The Hitchhiker's Guide to CERN

This page is an informal guide that contains tips, tricks and observations for the avid physicist going on an adventure to CERN.

Important notes before going to CERN

CERN and ATLAS registration forms

Be sure to fill out and have the following forms signed by your team leader (i.e., Tony Doyle, Craig Buttar or Val O'Shea can sign):

• CERN Registration form

• ATLAS registration form

The CERN registration form registers you at CERN and ultimately grants you access to the CERN computer network and a CERN access card. Be sure to do this, as waiting to gain access to computers and the internet while at CERN can be frustrating. You should bring some type of evidence of health insurance. If you don't happen to have this evidence with you for some reason, the application of witchery can give you some temporal leeway in this regard.

Not so important notes before going to CERN

Money

Mostly, you will use Swiss Francs (CHF), but Euros are often accepted and are needed for shopping in France (which is often cheaper than Switzerland). The best exchange rates will often be offered with student accounts at banks (e.g., RBS). Note that generally banks require a day or two of notice in order to acquire Swiss Francs. Alternatively, Marks & Spencer offer generally decent exchange rates.

Language

English usually works, but having some French will help you. If you do not know a great deal of French, Google Translate is getting very good and you could have this at the ready on your mobile telephone. If you feel inclined to learn some French (or other languages, for that matter), you might consider trying out Memrise, a nifty learning website.

Arriving

Arriving at Geneva Airport

On arriving at Geneva airport, you can expect to go through the usual procedures that you would expect at an airport including showing your passport and collecting checked baggage.

Free travel ticket

When you are in the baggage collection area, remember to collect a free bus ticket! These are ideal for getting to wherever you need to go when you arrive and mean that you don't have to worry about having CHF change on arrival. The ticket machine could be quite easy to miss. It looks like this:

Image of free ticket machine

The ticket lasts for 88 minutes.

Airport Wi-Fi

Swisscom offers access to Wi-Fi in the airport. There is also a small snack shop (which sells decent food) that offers Wi-Fi (SSID: fill in, passcode: fill in).

Leaving Geneva airport

Bus 57

The bus stop you will need to get somewhere (i.e., CERN) is likely to be the one on the corner as you leave the airport. For vague instructions, after you pass from the baggage collection area to the foyer, turn left, following signs for buses, and eventually you will reach a yellow escalator. Go up this and, at the top, come back on yourself, exit that way and you will be essentially standing at the bus stop.

In order to go from the airport to CERN, take bus 57 (in the direction Gare Vernier-Meyrin) to Hôpital-La Tour and then take the tram (on Route de Meyrin) to CERN. The tram stops outside building 33, the reception building.

Bus 57 stops:

• Arrêt Gare Vernier-Meyrin
• Voituriers
• Jardin-Alpin-Vivarium
• Forumeyrin
• Meyrin-Mairie
• Sainte-Cécile
• Meyrin-Gravière
• Champs-Fréchets
• Vernes
• Prulay
• Meyrin-Village
• Hôpital-La Tour
• Alphonse-Large
• Veyrot
• Pré-de-la-Fontaine
• Les Maladières
• Gare ZIMEYSA
• P+R Vernier-Meyrin
• Signal
• Renfile
• Blandonnet
• Grand-Hangar
• ICC
• Tour-de-Contrôle
• WTC
• Aéroport

CERN Shuttle Service

The CERN Shuttle is a less frequent but direct service that operates on weekday mornings and afternoons. If you do not have a CERN access card, you are permitted to have transportation to the CERN reception building (building 33).

CERN Shuttle Service circuit information

CERN

Arriving at CERN

The things you should arrange to do on arrival are as follows:

• CERN registration
• ATLAS registration
• Safety Information Registration (SIR)
• Get CERN access card
• Register portable computer
• Get office key
• Get CERN bicycle

On arrival, go to Reception in building 55. Identify yourself (using something such as a passport) and your contact person (perhaps your supervisor). It would be useful to make sure that this person is contactable by telephone when you arrive. Receive a printed temporary pass card (which lasts for 2 days) and get yourself a nice little fold-up map of CERN.

