ReCreative ARTs - practical information

Travelling to and in Groningen

The city and province have a high quality public transport network. It is also easy to reach Groningen by car, bike or boat and even by plane. Make use of the many ways to get around and let yourself be surprised by the beauty of Groningen. Within the historic city centre it is the easiest to walk or cycle - the venue is 20 minutes by foot from the central railway station. There are plenty of AirBnBs, hotels and hostels in the city of Groningen and its surrounding areas. Those further away from town can be reached by bike or a good bus system. Do you want to explore the city and province of Groningen? Then check out the Visit Groningen website for all the tips you need.

By train

Groningen University advises its employees to travel by train any distance up to 500 km. If possible, we suggest that you travel by train, either via Amsterdam or Utrecht in the Netherlands or via Hannover-Leer in Germany. There are excellent night-trains connecting Hannover and Utrecht with the North, South and East of Europe.

Bicycle rental

There are various locations in Groningen for hiring a bicycle and it is the easiest and fastest way to get around town. We strongly recommend not to enter the historic city center by car.

By air / Schiphol Airport Amsterdam

When your flight arrives at Schiphol Airport (Amsterdam) the easiest way to travel to Groningen is by train. The time taken is approx. 2 hours and trains leave every 30 minutes and offer free wifi.

By air / Groningen Airport Eelde

Groningen has its own small airport that frequents a few specific European destinations. It is worth checking whether there are flights available from your closest airport. From the airport it is a 20 minute bus ride into town. Address: Machlaan 14a, Eelde , The Netherlands.

By car / car rental

By car, you can reach the city of Groningen via highway A28 from the south of the Netherlands. From Germany (east) or Amsterdam (west) you can take highway A7.

Carparks: There are ten carparks located near the city center. Please note that car traffic in the city of Groningen is restricted and street parking is very limited and costly.

For information about car rentals and/or picking up a rental car, please visit the Hertz or AVIS desks in the passenger terminal of Schiphol.

Taxi and bus

In north, south-west and east Groningen are special taxis in addition to public transport. Regional taxies can be used to go from your house to a bus stop or train station (and back). Connections are guaranteed, but be sure to book a regional taxi in advance. Regional taxis are available throughout Groningen, except for the city.

There are 8 P+R carparks just outside the city (such as in Haren and Leek), where you can park your car free of charge and take the P&R citybus to the city center. Groningen has an excellent public transport system.

From the Central Station it only takes you 10 to 15 minutes to walk to the city centre. Just cross the Werkmanbridge connecting the station and the Groninger Museum.

City Bus

If you want to do some serious shopping in the city, park your car on one of the four P+R areas, and be comfortably transported to the city center and back. Parking is free. Transport by bus for yourself and no more than four other persons can be paid for on the bus. Return tickets are € 6,-. The City bus travels on days when shops are open, including Sunday opening hours.

There are car parks at the Sontweg, Peizerweg, and Kardinge Park & Ride. The parking card for disabled people allows parking at all of the spaces for the disabled. They can also park free of charge for a maximum of three hours at the regular parking spaces using a disc.

Conference venue

The city of Groningen had a great tradition in education even before the 17th Century. The Sint Maartenschool, a so-called Latin School, was famous throughout the country and even further: people came from France, Italy and Poland to study here with people of the city and province of Groningen. However, if someone from Groningen wanted a university education, they had to go to Leiden or abroad, until the university in Groningen was founded in 1614.

Today, the University of Groningen has an international reputation as one of the leading research universities in Europe. Research and education are organized within eleven faculties. One of those faculties is the Faculty of Arts and Society. Students and researchers in this faculty study subjects that are familiar to us all. The language that we speak, the history of our families or surroundings, the news websites we visit, the conversations we have, the movies we watch and the books we read. The Department of Applied Linguistics of the University of Groningen has international standing and draws students from all of the world.

Harmonie Building

The Harmonie Building is where the Faculty of Arts is housed. The building dates back to 1856 and served for many years as a cultural complex with a concert hall. In the late 1970s, the building was demolished except for the front building and new construction was built and occupied by the university. The Harmonie building is the main building for the conference, and while you're there, make sure to check out the art on display:

• Aletta Jacobs, Theresia van der Pant, 1988. Esplanade
• Non scholae, sed vitae discimus, pennant by Marte Röling, 1999. Center square
• Versus, Yland/Metz (Lilian van Opdorp/Jos Dijkstra), 2004. Under the arches of the front building.
• The twelve golden owls of Pallas Athena, Wia van Dijk, 2006. Center square, on the tympanum at the rear of the front facade