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Schiphol (Amsterdam airport) is the national airport of the Netherlands. Info on the airport and flights: www.schiphol.nl . Convenient intercity trains leaving 19 or 49 past each hour provide a direct link between the airport and the city of Groningen. Ticket offices are located in the main hall of the airport, and train schedules are displayed on large yellow boards. Please pay attention: If you take the train leaving at 49 minutes after the hour, you have to change in Amersfoort. The train to Groningen leaves on the opposite side of the platform but is composed of two parts which later split: ONLY ONE GOES TO GRONINGEN, PLEASE BE SURE TO GET INTO THE RIGHT ONE (destination is marked outside on carriage). Details see rail service web site.
Bremen airport in Germany offering connections to several European destinations is an alternative to Schipol but the ground connections are not as convenient. Either by airport bus to Groningen (English information), or tramway to the train station and train to Groningen (see rail service web site), or car (about 2 hours).
Groningen Central is the end station of a fast intercity line. Coming from Rotterdam, Utrecht or Amsterdam, there are trains every half hour that bring you directly to Groningen. Connection from Brussels and Paris is via the Thalys high-speed train and Dutch trains, and from Germany via the Inter City Express (ICE) high-speed train. For further information see the rail service web site.
From the South-West (Paris/Brussel/Amsterdam):
Direction Amsterdam/Utrecht, A1/A27 to Almere, A6/A7 to Groningen.
From the South-East (Köln/Zürich/Vienna):
Direction Ruhrgebiet (Duisburg/Dortmund), A3/E35 to the German/Dutch border,
A12 to Arnhem, A50 to Zwolle, A28 to Groningen.
From the East and North (Kopenhagen/Berlin/Warsaw):
Direction Hamburg/Hannover/Bremen, from Bremen the A28/E22 to the German-Dutch
border, A7 to Groningen.
For further information see a routeplanner, e.g. Google Maps , Mapquest or ViaMichelin.
Most hotels are located in or around the city centre withinwalking distance of the conference venue. From the train station the hotels are also within walking distance, but with luggage you might want to take a taxi or a bus. Details on hotels can be found under "Accomodation" (menu at the left).
There is a good bus system in Groningen but the best way to get around in the center is walking or by bicycle. In 2002 Groningen has been awarded the title "bicycle city" by the Dutch bicycle association for its good infrastructure. If you want to get around "Dutch style", i.e. on bicycle, you can rent a bike at the train station and elsewhere, see here for more information.