Travel & accommodation
This page provides a range of practical information about the city of Utrecht, Utrecht University, where to stay during the EUCEN conference and how to get around. Please click the links below for more information. If anything is unclear, do not hesitate to contact us at eucen2023@uu.nl.
We warmly welcome EUCEN participants from all over the world to come and enjoy our beautiful town of Utrecht: a wonderful historic city offering medieval architecture and unique treasures dating back to Roman times, bristling with restaurants and shops, creating an inviting, endearing and lively ambiance. Lonely Planet ranks Utrecht in their top-10 of the world's unsung places! Crowd-pleasers include the centuries-old wharf cellars – unique in the world – where travellers can now enjoy drinks and dine out, and our famous 600-year-old Dom Toren. It is the tallest church tower in the Netherlands, and it offers stellar views on bright days. Although the city is rapidly growing, the city is easy to navigate for newcomers, and the historic city centre can be discovered easily by foot—in other words, everything one could wish for is nearby.
Most of Utrecht University’s students live off-campus in the city itself, contributing to Utrecht’s youthful and dynamic energy. The bustling student community includes more than 150 different student organisations and societies. Discover more, and have a look at this video for a quick impression of our city (Lonely Planet).
Founded in 1636 and located in the heart of the Netherlands, Utrecht University is one of Europe's leading research universities. The university is located in one of the most competitive regions in Europe and was shortlisted for the Global Teaching Excellence Award 2017. The university conducts fundamental and societally relevant research into a vast array of disciplines that inspires multidisciplinary research inside and outside the university. But the university is not only recognised internationally for its high-quality research, it is also known for its outstanding, innovative and inclusive education. Utrecht University has always been at the forefront of excellent and pioneering education. At the university, teaching is embedded in a vision based on the Utrecht Educational Model. This results in outstanding academic outcomes for our over 30,000 students, studying at our 45 bachelor's programmes and 140 master's programmes.
This video gives a short impression of Utrecht University.
Visit the website below for more official information about Utrecht and the university:
Its convenient central location makes Utrecht easy to reach for participants from all over the world.
For international travellers, the city can easily be reached in half an hour from Schiphol International Airport, located just outside Amsterdam. This airport is the best-connected airport on the European continent and includes various flight operators, allowing various budget options for participants. In total, there are 316 direct international destinations to and from here, of which 135 are intercontinental. A direct train from the airport – leaving every fifteen minutes – swiftly takes you (in34 minutes) to the central train station in Utrecht.
In addition, European travellers can use the well-connected international railway and ferry network, connecting Utrecht to (for instance) Brussels, Paris, Berlin and London, meaning that in a matter of hours, one may find themselves in our historic city. International trains to Utrecht include the Thalys, TGV, City Night Line, Intercity Antwerp/Brussels, ICE International and Eurostar. We will actively encourage (European) visitors to choose this sustainable way of travel.
Located in the heart of our historic city centre lies our University Hall: the Academiegebouw of Utrecht University. This is where EUCEN 2023 will take place. The venue is accessible for participants who use a wheelchair.
The building itself dates back to 1886 and was built in neo-renaissance style. However, the largest room in this building, called the Treaty of Utrecht Hall, goes back much further. It was in this very hall that the Treaty of Utrecht was signed in 1579, an event that is generally viewed as marking the origin of the Netherlands. We will have dinner here on one of the evenings!
Closer to the conference, we will share how to get to the Academiegebouw by car, bicycle, public transport and by foot. It is located in the city centre and can be easily reached. If you have any questions at this moment about the conference location or anything else, please do not hesitate to contact us at eucen2023@gmail.com.
Where to stay during the conference?
Via our hotel portal, you can choose a hotel that is in close proximity of the conference location and the city centre, so you can make the most of the conference and your stay in our city. The rooms on offer via the portal are offered to you at a discounted rate. Please note, accommodation is not included in the conference fee. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us!
