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Groningen - with a population of about 186,000, - is the biggest city in the North of the Netherlands, located about 180 km from Amsterdam (see map). It is the capital of the Groningen province. 50,000 students study at the University of Groningen or at the University of Applied Sciences. Therefore Groningen has a very rich cultural life and is very lively. General information about the city is provided on the wiki page , by the City of Groningen link and the Groningen Tourist Information Office.
Conference venue August 29th-September 3rd, 2010:
Martiniplaza Groningen,
Leonard Springerlaan 2, 9727 KB Groningen
Martiniplaza, venue of ECOSS27, is only a five minutes trip by bus or taxi from
the city centre.
Map (Google Maps)
Welcome reception and registration on Sunday August 29th: Academiegebouw of the University of Groningen, Broerstraat 5, in the centre of Groningen, for a detailed plan click here.
Satellite Workshops for PhDs and postdocs: Saturday August 28th, 2010 09:30-17:00 to Sunday August 29th, 2010 09:30-16:00, Physics&Chemistry Building, Nijenborgh 4, 9747AG, located at the Zernike Complex (Letter X on this map ). This is the northern campus of the University. How to get there is described here.
Groningen's local public transport company, Qbuzz, has generously offered free public transportation to attendees to and from local hotels to the Martiniplaza as well as throughout the City of Groningen. Please make sure to have your ECOSS Conference Name Badge as it is your ticket to ride. For more information regarding which routes service Martiniplaza (conference location), please ask your hotel's front desk.
Of course you can travel in Groningen using your own or rented car, although delegates are advised to travel to Groningen by public transport because the parking facilities are scarce. For parking there are parking garages in the centre and opposite the Martiniplaza. For car rental you can go to Century Autoverhuur, which is located near the Martiniplaza, the venue of ECOSS 27.
Taxi’s can be found on the central market square “De grote markt” or at the train station. They can be recognized by their blue licenseplates. Also you can call a taxi-company at +31 (0)50 549 4940. The fare within the city of Groningen usually should not surpass 15 to 20 euro’s.
All of Groningen is accessible by bus. For a bus route
planner, you can visit the website of the local
bus company . In the bus you can pay with cash or with a so called
“strippenkaart”, which can be bought in supermarkets, newspaper stands,
bookshops and tobacco shops. Maps of bus routes in the city of Groningen can be
obtained at the Central Train Station.
Click here [PDF] for a map of the region of Groningen with all routes the busses take outside the city.
Prices:
| Cash: single ride ticket (2 “strippen”) for travel in the city before 9 a.m. | € 1,60 |
| Cash: "1 Euro ticket" | € 1,00 |
| 15-strippenkaart (reduced fare: students and 65+) | € 4,80 |
| 15-strippenkaart (full fare) | € 7,30 |
| 45-strippenkaart | € 21,60 |
(From the centre to the outer regions of Groningen, should be around 3 to 4 "strippen")
You can rent a bicycle at the central train station, also special bikes for
children are available there. Please be sure to lock your bicycle every time
you leave it out of site, even only for a few minutes – bicycles are a very
frequently stolen item in Groningen.
You can also go on foot using a Map of Groningen [PDF].