Travel requirements for entering Portugal
Meeting attendees are responsible for arranging their own travel and to ensure that they have the documentation required for entering Portugal.
Portugal Visa and Passport requirements
Portugal is part of the Schengen area and any EU citizen can enter Portugal by presenting a valid identity card or passport. Nationals from countries outside the EU will need a valid passport and possibly a visa. More information here.
If you require an official letter of invitation for visa puposes, please contact the Secretariat at GB31@gbif.org.
Insurance
Meeting attendees are advised to ensure appropriate health and travel insurance for travel to Portugal.
Arriving in Portugal
The meeting will take place in Vairão which is located just outside Porto. Hotels will be available in the nearby town of Vila do Conde or in Porto.
The closest airport is the Porto Airport, Francisco Sá Carneiro.
Information about public transportation can be found here.
Hotels
Meeting attendees are asked to organize their own accommodation.
The local organisers recommend booking a room in one of the hotels mentioned below. Please make your reservation in advance directly with the hotels.
Hotel in Vila do Conde
3* Hotels
Hotel Brazão
Av. Dr. João Canavarro 7, 4480-688 Vila do Conde, Portugal
Hotel website: hotelbrazao.pt/
B&B Hotels Vila do Conde
Rua 5 de Outubro 1024 , 4480–700 Vila do Conde , Portugal
Hotel website: hotel-bb.com/pt/cidade/hoteis-vila-do-conde
4* hotels
Santana Hotel and Spa
Monte Santana, 4480-188 Azurara, Portugal
Hotel website: santanahotel.pt/
Vila C Butique Hotel
Av. Mouzinho de Albuquerque, s/n, Estrada Nacional 13, 4480-151 Vila do Conde, Portugal
Hotel website: villacboutiquehotel.com/
5* hotels
The Lince Santa Clara Historic Hotel
Largo Dom Afonso Sanches, 4480-754 Vila do Conde, Portugal
Hotel website: thelincehotels.com/santaclara/
Hotel in Porto
3* Hotels
Star inn Porto
R. Sra. do Porto 930, 4250-453 Porto, Portugal
Hotel website: hotelstarinn.com/porto/
Hotel HF Tuela Porto
R. Arquitecto Marques da Silva 200, 4150-483 Porto, Portugal
Hotel website: hfhotels.com/pt/hoteis/hf-tuela-porto-pt/
TRYP Porto Centro Hotel
Rua da Alegria 685 689, 4000-046 Porto, Portugal
Hotel website: trypportocentro.com/
4* hotels
Hotel HF Ipanema Porto
Rua do Campo Alegre 156, 4150-169 Porto, Portugal
Hotel website: hfhotels.com/pt/hoteis/hf-ipanema-porto-pt/
Hotel HF Fénix Porto
R. de Gonçalo Sampaio 282, 4150-365 Porto, Portugal
Hotel website: hfhotels.com/pt/hoteis/hf-fenix-porto-pt/
Vincci Porto Hotel
Alameda de Basílio Teles 29, 4150-127 Porto, Portugal
Hotel website: pt.vincciporto.com/
Venues
Campus de Vairão
Rua do Crasto S/N (Antigo Museu Agrícola entre Douro e Minho)
Vairão
Portugal
The newly renovated Campus de Vairão is the headquarters of BIOPOLIS. The GBIF committee meetings, the official Governing Board meeting and the Symposium will take place at Campus de Vairão on 30 September - 3 October 2024.
Casa Ferreirinha
R. Carvalhosa 19
4400-032 Vila Nova de Gaia
Portugal
sogrape.com/tourism/caves-ferreira
The Icebreaker will take place at Casa Ferreirinha on 30 September 2024.
Hall of Biodiversity – Ciência Viva Center
Rua do Campo Alegre, 1191
4150-181 Porto
Portugal
mhnc.up.pt/galeria-da-biodiversidade/
The Dinner will take place at the Hall of Biodiveristy - Ciência Viva Center on 1 October 2024. There will be a tour of the Hall of Biodiversity led by Professor Nuno Ferrand de Almeida followed by dinner in the main atrium.
Based at Casa Andresen, at Porto’s Botanical Garden, the Hall of Biodiversity – Ciência Viva Center is the outcome of the first phase of the ambitious rehabilitation project of the MHNC-UP, which is currently underway in close collaboration with Ciência Vitva Agency.
Located in one of the most emblematic places in the city of Porto – the Botanical Garden, which together with it integrates the second pole of the Museum, the Hall of Biodiversity, officially opened to the public by His Excellency the President of the Portuguese Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa on June 30, 2017, is the first Ciência Viva Center specifically devoted to biodiversity.
A space in which the arts connect with biology and natural history, fostering a wide range of sensorial experiences, carefully and intentionally crafted with the purpose of celebrating the diversity of life, the Hall of Biodiversity is the first museology platform in the world to be conceived from the start according to the total museology philosophy.
Herein, visitors will encounter an exemplary set of 49 exhibition modules and installations, many of which have been developed or adapted specifically for inclusion in its permanent exhibition, organized according to 15 major topics covering all key aspects of the biological and cultural diversity we now know. With unparalleled features and functions, and well framed in an amazingly rich and diversified set of museographic resources, ranging from mechanical models to the most sophisticated multimedia and audiovisual platforms, this new and unique exhibition will invite visitors to take part in a journey through science, literature and the arts, along which the most beautiful tales about life will be told.
