The workshop will be held at the Department of Econometrics at Erasmus University Rotterdam on the University's Woudestein Campus. On Thursday February 29, the workshop will be held in the Sanders Building (Room 0.03), and on Friday March 1, in the Van der Goot Building (Room M1-19). For orientation to find your way around you can download a map of the Woudestein Campus.
One possible itinerary is to fly to Amsterdam and get to Rotterdam from there. From Schiphol Airport you can take a train that will take you directly to Rotterdam Central Station ('Rotterdam Centraal') in approximately 40 minutes (the regular ‘Intercity’) or 26 minutes (the fast ‘Intercity Direct’, runs twice an hour). We refer you to the NS itinerary planner for planning your journey and purchasing your train tickets. Alternatively, train tickets can also be bought directly at one of the NS vending machines at the airport or at the NS service desk. (Note: for the Intercity Direct option a surplus of around €2,90 applies.) An increasing number of European cities also provide direct flights to Rotterdam/The Hague Airport. From there, you can take the bus (20 to 25 minutes traveltime) to Rotterdam Centraal (bus tickets are available at the ticket vending machines at the airport, for more information see the section on puplic transport below). When travelling from France, Belgium or the United Kingdom, you arrive direct by Eurostar or Thalys (both run several times per day) at Rotterdam Centraal.
The Woudestein Campus can easily be reached by public transport (metro and tram) or by car:
The closest metro station to the Erasmus University Rotterdam is 'Kralingse Zoom'. From the city center, you can take metro A (direction 'Binnenhof'), metro B (direction 'Nesselande'), or metro C (direction 'De Terp'). The campus is in +/- 10 minutes walking distance. Alternatively, you can take tram 7 (direction 'Woudestein'). The last stop is the Erasmus University Rotterdam and it stops in front of the campus. You can also take tram 21 and tram 24 (direction 'De Esch') and get out at 'Oude Plantage'. From there you have to walk for +/- 5 minutes to the campus.
In case you opt for the car have a look at our roadmap. Information on parking spaces and parking rates can be found here.
Wifi is available on the whole university campus. You will receive access with the eduroam account data of your home university. Non-academics or non-students can get access via the Eduroam guest network.
The Woudestein Campus houses plenty of cafe, lunch and beverage facilities. For orientation to find your way around you can download a map of the Woudestein Campus.
The following hotels are often used by visitors, but there are no special conference rates. Many other hotels are available throughout the city.
Rotterdam is the second largest city in the Netherlands and its (gigantic) port plays a major role in the country's economy. Unlike Amsterdam, you won’t find a lot of buildings here that are quintessentially Dutch. Rotterdam's city centre and more than one-third of the port's facilities were destroyed during WWII. Postwar, also all damaged but not destroyed buildings were torn down with the goal to create a new and better city. Today, Rotterdam is famous for its many skyscrapers and modern landmarks such as the cube houses, the market hall, the Erasmus bridge. Near the city center are many museums and art galleries, including the impressive Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, with works from Rembrandt to Rothko, the Kunsthal Rotterdam and the Maritiem Museum. More must sees can be found here.
Rotterdam’s food scene has just as much allure as its impressive skyline: The former sailors’ settlement of ‘Katendrecht’ has re-emerged as one of the city’s most vibrant dining districts with many high quality restaurants. The market hall is home to more than 100 food stalls and a great many restaurants with traditional local but also international dishes and snacks. The city's artistic hub, 'Witte de Withstraat', is known for its vibrant nightlife and has a large selection of stylish cafes and worldclass bars. We recommend to have a look at the Rotterdam Tourist Information - drinks and dining guide for some culinary tips.
In the Netherlands, all puplic transport options employ a smart-card payment system. That means: every time you use the train, the bus or the metro you have to check-in and check-out at the card readers with an OV-chip card (in Dutch public transport is called ‘Openbaar Vervoer’ or in short OV). There are three types of OV-chip cards: personal, anonymous and single-use. In Rotterdam, it is also possible to check-in and check-out directly to most buses, the metro and the train with your credit or debit card or via the OVpay app. We highly recommend to have a look at the different RET travel products and RET fares to find your best option.
Note! The travel costs are determined by the distance of your journey. When you check in, a boarding fare is debited from your card. This fare varies depending on the mode of transport. When you check out at your destination, this boarding fare will be refunded, minus the charge for the kilometers you’ve traveled. Thus, if you fail to check out, you will have to pay the whole boarding fare, up to €20. With OVpay the price will be the same as when you travel with your anonymous OV-chip card.
One of the most Dutch things you can do while visiting Rotterdam is to bike. There are numerous affordable options to rent a bike. The quality of bicycle lanes (aka ‘fietspad’) is very high throughout Rotterdam, which makes the bike the easiest (and oftentimes fastest) way to explore the city.
The Netherlands has a maritime climate with mild winters and cool summers. At the end of February/beginning of March, the average temperature is between 5 and 10 Grad Celsius, and there is a 30% chance of daily precipitation. Moreover, winds in South Holland can be rather intense during that season, so we recomment to bring a rain coat rather than an umbrella. It's best to check the weather forecast in advance of the workshop for specifics.
There are various drinking water fountains across the campus and the city. The water from the tap or any of the fountains has excellent quality.