Venue & General Info
University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest (UVMB)
The predecessor of the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest (UVMB) was established as a department of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Pest in 1787. From 1851, UVMB became an independent educational and research institution specializing in training veterinarians, providing diagnostic and health care services, and providing support for the work of the governmental veterinary offices. The opening of the current main campus of UVMB in the heart of Budapest also dates back to this period (1881).
Besides classical veterinary disciplines, UVMB also offers BSc and MSc in Biology and MSc in Zoology Research. In recent years, Veterinary Public Health also become a prioritized field in education and research, covering food hygiene, food safety risk analysis, and food waste reduction.
Training in UVMB is available in three languages: English, German, and Hungarian for students coming from about 60 countries of the world.
The campus is located 5 minutes walking distance from the Keleti pályaudvar (Eastern Railway Station). More details can be found on the university website.
The conference will be held in the Sándor Tolnay lecture hall, which is on the ground floor of building H, right next to the entrance from Bethlen Gábor Street. The Icebreaker and Pint of Science event will be in VetCafé, located in building P.
Main entrance from István Street.
Entrance from Bethlen Gábor Street.
Budapest
Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, is a breathtaking blend of history, culture, and architecture. Stretching along the Danube River, Budapest is often referred to as the "Pearl of the Danube," and for good reason. As the river divides the city into Buda and Pest, each bank offers a unique experience. While Buda on the west side features historic hills, medieval streets, and iconic landmarks such as Buda Castle and Fisherman's Bastion, Pest on the east side is marked by a lively urban atmosphere and wide boulevards with Hungarian Parliament Building and St. Stephen's Basilica. Budapest is known for its thermal baths as the city's rich spa culture dating back centuries. Visitors can immerse themselves in many thermal spa complexes including the famous Széchenyi or Gellért. The city also offers a lot of places to explore Hungarian cuisine with paprika in its heart.
Getting Here
How to reach Budapest
By Train: The city is well-connected to major European cities through an extensive railway network. The main train stations are Keleti pályaudvar (Eastern Railway Station) with direct trains from Vienna, Munich, and Bucharest, Nyugati pályaudvar (Western Railway Station) offers connections from Bratislava, Prague, or Warsaw, and Déli pályaudvar (Southern Railway Station) provides a way to reach Ljubljana and Zagreb. Timetables can be found here.
By Bus: International buses (e.g., Flixbus, Regiojet) usually arrive at Népliget Bus Station which is the main Budapest hub for local as well as long-distance buses.
By Car: Hungarian highways are tolled. Parking in the center of Budapest is a challenge and often limited to a maximum of 3 hours if parking on the streets. There are many parking houses in the city but with relatively expensive parking fees. One of the options is to park in one of the P+R car parks at the edges of Budapest for a much lower price (~1500 HUF per 24 hours) and then continue to the city center by public transport. The map of available P+R parks is here, please note that some of them noted as free are no longer free.
By Air: Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD) is approximately 16 kilometers southeast of the city center. The airport is connected to the city center by Airport Express bus (100E), taxis as well as local public transport service (bus line 200E and then blue underground line M3).
Transportation in Budapest
Budapest has a relatively well-organized public transportation system, making it convenient for both locals and visitors to explore the city. All main railway and bus stations are directly connected to the underground network. The maps, timetables, and types of tickets and passes can be found on the BKK website. A single ticket valid for one journey costs 450 HUF, a 24-hour pass costs 2500 HUF, and a 72-hour pass costs 5500 HUF. Passes allow you to circulate in the area of Budapest on any route, even using several lines and types of transport (underground, trams, buses, and trolleybuses).
The Venue is approximately a 5-minute walk from Keleti Railway Station, which is also a stop for red (M2) and green (M4) underground lines. The nearest stop is called Rottenbiller utca / István utca located next to the university campus (István utca 2). and served by trolleybuses 73, 74, 76, and 79. The nearest tram stop is called Wesselényi utca / Erzsébet körút on the busiest tram lines in the city, 4 and 6. It is about a 15-minute walk from the venue. Trip planners can be found on BudapestGO.
Practical Information
Although lunches are not included in the registration fee, an hour lunch break is planned for each conference day. The conference venue is located on the edge of downtown Budapest, with many diverse options for restaurants, pubs, and cafes within 5-minute walking distance.
Here are our shortlisted ones (all accept payment by card):
Hari kebab (István utca 6, 1078 Budapest)
Rira Vegan Food (István utca 5, 1078 Budapest) - vegan restaurant
Babi Néni Konyhája (Rottenbiller utca 28, 1077 Budapest) - not only traditional Hungarian food and desserts
Dolce Fantasia Gelateria Italiana (István utca 5, 1078 Budapest) - Italian bistro
Kalicka Bisztró és terasz (Rottenbiller utca 32, 1077 Budapest)
VetCafé within the campus of the venue, building P
We do not have pre-booked rooms for this conference, therefore you have to make reservations for accommodation on your own. To avoid a long commute to the conference location, we recommend looking for accommodation near Keleti Railway Station. Below, we provide a short list of available hotels near the venue, but there are also affordable hostels with single beds in dormitory rooms or private accommodations in apartments.
Royal Park Boutique Hotel (Nefelejcs utca. 6, 1078 Budapest)
Baross City Hotel (Baross tér 15, 1077 Budapest)
IntercityHotel Budapest (Baross tér 7-8, 1087 Budapest)
Atlantic Hotel Budapest (Népszínház utca 55, 1081 Budapest)
Rooftop City Residence (Garay tér 20, 1076 Budapest)
Star City Hotel (István utca 14, 1078 Budapest)
Budapest City Guesthouse (Osvát utca 11, 1073 Budapest)
Budapest Three Cats Hostel (József körút 2, 1088 Budapest)
Field Trip
The planned field trip will take us approximately 40 km from Budapest to the oak-hornbeam forests of the Pilis Mountains. On the northern slope of Hosszú-hegy (meaning Long Mountain in Hungarian), we can find two field experiments operated by the HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research and the Pilisi Parkerdő Forestry Ltd. They aim to investigate the effects of different silvicultural treatments on forest site conditions, regeneration, and biodiversity. The so-called Pilis Forestry Systems Experiment compares the elements of the regionally dominant shelterwood forestry system (clear-cutting, retention tree group, and preparation cutting) to the most widely-used treatment type of the recently introduced continuous cover forestry system (gap-cutting); while the Pilis Gap Experiment focuses on the continuous cover forestry solely, and investigates the effects of different management options regarding the main characteristics of artificial gaps of different sizes and shapes. For further details and publications, please visit the project website.
As a part of biodiversity monitoring, we have been studying carabid beetles in the area since 2014, focusing on various aspects of their ecology, from community structure to individual movements and predation pressure. The most common species are Carabus scheidleri, C. coriaceus, C. ullrichii, Abax parallelepipedus, and Aptinus bombarda.
