Travel and Payments - how to get there and how to pay?

Getting to Nijmegen

 

By train:

Nijmegen is connected to the Dutch intercity railway system, and relatively easy to get to by train (via Amsterdam or Arnhem) from many European capitals and major cities. Have a look at https://www.nsinternational.com/en or the international public transportation service of your choice. We encourage everyone to consider coming by train.

 

By airplane:

Schiphol international airport has direct flights to many parts of the world. Direct intercity trains to Nijmegen Central Station from Schiphol Airport depart frequently (direct: 2x an hour during daytime; with 1 change: also 2 times an hour with an easy change at Utrecht Central Station), and take about 90 minutes (see https://9292.nl/en for specific public transport advice to and from the conference venue).

Nijmegen is also close by Weeze International airport in Germany, although the connection between Weeze airport and Nijmegen central station is not convenient by public transport. A (shared) taxi may be an option.  

Getting around in Nijmegen - public transport

Public transport in Nijmegen is well organized, with a fine-grained bus system, and a few train stations around town. 

 

Bike - bicycle

Getting around by bike is also possible – Nijmegen is very bike friendly. The conference venue has a number of rental (electric) bikes, and there are various bicycle shops in town that also rent out bikes. It is also possible to rent a basic bike at the central station, called ‘OV-fiets’ (‘public transport bike’) for €4.45 per 24 hours. See https://www.ns.nl/en/door-to-door/ov-fiets for more information. 

 

Train station 

Nijmegen Lent is a train station next to the conference venue, at less than 750 meters, and less than 10 minutes walking. Nijmegen-Lent can be reached with short distance trains (Sprinter) from the direction of Nijmegen or Arnhem. Those cities can be reached from any direction in the country by “Intercity” trains. Use https:// 9292.nl/en for specific public transport advice to and from the conference venue and to plan your trip in advance. There you can also download an app for mobile devices. With that same app you can buy e-tickets (named, for yourself) or for others (but only if you travel with them). There are also ticket machines at the train station but note that there is a surcharge of 1 euro for those tickets. 

 


Bus - public transport

Nijmegen-Lent can also be reached by bus, for example from the company Breng.nl. Bus tickets cannot be bought on the bus, but you can pay with the following methods:

For the bus you can check in and out with:

contactless debits card from ABN AMRO, ASN bank, bunq, ING, Rabobank, Knab, Regiobank or SNS

contactless credit cards from Mastercard and Visa (issued by ICS)

smartphones that are set up with contactless payment with a card from above-mentioned debit and credit cards. Also with Apple Pay and Google Wallet

a foreign contactless debit or credit cards from Maestro, V pay, Mastercard, or Visa

You could also purchase an anonymous public transport (OV) chipcard at Schiphol Airport or Nijmegen Central Station (either at a machine or at the NS Tickets & Service shop) for €7,50 that you can use for your entire stay (up to 5 years), but you need to charge this using either cash or a debit/credit card at the train station. It is difficult to get your money back once it is charged on your OV card. 

Note: you must always check in AND out, otherwise you will get a high charge.

It is also possible to walk from the center of Nijmegen to the venue in around 30 minutes. 

 

Paying in the Netherlands

Since the pandemic many smaller businesses only accept card payments, and no longer accept cash. We advise that before ordering something you check and make sure which payment methods are accepted. If you exchange cash in your home country, we recommend that you only get bills of 50 euro or less, as many businesses do not accept bills of more than 50 euros (due to circulating counterfeits). 

 

Weather in the Netherlands 

One thing we can say about the weather in the Netherlands is that it is changeable, so prepare to dress in layers. A light raincoat or an umbrella are also recommended. The website ‘buienradar’ is recommended for day-per-day Dutch weather forecasts: https://www.buienradar.nl/weer/nijmegen/nl/2750053/14daagse