Yet Another Perl Conference Europe 2001
August 2-4, 2001

Hogeschool Holland
Amsterdam, Netherlands


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YAPC Europe

Venue: Getting there

The location for yapc::Europe 2001 will be Hogeschool Holland in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Topics

Getting to Amsterdam

It is possible to reach Amsterdam by train from most places in Europe, and by plane from much of the world. From the UK it is also possible to travel by boat.

By plane:
The best airport to travel to is 'Schiphol'. Underneath the airport is a train station which provides the best means of reaching other parts of Amsterdam.

By train:
The nearest train station to the conference venue is 'Diemen Zuid'. Note that 'Diemen' and 'Diemen Zuid' are not the same station. In fact, they are on completely different lines. 'Amsterdam Centraal' is the main station in Amsterdam. For train information from other countries to the Netherlands, see the international planner.

From the UK:
From the UK there is also the option of traveling by boat. Boats are operated by Stena Line and depart from Harwich, arriving at Hoek van Holland. From Hoek van Holland, there is a train to Amsterdam. Arrangements must be made in advance.

International trains depart from 'London Waterloo International'. The quickest route is operated by Eurostar and involves a change-over at 'Bruxelles Midi'. Reservations are required for this service.


Getting around in the Netherlands

Most public transportation in the Netherlands does not run late in the evening, although special busses (night busses) are available during the night. These busses run about once an hour and require that you pay a surcharge in addition to the regular transportation fee. It is a good idea to check the time of the last train/metro/bus/tram when planning an outing.

By train:
Use the domestic planner for route information.

Overall planning:
To find a route between one place in the Netherlands and another, you can use the 9292ov.nl travel guide. Simply enter the city ('Plaats') and street ('Straat') for both the departing address ('Vertrekadres') and the arrival address ('Aankomstadres'), as well as the date ('Datum', in day month year format), and the time ('Tijd') which can be either the departure time ('vertrek') or the arrival time ('aankomst'). The place (Plaats), location ('Locatie'), arrival time, track number ('Spoor'), arrival time, track number and method of travel ('Type') will be given at the bottom. For example, to travel from Schiphol plaza/station to Diemen Bergwijkdreef at 15:24 on 29 March, I am instructed to walk (Lopen), which should take me 1 minute, and get the train at 15:27 on track 2 to Diemen Zuid (ns diemen zuid), which will arrive at 15:44 on track 1, and from there to walk for 7 minutes to Bergwijkdreef, arriving at 15:51.


Getting to the Conference

By bus or car:
See Hogeschool Holland's travel information for detailed information about traveling by bus or car.

By train:
The nearest train station to the conference is 'Diemen Zuid'. If you are within Amsterdam, it is probably easier to take another form of transportation. Information on trains within the Netherlands can be seen at the domestic planner. Do not use the main exit. Instead, go to the end of the platform (the train platform lines up with the metro platform at one end and extends beyond it in another. Go to the end which matches the end of the metro platform.), walk all the way down the stairs and turn right along the 'Roerdomppad' parallel to the water. Follow the 'walking from Diemen Zuid' directions below.

By subway/underground ('metro'):
When catching the metro you should stand near the section of the track which is red and marked 'korte.' Shorter trains will only stop within that zone of the platform.

The nearest metro station to the conference is 'Verijn Stuartweg' which is located on the 'Gaasperplas' line (53). Verijn Stuartweg is two zones away from Centraal Station (meaning that you would be in 3 zones, and would need 4 stamps on a strippenkaart) and for that reason people sometimes opt to get off at 'Diemen Zuid' (the previous stop), which is 3 stamps away from Centraal Station. The stops are about 5 minutes apart by foot. If you approach from the other direction (Gaasperplas), Verijn Stuartweg is 2 stamps away.

Refer to 'walking from Verijn Stuartweg' or 'walking from Diemen Zuid for further directions.

This metro can be caught directly from any of the following stations: Centraal Station, Nieuwmarkt, Waterlooplein, Weesperplein, Wibautstraat, Amstel Station, Spaklerweg, Van der Madeweg, or Venserpolder (direction 'Gaasperplas'), or Gaasperplas, Kraaiennest, or Ganzenhoef (direction 'Centraal Station'). You can transfer to this line from any of the other 3 lines.

