BioC 2018: Where Software and Biology Connect

When: July 25 (Developer Day), 26, and 27, 2018
Where: Victoria University, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Twitter: #bioc2018

Venue

The conference venue is at Victoria University on the downtown (St. George) campus of the University of Toronto on the north-east edge of Queen’s Park. The specific building is Victoria College, indicated on the map.

Accommodations

Conference organizers and invited speakers will be staying at the Chelsea Hotel, which is a short walk to the conference at Victoria College.

Here is a list of hotels from booking.com that are available July 24-27, sorted by distance from Victoria College.

Local transportation

Toronto is a safe and walkable city, with many hotels within walking distance of Victoria College. Victoria College is also at the intersection of subway lines, near both the north-south Yonge-University line and the east-west Bloor line, making it fast to arrive from anywhere along those subway lines. It is near the Museum, Bay, and Wellesley stops (subway map)

Arriving by air

Toronto is served by two airports. Pearson International Airport (YYZ) is the largest. It is served by the Union Pearson Express Train which takes 25 minutes to arrive downtown at Union Station where you can take a short subway or taxi ride to any downtown hotel. Otherwise, there is a flat fare of CDN$56 to take a taxi directly to/from Pearson Airport to the University of Toronto downtown campus and surrounding hotels. Here is a full list of transportation options to/from Pearson Airport.

The downtown Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) is smaller and served only by propeller-driven flights from eastern Canada and the U.S. (Boston, New York-Newark, Chicago, Washington-Dulles). It’s convenient if it serves where you are coming from.

Driving and parking

For those driving to Toronto and staying at the Chelsea Hotel, the hotel offers parking for a fee:

• Daily Parking is $16+applicable taxes
• Self-Parking is $35+applicable taxes with in and out privileges
• Valet Parking is $45+applicable taxes with in and out privileges

For those wanting to park near Victoria College, there are a few options listed on their website.

Arriving by train

Trains arrive at Union Station, which is a couple kilometers away from Victoria College and accessible by taxi or subway.