Preliminary programme of excursions:

Excursions included in the core programme:

Saturday, August 22 nd , after ESOP closing:

17:00 – Coach departure to Bélesta (from OMP gate, Toulouse).
Visit of Bélesta observatory.
Social dinner on the way back to Toulouse.

Sunday, August 23 rd , after ESOP closing:

17:30 – A guided city walk, with historic city center sightseeing

Optional excursions (please register in advance for each of them):

Excursion 1 : Pic du Midi observatory
Friday, August 21 ^st : 75 € / person

The maximum number of participants is 57.
https://picdumidi.com/en/your-day/

• 7:00 – Coach departure for excursion (in front of Ibis Style hotel)
• 10:00 – Arrival La Mongie sky resort. Cable car transfer to Pic du Midi Observatory
• Visit of the observatory with professional astronomers
• Lunch at Pic du Midi: not included in the excursion price. Buy you food yourself at the snack at the summit (bringing our own food is not permitted); to save time we advise not to book a table at the restaurant.
• 17:00 – Coach departure from La Mongie. Back to Toulouse around 8 pm. Free diner in Toulouse.

Note 1 : altitude of Pic du Midi is 2877 m. If you have a doubt about your health, please consult a doctor before registering to this excursion. You shall bring sunglasses, warm clothes (and a camera).
https://picdumidi.com/en/page/advice-to-visitors

Note 2 : if you are coming from the western part of Spain after the solar eclipse on 12 August with your own car, you might prefer to stop at La Mongie, before driving towards Toulouse. In this case, the meeting point for you will be at the La Mongie cable car station at 10:00 am: keep us informed if you choose this option. In all other cases, we recommend taking the group coach.

Note 3 : in case of extreme weather conditions (storm, strong wind), it is possible that the cable car will not work. In this case, the visit to the Pic du Midi can be cancelled at the last minute, but the risk is low.

Excursion 2 : Cité de l’Espace (the Toulouse space museum)
Monday, August 24^th: 30 € / person

https://en.cite-espace.com/

• 9:30 – Meeting at the gate of Cité de l’Espace
• 10:00 – Guided tour. Our guide will be Yves Gourinat, who is a university professor, expert in space technologies, and former astronaut candidate.
• Lunch is not included in the price of the excursion: there is a restaurant and food vending machines inside Cité de l’Espace; each of us can manage the time spent visiting and having lunch.
• The entry ticket is valid for the whole day, and there are many exhibitions to see: if you do not go to Carcassonne, you can stay until closing time (6 pm).
• But if you go to Carcassonne, the coach leaves Cité de l’Espace at 2:00 pm; be at the gate ten minutes before.

Excursion 3 : Cité de Carcassonne
Monday, August 24^th afternoon : 45 € / person

The maximum number of participants is 57.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cit%C3%A9_de_Carcassonne

• 2:00 pm – Coach departure from Cité de l’Espace
• 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm – Guided tour of Cité de Carcassonne
• 6:30 pm – Coach leaves Carcassonne. Back to Toulouse around 8 pm. Free diner in Toulouse.

Excursion 4 : Airbus and Aeroscopia museum
Tuesday, August 25^th : 65 € / person

The maximum number of participants is 48.

• 8:00 – Coach departure for excursion (in front of Ibis Style hotel)
• 9:00 – At Airbus gate, reception and registration formalities of the group
• 9:30 – 11:00 – Guided tour in Airbus premises
• https://www.manatour.fr/en/airbus/
• 11:00 – 12:30 – Free visit of Aeroscopia museum
• https://www.aeroscopia.fr/en
• 12:30 – Lunch at museum restaurant
• End of visit and back to Toulouse around 3 pm.

Please note that for Airbus visit: A passport (or ID for EU citizens) is mandatory. Personal information of each participant (name, first name, date of birth, place of birth, nationality) will be requested at least 2 weeks before visit.

Comments:

1. The programme of excursions is preliminary and is subject to change without notice.
2. The minimum number of participants per excursion is 20.
3. Payment for excursions can be made together with the conference fee via Bank Transfert.
4. Please register for trips in advance to avoid cancellations due to lack of participants. 

A separate programme for accompanying persons on Saturday and Sunday will be offered.