Walking from Diemen Zuid:
(continued from 'By train' or 'By metro')
Take the 'uitgang Bergwijkdreef' exit. At the base of the stairs, turn right on to the path 'Boeroomppad'. 'Bergwijkdreef' runs parallel to the path and is just beyond it. Walk along the path; you will pass 'Waterhoenpad' on your left, then go under a road ('Eekholt'). At the left far side of the intersection with Zilvermeeuwpad is the corner of Wildenborch 6. Turn left and walk alongside the building until you reach the parking lot, then turn right and continue to the main entrance, which is near the pond/fountain.

Walking from Verijn Stuartweg:
(continued from 'By metro')
Walk down the stairs and turn left, on to 'Eekholt'. You will pass UUnet on your right. When the road turns to the right (near XS4ALL on the right), continue straight. The road is Nienoord. Continue past a path which is named 'Stormmeeuwpad' on the left side and 'Wildenborch' on the right. A building with a large sign reading 'De Wildenborch' should be on the right. To the left is a parking lot with a sign on the gate reading '6'. There is also a Hogeschool Holland sign on the fence. Walk to the opposite corner of the parking lot. The main entrance is located by the pond/fountain.


Public Transportation Pricing

For trains:
Train tickets can be purchased in the train stations either from the counter or the automatic machine (the machine will not take paper money). The person at the counter can also provide you with a schedule of your journey including transfers. Note that in smaller stations the counters will close early. Train times can be found on the yellow boards seen at many points in the station. You must have a valid train ticket before boarding a train. Tickets can be purchased either for the day of travel or for an unspecified date. If no date is specified, you will need to stamp the white portion of the ticket in the yellow machine by the stairs leading to the platform. If a date has been specified, this section of the ticket will contain a row of hashes (that's #, not %).

For metro, tram and bus:
It will be cheaper to buy a 'strippenkaart' or a day pass. Strippenkaarts can be purchased at train stations and magazine shops in 15 and 45 strips and are cheaper per strip than the 2, 3 or 8 cards which are sold on busses and some trams (some trams do not sell them, but you are still expected to have a valid pass if they are inspected). Day tickets are another option; these are 11 NLG for 1 day, 17,50 for 2 days, 22,50 for 3 days, 27,50 for 4 days, and 32,50 for 5 days.

A strippenkaart must be stamped before traveling. On busses this will be done by the driver; on trams it is done either by the person sitting in the back or by the stamp machines throughout the tram. On the metro it should be stamped in the machine before the stairs to the platform. The cost of transportation is the number of zones traveled plus 1. For 1-3 zones the ticket is valid for any number of transfers within the hour (more than 3 zones allow additional time). Maps of the city in the metro stations and tram stops indicate the number of zones.

For night busses there is an additional charge which varies depending upon the bus company.


Traveling with Disabilities

You can contact the Nederlandse Spoorwegen Bureau Assistentieverlening Gehandicapten on weekdays between 08:00 and 16:00 at +31 (0)20 230 5566. If you provide the date and time of travel, you can call on assistance when getting on and off the train.

We also have someone with a van who can drive two or three people in wheelchairs between their hotel and the conference. Please contact us at van@yapceurope.org if you want to use that option.

Please read about accessibility at the campus.


Maps

A map of the metro lines showing the zones can be found here.

A map of the area near the school shows walking from Diemen Zuid and Verijn Stuartweg to Wildenborch 6 with green highlighting.

For other maps, use the school's address (Wildenborch 6, 1112XB Diemen) at a map site such as http://www.lokatienet.nl or http://www.andes.nl/interact/index.html.


Other information

The best way to catch a taxi in Amsterdam is to wait at a taxi stand, which will have a phone to call a taxi in case one isn't already there. You can also call 020 677 77 77 or Taxi Direkt at 0900 07 24 (22 cents/minute).




 




Last modified on August 9, 2001 by leon@yapc.org.
All content copyright © 2001 Yet Another Society, Inc.