Travel Information

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Symposium Venue

The Royal Tropical Institute, Linnaeusstraat 2, 1092 CK Amsterdam, Netherlands, will be the official venue for PETS 2014.

Gala Dinner (Thursday)

The Gala Dinner will be held St. Olofschapel, entrance through NH Barbizon Palace, Prins Hendrikkade 59-72 (map). The original Sint Olofskapel (Saint Olof's chapel) was built between 1440 and 1450, making it the oldest chapel in Amsterdam. It was built in honor of saint was Saint Odulphus from the Dutch province of Brabant, the patron saint of the dykes. Currently, the chapel serves as conference centre for the NH Barbizon Palace Hotel. It is connected directly to the hotel with an underground corridor.

Getting from the venue to the dinner venue and back:

  1. Busses are arranged to bring up to 110 people from the conference venue to the dinner venue. We are expecting more than 110 people... If you rented a bike, or are familiar with the Amsterdam transit system, we highly appreciate it if you could get there on your own.
  2. Tram to dinner: Take tram 9 in the direction of Central Station. Exit at Central Station. Head south, crossing all the tramrails, and cross the bridge. You'll see Hotel Barbizon Palace across the busy street. Trams ride until around midnight and at Central Station they leave from the same location as where you exited. Tickets can be bought on board, or, if you plan to travel more by public transport in Amsterdam, buy a pass for 1 to 7 days (see http://en.gvb.nl/ovinmamsterdam/Pages/bestdeal.aspx ).
  3. Bike to dinner: Go to the front of the Royal Tropical Institute. You'll see a bridge and an old city gate. Bicycle in that direction, cross the bridge, and go straight, all the way. Just follow the bicycle path until you've passed a big intersection. Continue straight, pass the Nieuwmarkt - a big square with a beautiful building with two towers in the middle - and continue until you hit the Prins Hendrikkade, a busy street. Go left without crossing. Stop where the two-way bicylce lane splits in two, one for each direction. Barbizon Palace is right there.
  4. Please make sure you find your own way back. It is a 35 minute walk and trams ride until midnight.

Afternoon sail (including lunch), Saturday, noon

Social Excursion (not included in the conference fee): Afternoon sail, 12:00 at the canal in front the Lloyd Hotel, Oostelijke Handelskade 34. Cross the street towards the water and you'll see the boat. Please register seperately at the registration desk. Costs EUR 30 (including lunch), to be paid on site in cash at the registration desk.

The Sailboa was built in 1899 as a one mast sailing transportboat for the Dutch inland waters. She did so until the 70?s! Now Sailboa is sailing the Amsterdam waters, the harbour and Amstel river for partys and events. Without mast and sails, but with a spaceous large deck and even more space belowdecks.

We will start and end the boat trip at the Eastern Docklands. These Docklands were developed in the second half of the 19th century. Most harbour activities moved west in the middle of the 20th century. Over the past (2) decades this area was developed for housing, but a lot of architecture does remind of the industrial past of the area. From the Eastern Docklands we can choose to sail to the big lake next to Amsterdam, or make a cruise through one of the main canals towards the Amstel river and Ouderkerk. After the trip we will have a walk through the Eastern Docklands, expecting to end at the Brewery 't IJ.


Hotels

NH Tropen Hotel -- FULL

NH Tropen Hotel is a 3-star hotel and located right next to the symposium venue.

The NH Tropen hotel in Amsterdam is ideally situated in the city center between the Royal Tropical Institute, where you will find the Tropen museum and theater, and the English-styled Oosterpark public garden, with its sculptures, wild birds and wide open spaces. There is a bus/tram stop right in front of the hotel, giving you easy access to the entire city, including the historical center (10 minutes) and Amsterdam Central Station (15 minutes). You can walk to the enchanting Artis Zoo in just 15 minutes and to the bustling and diverse Dapper market in 5 minutes. Limited parking is available in front of the NH Tropen hotel, and a convenient airport shuttle provides service to and from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.

The NH Tropen hotel offers 80 modern rooms, either with a view out over the city or the tree-filled Oosterpark public park. We have reserved a block of rooms which you can access here.

We have negotiated the following prices:

Unfortunately, the hotel is now full. Please see below for more options. We are also negotiating discounted rates with other hotels a little further away from the conference venue.

NH Barbizon Palace
Hotel Booking Site

The 5-star NH Barbizon Palace hotel is conveniently located in the heart of old Amsterdam. The symposium venue can easily be reached by public transport within 15 minutes.

