You can find info on the location, how to travel, and hotels to stay in here.
Location
Leiden is a city and municipality in the Dutch province of South Holland. With a population of around 200,000 inhabitants and one of the oldest universities in Europe (inaugurated in 1575!), Leiden is known for its enchanting character; its almshouses, university, museums and rich history. It’s the place where Rembrandt was born and it inspired so many other influential painters. Leiden University is one of Europe’s leading international research universities, and has the motto Praesidium Libertatis – Bastion of Freedom.
The conference “Art&Activism: Resilience Techniques in Times of Crisis” will be held in the Research Center for Material Culture at Museum Volkenkunde (National Museum of World Cultures), located in the Dutch city of Leiden. Here you will find information on how to get to the conference, depending on where you start from.
Travel
Getting to the Volkenkunde Museum from Leiden Centraal
The Research Center for Material Culture at Museum Volkenkunde (National Museum of World Cultures) is the chosen venue for the conference to take place. Getting there by foot from the Leiden Centraal station is a five minute walk, with a distance of around 450 meters.
Address: Museum Volkenkunde, Steenstraat 1, 2312 BS Leiden
Once you get out of the station, walk on a straight line until you cross the first canal. Once crossed, turn right immediately and continue walking for an additional 100 meters. The Volkenkunde Museum will be located to your left, as shown in the picture.
Getting to Leiden from anywhere within the Netherlands
Getting to Leiden from anywhere within the Netherlands is an easy journey. There are a few alternatives on how to get to Leiden from another Dutch municipality:
- Traveling by car: When traveling to Leiden from Amsterdam, A44 is the best route to take. It is important to make sure that the road chosen is the A44, since the route A4 also connects Leiden, Amsterdam and The Hague, but through the other side of the city. A44 is thus the quickest way to get to Leiden. Turn off at the “Leiden” exit, and in a few minutes you will find yourself in the middle of this beautiful city.
When coming from the area of Rotterdam/The Hague, A4 is the best route to take. Take the exit “Zoeterwounde” and follow the direction to Leiden, in the roadway N206. - Traveling by train: Leiden has its own station, named Leiden Centraal. It easily connects with every other Dutch city. Direct trains from Schiphol airport to Leiden leave every 15 minutes and the travel time is 15-20 minutes. Tickets and travel passes can be requested in advance in the website of Dutch Railways. Taking the train is the easiest and quickest way of traveling to Leiden, since it can be reached in 35 minutes from Amsterdam, 33 minutes from Rotterdam, 40 minutes from Eindhoven, and 1 hour 30 minutes from Zwolle.
Getting to the Netherlands from abroad
The Netherlands is one of the best connected countries in Europe. With a total of three commercial airports, there are several ways of arriving to the country.
- Schiphol Airport: Located near Amsterdam, the capital city of the Netherlands, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is the bigger international airport in the country. There are several companies that fly there, such as the low-cost Pegasus, Norwegian, easyJet, Ryanair and Vueling, and more expensive ones such as KLM, American Airlines and Iberia. Located approximately nine miles away from Amsterdam’s city center, Schiphol is a great connecting point with the rest of the Netherlands. The airport offers many facilities such as shops and restaurants, free Wifi, and bus and train connections with the rest of the Netherlands through its own train station: Schiphol.
- Eindhoven Airport: Located less than 5 miles away from the Eastern city of Eindhoven, the Eindhoven Airport is the second biggest commercial airport in the Netherland. Flights from companies such as Ryanair, Delta, Jet Airways, Wizz Air and KLM land in this airport. Its facilities include restaurants and shops, an exchange office and a health center. It does not have its own train station, so the easiest way to get from Eindhoven Airport to the city of Leiden is to take bus 400 or 401, that arrive to Eindhoven Centraal Station within 30 minutes, after which you can continue traveling by train. Those two shuttle lines are visible immediately when exiting Eindhoven Airport through its main exit.
- Rotterdam-The Hague Airport: Located in between the Western cities of Rotterdam and Den Haag (The Hague), Rotterdam Airport is the third biggest airport in the Netherlands. Airlines such as Transavia, CityJet, British Airways and Vueling operate in this airport. Its services include bars, restaurants, and shops. However, it does not have its own train station, so the easiest way to get to Leiden from Rotterdam Airport is to take the bus 33 to Rotterdam Centraal (departure every 10-20 minutes), or from the metro line E, which connects with bus 33 in the metro station Meijerplein.
Recommended Hotels
The following hotels are all conveniently nearby the conference venue, and are listed approximately from cheapest to most expensive to accommodate all budgets.
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