Accommodation

When it comes to accommodation, there are a few choices.

Travel from home

If you live within the Randstad or Het Groene Hart, traveling back and forth is an option. The train to Alphen takes 30 minutes from Utrecht, 15 from Leiden, 20-25 from Gouda, and from Amsterdam the interregional bus takes about 45 minutes. Coming by car is not likely to be a problem as well, since the traffic jams in the morning tend to be from Alphen to the surrounding cities, and not the other way around.

Avifauna

The first and most obvious choice is to stay at the symposium site at the Van der Valk Hotel Avifauna. More information on prices and how to reserve rooms can be found here. It is possible to book additional nights directly before and/or directly after the conference for the prices listed.

Other hotels in Alphen aan den Rijn

As far as I know, there are two other hotels in Alphen aan den Rijn.

The first one is right across the river from Avifauna. It is called 's Molenaarsbrug Hotel Restaurant. They have a website, but it is in Dutch. From their website I found that a 1-person bedroom with breakfast is 87.50 Euro, and a 2-person bedroom with breakfast is 113.00 Euro.

The second one is adjacent to the railway station. The website is over here. The distance to Avifauna is 2.5 km.

Staying in Utrecht

As shown here, the train from Utrecht Centraal to Alphen is direct and takes 30 minutes. There are quite a few hotels to choose from.

Staying in Amsterdam

Some people might find it fun to stay in Amsterdam, and then travel back and forth to Avifauna everyday. This is possible. There is no direct train from Amsterdam to Alphen aan den Rijn, but bus 370 starts in Amsterdam around Leidseplein and passes by Avifauna (consult this page for more information). It takes about 65 minutes according to the schedule. It is also possible to take a train from Amsterdam to Leiden, and then switch trains to go to Alphen aan den Rijn. In Alphen you can then take a bus to get near to Avifauna. This takes about the same amount of time, but you need to transfer a few times and it probably costs a bit more.