CodeCampX_travel

The Tenth SasView Code Camp, will be held at 'Hotel Jakuszyce*** Sport & Spa' near the small town of Szklarska Poręba, Poland from October 25^th through October 31^st 2022. To assist with in-country transportation, see below, attendees are encouraged to arrive October 24^th and depart on November 1^st.

NB: The hotel is 8 km outside of the town.

Transportation

The hotel is around 2-2.5 hours by road from the nearest international airports: Wroclaw, Poland (IATA Code: WRO, 140 km); Prague, Czech Republic (IATA Code: PRG, 150 km) and Dresden, Germany (IATA Code: DRS, 190 km). Of these, Prague/Dresden have a wider selection of flights.

Bus

It is possible to get from all three airports to the nearest town to the hotel by bus, but services are generally sparse, lengthy, and not direct from the airports (eg, you need to change). Bus/rail combinations are also possible, but see 'Rail' below.

Flixbus runs regular service between Wroclaw city center (Wrocław, Dworzec Autobusowy) and Prague city center (Praga ÚAN Florenc) to Szklarska Poręba Jakuszyce (bus stop 300m from the hotel). There are 2/3 connections during the day and they take between 2 and 3h.

From Wroclaw - shortest journey time is 3.5 h but most are more like 4+ to 5+ h

From Wroclaw
Arrivals	8:47AM (departs 3:30AM)	9:54AM (departs 6:20AM)	10:47AM (departs 6:30AM)	2:47PM (departs 10:30AM)	4:47PM (depart 12:30AM)	6:47PM (depart 2:08PM)	LAST BUS 8:19PM (depart 4:38PM)
Returns	8:00AM (arrives 12:30PM)	9:00AM (arrives 1PM)	10:00AM (arrives 2:30PM)	2:00PM (arrives 6:10PM)	LAST BUS 8:20PM (arrives 12:30AM!)

From Prague - with good connections journey time is between 3:15 to 4 h

From Prague
Arrivals	9:21 AM (departs ~6:00AM)	8:36PM (departs ~5:15PM)
Returns	9:38 (arrives at 1:00PM)	8:03PM (arrives at 11:11PM)

From Dresden - with good connections journey time is between 5 to 6 h (very shortest is 4:59 h, longest is 8:19 h!)

From Dresden
Arrivals	2:47PM (departs 7:48AM)	4:47PM (departs 11:48AM)	6:47 (departs 1:45PM)	8:48PM (via Szklarska Poreba Gorna)	8:36PM (departs 2:50PM) (via Prague)	LAST BUS 8:50PM (via Poreba Gorna) (departs ~3:15PM)
Returns	8:01AM (arrives 1:40PM)	9:38AM* (arrives 2:37PM) (via Prague)	10:01AM (arrives 5:37PM)	2:01PM (arrives 7:40PM)	4:01PM (arrives 9:40PM)	6:01PM (via Szklarska Poreba Gorna) (arrives 2:10AM!)	LAST BUS 8:20PM (through Sucha) (arrives 4:40AM!)

*There is an option to combine this bus with a train through Zittau which arrives 2:37PM

Taxi/Shuttle

Looking online, a taxi from Wroclaw is estimated at EUR ~200. From Prague at EUR 185. Prebooked taxi from Wroclaw Airport to the hotel is ~160 (10% discount if is both ways).

Wojtek got a quote for a van for 8 people with the driver from Wroclaw airport for ~270 EUR.

Vehicle Rental

Vehicle rental is certainly possible. Some major rental companies are listed below as these will probably be the only ones bookable by Government employees. But prices for car rental will vary considerably, especially if you are able to use local companies. For example Wojtek was quoted prices starting from ~170 EUR/8 days with full insurance from Wroclaw Airport, whereas some online shopping suggests Avis/Hertz might want EUR ~950/8 days (estate car/station wagon) although there are probably discounts to be had.

From Wroclaw

• Avis (open 8AM - 4PM, 8AM - midnight on Mon only, and closed Sat/Sun)
• Enterprise (open 24/7 Mon - Sun)
• Hertz (open 7AM - midnight Mon - Sun)

From Prague

• Avis (open 8AM - 8PM Mon - Fri, 12PM - 8PM Sun, and closed Sat)
• Enterprise (open 7AM - 10PM Mon - Sun)
• Hertz (open 8AM - 10PM Mon - Sun)

From Dresden

• Avis (open 7.30AM - 2.30PM Mon, 8AM - 1PM Tue & Thu, 10AM - 2.30PM Fri, closed Wed, Sat/Sun)
• Enterprise (open 8AM - 4.30PM Mon - Sun)
• Hertz (open 7.30AM - 6PM Mon - Fri, closed Sat/Sun)

Avis & Hertz say they will permit some rental vehicles to cross an international frontier provided they are returned to the place they were hired from. But they may levy a 'frontier charge' (presumably in case they have to recover it from outside of the country it was hired from). The definition of 'some' is understood to exclude prestige marques and commercial vehicles.

Similarly, if driving your own vehicle, check the geographical limitations of your insurance cover.

The situation with driving licences is confusing because what you may need to drive in Poland/Czech Republic/Germany may not necessarily be what you need to rent a vehicle in those countries (eg, see here).

• If you have a full EU driving licence and an EU passport that should be sufficient to rent a vehicle in all three countries.
• If you have a full UK driving licence and a UK passport that should be sufficient to rent a vehicle, but there seems to be some disagreement about whether an International Driving Permit (1968) is required in the Czech Republic. It is therefore probably prudent for UK licence holders to get a 1968 IDP to be on the safe side!
• If you have any other driving licence you will almost certainly require an IDP and should check with your Government/Consular services. Remember there are three different types of IDP (1949/1968/1991) and you have to have the right one(s) for the right country.

Train

It is possible to get to Szklarska Poręba by train from Wroclaw and Dresden, but due to the number of connections and the nature of the terrain the journey times are 3-4 times longer than by road!

Food & Drink

The hotel has a restaurant and the room rate includes breakfast and a buffet evening dinner. But lunches will be extra and at an individuals discretion. Click here for an example restaurant menu.

There are a couple of other hotels with restaurants within a short walk.

Facilities

The hotel is equipped with wifi and is offering us the day use of the games room for the Code Camp! Wojtek has seen this in use for a small conference and believes it will be more than adequate for our needs.

There is a fitness room & spa on-site, and bicycle rental is available nearby. Plus you can always go for a walk in the woods!

Cost

NB: The Polish currency is the Zloty, the international prefix for which is PLN. Poland is not part of the Eurozone.

The hotel room rate is PLN 270 per person (at the time of writing about EUR 57 / GBP 49 / USD 58). But to this we need to add PLN 35 per person (about EUR 7 / GBP 6 / USD 8) for morning and afternoon refreshments.

Thus the individual day rate, excluding lunch, for the Code Camp is PLN 305 per person (about EUR 64 / GBP 55 / USD 66).

The hotel requires a per person 30% deposit to secure a room. The deposit is returnable up to 1 month before arrival.

UPDATE: To pay the deposit with credit card the hotel will generate individual email links to a payment gateway. But to get a link you will need to give Wojciech a firm idea of your itinerary!

Bank transfer: To pay the deposit with bank transfer please use following details:
SWIFT/BIK: WBKPPLPP
IBAN: PL19 1090 2633 0000 0001 3094 7959
Reference: Full name and arrival and departure dates

Visas

Poland is part of the Schengen Area. See here for information on Schengen visa requirements. But also check with your own passport issuing authorities for any other restrictions that may apply to you.