Now, go to the CERN Users' office in building 500 and hand in your CERN registration form (making sure both sides are filled in). You should also hand in evidence of health insurance. If you don't have it, you can send it to the person you register with at a later date.

Next, go to the ATLAS Secretariat on the top floor of the D wing of building 40 (the ATLAS/CMS building) and hand in your ATLAS registration form in order to get put onto the HR database. After the ATLAS registration, you can order a key for your office. For this, you simply fill out a requisition form. It takes around a day to have your new key made.

Now, go to the ID Office in building 22 (which is near to gate B). Go up to the top floor first. Here you will receive details (user name and passcode) for internet access. You will also be instructed to do the Safety Information Registration (SIR). It is a set of online questions and it is not difficult. Now, go down to the ground floor. Here, you can get your photograph taken and your new CERN access card. If you want, there are toilets on the ground floor with mirrors, so you can make yourself look very attractive before your photograph is taken. Finally, go to your office, sit down and relax after all of that exercise.

In case of problems etc., you can go to the CERN UK Liason Office. Here, you can ask questions and send and receive faxes (for those signatures you might have forgotten to get...).

It takes about a day to be put onto the HR database and you should be on this in order to register any portable computers you want to use at CERN. When you gain access to the CERN network, you can do the Safety Information Registration (SIR) by going to https://sir.cern.ch/. Some of the questions are quite amusing.

If you want to have the loan of a free CERN bicycle, you could request one now. It can take a day or so for one to become available. See more details on CERN bicycles here

Offices

1 J-019

Image of 1 J-019

Computers and associated items

Image of J-019 computer layout at north end of room

Telephone

The 1 J-019 office internal (i.e., inside CERN) telephone number is 75950. The external (i.e., outside CERN) telephone number is 0041 (0) 22 76 75950.

To call out from the office, dial the following followed the appropriate telephone number:

*44 6070

glasvr01 ("Black Beastie", Glasgow server at CERN)

To use the server, you should have a user account set up on it. You can contact Samir Ferrag (Samir.Ferrag@glasgow.ac.uk) to arrange this. To connect to the server, you might use a procedure such as the following:

// Log on to LXPLUS.
   ssh -Y <user_name>@lxplus.cern.ch
// Log on to glasvr (Glasgow server at CERN) from LXPLUS.
   ssh -Y <user_name>@glasvr01.cern.ch

There is about 5 TB of space on the server. The AFS space for each user is ~ 1 GB. More space can be had by using the /data/ directory.

Printers

1-R010-HP (black and white laser printer)

Printer model: HP LaserJet P4014n

IP address: 137.138.204.43

Outlet: 0019/03

Name: 1-R010-HP

HP Deskjet 9800 (colour inkjet printer)

Image of colour printer in 001-J-019

This machine is temperamental at the moment. It appears to have a certain distaste for drawing in paper (i.e., the rollers are probably dirty), though there is a trick for making it draw in paper (see the manual for how to do this). Also, it appears to have a damaged sensor that is used for calibration (i.e., the sensor that the printer uses to measure its length is not working) that prevents the printer from completing its bootup procedure. Do not try to trick the printer into working by feeding it whiskey.

Food

Restaurant 1

You can get decent food at Restaurant 1 in CERN. There are various areas to eat in; try them out. It is nice to sit outside with good weather, a view of Le Salève (a mountain) and the ATLAS building. Some food is available throughout the day, but there is more food available for breakfast, lunch and dinner. While the food is good, the conversation is the main thing that you go for. High-quality physics talk is available in abundance.

Restaurant 1 is the only restaurant at CERN that is open at weekends and in the evenings for dinner.

Restaurant 2

Menu for CERN Restaurant 2

CERN Driving Authorisation

This authorisation allows you to drive CERN vehicles.

