Local Information

Conference Venue

The conference takes place in the Main Building of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1105 De Boelelaan, Amsterdam. This is south of the centre of Amsterdam, and is very easily accessible by public transport or by bicycle.

The main entrance to the building is on De Boelelaan. Upon entering the building, you will see two sets of stairs ahead of you. Take the stairs that are slightly towards your right, and follow them up. This will take you to the coffee area. The Auditorium, where most talks will be held, is up one further very short flight of stairs.

The following is a map of the venue and its surroundings.

Getting around

Bicycle

Amsterdam is a famous cycling city, and the infrastructure for cycling here is absolutely fantastic. Given that everything is completely flat, and the weather is mild, and that Amsterdam is a relatively small city, this is by far the best way to get around.

Renting a bicycle is very easy, for example, from MacBike. Some hotels also provide a bike rental service.

Getting to the VU by public transport

A good resource for finding out the best way to reach the VU by public transport is 9292.nl. This will consider all of the various options (train, metro, tram and bus).

Train. The VU is just a few minutes walk from the train station Amsterdam Zuid. There are direct trains to this station from Schiphol airport, but not from the centre of Amsterdam.

Metro. There is also a metro stop right next to the main building of the VU (the stop is called De Boelelaan/VU). Line 51 starts at Amsterdam Centraal (the central train station), and passes through a number of stops in the centre of the city (mostly slightly towards the east) before reaching the VU. A metro map is available here.

Tram and bus. There are a number of trams that stop directly next to the VU. In particular, tram 24 starts at the central station and takes a route through the centre (mostly slightly on the west) to the VU. There are also buses. Again, 9292.nl is the best resource.

Using public transport to get around Amsterdam

Individual tickets can be bought at train stations and metro stations (cash or credit card) or upon entering the bus or tram. If you have a credit card without chip-and-pin, you might have difficulty using it though.

For multiple trips, it is much more convenient to get an OV Chipkaart, which is a rechargeable card you can use for multiple trips, and for essentially all forms of public transport in the Netherlands. You can buy one at the airport or at train stations. This costs € 7,50, but each ride is cheaper than with an individual ticket. It’s very convenient to use: simply tap the card against the reader when entering the bus/tram, or entering the train/metro station, and again when ending your trip or making a transfer.