Where and how to find the CLARIN and ELSNET Office at Achter de Dom 24 in Utrecht
Includes directions for NH Centre Utrecht Hotel (which used to be
called
Tulip Inn, or Hotel des Pays Bas) and for Apollo Hotel City Centre
(formerly Best Western Hotel Amrath or Hotel Smits); for Hotel Mitland please check the directions on
their
website
We are part of the Utrecht institute of Linfuistics UiL OTS. Here is a map.
UiL OTS has three locations. The new main location can be found at
Janskerkhof 13/13A, indicated on the map by a solid red rectangle
marked 13A (in white). ELSNET and CLARIN used to be located at Trans 10, and that
is where the red circle is, marked 14. We still use it as our postal address, but our office has been moved to Achter de Dom 24. It is the place marked "2" in a white circle on the map. The dotted line tells you
how to walk to Trans 10
from the
Central Station. If you walk past the entrance Achter de Dom will be
the first street on your left. As you can see there are shorter routes,
but this is
the one
described below. The red squares indicate the hotels: BW = Apollo
City Centre, NH = NH Centre Utrecht.
By air
Fly to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport or to Rotterdam Airport. Our national
airline KLM has the best connections, but they tend to offer
little value
(uncomfortable seats, extremely little leg room, poor service on board)
for a lot of money. Cheaper carriers may offer the same (or sometimes
even
better), but at a lower price, so it is worth checking for cheaper
alternatives (check this timetable
for all direct flights to and from Amsterdam, and this site
for Rotterdam).
By car
Don't even try. If you manage to get there at all, the nearest place
where
you can park your car is probably the place where you left. We have no
parking facilities, not for ourselves, and not for our guests. You
could try
to park in a parking garage near the Central Station or in the outskirts of the city and take a bus to the Central
Station from there. There is a P+R site called Transferium, south of the city,
close to
the A12 (Arnhem - Utrecht - Den Haag/Rotterdam). Please note that our
whole
faculty is located in the inner city, and not in the University Center
'De
Uithof', where you will find most other faculties.
By train
Utrecht has excellent train connections with the rest of the
Netherlands
(Utrecht-Amsterdam is only 30 minutes, with intercity trains every 15
minutes). On most connections the minimal frequency is every 30
minutes.
There are direct train connections to Germany (and beyond). If you
arrive
from Belgium or France, you will normally have to change at Rotterdam
CS
(from there it is ca 40 minutes to Utrecht CS).
From Schiphol Airport to Utrecht
A taxi from Schiphol Airport to Utrecht can easily cost you over 100
euro, so
we suggest that you take the train, which is both cheaper and faster.
From
the Arrival Hall, follow the train signs to the station hall. Buy a
ticket to
Utrecht (12:40 euro for a first class single ticket, return tickets are
22.90 euro but can
only
be used on the same day). There are now direct trains from Schiphol to
Utrecht every 30 minutes (in both
directions). Trains normally leave from track 1/2, at *.14 and *.44
throughout the day, on weekdays between 6:14 and 23:44. Duration 32 minutes.
On your way back the pattern is similar, with direct trains from
Utrecht to Schiphol at *:13 and *:43 (at least between 06:43 and
23:43). Duration 32 minutes. Departure track varies, but 7 is a good
guess. Try to
take a train from Utrecht that leaves not later than 2.5 hours
before departure of your (European) flight. That will normally give you
enough
time to
miss a train, check in and have a coffee, but remember that Schiphol
Airport has only one security checkpoint for all Schengen gates so you
might be confronted with long queues. If you are flying KLM (or one
of
its partners) you can even check in by phone: 0900
649
0000.
During the night there are trains in both directions every hour, but
they normally go through Amsterdam Central Station; the duration of the
trip will be 50-60 minutes, and you may have to change trains.
From Rotterdam Airport to Utrecht
Information about transportation between Rotterdam Airport and
Rotterdam
Central Station is available on the website
of Rotterdam Airport. From Rotterdam Central Station there are ca 5
direct
trains to Utrecht every hour. Duration 35-45 minutes.
From Utrecht Central Station to the Institute (UiL OTS, Achter de Dom 24)
- Get off the train at Utrecht Central Station, take the escalator
or stairs up to the main hall on the 1st floor.
