Venue

Weather

The month of May is characterized by rising average daily high temperatures, with average daily highs increasing from 26°C to 29°C over the course of the month. The temperature at night typically ranges between 17°C and 20°C. The Mediterranean Sea is very pleasant in May, with the average sea temperature being around 24°C. Tel Aviv is right on the beach, while to get to the beach from Rehovot one would need to drive for approximately 20 minutes. 

 

Visa to Israel

Visitors to Israel from most European countries, the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan and many other countries are not required to obtain a visa. Please consult your travel agent or the website of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs for more details. If you need a visa, we will arrange an invitation letter for you.

 

Transport

One can fly to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport on daily scheduled flights from most central cities of Western and Eastern Europe. Tel Aviv is also easily accessible from North America, with scheduled flights available from New York, Newark, Philadelphia, Toronto, and Los Angeles. Scheduled service also links Tel Aviv with many places in Asia. It takes about half an hour by taxi to get from the Ben Gurion International Airport to Rehovot or Tel Aviv. The official Taxi dispatcher is at Terminal 3 on Level 2 of the Multi Level Road (at the arrival hall simply proceed outside and turn left). Ask the driver to take you to Rehovot, to the Weizmann Institute (or to wherever your lodging is). The cost of a ride to the Weizmann Institute ranges approximately between 120NIS and 160NIS, depending on the time of the day and the day of the week.

 

Accommodation

There are some on-campus hotel rooms (building number 45 on the campus map) as well as apartments for people who plan to stay for a longer period (and possibly bring family along -- availability is quite limited, please get in touch at your earliest convenience!).  In addition, one can opt for the Leonardo Boutique Rehovot Hotel, which is adjacent to the Weizmann Institute of Science. Finally, there is a wide variety of hotels in Tel Aviv. Rehovot is just 30 minutes by train from Tel Aviv and the Weizmann Institute of Science is located right near the train station.

 

The Faculty of Physics

All the scientific events will take place in the Faculty of Physics, building number 59 on the campus map. Many of the particpants will be using offices in the library. PLEASE DO NOT DRINK OR EAT IN THESE OFFICES.

 

Facilities on Campus

There are five restaurants on campus, located in buildings 45, 5, 23, 74f, 2 on the campus map. Only the restaurant in building 45 serves meat. The restaurant in building number 2 is a little more high end. 
There is a rather substantial recreation center on campus (building number 70) with tennis courts, swimming pools, fitness center etc. Those who stay on campus get an automatic access to the recreation center. For the rest, an entrance permit can be arranged separately.

 

Opening Hours

Most shops and public transportation in Israel are closed on Friday afternoons and Saturdays, as well as on holidays. Since May 24 is a holiday, shops and public transportation will be closed from Friday evening (May 22) until Sunday evening (May 24). Many restaurants (that are kosher) are also closed at these times, though there are quite a few restaurants that remain open in the office district to the north of the train station (which is just north of the
Weizmann Institute).

 

Getting around

The most convenient way to get to Tel Aviv and to many other places is by train. The train station is just north of the institute, and schedules may be found at http://www.rail.co.il/EN/Pages/Homepage.aspx To get to Jerusalem the most convenient public transportation option is buses from the central bus station of Rehovot (that is around 2 km south of the institute). Unfortunately all these options are not available on weekends, when one can use shared taxis (that run quite frequently on Herzl St. near the main entrance to the institute) to Tel Aviv, regular taxis or rented cars.

 

Internet Connection

In order to connect your laptop to the Internet you can select one of two wifi networks:

  1. wis_hotspot: This will give you access to the internet, no password needed, but you will be behind the wis firewall.
  2. wis_external: This will give you access to the internet, authentication is required, and you will be completely exposed and unprotected by the wis firewall.

In order to use option #2 (recommended) use the following credentials:

Guest account User Name: Boot2015
Guest account Password: rhrAACHw
Profile name: WIS_External