Venue & Accomodation

The meeting will take place at the Hotel “Melia Grand Hermitage”, located in the beautiful resort of Golden Sands, 18 km north of the city of Varna, directly at the Black Sea cost in Bulgaria. The resort is situated in a park, which has been a protected area for conservation of valuable habitats, flora, fauna and specific landscapes since 1943. The Hotel offers 5-star facilities, amenities and services. It is surrounded by lush green terraces leading down to the promenade and the beach. The area surrounding Varna has been home of the oldest known human civilization and has been inhabited continuously since the 5th millennium BC. Many cultures had left their mark in the city. Varna offers unique opportunities for cultural and historic exploration: gold treasures of the prehistoric people and the Thracians; Hellenistic and Roman ruins; artifacts of the I and II Bulgarian kingdom, the Ottoman empire and the Crusades. Christian churches, mosques, and synagogues had peacefully co-existed for centuries and still decorate Varna’ streets.  The Varna region also offers unique natural sights like a fossil forest, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, sea cliffs at which the Balkan Mountain range plunges into the Black Sea, and natural hot water springs.


The venue has the best conditions to receive large conference groups, having several meeting rooms within the building, with different areas for coffee breaks, break out rooms and use of public space. The conference room has comfortable seating and modern audio-visual systems for presentations. Dining is located in the same hotel to promote scientific interactions as well as informal interactions among the participants. 

Participants will be provided with single or double occupancy accommodation at Melia Grand Hermitage. Rooms have private balcony and are equipped with the necessary appliances, private bathroom, air conditioning and Wi-Fi. The hotel further offers outdoor swimming pools, an indoor swimming pool with mineral water, water park, water sports, and gardens with views of the sea, fitness and wellness centers, restaurants and bars, and parking. 

Furthermore, the venue is also a convenient location due to its vicinity to Varna International airport (25 km), with frequent and inexpensive bus/shuttle/taxi connections.  Varna airport offers direct flights year around to and from major airports in Europe and a daily flight to Istanbul which are serviced by major airlines. Additional flights serviced by low-cost carriers are available during season (May/September). Three flights daily connect Varna with the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia, which is a major intranational airport. Sofia and Varna are also connected by express trains and by regular bus service that covers the 440 km distance between the cities in 5 hours.