2024 HEMINGWAY SOCIETY CONFERENCE

EH-EH: ERNEST HEMINGWAY AND EUSKAL HERRIA

20TH INTERNATIONAL HEMINGWAY CONFERENCE TO BE HELD JULY 14-20 2024 IN SAN SEBASTIÁN AND BILBAO, SPAIN.

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CONFERENCE PROGRAM (DRAFT)

Participants are invited to get to know the people, places, cuisine, and culture of contemporary Euskal Herria—the Basque Country as it is called in the Basque language. From the colorful depictions of the Navarrese Pyrenees in Hemingway’s first commercial success, The Sun Also Rises, to the characters at the Basque bar in the posthumously published Islands in the Stream, the Basque Country and its people made a lasting mark on Ernest Hemingway’s life and work.

INFORMATIONAL WEBINAR (RECORDED JAN 16, 2024)

VENUES

Conference venue San Sebastian: Kursaal (Zurriola Hiribidea, 1)
Conference venue Bilbao: Hotel Carlton (Federico Moyúa Plaza, 2)

TRANSPORTATION

Getting There: You can fly into the airport at Bilbao, which has connecting flights from Amsterdam and Paris, or you can fly into any number of other airports with train and bus connections to San Sebastian. The Basque Country is one of the most accessible hubs in Spain, served by buses or trains from Madrid, Barcelona, Biarritz, Hendaye, and other cities. Getting Around: Bus transportation between San Sebastian and Bilbao will be provided on 17 July for those attending the optional excursion. Regular bus connections between San Sebastian and Bilbao connect the two conference venue cities in a trip that takes only 1 hour. NOTE: Buses in July are in high demand, so you should make your reservation at least a day in advance. You can easily get around San Sebastian and Bilbao on public transport, by taxi, and on foot.

LODGING

San Sebastian

San Sebastian is a resort area--and thus its hotel rooms are expensive and in demand--so you are encouraged to book your accommodations early; however, some hotels might not take reservations until early 2024. The conference directors recommend starting at the San Sebastian Convention Bureau and the San Sebastian Tourist Office sites to explore hotel options that fit your needs and budget, and contacting hotels directly to ask when you can make a reservation.

There are two youth hostels serving San Sebastian: Ondarreta Youth Hostel and Ulia Youth Hostel. Note that these accommodations may have membership requirements and may be best suited for student travelers. With regular bus connections between San Sebastian and Bilbao, conference goers may also wish to book their entire stay in Bilbao. It is advised that you reserve bus tickets in advance.

Below is a map of San Sebastian that shows the location of the conference with an indication of hotels that are within a 30-minute walk to the conference center, the Kursaal (on this map the Congress Palace in the upper righthand side). Attendees can cross-reference this map with Google Maps or something similar when making a decision about where to stay.

Bilbao

*To book the hotel Abando at the conference rate, email the hotel  abando@aranzazu-hoteles.com and specify BOOKING ID: 226008.  Space is limited and the conference rate expires April 26.

Other hotels in Bilbao

Guesthouses in Bilbao

Other

Something unique and off the beaten path: Houses of Ea Astei: Hemingway-inspired luxury cottages in the Urdaibai area (Mundaca-Bermeo). Andres Unzain, one of Hemingway's friends, was from the Urdaibai area.

ACCESSIBILITY

Conference venue San Sebastian: Kursaal

Conference venue Bilbao: Hotel Carlton is wheelchair accessible

Spain travel information for people with disabilities

Please contact the conference organizers with questions or with requests for disability accommodations.

FUNDING

See the Grants page for information on travel awards

• Jim & Nancy Hinkle Student Travel Grants
• H.R. Stoneback Award (formerly the Independent Scholar Travel Grants)
• Blake Emerging Scholar Award
   

INFORMATION FOR TRAVELERS

Here is some important information for U.S. travelers:

• Visas are not required for U.S. citizens traveling to Spain for fewer than 90 days. The ETIAS visa requirement for U.S. citizens that was originally scheduled to go into effect this year has now been delayed until 2025. 
• To travel from the U.S. to Spain you must have a U.S. passport that is valid for 90 days after the last day of your trip. Note that the U.S. State Department recommends that passports be valid for six months beyond your return date. This means that if your passport expires before October 2024, you must renew it, and if it expires before January 2025, you are strongly urged to renew it sooner rather than later.  Passport renewal can take weeks or months--do not delay! Check your passport's expiration date and make any necessary applications ASAP!  
• You must have a return ticket. Do not book a one-way flight. 
• You are required to have proof of sufficient funds; Spain considers "sufficient funds" to mean a minimum of $1100 or $120/day. This can take the form of cash, a bank statement, or a credit card + credit card statement.
• You should also provide documentation of the reason for your visit. Your conference registration emails and/or hotel reservations should suffice.

Suggested but not required for stays of 90 days or fewer:

• Travel insurance 
• International driver's permit (only required if you plan to drive in Spain)

If you are traveling to Spain from outside the U.S. or E.U., you will need to find out if a visa is required for you, along with any other requirements.  Please let the conference organizers know if you need us to provide additional documentation regarding your participation in the conference and we will be glad to do so.

Safe travels!