The workshop will be held at the Instituto de Fisica (IF) of Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). The IF/UFRGS is located at the 'Campus do Vale', in Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil.
We are trying to obtain resources for transportation from downtown Porto Alegre to the Campus do Vale, but public transportation is also available.
From downtown Porto Alegre, there are three bus lines to Campus do Vale: the lines Agronomia and Agronomia/Informática, from Unibus; and the lines D43 and Campus Impiranga, from Carris. Bus schedule (in Portuguese) is available here.
Porto Alegre
The international airport "Salgado Filho" (code: POA) has some international flights. Additionally, POA has many flights connecting to Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, where most international flights arrive. Airlines flying from Rio or Sao Paulo to Porto Alegre include LaTAM, Gol, Azul and Avianca Brasil.
The POA airport is located in the North of Porto Alegre, about 10 km away from downtown. The fastest way to get to downtown is to take a taxi, but public transportation is also available.
Accommodation
Several hotels can be found through sites like booking.com. Some options in downtown include the Collins Trade and nearby hotels (all including breakfast):
Collins Trade Hotel, Travessa Tuyuty, 74, Centro (Downtown). Single about R$200/night. Double about R$250/night.
Eko Residence Hotel, Avenida Des. André da Rocha, 131, Centro (Downtown). Single-double from about R$130-180/night. Triple-Quadruple rooms about R$250/night.
Tri Hotel Poa, Rua Duque de Caxias, 1454, Centro (Downtown). Single about R$130/night. Double about R$160/night. Triple R$187/night.
We recommend staying at the Collins Trade or nearby hotels (for example, Eko Residence, Tri Hotel Poa).
We have negotiated prices with the Collins Trade Hotel (http://www.collinshotel.com.br). If you do directly the reservation with them (instead of booking.com) and mention our meeting, you will get the following prices (breakfast included).
1 person: R$ 154, 2 people: R$ 187 (each pays half), 3 people: R$ 230 (each pays 1/3).
We negotiated prices with Tri Hotel Poa (http://www.trihoteis.com/poa/). They have reduced prices for the workshop participants (breakfast included). Regular individual room: R$117 per day. Double room: R$147 per day. Triple room: R$177 per day. Notice that these values will be available for reservations made directly with the Hotel. Please contact them via e-mail (reservaspoa@trihoteis.com) or phone: 0800-644 7077. The payment can be made directly at the hotel.
Also there is a good place but somewhat far from downtown: the Hotel de Trânsito do Clube Farrapos (http://www.clubefarrapos.com.br). The special price (mentioning the meeting) if you do the reservation yourself are:
Regular rooms: 1 person per room: R$ 100, 2 per room: R$ 120, 3 per room: R$ 150, 4 per room: R$ 190.
Suite: 1 person per room: R$ 110, 2 per room: R$ 135, 3 per room: R$ 160 (another bed could be added for R$40, so it would be R$200 for 4 people).
Parking is R$10 per day.
Tourism
There are many things to do in Porto Alegre. For example you can visit the Piratini Palace (seat of the state Government), the historic Public Market 'Mercado Público Central' (a place for shopping and gastronomy), Porto Alegre Botanical Garden, Moinhos de Vento Park, and the Farroupilha Park. Porto Alegre is among the most green cities in Brazil, and is also a good place for rural tourism. The city has good gastronomy and diverse nightlife.
We are on twitter: PrecisionSpec