Travel information
Travelling from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) to Groningen
If you arrive in the Netherlands at Schiphol, the Amsterdam International airport, the easiest way to travel to Groningen is to take the train. The underground train station is inside the airport, within walking distance of the luggage claim areas. The Dutch railway system is run by Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS). You will recognize it by its yellow and blue colors. Just follow the yellow illuminated signs that direct you ‘To the trains’.
Train tickets
You must purchase a train ticket to Groningen before you board the train. Passengers travelling without a valid ticket will be fined. You can buy either a first-class ticket (€ 40 one-way) or a second-class ticket (€ 24.50 one-way). There are two ways of purchasing a ticket: the ticket counter and the yellow and blue ticket-vending machines that you will find in the luggage claim hall and by every entrance to the train terminal. You can purchase tickets from the machines only by using your credit card or a debit card with the Maestro logo. The vending machines do not accept credit cards or American debit cards. There are no night trains to Groningen, so make sure your flight does not arrive too late. You can check the train schedule at ns.nl.
Travelling from the city centre to Zernike campus
The Symposium venue (Zernikeborg) is located at the Zernike Complex (the northern campus of the University of Groningen). It can be reached by bus 11 or 15 from the Grote Markt (city centre) or from the bus-railway station. Tickets can be bought from the driver – make sure you have the exact fare ready (€2, valid one hour). In peak hours the bus leaves every 10 minutes and otherwise about every 20 minutes. The buses head in a general northerly direction towards Zernike which takes about 15 minutes. After the Shell station on your right, you pass under the ring road. The first stop in Zernike is at the white porters' lodge on your right. (The bus seldom stops there.) You alight at the second bus stop in the Zernike complex. To return to downtown Groningen take bus 11, back to the Central Railway Station via Grote Markt (= city centre) or 15, which takes a more direct route to the railway station.