LocalTravel information
View a larger version of this map.
Nearby airports
The seven most useful airports for travelling to Eindhoven are:
| Nearby Dutch airports | Nearby foreign airports |
|---|---|
| Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) | Brussels (BRU) |
| Rotterdam / The Hague (RTM) | Düsseldorf International (DUS) |
| Maastricht / Aachen (MST) | Cologne / Bonn (CGN) |
| Eindhoven (EIN) |
Hotels and the conference venue are all within walking distance from Eindhoven's central train station. The following table details how to reach it from each airport.
| Airport | Minimum travel time |
Route (details on tickets below) |
|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) | 1:30 | Train, direct connection (every 30 min., travel time 1:29) |
| Rotterdam / The Hague (RTM) | 1:50 | Bus 33 (every 8–10 min., travel time 0:27) to Rotterdam central station, then train (every 30 min., travel time 1:13) |
| Maastricht / Aachen (MST) | 1:30 | Bus 59 to Beek-Elsloo train station (every hour, travel time 0:13), then train changing once at Sittard (every 30 min., travel time 1:08) |
| Eindhoven (EIN) | 0:25 | Bus 401 to Eindhoven central station (every 7–8 min., travel time 0:22) |
| Brussels (BRU) | 3:10 | Train, changing twice in Brussels and Dordrecht, or Train, changing twice in Brussels and Rotterdam, or Train, changing thrice in Brussels, Roosendaal, and Tilburg (all three trains go once an hour) |
| Düsseldorf (DUS) | 2:15 | Train, changing twice in Düsseldorf and Mönchengladbach, or Train, changing twice in Düsseldorf and Venlo (every hour one or the other goes) |
| Cologne / Bonn (CGN) | 2:40 | Train, changing once in Köln (several times daily), or Train, changing twice in Mönchengladbach and Venlo (once an hour) |
Dutch public transport (one-off tickets)
Taxis are expensive in the Netherlands. For instance, a taxi from Eindhoven Airport to the train station, which takes about 15 minutes, will cost roughly €25.00. The same trip by bus takes 22 minutes but costs only €3.00.
If you are only traveling to and from the conference, your best option is to buy one-off tickets for any buses and/or trains you use.
Buses: Simply state the destination to the bus driver and pay him/her in cash (coins and/or bills of at most 20 euros). You will get a disposable, one-way ticket. The bus trips listed above cost between € 1.60 and € 3.00.
Trains: For purchasing train tickets you have two options:
Purchase a paper ticket at the ticket machines of any train station.
The ticket machines have Dutch, English, German, and French interfaces and accept bills as well as all debit cards that carry the Maestro symbol. Credit cards are currently only supported at a select few stations (such as Amsterdam Schiphol Airport). Note: When using credit cards in the Netherlands, you will need to know the PIN code of the card!Purchase a paper ticket at the service desk of any major train station.
A Dutch railways employee (speaking Dutch, English, and possibly German and French) will sell you a ticket (at €0.50 extra charge) and answer any of your questions.
Dutch public transport (OV-chipkaart)
If you want make more extensive use of the Dutch public transport system (to do sight-seeing, for example), you should buy an anonymous “OV-chipkaart”. These can be purchased from the service desks at major train stations, as well as from supermarkets and convenience stores.
The RFID-based OV-chipkaart is the universal method of payment for Dutch buses, trams, subways, and trains. It replaces the older system of paper tickets (still accepted on trains until 2012) and “strippenkaarten” (still accepted on buses in some regions, but not in others).
Money
can be loaded onto the OV-chipkaart at machines in buses and at
stations. The machines have Dutch, English, German, and French
interfaces and accept bills as well as all debit cards that
carry the Maestro symbol. Credit cards are currently only
supported at a select few stations (such as Amsterdam Schiphol
Airport). Hold the card against the area with the OV-chipkaart
logo (shown on the right), and your current balance will be
displayed. Follow the on-screen instructions to load money onto
the card.
At the entrances and exits of buses and stations you will find devices with the same OV-chipkaart logo. To check in, hold your card in front of the device until it beeps. At your destination, hold your card in front of such a device again to check out. An amount will be deducted from your card based on the distance traveled. (Actually, the maximum tariff is deducted at the check-in, and you are refunded the difference at the check-out. So don't forget to check out!)
International trains
Tickets for international trains have to be bought in advance, and is most easily done online from the railway website for the country of departure. When traveling, be sure to bring the tickets as well as a valid ID showing the same name as on the tickets.
From Belgium: Use the English booking webpage for international journeys for the Belgian railways (Dutch: NMBS, French: SNCB).
Brussels Airport (BRU) to Eindhoven.
Search for "brussels airport" and "eindhoven", and select the following from the results:
From: Brussel Nat Luchthaven (Be) ( Brussels Airport, Zaventem )
To: Eindhoven (Nl)
After payment, print out your tickets.
From Germany: Use the English booking webpage for international journeys for the German railways (Deutsche Bahn).
Düsseldorf International Airport (DUS) to Eindhoven.
Search for "duesseldorf flughafen" and "eindhoven", and select the following from the results:
From: DÜSSELDORF FLUGHAFEN (DUS)
To: EindhovenCologne / Bonn Airport (CGN) to Eindhoven.
Search for "cologne bonn airport" and "eindhoven", and select the following from the results:
From: CGN KölnBonn Airport
To: Eindhoven
After payment, print out your tickets. Note: At the time of this writing, the option to print your own tickets was not available for all connections. If this happens for the connection of your choice, the alternative is to have the tickets mailed to you. This will take 2–3 business days, according to their site.
