Venue

SSA 2022 will be held at the Abacws building (pronounced as Abacus), which is next to the Cathays train station. The address is:
 
School of Computer Science and Informatics
Cardiff University
Abacws building
Senghennydd Road
Cardiff CF24 4AG
Wales, United Kingdom

The precise location of the Abacws building can be found on the online university map.

How to reach Cardiff

by train (domestic and international)

It takes less than two hours by train to Cardiff (Central station) from London (Paddington station). There are also good connections from the North of England (e.g. Liverpool and Manchester).

The best chance of getting an inexpensive train ticket is to book in advance at Great Western Railway (GWR) (when coming from London) or at Transport for Wales (when coming from the North of England). Please keep in mind that some of the cheapest tickets (called advance tickets) are only valid for the particular train you are booking. After making your reservation, you will be sent an email with a booking code. Once you're at the station of departure (e.g. London Paddington) you will then need to enter this booking code into the ticket vending machine, together with the credit card you used for the online booking. The machine will then proceed to print your ticket. As an alternative, both GWR and Transport for Wales have smartphone apps where one can pre-book e-tickets without needing to print anything. Just remember to activate your e-ticket before travelling. As usual, the earlier you book, the higher your chances of getting an inexpensive ticket.

When coming from the continental Europe, Eurostar offers direct high-speed connections from Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam to London St. Pancras station. From there, it is only 5 stops with the Circle or Hammersmith&City line to Paddington station, where the train to Cardiff departs. Make sure you have plenty of time for this, especially when your ticket from London to Cardiff is only valid for your reserved train (we recommend 90 minutes between the arrival of your Eurostar train at London St Pancras and the departure of your GWR train at London Paddington; 120 minutes if you still need to print your domestic train ticket from the ticket vending machine).

by coach

A cheaper but slower way to reach Cardiff if by coach. Both Megabus and National Express have several coaches a day from and to Cardiff. Megabus stops in Cardiff at Friary Gardens, National Express stops at Sophia Gardens. Both locations are at walking distance from the city centre. Some services also stop at Cardiff University, which is a 5 minute walk from the conference venue.

by air

Cardiff Airport

Cardiff Airport offers daily flights to various international destinations. KLM is probably one of the more useful airlines, as it connects Cardiff with the rest of its international network (transfer in Amsterdam).

After landing, the fastest way to reach Cardiff is by taxi (half an hour), which can be booked in advance. A slower but cheaper option is to take bus 304 (approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, see the travel planner at Traveline Cymru). There used to be an express airport bus (Trawscymru T9) but it was suspended during the Covid pandemic, and has not yet been restored at the time of writing.

Bristol Airport

Bristol Airport is further away than Cardiff Airport but tends to offer a wider variety of international flights (including several budget airlines). National Express offers direct coaches between Bristol Airport and Cardiff (Sophia Gardens) (1½ hours, book in advance at https://www.nationalexpress.com/en). Alternatively, take the airport bus to Bristol Temple Meads, where you can take a train to Cardiff Central (likely to take longer and be more expensive than National Express).

London Heathrow Airport

Both Megabus and National Express operate several coaches a day between Heathrow Airport and Cardiff (at least 3½ hours). National Express offers more flexible ticket conditions than Megabus, and could be the safer option in case your flight is delayed. As Heathrow Airport is running near maximum capacity, flight delays and long waiting times at immigration are common. As such, we recommend flying to Heathrow only as your last option.

Local Transport

As the conference venue is only a short walk from the centre of Cardiff (e.g. 15 minutes from Cardiff Castle) you probably don't need to use public transport when staying in the city centre.

Those staying further afield can take the train to Cathays station or travel by bus. Train tickets are available from the ticket vending machines at each train station, as well as in electronic form (e-tickets) by using the Transport for Wales smartphone app. Bus tickets are available from the driver (contactless card payments are available; no change is given when paying cash) or as e-tickets when using the Cardiff Bus smartphone app. Tickets bought through the smartphone app tend to be cheaper than tickets bought from the driver. Please be aware that Cardiff Bus tickets are only valid for Cardiff Bus, and not for any of the other bus operators. Still, Cardiff Bus has by far the biggest network and will probably be your best option.

Accommodation

The following hotels are all within walking distance from the conference site.

Luxury and mid-range:

Budget:

Apart from the hotels listed above, it is worth noticing that Cardiff University rents out some of its student accommodation during the summer, with rooms starting at £30. Check-out has to be no later than 12th September, as this is when the rooms will be made ready for the next batch of students. This makes it an option for attending the summer school, but not for attending the main conference. Those attending the main conference on a shoestring budget could consider the Bunkhouse Hostel (if you're willing to share a room) or ZIP by Premier Inn (if you're willing to have breakfast at Greggs or McDonalds and take the bus each day).