Getting around Amsterdam is done best on a bicycle. The city has hundreds of kilometers of bicycle lanes to zip around safely and quickly. Renting a bike can be done in numerous places.
Public Transport
If the weather isn’t looking to great, or biking just isn’t for you, the next best thing is public transportation. The city buses, trams and metros will get you anywhere within the city quickly. The venue has its own train station which is just 10 minutes away from Amsterdam Central Station.
HEPiX participants will receive a pre-paid public transportation card. This card is valid for all public transport in the Amsterdam area. The credit on the card should be enough for a typical week.
The public transportation system in the Netherlands uses a NFC chip card system everywhere called OV-chipkaart, but there are a couple of details to take note of.
- Most short-term or tourist cards are not activated for use on the trains: the national rail service (NS) is a separate organisation from the municipal transport service (GVB) which managed trams, metros and buses.
- Pre-paid cards must have a minimum charge of € 4 before checking in on tram, metro, or bus (this amount is deducted at the beginning of a trip and returned at the end, minus the actual trip fee).
- Pre-paid cards must have a minimum charge of € 20 before checking in on the train (this amount is deducted at the beginning of a trip and returned at the end, minus the actual trip fee).
- Do not forget to check out after a trip or when transferring, otherwise the check-in overcharge will not be returned.
- The remaining credit on a used pre-paid card can be returned but it involves filling out a form and returning the card.
Because of the rules and complications it is not advisable to get a pre-paid card. We advise you to buy a disposable card to get to the venue.
Taxi and/or car rental
The use of taxis in Amsterdam is ill-advised. Should you really need a taxi, please contact the secretary office (+31 20 592 2000); they will call a taxi service for you.
Amsterdam is not a car-friendly city. The active policy is to shun cars as much as possible; parking is expensive and there is serious congestion during rush hour.