Travel details

Last update: 4 September 2009

Destination address
The Aura and OMI science meetings are held at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Leiden, The Netherlands.

• Address: Haagse Schouwweg 10
• Zipcode: 2332KG
• City: Leiden
• Phone: +31 71 53 55 555

From the airport to the hotel: Overview
Last update: 4 September 2009
If you arive per airline, you most likely will land at the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. From this airport, you can ...

1. ... take a taxi directy to hotel. The drive takes about 30 minutes.
   You can make use of the Holiday Inn taxi service by calling them the evening before you arrive or at their desk the evening before you leave. Cost are Euro 44,- per ride (up to 4 persons) from Schiphol Airport to the Holiday Inn and Euro 39,- from the hotel to Schiphol Airport. A larger taxi (5-8 persons) costs Euro 6,- more.
   Taxi use in general (Airport to Leiden): the price ranges from about 32 (pre-arranged reserved and shared taxi) to about 70 Euro (privat taxi).
2. ... rent a car and drive to hotel directly (takes about 30 minutes).
   The zip or postal code for the Schiphol airport to be used in a route planner is "1118AX"
3. ... use public transport (takes about 40 minutes, cost are less than 10 Euro). More details are given below

The airport site contains a journey planner which can provide you with (some) details on all options. However, for public transport you better use the dedicated planner below.

From the airport to the hotel: Public transport details
You will travel from the railway station, located at the airport, to "Leiden Centraal Station" by train. The hotel is 2 km away from the railway station. You can take a bus, taxi, bike or walk to the hotel. On weekdays you can make use of the hotel's free shuttle service (limited period of the day).

You best make use of the dedicated public transport planner:

1. Under "From", select the option "Airport/ferry port" and enter "Luchthaven Schiphol, Schiphol" as departure point
2. Under "To", select the option "Bus/ tram/ metro stop" and enter "Holiday Inn" as stop name and "Leiden" as City name
3. Select date and time of arrival or departure and click on the "Advise Me" button
4. You will get a overview of possibilities around the chosen time. Note that not every bus stop directly in front of the Holidy Inn hotel. Please check out the map for walking directions to the hotel.
5. To get an overview of all buses from the Leiden Centraal railway station to the hotel, switch the option "Trainstation" under the "From" field.

The journey planner from the Dutch railways is a good alternative site (From=Station Schiphol; To=Address="Haagse Schouwweg").

NOTE if you arrive on Saturday 12 or Sunday 13 September. During these days, special "NS" buses are running from Schiphol to the Leiden Central railway station instead of trains because of railway maintenances work. It could be that special buses directly pass the Holiday Inn hotel on their way towards the railway station. Please ask the driver if this is the case and if he is willing to make a short stop near the hotel.

Public transport: tickets:
Public transport is in The Netherlands is currently switching from separate tickets for trains on one hand and for bus, tram and metro on the other hand to one card for the entire public transport system. Unfortunately, most parts of the country still use the old tickets only, at other places you can use both systems and in Amsterdam and Rotterdam can only use the new system. In the Leiden area you can use both systems.

The "old" system: railway tickets and "strippenkaarten"

• Trains: you need to have a ticket before boarding the train. Purchasing in the train will cost you an extra 35 Euro fee. You can purchase tickets from self-service ticket machine with cash coins, credit card or debit card or at NS Service Desks, Wizzl convenience stores and Kiosk shops.
  Check out the Railways web site for details and demonstrations.
• Bus, tram and metro: you need to buy a zonal ticket, called "strippenkaart".
  • Depending on your travelling distance and the number of passengers, a number of zonal strips (+ one base strip per person) need to be stamped by either the driver or yourself.
  • You can buy a zonal ticket with a limited number of strips directly from the driver, but you need to pay him/her more or less the exact amount in cash.
    If you intent to use the bus more often (for trips from the hotel to the city centre and back) or with more people, you better by a zonal ticket with 15- or 45- strips. They are available at ticket offices of the local and regional transport companies, post offices, sub post offices and a great number of "OV-shops" such as bookstores, tobacco shops and supermarkets.
  • On short distances, the "strippenkaart" can also be used in trains. You need to stamp them in advance in self-service stamp machine. A note on those machines tell you with destinations can be reached and how many zones you will pass. You need that number + 1 (the base strip) strips per person.
  • Click here for detailed information on these zonal tickets or "strippenkaarten".
  • The hotel, the railway station and the city center are within the same zone. You will need 2 strips (incl. the base strip, cost about 0,97 Euro) per person to travel with a bus.
  • A detailed map [PDF, 3,3 Mb] of bus routes within Leiden and surroundings is available.

The "new" system: OV Chip card
OV stands for "Openbaar Vervoer", which is Dutch for Public Transport.

• You buy a pass (or "load" it from a bank account) and swipe the ticket upon entering and leaving the bus, metro, tram or railway station. You pay for the distance travelled, unlike the zonal system mentioned above.
• There are personal, anonymous, and disposable cards.
• The disposable card can be purchased at the station vending machine.
can be used for one trip or for a predetermined short-term use, for example a 3-day ticket for all public transport within the city of Amsterdam.
• The anonymous OV-chipkaart can be bought at the ticket office and vending machines at the station. This type can be reloaded.
• Click here for detailed information on the OV-Chip card

Other transport: Bikes or walking:

• You can rent a bike at the Leiden railway station. You need a valid identity document and a to pay a deposit of about 50 Euro.
• You can also rent bikes from the hotel
• The journey planner from the Dutch railways provide directions and maps on how to walk or to bike (From=Station Schiphol; To=Address="Haagse Schouwweg", Method: select Walking or cycling).
• A detailed route planner for bikes is available here (Dutch only).