Basically, the three things you will need to obtain CERN driving authorisation are the following:

• CERN registration
• Completion of Safety Levels 1 and 2
• Scan of driving licence

First, go to EDH ( the CERN "Electronic Document Handling" system). Here, you can create and activate a request for a driving authorisation (amongst other things). Log in to EDH using your CERN user name and passcode. After you have logged in, select "Access Request". Under "Required Access Line Item", select "+Add". In the pop-up that has popped up, select the following details (edit as necessary):

Access Site: All

Access Building: All

Access Zone: V: CERN vehicle driving license

Start Date: <today's date>

End Date:

Justification: "To drive CERN vehicle for ATLAS"

Select "OK". Select "I agree" for the terms and conditions. Attach a scanned copy (in, say, PDF format) of your driving licence (the UK Liaison Office can make a scan for you if you do not have access to a scanner) using the the "Attach" icon at the top. Select "Send" and follow the instructions as necessary.

Your driving license application will then pass to CERN Services. You will receive an EDH Notification e-mail within about a day regarding your request. If everything is in order, your request will be approved. You do not need to keep a printed copy of this as the CERN driving licence is an online/electronic authorisation and can be viewed when your CERN Access Card is swiped under a reader.

CERN bicycle

CERN bicycles are provided free of charge. These are nice bikes that are serviced regularly and are a lovely way to get to CERN from Meyrin or Saint Genis-Pouilly. How do you get one? First, fill out this form as necessary. Bring the form to the ATLAS secretariat. There, you can get it signed and stamped. Now, bring the form to building 124. There is a deposit of CHF100 to pay (which is returned to you when you return the bike, assuming you have not blown it up or something). You could consider requesting a bike with a front carrier on it if you think it would be a good idea to carry a small bag (/animal/something else) in it. You should receive an e-mail in a day or so letting you know that your bike is ready for collection.

Image of building 124

Address:         124 R-001
Telephone:      +41 (0)22 767 20 70
Fax:            +41 (0)22 767 33 70
Web:         http://ep-div-smi.web.cern.ch/ep-div-smi/Service_point.html
E-mail:
   Car reservation e-mail:   Phcars.Service@cern.ch
   Space request e-mail:   Ph-smi.space@cern.ch
   Other request:         Ph-smi.helpdesk@cern.ch
Opening times:
   Monday:          08:30 - 12:00, 13:00 - 17:00
   Tuesday:         08:30 - 12:00, 13:00 - 17:00
   Wednesday:    08:30 - 12:00, 13:00 - 17:00
   Thursday:        08:30 - 12:00, 13:00 - 17:00
   Friday:             08:30 - 12:00, 13:00 - 17:00
   Saturday:           08:30 - 12:00, 13:00 - 17:00
   Sunday:           closed

CERN catacombs

If you feel like having a small adventure, you can explore the CERN catacombs. Bring a torch!

Image of CERN catacombs map

Opening times

Reception (building 55)

Opening times:
   Monday:          08:00 - 18:00
   Tuesday:         08:00 - 18:00
   Wednesday:    08:00 - 18:00
   Thursday:        08:00 - 18:00
   Friday:             08:00 - 18:00
   Saturday:           09:00 - 17:00
   Sunday:           closed

CERN Users' Office

Opening times:
   Monday:          08:00 - 16:00
   Tuesday:         08:00 - 16:00
   Wednesday:    08:00 - 16:00
   Thursday:        08:00 - 16:00
   Friday:             08:00 - 16:00
   Saturday:           09:00 - 16:00
   Sunday:           closed

CERN ID Office

Opening times:
   Monday:          08:00 - 16:00
   Tuesday:         08:00 - 16:00
   Wednesday:    08:00 - 16:00
   Thursday:        08:00 - 16:00
   Friday:             08:00 - 16:00
   Saturday:           09:00 - 16:00
   Sunday:           closed

Accessing CERN outside normal working hours

Outside of normal working hours, you can use entrance B to access CERN.

