Practical Information

Utrecht is located in the heart of the Netherlands, on a crossroad of rails, roads and waterways and thus easily accessible from any direction.. Utrecht is only a 30 minute train ride from Schiphol Airport and a 60 minute train ride from Eindhoven Airport and Rotterdam The Hague Airport. The Utrecht main railway station is a national and European train junction, where local trains from all parts of the Netherlands as well as international trains from all over Europe arrive daily. By car Utrecht is located 40 km southeast of , 125 km from Antwerp and 175 km from Brussels.

International trains - () - Intercity (IC) Antwerp/Brussels - ICE International (Germany) - City night line (several cities in Europe)

Trains: Stop trains and intercity (IC) trains have one thing in common- they all stop in Utrecht! There is no need to worry about parking and when you arrive you are walking distance of the city centre. Amsterdam and Schiphol Airport are just 30 minutes by train and Rotterdam and The Hague are 45 minutes. Daily international trains to and from Brussels (2 hours), (2.5 hours) and Paris (3,5 hours). For more information, go to www.ns.nl or www.nshighspeed.nl.

Bus & Tram: You can easily reach Utrecht’s inner city by public transport. You simply take the tram, bus, train, taxi or rent a bicycle at the station. City buses are coming into the centre from all directions. Trams also run frequently from Nieuwegein and IJsselstein. An extensive network of city buses ensures that every district is easily accessible.

For information on buses, go to: Qbuzz, and 9292.nl.

From Amsterdam Airport to Utrecht Central Station Trains between Amsterdam Airport (Schiphol) and Utrecht run every quarter of an hour during the day. Travel time is about 35 minutes. Trains depart from Amsterdam Airport to Utrecht every 15 minutes from platform 1 or 2. On your return, please note that the train station at Amsterdam Airport is announced as Schiphol.

Train Tickets

Train tickets can be bought at the OV Service and Tickets shops or at ticket machines at any train station.

Single-use tickets are disposable OV-chip cards (eenmalige chipkaart) and can be bought at any Dutch NS train station.

Most visitors to the Netherlands and infrequent resident travellers can make do using these single-use tickets. They carry a €1 surcharge in addition to the standard fare. They are made from card, are printed with the date and route and can only be purchased on-the-day of travel. To validate the ticket passengers must check-in and check-out of their journey using the card readers near the platforms or at the gate barriers. The card is disposed after use - it cannot be used again.

You can find more information here: http://www.amsterdamtips.com/tips/train-tickets-in- netherlands.php

You can also buy train tickets ahead of time online. For online train tickets, please go to: https://www.ns.nl/producten/en/losse-kaartjes/p/enkele-reis

Accommodation during the Social Affairs Forum

Plan your visit with Visit Utrecht.com The Social Affairs Forum will mostly take place around Utrecht’s city center. Therefore, we suggest guests find a hotel or B&B nearby or in the city center. Utrecht is well-known for its smaller boutique hotels and bed and breakfasts. You can also browse for rooms on https://www.visit- utrecht.com/plan-your-trip/hotels or http://benb-utrecht.nl/ .

To plan your visit we encourage you to visit: https://www.visit-utrecht.com/ . This portal offers information about the city, its history and interesting attractions.

Special Fares To ensure enough rooms for our guests during the SAF five hotels have been selected with instant availability and exclusive discounts or conditions. All rates include breakfast and all taxes. No additional services fees will be charged. To benefit from our special rates, full prepayment is required to complete and confirm your reservation.

Hotels can be booked by use of this site. If you would like to book one of these rooms please be quick as most rooms will be released between 2-4 weeks before the start of the event. For further information please check the terms and conditions or contact us at [email protected]

Locations during the SAF Conference

Stadskantoor Gemeente Utrecht (Utrecht City Office) Stadsplateau 1 3521 AZ Utrecht

VVV Utrecht (Utrecht Tourist Information Centre) Domplein 9 3521 JC Utrecht

De Utrechter (Restaurant lunch, March 8) Vredenburg 40 3511 BD Utrecht

The Colour Kitchen, location Zuilen (Restaurant diner, March 7) Prinses Christinalaan 1 3554 JL Utrecht

Tivoli Vredenburg (Official welcome & program, March 7) Vredenburgkade 11 3511 WC Utrecht