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Student Guide 2005
See
also series of lectures delivered by openlab and
other CERN staff members
openlab summer student program 2005
Congratulations on being part of the 2005 openlab
summer student program!
This short guide is written by two former openlab students, and is intended
to help you have the best time possible during your stay at CERN. First and
foremost, being at CERN is a wonderful opportunity. Youšll get to work with
very experienced staff on a cutting edge technology, and hopefully contribute
something meaningful to it yourself.
That said, coming to CERN has some peculiarities that you need to take into
account when you plan your trip. Donšt be overly concerned by this, its all
doable (we both managed it!), it just takes a little preparation.
Discussion Group
A note on money
Getting to CERN
Arriving at CERN
Maps of the area
Transport
Accommodation
Language
Weather
Fun
Shopping
Assorted tips and tricks
Discussion Group
First, to help you stay in touch with us, and to let you talk to each other,
we have set up a yahoo group for you students. You can find it at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/openlabstudents/ (hit
the "join this group" button). You will have to sign up for a yahoo
identity if you donšt already have one, but it is well worth it. This way,
you have the opportunity to share your experiences with one another, but also
potentially organise things together, perhaps finding people to share accommodation
with etc. We will use this group to make announcements etc that we think you
might find useful
A note on money
Youšre likely to be paid around 2500CHF/month subsistence, normally split between
your institute and CERN. CERN will not necessarily start the payment process
themselves, so soon after you arrive you should ask about this and get the
ball moving./ Payment into a foreign account takes some time to go through
(around 2 weeks from the point the forms are signed by all the people at CERN),
but you can also ask to be paid in cash.
Getting to CERN
Once you have arrived in Geneva you will have to make your way to CERN. CERN
is located on the Swiss French border along route de Meyrin. If you arrive
by:
Train:
The main train station in Geneva is called Cornavin. On
the southeast side of the train station, across from a small
church, grab the number 9 bus towards CERN.
Airport:
Take one of bus lines 18 or 29. Get off at Blandonnet.
Switch to line 9 CERN. Line 9 runs on the raised road on
the bridge under which the 18 just drove.
Car:
Take the highway to Geneva, if you are coming from Lausanne
be sure to take the branch towards the airport. Take the
exit towards Meyrin (no matter what direction you are coming
from). You should now be on the "route de Meyrin" Follow
this road for a couple of kilometres and CERN will appear
on the left.
Notes on the buses:
See transport.
Arriving at CERN
To get into CERN you need an access card or somebody with an access card to
vouch for you. Sometimes you can sneak past the guards but this is not recommended.
Close to entrance A you find the reception also known as building 33, ask the
friendly ladies there to call your supervisor who will come pick you up.
Building 33 is very close to the penultimate bus stop on
line 9, it is called "Les Pommeries" just after
the stop Maisonnex it is very small so it may not be announced.
If you go to the final stop simply walk back in the direction
the bus came from and building 33 will appear on your right.
Maps of the area
A good map and routefinder service can be found at:
viamichelin
The canton of Geneva also has its own map service that can help you locate
addresses, embassies or anything else you might be interested in: topoweb
Legend:
The blue target is CERN entrance A.
The black squares are shopping opportunities near cern. They will be described
in more detail later.
Transport
The buses in Geneva are run by the TPG at
the main office in the Cornavin train station it is possible to obtain a bus
pass granting a month of free travel in the Geneva area for 45 CHF if you are
25 or less otherwise the double. The bus fare is 3 chf for a ticket to the
Geneva area for 1 hour.
You buy the ticket from a vending machine at the bus stop. You cannot buy a
ticket on the bus. The vending machine accepts chf and euros but it does not
give change.
The number 9 bus drives directly to CERN, but a few of the 9s drive to a place
called Gare zimeysa this is an industrial area south of CERN. You will realize
your mistake when it turns away just before CERN and leave you at a stop a
good 20 minutes walk from CERN.
Line 9: runs between CERN and downtown Geneva. It takes about 20 minutes from
Cornavin to CERN.
Line Y: goes by CERN into France. It stops in St. Genis and Thoirry.
Line F: leaves from Cornavin and goes through Ferney-Voltaire.
