Difference between revisions of "Zoetermeer"

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|motorways = [[A12 (Netherlands)|A12]]
 
|motorways = [[A12 (Netherlands)|A12]]
 
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'''{{FULLPAGENAMEE}}''' is a city in the [[Netherlands]], located about 15 kilometers from [[Den Haag]].
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'''{{FULLPAGENAMEE}}''' is a city in the [[Netherlands]], located about 15 kilometres from [[Den Haag]].
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== Hitching In ==
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If you're on a ride to Den Haag, ask to be dropped off at highway exit Zoetermeer (just after the huge Siemens windmill). Tell your driver to turn right at the traffic light an then immediately right again. At the upcoming traffic light you can get off. The driver should make 2 left turns to get back on the motorway again.
  
== Hitching Out ==
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You're now fairly central: Go trough the tunnel and follow the road: Bleiswijkseweg, Den Hoorn, Schinkelweg, Dorpsstraat and you'll end up in the city centre (<1 km).
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== Hitchhiking out ==
 
=== South/West towards [[Den Haag]], [[Delft]], [[Rotterdam]] ===
 
=== South/West towards [[Den Haag]], [[Delft]], [[Rotterdam]] ===
At The railway station Zoetermeer (not Zoetermeer Oost) (tram stop Driemanspolder) you will find a bridge for motorised vehicles, next to the pedestrian bridge ''Nelson Mandela''. On the northside of this bridge there is a busstop (walk up the ramp). From here you can Hitch hike to Den Haag, but also Delft and Rotterdam as well as further south should be possible from here.
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At railway station Zoetermeer (not Zoetermeer Oost) (tram stop Driemanspolder) you will find a bridge for motorised vehicles, next to the pedestrian bridge ''Nelson Mandela''. On the north side of this bridge is a bus stop (walk up the ramp). From here you can Hitch hike to Den Haag, Delft and Rotterdam as well as further south.
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At the bus stop Fonteinbos on the road Afrikaweg (about 200 metres from the spot mentioned above) is an official hitch hiking spot. This hitch hiking spot is useful to acquire rides towards Den Haag, Delft and Rotterdam as well as further south. To reach this spot from Centrum West bus station, walk over the pedestrian bridge, walk down and turn right at the traffic lights, trough the pedestrian / cyclist tunnel.
  
=== North towards [[Leiden]], [[Amsterdam]]===
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=== North towards [[Leiden]], [[Amsterdam]] ===
In the Center, next to the AIVD building (big ugly gray building with a lot of security cameras) witch in on Europaweg you will find road N206 (Zwaardsloodseweg). Here is a busstop, and a small parking spot these are ideal for hitchhiking
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In the Centre, next to the AIVD building on Europaweg you will find road N206 (Zwaardsloodseweg). Here is a bus stop and a small parking space, these are ideal for hitch hiking.
  
 
=== East towards [[Gouda]], [[Utrecht]] ===
 
=== East towards [[Gouda]], [[Utrecht]] ===
Hitchhiking in this direction is best done from Den Haag (If you hitchhike to Den Haag you'll be at the end of the highway at a certain point (trafic lights) here just go back in the opposite direction.)
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At the bus stop Pruimengaarde on the road Australieweg is an official hitch hiking spot. This hitch hiking spot is useful to acquire rides towards [[Gouda]] and [[Utrecht]]. In [[Gouda]] it is very easy to obtain a ride to [[Utrecht]].
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To reach this spot from tram stop Palenstein, walk under the viaduct, turn right on the small bicycle road Kangaroepad, after a while turn right trough the tunnel and then up to the bus stop.
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== Public Transport ==
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Zoetermeer has two tram lines and various bus lines to most areas of the city. The tram goes to Den Haag. Be aware that though most of the two tram routes are the same, both lines start and finish differently. paying works like everywhere in the Netherlands. The city has two zones Oosterheem and everything else. In the trams are ticket vending machines witch accept coins only. The driver doesn't sell tickets, sometimes controllers do. You don't have to pay when the machine is broken. After 9:00 a cheap trip to Den Haag and back can be made using a "Dalurenretour Den Haag Plus" (off-peak return for The Hague metropolitan area), EUR 4.
  
