Travel Logistics 

This page contains useful information for NOSSDAV 2010 participants.

Information on Hotels for NOSSDAV 2010.

June is a beautiful time of year to visit Amsterdam. It is, in fact, so beautiful, that many tourists and event organizers select this month to compete for hotel space in the city.

The good news is that Amsterdam has a wide range of hotels at a variety of price points, so that you can usually find a spot that meets your financial constraints. The bad news is that, unless you book early, it may be difficult to find a place that will help you make your stay here enjoyable.

Hotel Suggestion for NOSSDAV 2010

For NOSSDAV 2010, CWI has blocked 40 rooms at the NH Tropen Hotel, and 10 rooms at the NH City Centre hotel. Both hotels are reasonably priced for NOSSDAV participants. The NH Tropen is just outside the centre, and closest to CWI. The NH City Centre is near Dam Square, in the heart of the city. Both hotels have access to public transport that can bring you to CWI. (A local travel page will be posted before the workshop.) The cost for each hotel is approximately Eur 100/night. Internet is available for free in the lobby, and at standard rates in rooms.

Use this link to book rooms at the NH Tropen. You have until April 28 to reserve a room; after this date, rooms are released to the general public. There are a few rooms available outside the June 2-4 meeting dates. If you contact the hotel by phone, please mention the NOSSDAV contact reference: 116093552.

Use this link to book rooms at the NH City Centre. You have until May 16 to reserve a room; after this date, rooms are released to the general public. All rooms are available for the period the June 1-6.

Please note: CWI cannot book hotel rooms for you: you need to contact the hotel yourself. If you have questions please contact Susanne van Dam at CWI.

About Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a charming European city. Many people come to see our canals and 17th century buildings, to visit our museums, to attend our concerts, to gaze at the Red Light District and, yes, to smoke pot at one of the city's infamous coffee shops. This city is the home of several academic institutions, including the VU University, the University of Amsterdam and CWI: Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica.

There are lots of things to do and see in Amsterdam. One of the nicest things to do in town is to simply walk around and spend some money in various cafes and pastry shops.

All of this beauty does not come cheap: Amsterdam, like most other European capitals, has become a pretty expensive place to visit. If it is any consolation, it is an even more expensive place to actually live in!

There are many guide books to Amsterdam, but one of the best sources of information on the city can be found in Steven Pemberton's excellent guide of the city.

In general, Amsterdam is a safe place with only selective violent crime. There are many pickpockets, however, and there seems to be a trend towards stealing laptops on the train from the airport (instead of car radios along the canals). Take normal precautions, and you'll be fine.

Nearly everyone in the city thinks they speak English, and most think that they speak better English than you do -- especially if you are from North America. If you simply let them believe that they are right (oops, correct), then everyone will enjoy your stay here.

For an updated list of events while you are in town, see the site of the local Amsterdam events office.

All of us who love to live in this place hope that you have a great time in our city!

Travel and Visa Information

Travelling to Amsterdam (and the Netherlands) is pretty easy: there are non-stop flights from most major cities in the world, and convenient rail and road connections from across Europe.

The Netherlands does its best to provide an open environment for hosting international meetings -- under the assumption that the resulting scientific exchange will at least inject some money into the local economy. Entry into the Netherlands is easy for most EU, North/South American and Asian visitors. Still, not everyone can simply show up at the border and say: I'm going to CWI for NOSSDAV 2010. For visa requirements, please consult the web pages of the Dutch Embassy in your country of citizenship. (For starters, here is a link to the pages of the Netherlands Embassy in the USA.)

Please note that CWI will only be able to provide letters of invitation for persons who have been registered for the conference and who have a demonstrated reason for attending (such as the presentation of a paper or demo at the Symposium). Please send a message to the conference chair if you have questions.