Dear Colleagues,

I want to tell you more about travel options to Ayvalik, the site of HERODOT 2009 meeting:

1. The closest airport is Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport. Here is the web address for that airport: http://www.adnanmenderesairport.com/

I am sure that there are direct flights from most major European cities to Izmir and there are more than 50 flights from Istanbul daily. Therefore, I advise you to fly to Izmir. We arranged two or three buses, depending on the numbers, to pick the participants from the airport directly to the conference hotel, one in the afternoon, one in the evening and one at night. Since the conference arrivals were planned for Thursday, 28th May, these buses will run on that day from Izmir to Ayvalik and will take the participants back on Sunday the 31st.

The duration of that trip is two hours. We will wait for you at the airport, holding HERODOT signs. If you miss one of these buses you need to go to the bus station in Izmir and take a bus to Ayvalik (Please see the airport homepage for instructions). If people register for pre-conference excursions and arrive in certain times on the 25th, we will arrange another bus to pick these people from the airport to the hotel. All pre-conference excursions will depart from the hotel.

2. Alternatively, people can choose to arrive to Istanbul and take a bus from Istanbul to Ayvalik. There are frequent bus trips from Istanbul to Ayvalik and that trip takes 8 hours. You may choose to take this trip and see the countryside on the way but it is a little long. But if any of you choose to do so, we will pick you up from the Ayvalik bus station. You need to let us know in advance. Ayvalik bus station is 3 kms away from the conference hotel. It is always easy to fly from Istanbul to Izmir as well.

3. There is another option to fly to the Greek island of Lesbos and take a ferry from there to Ayvalik. The company that works in that line is Jale Tour. Their address is http://www.jaletur.com/ Please check with them for schedule changes.

They run from Lesvos to Ayvalik everyday in summer but less frequent in winter time. However, no matter what the time of the year is they always run from Lesbos to Ayvalik on Wednesdays and Thursdays in the morning (8:30). That trip takes about two hours. If any of you choose to take that ferry, please let us know so we will pick you up from the ferry station. The station is 3 kms away from the conference hotel.

Please do not hesitate to ask any questions you may have.

Dr. Yilmaz Ari
Herodot 2009 Conference, local organizer.
Balikesir University, Turkey

E-mail: yari@balikesir.edu.tr
yilmazari@hotmail.com
Cell phone : +90 536 472 15 48