The busses run until about midnight. In the weekends there are a couple of
night busses going to Meyrin from Geneva. The last one leaves around three
in the morning. On these busses you buy the ticket on the bus, the ordinary
tickets are not valid. Although the official endpoint of the bus is Meyrin
it is often possible to coax the driver into dropping you off at CERN.
If you have the possibility bring a car. It will allow you to consider a much
wider range of accommodations and shopping. It will also make it possible for
you to go on weekend trips to the mountains or some of the many beautiful cities
in the area. (Paris, Milan, Lyon, Grenoble, Genova, Monaco, Marseille, and
Torino are all within 5 hours of Geneva). There is not a lot of traffic, but
queues tend to form at the border crossings in the morning and evening. The
same goes for the downtown Geneva because there are only a few bridges connecting
the two sides of the lake. The traffic can also seem a bit erratic because
people from so many different cultures are practicing their own version of "safe" driving
on the same roads. (40 % of the residents of Geneva are foreigners).
A bike is also very useful. Some airlines will allow you to bring a bike on
the plane. (From experience we know that at least SAS offers this service).
It is also possible to borrow a bike at CERN, but as the summer is the busiest
season there is only a small chance of getting one:
Bike
service
There are some bike paths in Geneva but they are not always located along the
roads. If you are planning to bike in Geneva, you have to be certain that you
are a competent biker. Some of the drivers in Geneva think that hitting bikers
with their car will earn them bonus points. Biking after dark cannot be recommended,
as some Geneva drivers believe that the police cannot see them at night. The
average speed seems to increase to quite a bit above the speed limit. Quite
a few drivers also seem to develop red/green colour blindness. In the French
countryside the drivers are a lot better at giving you the space you need.
Accommodation
The first thing you need to know, is that CERN will not organize your accommodation
for you. This means that you should START PLANNING YOUR ACCOMMODATION AS SOON
AS YOU ARE ACCEPTED.
Geneva is not the easiest place to find somewhere to stay, and in the summer
there are people arriving to work at all sorts of organisations, making places
to stay scarce. A brief note, CERN is some distance outside of Geneva straddling
the swiss-french border, though it is a relatively quick
(25 minute) bus journey. It is not in an urban area, though is close to the
small towns of Meyrin on the Swiss side and St Genis on the French side.
Briefly, your options are:
- CERN hostel (on site or nearby in St Genis) Other hostel/cheap
hotel Rented accommodation (let or sub-let)
The CERN hostel has advantages and disadvantages. It is on-site and reasonably
affordable, but is also very busy and it is not possible to book rooms for
extended periods. This normally means you have to book at most 2 weeks then
hope that there is another room available for you to have on a week-to-week
basis. This does leave the possibility of finding yourself without a place
to stay, but this seems to happen quite rarely. Once you are inside, you at
least seem to have priority for rooms that come up, but it means getting up
early once a week to queue at the desk for another room.
The hostel is convenient for using the CERN restaurant facilities (which serve
till midnight), but going shopping for food needs at least a bicycle (though
these are available in limited number for free from CERN), and the nightlife
is limited. The hostel is in two buildings at CERN (38 & 39), with another
hostel in St Genis, though this is generally held to be much less pleasant
Prices for the hostel are:
13CHF for a shared dormitory room
26CHF for a single room [shared bathroom/toilet] ~800CHF/month
46CHF for a single room with bathroom/toilet ~1400CHF/month
(for comparison, you'll probably receive around 2500CHF/month subsistence
from CERN/your home institute.)
Full prices at
http://housing-service.web.cern.ch/housing-service/hotelrates.html
- Other Hostels/Hotels
There is a hostel in central Geneva, about 6 minutes walk from the train station
(from where you catch the bus up to CERN), just of the Rue de Lausanne. Its
website is at http://www.cityhostel.ch/English/ with
prices here.
The costs are a little more than the CERN hostel for single rooms, but only
slightly, and you do have the option of having a TV with cable for a little
more. Stays here are, I believe, limited to 3 weeks (21 nights), but it is
an option as temporary accommodation while looking for somewhere else etc.
It is clean and fairly well organized, with a TV room showing English language
films in the evenings, access to clothes washing and drying facilities for
a small fee, and reasonable kitchens.
