Travel and Hotel

Travel to Utrecht

For travelers within Europe, train is probably the best way to travel: Utrecht is served by the German ICE network, and travelers from the direction of France/UK can use the Eurostar and change in Rotterdam.

For travelers from USA, Asia and beyond: Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is about 25 minutes away by train, served 2 to 4 times per hour by direct train. Domestic train tickets can be bought on arrival in the arrivals hall.

Local travel

The conference is held at the Utrecht Science Park, which is about 5 km (3 miles) from the city centre. There are several ways to reach the University Campus.

Public Transport

The University campus is served by a tram (nr. 20/21/22) and buses (27 & 28) from Utrecht Central Station, both take approximately 15 minutes. For the conference, get off at stop “Heidelberglaan”. There will be signs showing the way from the tram/bus stop to the conference venue.

How to pay for public transport?

If you have a mobile phone, bank card, or smart watch that supports electronic payments by NFC, you can simply pay using that card (be sure to check in, and check out). In the bus there is a check-in point next to the door. For the tram the check-in point is at the platform. For the train the check-in point is either at the platform or at the station gate. If you want to know whether this works with your bank card, see https://www.ovpay.nl/en . If you do not have a bank card that supports this, you can buy a prepaid OV card (similar to an Oyster card in London) at Utrecht Central station.

Planning your travel

You can plan your journey with the NS reisplanner or 9292ov.

Bike

To travel like a local, you can rent a bike.

Hotels

For ESRA 2025, we arranged a hotel booking service. When following the link, you will find our booking service, featuring a selection of hotels in the city center of Utrecht in different price ranges. In the booking service, you can find more information on the selected hotels and book your stay for ESRA 2025.

Do you intend to stay in Utrecht a little longer following the conference, or would you prefer to arrive earlier? If you would like to extend your time in Utrecht and would prefer to stay in the same accommodations, contact the hotel service directly at info@hotelserviceutrecht.nl and they can try to make the arrangements for you.

If you are looking for a hotel or hostel in a slightly cheaper price range, you can also book a room in the BUNK hotel, Stayokay Hostel or Hostel Strowis. Booking rooms at these accommodations cannot be arranged through the hotel booking service, and has to be arranged through the accommodations website directly.