Patrick Decowski

Transportation

You can find information on how to get to Amsterdam and Nikhef in particular from the Nikhef travel page.

To get to most of the hotels from the airport (Schiphol) it is probably easiest/cheapest and, depending on the time of day, quickest to take the train to Amsterdam Central Station (Amsterdam CS) - this is a 20min train ride (3.80 euro's). Trains leave every 15min or so. Take a tram or taxi from Central Station to your hotel. Taking a cab from Schiphol to your hotel in Amsterdam is ~60-70Eu.

Consider getting the Amsterdam Travel Ticket at Schiphol. It is a 1, 2 or 3-day pass that gives you access to all trains, metros and busses in Amsterdam, including travel to/from Schiphol. You can purchase this ticket when you arrive in Schiphol.

Getting to Nikhef and the University of Amsterdam

Amsterdam is known as an expensive place for taxi rides, so please keep that in mind (as an indication: a taxi from Lancaster Hotel to Nikhef is 15-20 Eu).

There is a train station (Amsterdam Science Park) close to Nikhef/UvA, with trains from/to the airport arriving four times an hour (you may have to transfer at Amsterdam CS). Travel time Amsterdam Science Park - Schiphol is about 30min. 

The train between Amsterdam CS and Amsterdam Science Park takes about 10min and is by far the fastest way to get to Nikhef if your hotel is close to Amsterdam CS.

Travel by Bus, Tram or Metro

Amsterdam has an extensive Bus and Tram network and a few Metro lines. There is a standard transportation card to use on all three forms of transportation within Amsterdam (called OV-card). You can buy a relatively expensive 1 hr ticket on busses and trams (2.60Eu) or you can buy a one- or multi-day pass at various locations in the city. If you buy a multi-use card, keep in mind that you need to "check-in" by holding the card in front of a reader when boarding the bus/tram and you need to "check-out" by again holding the card in front of the reader when exiting.

Some helpful links:

Car Rental

Generally not recommended.

Bike Rental

By far the quickest and easiest way of exploring Amsterdam and getting to Nikhef is by renting a bike. There are a few companies that rent them out, some that have offices either close to the central station (Amsterdam CS) or close to the hotels near Plantage Middenlaan are:

Please note that this list is not exhaustive, more rental places can be found at Iamsterdam.

For bike rental I suggest going for the simplest citybike (prices are ~6-8euro per day) and you may wish to include theft insurance, but please read the conditions.

And remember: when biking, tram tracks are your biggest enemy!

 

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