- From the main hall follow the Bus and Taxi signs (direction
'Centrum'/'Clarenburg'/'Vredenburg', do not go to 'Jaarbeurs' because you might end up in the North Sea after 60 km)
- Once you have arrived at the exit to the taxi platform (same
level) and the escalators down to the bus platform, decide whether you
want to go
- by taxi -- cost ca 12.50 euro, proceed to 4 (also the best
option if you want to go to Hotel Mitland).
- by bus -- cost ca 1.60 euro if you buy your ticket on the bus, proceed to 5 (also for NH Centre
Utrecht Hotel).
- walking -- takes 10-15 minutes (a nice walk if you are
travelling light), proceed to 8 (also for the Apollo Hotel, which is only 5
minutes from the station).
- Once you're in the taxi, tell the driver that you want to go to Achter de Dom 24. This is located in the Center of Utrecht, very close to the
Dom Tower. The taxi will probably drop you at the corner of Trans and Achter de Dom (but it could also be the other end of Achter de Dom, but that shouldn't make a big difference). Proceed to 18.
- Take the escalator (or stairs) down to the city bus platform
('stadsbussen'). It is right below the taxi platform.
- Walk straight ahead, until you see
on your left the stop of line 2 (direction 'Museumlijn' or 'Ringlijn').
Normally the number 2 bus runs in a clockwise direction, but during
periods of road construction works in the inner city the direction may
be inverted.
- Get on the bus, buy a ticket, and get off at the 3rd stop
'Domplein', right in front of the Dom Tower. You can't miss it. Proceed
to 16. (If you are going to Apollo Hotel City Centre,
get off at the first stop, and walk 200 meters up the road; if you are
going to the NH Centre Utrecht Hotel, get off at the 2nd
stop, 'Janskerkhof', and you will see the hotel across the street, on
your left, at the corner).
- Walk past the exits that lead to the bus and taxi platforms
(keeping them on your left), and continue walking through the shopping
area, in the same direction (Centrum/Vredenburg/Clarenburg).
- Maintain the same main direction; there is one place (a wide
square, with in the middle a bronze bar with a knot in it) where you
have to keep the square on your left, and turn slightly to the right.
- At the end you will find an escalator which will take you down
and, after 20 meters, outside.
- You will find yourself in the right hand bottom corner of a large
square (Vredenburg). Walk straight ahead to the right hand top
corner, and turn right there (Steenweg). (If your destination
is the Apollo Hotel, head for the left hand top corner, and
you will walk right in to it.)
- Follow the shopping street (Steenweg). It turns
gradually to the left. Keep following it.
- By now you should see somewhere ahead of you, a tall church tower
(the 'Dom Tower', 110 m). Use this as
your landmark, because that is where our institute is.
- When the main shopping street ends, turn right (another shopping
street, the Choorstraat).
- Take the first street left, which leads you across a bridge over
a canal to the Servetstraat, through (really!) the Dom tower
to a square called Domplein. Then turn right, where you will
see a line 2 bus stop (yellow sign).
- Walk 50 meters in the same direction as the bus, past the church
and the old main University building (both on your left), cross the
street, and take the first street on your left. This is the Trans, where our offices used to be.
- Continue until the end of the Trans and then make a sharp turn to the left. This is Achter de Dom (Behind the Dom Church).
- After 50 meters you will see the entrance of Achter de Dom 24
on your right (if you came by taxi and were dropped at the other end
you will see it on your left). Our front door is normally locked and it
is not marked as a university building -- but you will see a door bell
marked "CLARIN - ELSNET". Ring the bell [does not always seem to work], wait until the door opens and
walk all the way up to the second floor. If the front door is not
opened and if I don't answer my office phone (the number is on
the door bell) I'm probably not in my office.
- My office (2.04) is on your right.
- If you get lost, don't despair. Just call me:
- extension 6050 if you are calling from one of the University
buildings,
- 253 6050 (if you have evidence that you are still in Utrecht),
- 030 253 6050 (if you managed to get out of Utrecht again),
- +31 30 253 6050 (from your mobile phone or if you're not sure you are still in the Netherlands).