There are also numerous Hotels in Geneva that are available, although generally
costly. However, discounts are available, sometimes through being at CERN (see
the list at
).
Discounts on some hotels are also available through http://www.hotelsrus.com
, though to get these you have to pay for your stay in advance, and are limited
to 14 nights.
- Letting /sub-letting an apartment.
This is perhaps the cheapest option, and gives you more space and privacy,
but can also be complicated. The first decision is where to look, broadly in
Geneva itself, or in France close to CERN. Geneva is perhaps a little more
expensive, but has a lot more shopping opportunities and things going on. It
is also easy to get to CERN on public transport. Staying ion France, or Switzerland
but close to CERN, is quieter
Officially renting a place is very difficult in Switzerland, as the estate
agents (known as the regies) are very strict and generally require a lot of
documentation and dislike short lets. You have a much better chance with a
private let or sub-let if you can find one. One useful resource for sub-lets
is the World Radio Geneva website , which
has a classified section with accommodation and a number of sublets. Note,
you have to register to get access to the classified but it is definitely worth
doing so.
Another resource, though with only a few places generally, is expatriates.com,
see http://www.expatriates.com/classifieds/gen/ .
CERN also maintains a list of available apartments, though mostly in France.
This is available at
http://housing-service.web.cern.ch/housing-service/openmarket/index.html .
The students at the university of Geneva also have a notice
board for accommodations on the web:
http://www.unige.ch/dase/bulog/
If you are still looking for a place once you have arrived
here, there is also the CERN market, a newsgroup where CERN
staff and users advertise all manner of things from cars
to apartments. This newsgroup can be found on many news
servers, so check your own ISP, it is called cern.market
.
Language
Work at CERN is generally conducted in English, with French also used in some
places (mostly in groups that are mainly made up of French speakers). I assume
you will all speak English, and this is fine on its own. If you can speak a
bit of French, youšll find spending time in Geneva a little easier (and more
fun), and youšll get a slightly better response from the locals.
For a crash course in French look at the BBCšs website:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/index.shtml
Weather
The average temperature for Geneva in summer is about 24 C. Heavy showers and
thunderstorms are frequent, but day long rain is very infrequent.
http://www.meteoswiss.ch/en/
Fun
Hiking:
Remember plenty of water and good footwear.
You are not covered for mountain rescue on your ordinary health insurance.
Saleve:
Take the bus/tram to Collonges-sous-saleve. Walk towards the mountain, you
will come across a path on your left hand side. The path from there is signed.
It takes about 3 312 hours at a moderate pace to reach the top. On the
way you get awesome views of Geneva and the Gex valley. On the top you have
a beautiful view of the alps. A bit of climbing might be necessary depending
on the route you take, but nothing too strenuous.
ˇ
Jura:
Take the Y bus from CERN or Geneva to Thoiry, walk up the mountain. The walk
is not as steep as Saleve but it is longer. Alternatively you can drive to
Crozet and walk from there.
Swimming:
There is a swimming pool just opposite entrance B. It is open from 8:00 20:00
entrance is about 4 CHF. They also have a range of discounts.
It is also possible to swim in the lake in Geneva. Go to the end of rue de
Lausanne and you can swim from the pier. Be careful of the current in the lake.
Also, be sure to shower afterwards, the ducks have a parasite that can also
live in human blood.
Bars:
Charliešs in St. Genis is the meeting place of summer students every Tuesday
evening. You go out of entrance be turn towards the mountain walk along the
road it will appear on the left hand side.
Geneva:
Microbreweries:
Places that brew their own beer and serve flammenkuche, which is like a thin
pizza without the tomato sauce.
Les Brasseurs: opposite main entrance of Cornavin. Always popular.
Brasseur les grottes: The bottom end of Servette.(on 9 bus route) Brasseur
molard (lord nelsons pub): on Place de Molard. On the old town side of the
lake. Very nice square to sit in with plenty of cafes.
Other:
Saveurs et couleur: rue des grottes. Nice relaxed restaurant where you can
also just grab a beer.
Mulligans: across from Manor. (southeast side) Irish pub, English speaking
serves Guinness.
