Hotel Fira Palace
We will be staying at the elegant Hotel Fira Palace, located in downtown Barcelona, next to the well-known Gran Via and Plaza España and the National Palace. The hotel is located at the foot of the hill leading up to Mont Juïc, and has magnificent views overlooking Barcelona.

ICMA delegates can enjoy a very special hotel rate for this meeting:

Single room € 194
Double room € 210
Rates are per room per night, exclude taxes, and include buffet breakfast.

The rates listed are only valid for reservations made through ICMA. Higher rates may apply if booked directly with the hotel. Hotel requirements are to be applied for on the online registration form by the official registration deadline. ICMA will arrange your booking and confirmation will be sent two weeks before the date of the event (or less depending on when you send your registration form). ICMA will not be responsible for any rooms booked directly with the hotel by the participant. Please read the hotel cancellation and payment policies on the registration form carefully.

Hotel Fira Palace Address
Av. Rius I Taulet, 1 - 3
08004 Barcelona, Spain
Phone: +34 934 262 223
Fax: +34 934 255 047
Website: www.fira-palace.com

Hotel Reservation - Method of Payment
· Upon registration, ICMA will guarantee your room reservation with the hotel. For this purpose, ICMA requires a credit card guarantee by each individual participant. Without this, the hotel room cannot be held.
· No deposits or pre-payments are required. Settlement of all charges is to be made directly to the hotel by each individual upon checkout.

Hotel Reservation - Cancellation
· Individual cancellations will be accepted until 21 April 2005. Any room cancellation received after this date or No Show will be charged the number of nights of the original booking to the credit card used as guarantee.
· If you wish to cancel or change your hotel reservation, please contact ICMA Head Office.



Passport / Visa Requirments
Spain is one of the 15 countries which signed the Schengen agreement. Nationals from these countries do not need a visa to visit Spain. All EU countries, except the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, signed the agreement. Norway and Iceland are also Schengen signatories. Nationals from the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, Australia, Israel and the United States can remain in Spain as tourists for 90 days without a visa.

You can obtain further information at the Spanish embassies and consulates in each country or at the consulates in Barcelona.

If you need a visa to enter Spain, please send the following information to Karina van Lenthe at k.vanlenthe@icmaonline.org;

• Full Name as mentioned in Passport
• Arrival Date
• Departure Date
• Passport No.
• Date of Birth

Once we have received this information we will make sure that you will receive an invitation letter from ICMA Head Office as evidence to substantiate the purpose of your journey. Make sure you do this in time as it can often take weeks to get a visa!



Barcelona - INS and OUTS
A great website for further general information about Barcelona is www.barcelonaturisme.com.

Airport - Barcelona Airport is situated about 15/20 minutes drive from The Hotel Fira Palace. To view the official Barcelona airport website go to www.barcelona-airport.com.

Taxi - Barcelona has 11.000 taxis, which are easily identifiable by their yellow and black colour. The cost of the taxi is approx. € 18 - € 20.

By Aerobus - This special service is also clearly identifiable, you will see its name written on the outside of the vehicle. You will find signposts indicating the platform outside the Airport terminal and bringing you to the city, stopping at different points. Your stop is PLAZA ESPAÑA, 5 minutes walking from the FIRA PALACE. You can buy the ticket in the same bus and pay it with a credit card.

Airport Train - Situated on the west part of the Airport terminal, there is a train service every 30 minutes to and from Barcelona "Sants" train station where you can take the subway (2 stops to Plaça Espanya) or a taxi.

By Car - From the airport take main road C-31 (Autovía Castelldefels) until you reach Plaça Espanya. Turn left (Avenida Rius i Taulet) until you get to Lleida Street. The hotel is right in the corner.

Currency - The currency used is the EURO.

Time - GMT +1 hour. To find out the exact time in Barcelona right now click here.