Practical information about the Conference Film and Religion

Practical information

• Places to stay

  Amsterdam has many accommodation options. Here is a selection of good and affordable hotels close to VU Amsterdam:

  • Novotel Amsterdam City
  • Holiday Inn Amsterdam South
  • Crown Plaza Amsterdam – South
  • CitizenM Hotel
  • MotelOne Amsterdam
  • Qbic Hotel WTC
  • Hotel Twenty Eight
  • Element Amsterdam 
  • See also booking.com

  It is also possible to book a hotel in the atmospheric old town or the beautiful neighborhoods between the old town and the Zuidas (De Pijp, Oud Zuid, and around Vondelpark). Amsterdam is a compact city; distances are relatively short and there are good public transport connections between the old town and the Vrije Universiteit.

• Public transportation in and around Amsterdam

  The following link will provide you with information on getting from Schiphol Airport to Amsterdam: http://www.amsterdamtips.com/getting-to-amsterdam-from-schiphol-airport.php

  For information about public transport check the website: https://9292.nl/en

  More information about how and where to get tickets: https://reisproducten.gvb.nl/en/toeristen

  See also:

  https://www.iamsterdam.com/en/plan-your-trip/getting-around/public-transport

• Restaurant suggestions

  There are many good restaurants in Amsterdam, also in the area around Vu Amsterdam. To find out where to get a decent dinner with a group, please visit:

  https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g188590-zfp9-Amsterdam_North_Holland_Province.html

• Conference location

  The conference takes place at the campus of VU Amsterdam:

  VU Amsterdam
  De Boelelaan 1105  
  1081 HV Amsterdam 
  The Netherlands 
  T +31 20 59 89898 

  https://www.vu.nl/en/about-vu-amsterdam/contact-info-and-route/index.aspx

• About the Vrije Universiteit

  On this page you can find all information about VU Amsterdam.

• About the Faculty of Religion and Theology

  On this page you can find all information about the Faculty of Religion and Theology.

• About Amsterdam

  Although the seat of Netherlands government is in The Hague, Amsterdam is the nominal capital. It is also the country's largest city, with a population of more than 851,000 (1.3 million metropolitan area), and the most visited, with over 3,5 million foreign visitors a year. Amsterdam is one of the greatest small cities in the world. From Amsterdam canals to world-famous Amsterdam museums and historical Amsterdam sights, it is one of the most romantic and beautiful cities in Europe. Amsterdam has all the advantages of a big city: rich culture, lively Amsterdam nightlife, international restaurants, good transport – yet in this city your destination is never far away, but get a bike for an authentic local experience. Museums are the main tourist attraction in Amsterdam. Everyone knows the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and Stedelijk Museum, but there is much more, such as EYE Film museum. Amsterdam has over seventy museums which attract millions of visitors each year.

  More info on: https://www.amsterdam.info

  Information on city tours can be found here.

  Also good to know about Amsterdam:

  Timezone: Amsterdam is on Central European Time (CET), which is Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), or Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), plus 1 hour. Check out the actual time in Amsterdam.

  Climate: The warmest months are from June to August, with temperatures between 20 – 27 degrees Celsius. There are rarely extreme temperatures in Amsterdam. The air is relatively humid and fog is common in autumn and spring. The weather in Amsterdam is fairly mild during wintertime. However temperatures can drop below freezing. The chance of extreme cold is sporadic. On some days there may be snow fall.

  Phone: Telephone Country code: +31. Telephone Area code: 020. Emergency number: 112 (for first aid, police, fire department)

  Electricity: As in most of Europe, the Netherlands uses 230 (220-240) volts AC (50 cycles), compared to 110-120 volts AC (60 cycles) in the United States and Canada. Upward converters that change 110-120 volts to 220-240 volts are difficult to find in Holland, so bring one with you.

  Water: Tap water is safe to drink. The Netherlands (and especially Amsterdam which has the best water in the country) has the safest and cleanest tap water in Europe.

  Currency: The European euro (€) is the currency in Amsterdam and in the rest of the Netherlands. There are 100 euro cents to each euro. The euro coins are: 1, 2 and 5 cent, 10, 20 and 50 cent, 1 and 2 Euro coins. The euro notes are 5€, 10€, 20€, 50€, 100€, 200€, and 500€.

• Money Exchange

  Here are some recommendations for the best places to exchange money: 

  Dutch Amsterdam 

  Mentioned here amongst others are  

  • GWK Travelex. See here for the closest location to your hotel. Pay attention: No coins are accepted, except for British pound coins!  
  • Pott Change  
  • The I Amsterdam City Card, for which you pay a specific amount at once. The card then allows you to get free entrance to Amsterdam’s museums, a free canal cruise by boat, and unlimited use of most public transport – so you don’t need Euros for that kind of outings anymore.  

• Museums and galleries

  Because of COVID-19 many museums, galleries and other attractions require reservation and payment of tickets beforehand. If you want to be sure of an artsy outing, book your timeslot  on time. 

  For an overview of the most well-known and popular museums and galleries in Amsterdam, see here. Each museum has a link to purchase tickets beforehand.  

• Preliminary program

  Please find the preliminary program here.