Place de bourg de four: A square in old town with a couple of bars/cafes/restaurant
It is the meeting place for Geneva students on their way to a night out.
Terasse du paradis: A hut with lots of tables, edge of Rhone/lake. Three bridges
in from the lake this side of town. Nice for weekend coffee.
Top floor of Manor: Balcony with view, nice sandwiches.
Restaurants:
Geneva:
Meyrinoise: close to CERN in Meyrin on route de Meyrin close to the church.
Italian food. Stone oven pizzas, and nice pastas.
La tratoria:
Servette. Italian food.
Ma Cher Cousin: Serves only chicken. Nice and pretty cheap.
On one of the roads into old town, and another just off the place de nations.
Satigny:
Auberge de Satigny: Not that cheap, but really good food. Trad. french.
France:
Coq rouge: On the square in St. Genis close to Charlies. Good traditional French
food. Reasonable prices. (Frog legs snails and other fun stuff)
La Truite: In Ferney Voltaire just of the square. Really good food.
Reputedly the best béarnaise in the world.
The Rajastaan: Around the corner from La Truite. Nice Indian food.
Cinemas:
Make sure to get the VO (Version originale) unless you speak French.
Pathe Balexert: Huge shopping center on 9 bus route. Just outside Geneva.
Rialto: Servette on 9 bus route very close to Cornavin. Another one on the
same road as the main entrance of Cornavin train station.
Summer open air theatre. Other side of lake. Nice view of the lake if the movie
is boring.
program will be available
here.
Extreme sports:
Ask the CERN summerstudents, as one of the physicists at cern normally arranges
a full day of rafting and paragliding.
Shopping
France:
Customs:
You are not allowed to bring more than 500 gr of meat or 1 kg of processed
meat. (sausages etc.) 1 litre of milk 1 litre of wine/beer 1 pack of butter
per person.
But check these limits as they are doing a customs reform at the moment.
Bring a passport.
Champion in St Genis just on same road as CERN leave by entrance B turn left,
will appear on right hand side. Smallish for French standards open late by
Swiss standards.
Le Clerc: At the north end of Meyrin continue north and cross the border, the
shop will appear on the right hand side. Much bigger than champion and open
even later.
Ferney-voltaire also has a couple of super markets, not too far from LeClerc.
Doable by bike or car. Hyper champion, very big and open very late.
Switzerland:
Everything shuts by 7 oš clock, except Thursdays open later and Saturday earlier.
CERN area:
Forumeyrin on bus route 9. A shopping centre with a COOP and a Migros.
Blandonnet: a Carrefour. On the route 9 bus. Very big.
Balexert: A big Migros.
Geneva:
Plenty. Interesting ones:
In Cornavin and in Airport train station. Food shops open until 22 everyday.
Pricey and small.
Manor: a big department store, with very nice but pricey (by Geneva standards).
Close to Cornavin South east towards lake.
Migros: place des Cygnes big shopping centre in rue de Lausanne.
Coop: on rue de Lausanne. Open until 19:30.
Globus department store near old town. Very Nice. Very expensive. (a bit of
pillaging may be required)
Assorted tips and tricks
Buy food on Saturdays or Thursday nights. You will work
so late that it will be hard to manage to get to the shops.
There is also a much larger program for summer students. Their websites from
the last years:
CERN
summer students
Information for the CERN summer students, take a look at
the FAQ for example:
HR
summer student pages
Donšt drink and drive and do not drive with people who are drunk driving.
Huge fines, also for the passengers for letting the drunk person drive.
Bring a towel. :)
CERN building numbers were assigned based on a random number generator.
There is a cheap sports shop in val-thoiry.
The Swiss sockets are a bit different and are generally not compatible with
earthed European plugs.
Medical aid:
There is a first aid place at CERN close to the fire station. They can direct
you to a doctor that can speak a language you understand.
To get evening access to the computer centre (working after 19 and weekends)
you have to do a safety course at the fire station.
To get network access at CERN fill in the form here .
Long term access possible once you have signed up for a
full CERN computing account. Almost the whole of CERN has
wireless access.
Bring cookies and Salmiak lakrids (if you know what that is) for Francois and
Rosy, and your stay will be much more pleasant :)
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