However it is possible to go east directly from Zoetermeer. This spot is illegal to use because it is on the highway, i have never been in trouble though. Be advised that getting at the spot is not very safe since there is no emergency lane or pedestrian area. The spot itself however is not dangerous.
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Zoetermeer has two railway stations on the Den Haag - Gouda line, only so called ''sprinter'' trains stop at Zoetermeer and Zoetermeer Oost railway stations.
Go to railwaystation Zoetermeer Oost (not Zoetermeer) and walk to the end of the platform, over the bridge and keep folowing the path next to the railway-track for about 20 minutes. You will get at a big concrete bridge over the railway track and the highway. from under the bridge you can see the highway entry lane on the other side of the railway track. at the beginning of the bridge is a grass ramp, climb this and walk over the bridge over the railway track to the entry lane, after about 20 meters the emergency lane starts here you can hitchhike. try to get a ride to at least the next gas station, (just after Gouda) because the villages in between don't produce much traffic.
 
Getting at Zoetermeer Oost is done by bus 71,72,74,170,204 74 will even take you further to the spot, it drives under the bridge then get off and walk back a bit. bus 74 however doesn't run that often.
 
  
== Public Transport ==
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On the night between Saturday and Sunday Zoetermeer is connected to the night railway network by bus B17 to Rotterdam central station and bus N5 to Den Haag centre (Buitenhof) and the central station (the Nighttrain stops at Den Haag Hollands spoor, take bus N1 to Buitenhof and transfer, same ticket). Night bus tickets cost about EUR 4.00 and can be bought at the driver.
Zoetermeer has two tramlines and various bus lines to most area's of the city. The tram goes to Den Haag. Be aware that though most of the tram routes are the same both line start and finish different. paying works like everywhere in the Netherlands. the city has two zones Oosterheem and everything else. In the trams there are ticket vending machines. the driver does not sell tickets neither do the controllers. These machines however often don't work. I estimate that about 2/3 of them is broken. If this is the case, it is not possible to buy a ticket so the ride will be free. Make sure you have money in coins to buy a ticket would the machine have worked so you can prove you noble intentions. This is at your own risk. The fine is € 38,40 but I never got one.
 
  
 
== Places to Visit ==
 
== Places to Visit ==
Zoetermeer is not so exiting, but a nice centrally located city from where you can pay visits to the many cities around it. Zoetermeer has an ols centre consisting of only one street and some parks is witch you can have a relaxing walk.
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Zoetermeer is not too exciting, but a nice centrally located city from where you can pay visits to the historical cities around it. Zoetermeer has an old centre consisting of only one street and some parks for you to have a relaxing walk. Zoetermeers architecture is very interesting as the city is build almost entirely in compliance with the VINEX Spatial Planning bill (even the street names are in alphabetical order).
  
 
== Places to Avoid ==
 
== Places to Avoid ==
Not really, though like in every city you should use your head. :)
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Zoetermeer is pretty safe, crime rates are lower then in average big cities in the Netherlands.
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The mayor of Zoetermeer has declared alcohol prohibition zones in the city centre and in some parks and squares.
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== Nomadwiki & Trashwiki ==
  
== Accommodation and Sleep ==
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{{nomadwiki}}
Though Zoetermeer is quite a sleeping town, there is an active Hospitalityclub/Couchsurfing/Bewelcome community, asking people trough these networks will prove successful. 
 
  
 
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[[Category:E30]]
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[[ru:Зутермер]]
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[[nl:Zoetermeer]]

Latest revision as of 07:56, 13 October 2020

Zoetermeer
<map lat='52.05' lng='4.5' zoom='12' view='3' />
Information
Country:
Flag of Netherlands
Netherlands
Province:
Flag Zuid Holland.png
Zuid Holland
Population: 120.257
Major roads: A12
Meet fellow hitchhikers on Trustroots

Zoetermeer is a city in the Netherlands, located about 15 kilometres from Den Haag.