Excursion - Quinta do Seixo
The social program will include an excursion to Quinta do Seixo, located in the Alto Douro wine region, one of the world’s oldest wine regions and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This region has a long-standing tradition of viticulture spanning millennia, and it is mainly known for producing port wine since the 18th century. The unique landscape of the Alto Douro wine region, with vineyards arranged in spectacular terraces bordering the river Douro and its principal tributaries, is one of the reasons for its selection as a World Heritage Site in 2001. Here, you will find Quinta do Seixo, located in the sub-region of Upper Corgo, benefiting from a prime location in the heart of the Douro Demarcated Region. Following the Douro River from Régua to Pinhão, one can easily discover this ancient property from the 17th century with more than 100 hectares, of which 70 hectares are planted with vineyards, and its winery of contemporary design. Quinta do Seixo is an emblematic estate home to some of the finest Sandeman Port Wines. This is the birthplace of high-quality grapes that produce superior wines like Sandeman Quinta do Seixo Vintage in very old vines, modern terraces, single rows, or biological vines. Quinta do Seixo’s heritage, with an over 100-year-old vineyard and a wide range of traditional grapes from the Douro, continues to resist the most aggressive conditions and temperatures and to produce unique and high-quality port wines, serving as a testament to Portugal’s amazing diversity in grapevine varieties. At Quinta do Seixo, you will find a unique blend of tradition and cutting-edge viticultural practices, encased in a perfect setting and a magnificent landscape, shaped by man in terraces made of schist.
How to get to/from venues (updated)
The local organizer will provide bus services to delegates who have informed the Secretariat about their hotel location. Below you will find the detailed information.
Two pick up/return places
There will be two central pick up/return places; 1) for people who stay in Vila do Conde and 2) for people staying in Porto. If you wish to make use of the bus service, please find your pick-up place and check the pick-up and return times listed below.
VILA DO CONDE
Mercado Vila do Conde (Market Place)
Praça de São João, 4480-754 Vila do Conde
Map locaton: https://maps.app.goo.gl/RmMwDqngKB5A1ZgVA
Please note that this location has been updated.
PORTO
Estação do Metro Casa da Música (Case da Musica Metro Station)
Avenida de França, 4050-276 Porto
Map location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/GyEp8EHU1HJh1nCX9
The bus will stop at the bus terminal next to the metro station.
Time schedule
30 September
Morning pick up for committee meeting attendees
- Vila do Conde: 08:00
- Porto: 08:00
Afternoon pick up for Icebreaker
- Vila do Conde: 16:30
- Quinta do Crasto, Vairão (committee meeting venue): 17:00
Please note that as the Icebreaker will take place in Porto, attendees who are staying in Porto are asked to get to the Icebreaker venue on their own. It is suggested to use the Metro or a taxi to get there if it is not within walking distance from your hotel.
Evening return from Icebreaker
- Buses will depart from the Icebreaker venue at 21:00 to return to the pick up points in Porto and Vila do Conde.
1 October
Morning pick up for Governing Board Day 1
- Vila do Conde: 08:30
- Porto: 08:00
Afternoon pick up from meeting venue to Dinner
- Quinta do Crasto, Vairão (meeting venue): 17:30
Evening return from Dinner
- Buses will depart from the Dinner venue at 21:30 to return to the pick up points in Porto and Vila do Conde.
2 October
Morning pick up for the Symposium
- Vila do Conde: 08:30
- Porto: 08:00
Afternoon return from meeting venue
- Buses will depart from the meeting venue at 18:00 to return to the pick up point in Porto and Vila do Conde.
3 October
Morning pick up for Governing Board Day 2
- Vila do Conde: 08:30
- Porto: 08:00
Afternoon return from meeting venue
- Buses will depart from the meeting venue at 17:30 to return to the pick up point in Porto and Vila do Conde.
Please note that transportation will also be provided for the Executive Committee members who will meet after the end of the Governing Board meeting. Information about pick up time will be provided directly to the committee members.
4 October
Morning pick up for excursion
- Vila do Conde: 08:00
- Porto: 08:00
Afternoon return from excursion
- Buses will depart from the excursion site at 17:00 to return to the pick up point in Porto and Vila do Conde.
If you have any questions about the buses, or have not yet informed the Secretariat where you will be staying, please contact the Secretariat at GB31@gbif.org as soon as possible.
Map
The location of the meeting venues and some of the nearest hotels can be found in the map below or by clicking here.
General information
Electricity
Portugal operates on 230V supply voltage and 50Hz.
Languages
Portuguese is the primary language, but English is widely spoken.
Money
Portugal uses the euro as its currency. All of the central Portuguese banks are part of the Multibanco service which links up cash machines across the country.
Opening hours (for banks and shops)
Most shops will open from 9.00 am-5.30 pm depending on the type of commerce. Banks usually from 09.00 am-3.00 pm but offer 24-hour access to ATMs.
Personal security
112 is the single European emergency telephone number, available throughout the European Union, free of charge.
In the event of any emergency, 112 can be connected through fixed and mobile telephones.
Telecommunication and internet
There are a number of network service providers in Portugal that have roaming agreements with most international mobile phone companies and provide users with a good coverage nationwide.
Internet is broadly available. Most hotels and many public facilities, such as airports, restaurants, etc. have internet available, either free of charge or payment is needed.
Tourist information
Tourist information: Porto and the North