Meeting Location
The meeting venue, SURF Utrecht, is just a couple of minutes walk from Utrecht Centraal, so it's very easy to reach by train, with good connections across Europe and frequent trains to Schiphol Airport.
However, SURF can be hard to find! Don't trust blindly to Google Maps, but rather follow the directions on the their website (look for “Route description Utrecht”).
Lodging
Given that the meeting venue is right in the heart of Utrecht, you have a few different options for accommodation:
- The area around the meeting venue has a range of business-focused hotels. These are modern, no more than a few minutes walk from the meeting venue, and within easy walking distance of the city centre and tourist areas. Options include (in no particular order):
- Also very close to the station is BUNK, which provides smaller, cheaper rooms and sleeping “pods” in a converted church.
- The historic centre of Utrecht is an easy stroll away from the venue. It provides a wide range of accommodation options, from basic tourist hotels & hostels to super-luxury suites, right in the heart of the city's social and dining centre. Search Google or Booking.com and take your pick...
- Public transport in Utrecht is pretty good (see below), so don't be afraid of booking something a bit further out from the centre if it fits your budget (or your desire for quiet surroundings) better. You could try:
Note that we did not negotiate a special rate at any of these hotels, and the above list is by no means comprehensive — there are lots of places you could stay in Utrecht.
Getting around in the city
The meeting venue is right next to the central station, and a short walk from the historic city centre. You should easily be able to find everything you need without ever needing to use public transport. However, if you do want to go a bit further afield, the following may be helpful.
Cycling is ubiquitous throughout the Netherlands, and there is excellent bike infrastructure in Utrecht (including the world's largest bike garage, which is almost directly underneath our meeting venue). If you aren't a confident cyclist, you may find it a bit intimidating, but if you're willing to give it a go there's a bike rental place very close to the meeting venue. Be aware that nobody here wears a helmet or special clothing when using a regular “city” bike to get around; the bike shop will probably rent you a helmet if you need one, but they might look at you funny. You do, however, need working lights if you are cycling after dark.
Otherwise, Utrecht has a good bus network, a few trams, and excellent connections to the main rail system. Local busses and trams are operated by U-OV, while NS operates most of the mainline rail services across the country. Both of them will sell you a range of different ticket types — see their sites for details — but if you plan to make a lot of use of public transport you may find it convenient to buy an OV-chipkaart (“public transport chip card”). This is a smartcard onto which you can load credit and then use it for travel across the entire Dutch public transport network, regardless of provider, by simply swiping in & out. NS provides a nice summary of how it works. As a visitor, you'll want the “anonymous OV-chipkaart”, which you can purchase from ticket machines at any station for a one-off cost of €7.50.
For route planning and finding your way, both Google and Apple Maps provide information on public transport in the Netherlands; they work fine, but many folks prefer 9292 which is maintained locally and may have more up-to-date information.