Venue to Compiègne
About Compiègne
Compiègne is a nice small city in northern France, situated about 75km north of Paris. One of the most prominent towns in the historical region of Picardie, it has been a royal and imperial residence for centuries. In the recent history, the castle was notably a favourite residence of Emperor Napoleon III; and the forest, one of the most famous and largest in France, still hosts famous archaeological and historical remains, such as the Glade of the Armistice where World War I was formally brought to an end.
How to get there
By plane
The closest airport to Compiègne is the Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle international airport (aka Roissy-CDG, Paris-CDG, or Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle). Compiègne can then be reached by train or taxi (we do not recommend using the bus due to the amount of time required). Train will require reaching Paris first (via the RER B: Roissy-CDG to Paris Gare-du-Nord railway station, about 25mn, shuttle every 10 or 15mn in the week, fare around 9€), and then taking a train to Compiègne. Alternatively, Compiègne can be reached directly by taxi (likely the quickest option, depending on the traffic).
Landing at the Orly airport will require taking the Orlyval shuttle to Antony (around 10mn, 10,50€), then taking the RER B to the Paris-Gare-du-Nord railway station (around 30mn), and then reaching Compiègne by train (see below). From Orly airport you can also take a taxi (requires about 1 hour and half without traffic — which there always is).
It is also possible to land at the Beauvais airport, but reaching Compiègne from Beauvais can then be troublesome due to the lack of public transport.
By train
Basically, northerners will directly arrive at the Paris-Gare-du-Nord railway station; easterners will arrive at Paris-Gare-de-l’Est, and southerners at Paris-Gare-de-Lyon, both of which being connected to Paris-Gare-du-Nord via subway or RER.
Compiègne can then be reached by train from the Paris-Gare-du-Nord railway station.
From Paris (or Lille) to Compiègne
From Paris, by train
Take a train from the Paris-Gare-du-Nord train station bound for for Compiègne or for Saint-Quentin, which stops at Compiègne (40mn to 55mn depending on the train). The fares are around 13,50€.
From Paris, by taxi
There are a number of taxi services operating between Roissy-CDG and Compiègne; we warmly recommend those proposed by Mr Lepoint:
ALLO GILLES TAXI — 00 33 6 07 54 02 27 – allogillestaxi@outlook.fr
By car
The main axis is the A1 highway, which can either be taken from the south (i.e. Paris : head towards Lille, exit 9 “Compiègne sud”) or the north (i.e. Lille : head towards Paris, exit 11 “Compiègne north”).
Reaching the conference location
The conference takes place in the Innovation Center (“Centre d’Innovation Daniel Thomas”) of the Université de Technologie de Compiègne.
The Innovation Center is located in the Royallieu site of the UTC, near the research center (and not in the Benjamin Franklin site which is near the town center).
How to get to the conference site
In a nutshell:
- The innovation center is the big wooden building beside the road: location and photos there
- In order to get there, the quickest option is by bus: line 5, stop Guy Deniélou (the innovation center is on the same size of the road as the bus stop when coming from the town center)
- When you step out of the bus, there are a few signs to direct you to the innovation center; the door for pedestrians is actually always opened in daytime
A number of bus lines make it possible to travel through Compiègne in a convenient way. Buses are free of charge (except on sundays). The main lines reaching the Centre d’Innovation are lines 5 and 3 (the latter generally takes a little longer).
The bus times and lines can be found on the page maintained by the town hall’s departments (in french).
If you’re a strider, you can also get to the conference site by walking, for instance along the Oise river: a public footpath and cycle route connects the town center and the Centre d’Innovation (see map for an overview of the stride).
Accommodations
The conference location is situated near a residential area. Buses going to and coming from the city center run until around 8:00/9:00pm.
If you fancy a bit of social life in the evening, we recommend making an accommodation near the town center.
Hotels near the workshop place
1) HOSTELLERIE DU ROYALLIEU *** (800m from conference location)
9 rue de Senlis00 33 3 44 20 10 24
Double room: from 100 Euros
Breakfast: 14 Euros
hostellerieduroyallieu@orange.fr
2) HOTEL IBIS ** (800m from conference location)
18 rue Edouard BranlyDouble room: from 79 Euros
Breakfast: 9 Euros
00 33 3 44 23 16 27
H0691@accor-hotels.com
Hotels in town center (around 3km from conference location – 35/45 minutes walk along the river – 15 minutes by bus)
1) ETAP HOTEL
1 rue Pierre Sauvage00 33 8 92 68 31 04
Double room: from 49 Euros
Breakfast: 4,95 Euros
www.accorhotels.com
2) HOTEL DE FLANDRE **
16 Quai de la République00 33 3 44 83 24 40
Double room: from 57 Euros
Breakfast: 8,50 Euros
hoteldeflandre@wanadoo.fr
3) HOTEL DE HARLAY ***
3 rue de Harlay00 33 3 44 23 01 50
Double room: from 76 Euros
Breakfast: 8 Euros
hoteldeharlay@wanadoo.fr
4) HOTEL BEST WESTERN LES BEAUX ARTS ***
33 cours Guynemer00 33 3 44 92 26 26
Double room: from 80 Euros
Breakfast: 12 Euros
hotellesbeauxarts@wanadoo.fr