Location
UPEC 2016 will be held in the Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Coimbra (ISEC)/Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra (IPC), Rua Pedro Nunes, Quinta da Nora, Coimbra, Portugal.

The conference will start with registration on Monday 5th of September at 2.30 p.m. and will end mid-afternoon on Friday 9th of September 2016. The conference programme will be available on the conference website at: http://www.upec2016.com, prior to the start of the conference.

Language
English will be the conference language.

Local Time
UTC/GMT + 1 hour: (Western Europe Daylight at Summer Time)
The Local Time is according to the Universal Time Coordinated (UTC)/Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

Climate
In general, the climate tends to be temperate all year, with long hot summers, mild springs and autumns, and relatively mild winters, although temperatures and weather conditions are marked by strong local differences. When you travel to Portugal visit the IPMA – Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera/Portuguese Sea and Atmosphere Institute website (http://www.ipma.pt/en/index.html) to prepare yourself to the trip.

Currency
Euro (€) is the currency used in Portugal, as in the most European countries. Banks offer normal currency exchange services and most establishments accept credit and debit cards.

ATMs - Automatic Teller Machines (Multibanco): Portugal has a national network of cash machines (ATMs) identified by the symbol MB (Multibanco), from which you can withdraw cash 24 hours a day.
Currency Exchange: you can exchange money at banks, which are open from 8.30 a.m. to 3 p.m. five working days a week; at bureau de change; and at automatic currency exchange machines (these are for currency sale transactions only).
Credit cards: in Portugal, the most commonly used credit cards are Visa, American Express, Diners Club, Europay/MasterCard, JCB and Maestro.
Tipping: tipping is optional, since the service is included in the bill. Adding 10% to the amount is regular practice in taxis, restaurants and bars.

Sales Tax
Sales Tax, VAT (Value Added Tax), is included in prices quoted. Visitors to Portugal who are not resident in any of the European Union member states can be reimbursed for the VAT paid on purchases that they have made in Portugal and are being transported in their personal luggage. For non European Union residents, tax free shopping schemes are available in many shops, which give substantial savings to visitors.

Health
If you require medical assistance contact the local Health Centre. Hospital emergency services should be used only in serious situations (serious injury, poisoning, burns, infarction, thromboses, breathing difficulties, …).
In case of illness or accident while visiting Portugal, Nationals from the 27 European Union countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland are entitled to free or reduced-cost healthcare (the same benefits as Portuguese citizens). In order to have access to health services, citizens from the above-mentioned countries, who are not resident in Portugal, must produce their European Health Insurance Cards (issued by the origin country) together with passports or identity cards.
Health Requirements: people from areas where yellow fever is endemic will need to present the vaccination certificates.
Pharmacy: pharmacies are open on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. (some close for lunch from 1 to 3 p.m.) and on Saturdays between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. In every area you can find one that is open 24 hours. The symbol for pharmacy is a white cross on green background. They display an illuminated green cross outside when open at night. All pharmacies have information posted on the door indicating the nearest pharmacies that are open at night.
Emergency Number: in case of emergency call 112.

Local Opening Hours
Banks: banks are open from 8.30 a.m. to 3 p.m. five working days a week.
Post Offices: in general, post offices are open from Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central and airport offices have extended opening hours and may be open on Saturdays and in some cases also on Sundays. Stamps are sold in post offices and vending-machines in the streets. More detailed information about opening hours and services available at each office can be found on www.ctt.pt
Shops: Traditionally, shops are open from Monday to Friday, from 9 or 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Some close for lunch from 1 to 3 p.m. On Saturdays, shops generally close at 1 p.m.
Shopping centers: there are plenty of shopping centers inside and outside the cities that are usually open from 10 a.m. to midnight every day of the week. They generally have stores with the main international brands.
Traditional shops: Portuguese products can be found particularly in the streets of the older neighborhoods of towns and cities.

Smoking
The Portuguese law, in accordance with Regulations of European Union, does not allow smoking in any public transportation or in any closed public areas (some restaurants and bars may have a designated smoking area).

Electricity
The electric current in Portugal is 230/400 volts at a frequency of 50 Hz and sockets comply with European standards (with two pins).

Additional Information
For more information please visit:
https://www.visitportugal.com/en
http://www.visitcentro.com/