NH Barbizon Palace is uniquely composed of nineteen 17th-century houses featuring stunning architecture from the past and a 15th-century chapel containing the hotel conference center. This is where the Conference Banquet will be held on Thursday July 19th 2014!

In addition to 274 distinctive rooms, the NH Barbizon Palace hotel features a fitness room and sauna with wellness area. The hotel offers a private boat landing dock. Have breakfast, lunch or dinner at Hudson's Terrace & Restaurant, located in the center of the bright, spacious hotel lobby. Partake in fine dining at elegant Vermeer Restaurant, winner of several international awards.

We have negotiated the following prices - VALID UNTIL 24 JUNE 2014:


The Manor Hotel Amsterdam
Hotel Site

We have been able to block more rooms at another hotel at walking distance from the conference venue, at The Manor Hotel Amsterdam - Hampshire Eden. It is a 4-star hotel situated in a unique building in Amsterdam-Oost: the former Burgerziekenhuis (hospital). The hotel is easy to reach by car or public transport. And by tram, bus or bike, you'll be right in the centre of the city in 7 minutes.

The negotiated prices are valid from 14/7/14 to 19/7/14 and are on a space-available basis.

We have negotiated the following prices - ON A SPACE-AVAILABLE BASIS:

If you wish to book a room at the Manor Hotel Amsterdam - Hampshire Eden, please contact the General Chair at gc14[at]petsymposium.org to receive a reservation form.


Other Hotels


Transportation

Amsterdam is very easy to reach by plane, train, car or even boat. Here's a selection of up-to-date information and useful tips to make your journey as easy as possible: I amsterdam.


Train to Venue

From Amsterdam Centraal Station, you can take tram 9 (in the direction of Diemen) directly to the hotel in 20 minutes (exit at Eerste van Swindenstraat). From Amsterdam Muiderpoort Station, you can walk to the venue in about 11 minutes. You can also take tram 9 (in the direction of Amsterdam Centraal Station) to Eerste van Swindenstraat or take bus 37 (in the direction of Amstelstation) to Linnaeusstraat/Wijttenbachstraat.

More information: NS (Netherlands Railways).

Car to Venue

A9 Alkmaar - Amsterdam

A2 Utrecht - Amsterdam

A4 Den Haag/ Schiphol Airport - Amsterdam

A1 Amersfoort - Amsterdam


Public Transportation

Travelling within Amsterdam is straight-forward and convenient. The extensive public transport network connects the city's many districts by train, tram, metro, bus and ferry.

In Amsterdam and beyond, the public transport chip card (OV-chipkaart) is used for travel on trams, buses and metros. The most convenient options for visitors are one-hour cards, (multi) day cards, or an anonymous card which you can add more credit to at any time. Tickets for the train and metro must be bought at the ticket machine or ticket counter. You cannot buy a train/metro ticket on board the train/metro. For trams and buses, you can buy the ticket with cash on board.

More information: 9292 Public Transportation Planner, I amsterdam Travel Portal


Visa Applications

International attendees may need a letter of invitation in order to obtain a visa to visit The Netherlands. Please check whether you need to obtain a visa, and where you can do that on this webiste.

We strongly advice to start the visa application process as early as possible.

The event organisers can not apply for nor organise visas for attendees. We do our best to facilitate you as much as possible and if you need assistance please email the General Chair as soon as possible. Please note that obtaining a visa is your own responsibility!

All symposium attendees must be registered and must have paid the required registration fees* before requesting an official letter for visa application purposes.

To ensure a successful request for a letter for visa application purposes, please be sure to send the following details to gc14[at]petsymposium.org

Please note that in the absence of the above mentioned information, we will not be able to process your request.

It is the traveler's responsibility to check and confirm current visa requirements to enter The Netherlands. The Symposium Organizers cannot be held responsible for travellers that do not confirm their visa requirements or obtain the appropriate paperwork for travel to the symposium.

* Symposium registration fees are refundable (less the designated administrative fee) if the visa application is denied. The refund request must be received in writing 14 days before the symposium start date. No refunds will be made for cancellations received after that date.

Disclaimer: This procedure is intended to assist participants who need to obtain a visa to attend the symposium and is not an official invitation covering fees and/or any other expenses or financial support for attendance. The organizers can assume no responsibility for the outcome of your visa application.

Please send requests to gc14[at]petsymposium.org.