich gastronomy or its unique mixture of tradition and modernity have something to see with that. A list of essential places to visit in València can be found here. In June 2019, the New York Times proposed the city as one of the 6 places in Europe offering shelter from the crowds (see the full article here). València is very safe and offers plenty of alternative plans to visitors, even little ones (see the València with kids plan), and despite having a limited amount of time for sightseeing (see the “3 days in Valencia” plan). Guides and tourist maps of València are available here and you can enhance your experience with the FREE VLC Valencia app. It is worth mentioning that there exists a so-called València Tourist Card. With this card one can travel FREE on buses, metros and trams, get FREE entry to municipal museums and monuments and enjoy special discounts in València’s main tourist attractions. Further information about this card can be found here.
First DSN in Spain
This will be the first time that DSN will be held in Spain. The best will be done to ensure the success of the conference and a once-in-a-life experience to all attendees. DSN attendees will benefit from the first-class facilities available at the Universitat Politècnica de València for the organization of scientific events. More precisely, the conference will take place in the Science Park of the university named Polytechnic City of Innovation. The scientific program will be complemented with a social program that will make you and your companions discover not only the main attractions of the city, but also its gastronomy, including the top-level wines and liqueurs produced in the region and the local cuisine, where the paella is maybe the most well-known plate.
Accommodation
Valencia has a plentiful hotel, residence and youth hostel offering. In general, prices are very moderated, even for Spanish standards, and visitors use to get very good values for their money. Due to the large existing accommodation offer, the Conference Organization is not managing hotel reservations directly. However, thinking in your best experience during your stay in València, some hotels are proposed in three city locations of interest that are well-connected through public transportation with the Universitat Politècnica de València: the city center (historical location), the city of Arts & Sciences Area (modern location) and the València Beach (beach location). Please, take into account that, whatever location you choose to be, the end of June is high season so do not wait too long to book your accommodation. Accommodation recommendations are provided here.