To and from Utrecht

Amsterdam Schiphol airport, one of the main European hubs, is the closest and most convenient airport to Utrecht. It has flights to almost 300 destinations in many parts of the world and is quite efficient. Schiphol has its own railway station; there are four direct trains to Utrecht per hour during the day, that take approximately 30 minutes to get to ‘Utrecht Centraal’. The much smaller airports in Eindhoven and Rotterdam/The Hague might offer low-budget options for European destinations, but travel from these airports to Utrecht is much less convenient and more time consuming.

All public transport in the Netherlands is paid for using an ‘OV-chipcard’. This is a great system if you live in the Netherlands, but is cumbersome for occasional visitors. The trains are operated by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (Dutch Railways) and run at a regular and frequent schedule throughout the entire country.

To get from Schiphol to Utrecht it is easiest to get a single use OV-chipcard from vending machines that are located in the baggage hall and upstairs in the railway station (‘Schiphol Plaza’), they accept all major debit and credit cards. The fare to Utrecht is 8.70 EUR, and a small supplement is charged for a single use OV-chipcard. Tickets are not issued for a specific train, just take any train (intercity) going to ‘Utrecht Centraal’ at your convenience (4 trains/hour; 35 min journey). Do not forget to validate (check-in) your OV-chipcard at an ‘OV-chipcard pole’ which are located at the entrance to the escalators going to the platforms. Also, don’t immediately discard your OV-chipcard once you reach Utrecht Centraal, as you will need it to open the exit gates to leave the station!

It will also be possible to take a taxi outside of Schiphol Airport. However, beware to not accept any rides offered to you outside of the regulated taxi stand area!

Getting around

Public transport

Once at Utrecht Centraal, you can take a taxi from the ‘Jaarbeurs’ side of the station to get to your hotel. Any ride within the city will cost between 10 and 20 EUR. Alternatively, there are excellent bus services from the station to anywhere in the city. To reach the Hotel Mitland Utrecht, you can take bus 28 from platform G. Single tickets can be bought on the bus for 2.80 EUR.

Coming by car

For those coming by car, it is possible to park at the Hotel Mitland Utrecht, though spots are limited (140 cars max). Parking fees at the hotel are 6 EUR/car/night.

At the Utrecht Science Park (De Uithof) there are a number of parking locations, with Parking Budapestlaan and Parking Padualaan being the closest to the conference venue. Note that the parking areas generally fill up rather quickly and parking fees are applicable between 7am and 6pm (max of 7 EUR/day).

Biking (the Dutch way of getting around!)

Though public transport is excellent, Utrecht is a city made for bikes. Utrecht has an extensive network of bike lanes and paths, many of them are completely separate from other traffic. The Hotel Mitland Utrecht, the conference venue, and the city center all are approximately 10-20 minutes apart by bike (bikes can be rented from Hotel Mitland). If you have a basic proficiency in biking, you will quickly get familiar with –and enjoy!– getting around this way.