Visitor information

�VISITOR INFORMATION: HOW TO REACH NIOZ BY TRAIN

General information:

Note: The schemes below have been updated according to the schedules of the Dutch Railways (NS) starting early 2010.

To easily plan your trip to Royal NIOZ at Texel by train, please visit the website of the Dutch Railways (NS), where you can choose the English language on the top row of the home page.

Your destination is the city of Den Helder, which is also the final destination of the train (DO NOT LEAVE THE TRAIN AT STATION �Den Helder ZUID�!). The trains that connect best with the ferry between Den Helder and Texel arrive in Den Helder railway station at 4 minutes before every hour between 05:56 and 20:56. When you enter the train that brings you to Den Helder, always choose the front part, since the rear part is often uncoupled in Alkmaar, about 50 km south of Den Helder!

Once you have arrived at the main railway station of Den Helder, you take Connexxion bus 33 to the TESO ferry terminal (signposted as �Texelse Boot�), which departs at the main bus terminal next to the railway station at 12 minutes past every hour. The trip to the ferry terminal takes 7 minutes.

The ferry between Den Helder and Texel depart at 30 minutes past every hour from Den Helder between 06:30 and 21:30. In the summer and on Fridays the ferry traffic is sometimes doubled so that the ferry leaves from Den Helder at the whole hour as well. Please visit the TESO Ferry website for the most recent information on times/prices etc. The journey across the �Marsdiep� tidal inlet between the North Sea and the Wadden Sea takes about 20 minutes.

Once at Texel:

The institute is located at about 5 minutes walking distance from the ferry terminal at the TESO-harbour at Texel. When you disembark, turn sharp right (starboard) immediately when you have set foot on the island. After about 150m you will meet the first signs guiding you to the main entrance of the institute. To locate the the main entrance of NIOZ with Google Earth, type 53˚00�11��N, 04˚47�10��E as coordinates in �Fly to�.

Specific main routes by train to Den Helder / Texel:

Note: all train schemes below are based on an hourly ferry schedule between Den Helder and Texel leaving Den Helder at 30 minutes past the hour. When the ferry sevices are doubled in summer and on some Fridays, trains departing with a difference of half an hour from the ones indicated can also be considered. Warning: Departure times of the 1^st and last ferry to Texel do not change in this case.

By train from Amsterdam (and Nijmegen / Arnhem / Utrecht):

Den Helder can be reached directly by train from Nijmegen, Arnhem, Utrecht and Amsterdam (Railway stations �Amsterdam-Amstel� / �Amsterdam-Central Station� and �Amsterdam-Sloterdijk�) with a direct connection. Den Helder is the final destination of this train. The trains with the best connections to the ferry arrive in Den Helder at hourly intervals beween 05:56 (AM) and 20:56. These trains depart from Utrecht Central Station at 10 minutes past the whole hour (X-1):10 (travelling time 1:46) / Amsterdam Central Station at (X-1):42 (travelling time 1:14) / Amsterdam Sloterdijk at (X-1):48 (travelling time 1:08) and Alkmaar Central Station at X:20 (travelling time 0:36). The connecting bus 33 to the ferry leaves the train station Den Helder at (X+1):12 with an earliest possibility at 06:12 and the last possibility at 21:12. The connecting ferries leave for Texel at (X+1):30 and arrive at (X+1):50.

By train from Schiphol-Amsterdam Airport:

Take any train at the airport that stops at the �Amsterdam-Sloterdijk� railway station. The trains coming from Schiphol stop at the 2nd floor of the station, whereas all trains to Den Helder leave at the groundfloor level. The train with the best connexion to the Texel ferry departs from Amsterdam-Sloterdijk at 48 minutes past the whole hour (X:48) and arrives in Den Helder after one hour and eight minutes at (X+1):56. In case you have mistakenly taken a train that does not stop at Sloterdijk, then you can still change trains at Amsterdam Central Station. In that case refer to the time scheme above.

By train from the Hague - Central Station via Haarlem / Beverwijk / Alkmaar:

Take the train with final destination �Hoorn� at The Hague Central Station. Trains with the best connection to the Texel ferry leave each hour at 3 minutes past the whole hour, (X-1):03. This train arrives at Alkmaar Central Station at X:15. Change trains at Alkmaar Central Station to the train with final destination �Den Helder�. The connecting trains leave Alkmaar each hour at X:20 and arrive in Den Helder at X:56 beween 05:56 (AM) and 20:56. The connecting bus 33 to the ferry leaves the train station Den Helder at (X+1):12 with an earliest possibility at 06:12 and the last possibility at 21:12. The connecting ferries leave for Texel at (X+1):30 and arrive at (X+1):50.

�VISITOR INFORMATION: HOW TO REACH NIOZ BY COACH

By coach from the provinces of Friesland and Groningen:

From this direction, Den Helder can only be reached by coach from the cities of Leeuwarden and Harlingen, but you might have to change busses. Please check the most recent information at �www.9292ov.nl� [in Dutch]..

VISITOR INFORMATION: HOW TO REACH NIOZ BY CAR

General information:

Note: Since NIOZ is located in the immediate vicinity of the ferry terminal at Texel, it is possible to park your car in Den Helder at the parking lot next to the ferry terminal, but we do not advise this if you own a really beautiful car or when you have plans to stay on Texel for several days.

Information about specific routes:

From Amsterdam to Den Helder:

Travel north along highway A7. Leave the highway near the village of �Den Oever� and travel west along the N99 and the N9 to the city of �Den Helder�.

From Schiphol Airport via Alkmaar to Den Helder:

At the airport terminal, follow the signs uitgang/exit. Take the A4 in the direction Amsterdam. Change to the A9 at �knooppunt Badhoevedorp� in the direction of Haarlem and Alkmaar. When you see the direction �Den Helder� on the traffic signs, follow that direction. Near the ring around Alkmaar, the A9 becomes N9. On the N9, the speed limit is only 80 km/h and there are regular speed checks! The N9 becomes N250 about 7 km before you reach the boundary of the city of Den Helder. Once in Den Helder, follow the direction �Boot Texel�. You can either take your car on the ferry, or leave it at the parking lot next to the ferry terminal in Den Helder (we do not advise this if you own a really beautiful car).

From Friesland / Groningen (/ Bremen) to Den Helder:

Travel (south-)west along highway A7 over the �Afsluitdijk�, which separates the Wadden Sea from the �IJsselmeer� (lake IJssel). Leave the highway directly after the sluices at the end of the �Afsluitdijk� near the village of �Den Oever� and follow the N99/N9 in the direction of �Den Helder�.

Once inside Den Helder, follow the direction �Boot Texel�. You can either take your car on the ferry, or leave it behind at the parking lot next to the ferry terminal in Den Helder (we do not advise this if you own a really beautiful car). The ferry leaves from the terminal in Den Helder at 30 minutes past the whole hour between 06:30 (Sundays 08:30) and 21:30.

You can also plan your route electronically, e.g. with the Via Michelin (in km) or the U.K. based RAC Motoring Services Route Planner (in miles).

Fill in the following information:

1 - "From (start of journey)"

Fill in the location from which you want to start your trip to NIOZ.

From the airport: City = Schiphol.

2 - "To (end of journey)"

Set location using: Town / Street

House number & street name (optional): Landsdiep 4

Postal code: 1797 SZ

Town: Texel

Country: Netherlands

Scroll downwards and press the "Go" button.

In the Confirm Locations page, the address is listed as �Landsdiep 4, Texel, 't Horntje, 1797 (NL)�, which is correct.

Again press the "Go" button... and your route will be printed in text as well as visually on a map.

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