Travel
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Conference Center 1931
Oude Engelenseweg 1
's-Hertogenbosch (or Den Bosch)
The Netherlands.
For clarification: the country The Netherlands is the same as Nederland and you might also say Holland. The people are Dutchmen and the language is also called Dutch. The official name of the city is ‘s-Hertogenbosch (the Duke’s woods). This is usually simplified as Den Bosch. Route planners will recognize both names but maps will show the official name.
Oude Engelenseweg 1
's-Hertogenbosch (or Den Bosch)
The Netherlands.
For clarification: the country The Netherlands is the same as Nederland and you might also say Holland. The people are Dutchmen and the language is also called Dutch. The official name of the city is ‘s-Hertogenbosch (the Duke’s woods). This is usually simplified as Den Bosch. Route planners will recognize both names but maps will show the official name.
Den Bosch is an old medieval city, centrally located in the Netherlands. It is very well connected with highways and railways, both to get to the EGC and to see more of the country. Major cities like Amsterdam will takes less than an hour by train. Almost every other place in the country is reachable within two hours.
The playing venue 1931 is just outside the city center, ten minutes’ walk from Central Station (opposite the city center). Bus 5 might get you even closer.
If your hotel is in the city then you might walk everywhere, or go Dutch and ride a bicycle.
Taxis are readily available. Uber also works but with a limited number of cars so there might be a wait.
Bicycles
To rent one, ask your hotel or try https://swapfiets.nl/ More info later.
In Den Bosch bicycles are allowed to go everywhere, even in what you might expect to be pedestrian zones. This is an exception, in most Dutch cities they are not allowed to go here. When you are walking in the city center be careful as bicycles might pop up unexpectedly, especially the so-called fat bikes that are popular amongst young people.
In Den Bosch bicycles are allowed to go everywhere, even in what you might expect to be pedestrian zones. This is an exception, in most Dutch cities they are not allowed to go here. When you are walking in the city center be careful as bicycles might pop up unexpectedly, especially the so-called fat bikes that are popular amongst young people.
Trains and busses
The Netherlands has an extensive and affordable rail network plus many buses. The official planner is at https://9292.nl/en/ In many cases, Google maps works just as well. When it comes to trains, they run so often that you might as well skip the planning and just wait for the first one to turn up.
Trains have silent compartments, clearly marked on the outside and on the windows. No talking here.
Trains have silent compartments, clearly marked on the outside and on the windows. No talking here.
Paying for public transport is very easy: just tap in with any payment card or your mobile phone before boarding and tap out when exiting. Some notes:
- You will need one card or phone per person. Otherwise, you can still buy old-fashioned tickets but they will be a bit more expensive.
- Make sure you check in before boarding to avoid a fine. At most railway stations you cannot forget this as they have turnstiles. A major exception is Schiphol airport where you must check in at the yellow pole before taking the escalator down to the train.
- Buses will have a check-in point next to the driver.
- Also don’t forget to check out. If you don’t, you will be charged a standard fare, typically € 20 for the train or € 4 for the bus.
- If you pay by card, trains will always assume you travel second class which in most cases is pretty comfortable. If you prefer first class then you will have to buy a paper ticket at the counter.
- Finally, the confusing bit. The vast majority of the rail network is run by NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen) which uses dark yellow and dark blue as their colors, very much like this webpage. In addition, there are some smaller rail companies, for example the purple Arriva. You are unlikely to encounter those (none of these runs on Den Bosch) unless you go up-country. But if you do, make sure you check in with the right company. In some cases, transferring a train might mean checking out with one company and immediately checking in with the other company. If that is needed, you will likely see a yellow pole and a purple pole next to each other to make that as easy as possible.
Planes
Amsterdam Airport (Schiphol) is the largest airport in the country and very well connected. It is about 100 km to Den Bosch. Direct trains in the arrival hall will take you to Den Bosch in one hour for € 22. If you prefer a taxi, expect to pay around € 200.
Eindhoven Airport is the second largest airport of the Netherlands and around 30 km from Den Bosch. It specialises in cheap airlines like Ryanair. On arrival, take a shuttle bus to Eindhoven Central station from where a fast train will take you to Den Bosch in 20 minutes. A taxi would be around € 100.
Rotterdam Airport is small and you are unlikely to use this but it works well too (bus to Rotterdam Central Station, train to Den Bosch).
Cars
Driving around the country is easy and, in the midst of the holiday season, you should not expect significant traffic jams. There are no toll roads, but if you dive into the South-West corner of the country then there are some tunnels that charge a toll.
Motorways have a speed limit of 100 km/h at daytime, up to 130 km/h after 19:00. Otherwise it is 80 km/h outside built-up areas, 50 km/h inside. Many exceptions exist, keep an eye on the signs. Fines are very high!
A few city centers (Amsterdam, Arnhem, Den Haag, Utrecht) are closed for older diesels.
Motorways have a speed limit of 100 km/h at daytime, up to 130 km/h after 19:00. Otherwise it is 80 km/h outside built-up areas, 50 km/h inside. Many exceptions exist, keep an eye on the signs. Fines are very high!
A few city centers (Amsterdam, Arnhem, Den Haag, Utrecht) are closed for older diesels.
Parking. Many places charge for parking. In Den Bosch, the rates are € 3 - 4 per hour or € 20 per day. This also applies to most hotels inside Den Bosch. If your hotel is outside the city center, it will often have free parking.
At the edges of the city, there are three parking garages called "P+R Transferia". These cost € 5 per day which includes a free shuttle bus to the center, or you might borrow a bicycle for free. Keep an eye on the opening times.
Our playing venue has endless parking places for which they charge € 12 per exit. If you are here for a short time only, better park and pay on the street or maybe at parking Mengfabriek, a five-minute walk. On the other hand, if you want to leave your car here for a few days and just walk to your hotel then the per-exit pricing is a great deal.
Taxis
In most parts of the country these are reliable. Den Bosch is totally fine.
Only in Amsterdam you have to be careful as there is a good chance that tourists will be tricked. Trams are a good option here, as is Uber. If you do use a taxi in Amsterdam then try to get one from TCA (Taxi Centrale Amsterdam). They are the biggest and usually reliable.
Only in Amsterdam you have to be careful as there is a good chance that tourists will be tricked. Trams are a good option here, as is Uber. If you do use a taxi in Amsterdam then try to get one from TCA (Taxi Centrale Amsterdam). They are the biggest and usually reliable.