The International Conference on Zoology and Zoonoses will be held in Hissar, Bulgaria from October 26th to 28th 2016.
Accommodation of the participants, registration, scientific work and conference dinner will take place at the SPA Hotel “Hissar” (http://hotelhissar.com).
The town of Hissar is situated in the central part of Bulgaria, in the southern folds of the Sredna Gora Mountains. It is 42 km north of Plovdiv and 167 km east of Sofia, close to the Valley of Roses.
Hissar is popular with its mineral springs with healing water that has been prized for many centuries from antiquity to the present days. The first information about the town date from 4-3 century BC. During the age of the Roman Empire, the town, called Augusta, was a wealthy healing centre. Over the years the settlers here were Thracians, Romans, Slavs, Bulgarians, all attracted by the unique combination of mineral springs, climate, natural resources, local flora and fauna. Many Roman ruins are still visible everywhere – public buildings, a small amphitheatre, the foundations of very old churches, as well as the best preserved Roman fortress in Bulgaria.
There are 22 mineral springs in Hissar – 16 natural and 6 deeply drilled, with different physical-chemical indexes and temperature that varies between 41º and 52º C. The mineral water is light, clear, colourless, and tasty. It is slightly mineralized, hypo- and hyper-thermal, with a predominance of hydrocarbonic, sodium, sulphate and fluorine ions, as well as substantial amounts of radioactive gas.
Today Hissar is a world-famous spa resort that offers all facilities for balneotherapy – thermotherapy, electrotherapy, kinesthetic therapy, many different kinds of baths, etc.
Transport
You can get to Hissar by bus from Plovdiv.
Arrivals at Sofia Airport
Option 1
- Terminal 2
Use Sofia Metro to get to the Central Bus Station downtown for a transfer to Plovdiv. The Metro station at Sofia Airport is located in the eastern part of Terminal. You can reach it by following the floor markings in blue at the public area. Be careful as you will have to change trains from Line 1 to Line 2 at Serdika Metro Station. The metro trains operate from 5am to midnight. Single ride ticket price is 1 BGN / 0.50 EUR. The ticket is valid for the entire metro network so you can use the same ticket for transfer to Line 2. Tickets can be purchased from the cashier desks in the Metro station or from ticket machines.
- Terminal 1
Get to Terminal 2 and then use the Sofia Metro (see above). Sofia Airport provides free-of-charge transportation services between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 at every 30 minutes between 07:00am and 19:00pm. Between 19:00pm and 07:00am, free-of-charge transportation between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 can be requested at the Information Desk or at telephone: (+359 2) 937 22 11/ 12/ 13.
Option 2
Taxi – the service is available at both terminals. The distance from the Sofia Airport to the Central Bus Station is about 15 km and you can get there in 30 minutes for about 10 BGN / 5 EUR.
Option 3
Rent a car – Avis/Herz/Eurocar and others are available at both airport terminals.
There are regular buses from Sofia to Plovdiv. More information: http://www.centralnaavtogara.bg/
Arrivals at Plovdiv Airport
Use a taxi to get to Bus Station Yug at Plovdiv downtown for about 30 BGN / 15 EUR.
From Plovdiv to Hissar There are up to ten buses to Hissar between 6:20am and 19:30pm, leaving from the Bus Station Yug (http://www.avtogara-plovdiv.info/2010/03/blog-post_17.html).
Remark:
Due to low demand the organized bus from Plovdiv to Hissar has been cancelled. Public transport can be used to reach the venue. Buses leave at 6.20, 7.45, 9.00, 10.30, 12.00, 13.30, 14.30, 15.15, 16.50, 17.30, 18.30, and 19.30 from Bus station Yug situated at 47 Hristo Botev Bulevard. The price of the ticket is 3.80 BGN.