ATLAS commuter flat

General description

The Glasgow ATLAS group has a flat close to CERN in the town of Meyrin. Here are the coordinates: (46.237145706538854, 6.077819913625717). The address is as follows:

Flat 62, Promenade des Champs-Fréchets 20, 1217 Meyrin, Switzerland

It is a nice flat with three bedrooms, Wi-Fi, a stereo system, a telephone, a washing machine/spin-drier, a shower and the other usual things you would expect in a flat. There is also a television, if you are into such retro things. There is a great view of the Jura mountains to wake up to each morning. You can view the availability and book the CERN flat here.

Images

Image of exterior view

Image of lounge

Image of flat block foyer

Image of kitchen

Image of reception hall

Image of bedroom 2

Image of view north from flat

Image of view south from flat

Image of bomb shelter interior (with postgraduate student for scale)

Image of reasonable washing machine settings

Wi-Fi

The details for the Wi-Fi network in the ATLAS commuter flat are printed beneath the router in the flat.

Money tin

This contains money which is to be used for flat expenses (e.g., lightbulbs). Staying in the flat, you should put 2 CHF into the tin every evening (and every time you curse ROOT).

Telephone

The telephone number for the telephone in the Glasgow flat is 0044 (0) 22 782 2573. You can both make and receive calls on the telephone, but you must record the times of the calls (and ultimately reimburse the group for any calls you make). Remember that VoIP services are available (often for free) using the Wi-Fi. Obviously, this works only if you are not trying to call people from a more civilised age (read: primitive age).

Nearby facilities and shops

Directly nearby

Image of plan of Champs Fréchets area

Image of shopping/restaurant area in front of flat block

Media Markt (electronics store)

Image of Media Markt

Address:         Genève-Meyrin, Ch. de Riantbosson 17, 1217 Meyrin
Telephone:      022 719 80 80
Fax:            022 719 80 90
E-mail:         meyrin@mediamarkt.ch
Opening times:
   Monday:          09:15 - 19:00
   Tuesday:         09:15 - 19:00
   Wednesday:    09:15 - 19:00
   Thursday:        09:15 - 20:00
   Friday:             09:15 - 19:30
   Saturday:           09:00 - 18:00
   Sunday:           closed

Pharmacie Amavita Champs-Fréchets

Address:         Promenade des Artisans 34, 1217 Meyrin

Telephone:      058 851 3 613
Fax:            058 851 3 713
E-mail:         ama613@amavita.ch
Web:         http://www.amavita.ch
CEO:         Fanny Perraud
Opening times:
   Monday:      08:00 - 19:00
   Tuesday:      08:00 - 19:00
   Wednesday:   08:00 - 19:00
   Thursday:   08:00 - 19:00
   Friday:      08:00 - 19:00
   Saturday:      08:00 - 12:30
   Sunday:      closed

Shopping for food

E.Lecleric

Maps

Maps of CERN

• CERN Geographic Information System, MAPCERN

• The classic CERN online map, CERN WWW Map

• Image of CERN catacombs map

Maps of Geneva

The following are some maps that could be placed on a portable device such as a telephone, e-reader etc.:

• LCMO_Geneva_map.pdf: LCMO Geneva map (street map)

• TPG_Geneva_map.pdf: TPG_Geneva_map (detailed, large scale map of Geneva public transport)

• TPG_central_Geneva_map.pdf: TPG central Geneva map (detailed map of central Geneva public transport)

• Image of plan of Champs Fréchets area

Travel

TPG journey planner for public transport

Geneva siteseeing

Art and History Museum Tuesday-Sunday: 10:00 - 17:00

Natural History Museum Musee Tuesday-Sunday: 10:00 - 17:00

Science Conservatory & Gardens Jardin Botanique Everyday: 08:00 - 19:30

Homeward bound

The CERN shuttle from CERN to the airport leaves from building 500 on each hour.

Image of CERN shuttle

Handy contacts

Valerie Flood

0044 (0)141 330 4702

Links

CERN Shuttle Service circuit information

-- Main.WilliamBreadenMadden - 2011-07-29