Hitching In

If you're on a ride to Den Haag, ask to be dropped off at highway exit Zoetermeer (just after the huge Siemens windmill). Tell your driver to turn right at the traffic light an then immediately right again. At the upcoming traffic light you can get off. The driver should make 2 left turns to get back on the motorway again.

You're now fairly central: Go trough the tunnel and follow the road: Bleiswijkseweg, Den Hoorn, Schinkelweg, Dorpsstraat and you'll end up in the city centre (<1 km).

Hitchhiking out

South/West towards Den Haag, Delft, Rotterdam

At railway station Zoetermeer (not Zoetermeer Oost) (tram stop Driemanspolder) you will find a bridge for motorised vehicles, next to the pedestrian bridge Nelson Mandela. On the north side of this bridge is a bus stop (walk up the ramp). From here you can Hitch hike to Den Haag, Delft and Rotterdam as well as further south.

At the bus stop Fonteinbos on the road Afrikaweg (about 200 metres from the spot mentioned above) is an official hitch hiking spot. This hitch hiking spot is useful to acquire rides towards Den Haag, Delft and Rotterdam as well as further south. To reach this spot from Centrum West bus station, walk over the pedestrian bridge, walk down and turn right at the traffic lights, trough the pedestrian / cyclist tunnel.

North towards Leiden, Amsterdam

In the Centre, next to the AIVD building on Europaweg you will find road N206 (Zwaardsloodseweg). Here is a bus stop and a small parking space, these are ideal for hitch hiking.

East towards Gouda, Utrecht

At the bus stop Pruimengaarde on the road Australieweg is an official hitch hiking spot. This hitch hiking spot is useful to acquire rides towards Gouda and Utrecht. In Gouda it is very easy to obtain a ride to Utrecht. To reach this spot from tram stop Palenstein, walk under the viaduct, turn right on the small bicycle road Kangaroepad, after a while turn right trough the tunnel and then up to the bus stop.

Public Transport

Zoetermeer has two tram lines and various bus lines to most areas of the city. The tram goes to Den Haag. Be aware that though most of the two tram routes are the same, both lines start and finish differently. paying works like everywhere in the Netherlands. The city has two zones Oosterheem and everything else. In the trams are ticket vending machines witch accept coins only. The driver doesn't sell tickets, sometimes controllers do. You don't have to pay when the machine is broken. After 9:00 a cheap trip to Den Haag and back can be made using a "Dalurenretour Den Haag Plus" (off-peak return for The Hague metropolitan area), EUR 4.

Zoetermeer has two railway stations on the Den Haag - Gouda line, only so called sprinter trains stop at Zoetermeer and Zoetermeer Oost railway stations.

On the night between Saturday and Sunday Zoetermeer is connected to the night railway network by bus B17 to Rotterdam central station and bus N5 to Den Haag centre (Buitenhof) and the central station (the Nighttrain stops at Den Haag Hollands spoor, take bus N1 to Buitenhof and transfer, same ticket). Night bus tickets cost about EUR 4.00 and can be bought at the driver.

Places to Visit

Zoetermeer is not too exciting, but a nice centrally located city from where you can pay visits to the historical cities around it. Zoetermeer has an old centre consisting of only one street and some parks for you to have a relaxing walk. Zoetermeers architecture is very interesting as the city is build almost entirely in compliance with the VINEX Spatial Planning bill (even the street names are in alphabetical order).

Places to Avoid

Zoetermeer is pretty safe, crime rates are lower then in average big cities in the Netherlands. The mayor of Zoetermeer has declared alcohol prohibition zones in the city centre and in some parks and squares.

Nomadwiki & Trashwiki

Check Nomadwiki for info on accommodation, showers etc. or Trashwiki for dumpsters...and share your wisdom :)