How to get to Wageningen city?

Unlike many other major universities in the Netherlands, Wageningen University is not situated in a large city (there is actually a good reason for this and I might write about it in another blog). On the contrary! The town of Wageningen itself is quite small. Living in a small town has its benefits, such as easy access to nature and less traffic, but also some downsides. The biggest inconvenience, in my opinion, is that Wageningen does not have a train station – this comes as a surprise to many incoming students. To make your move to Wageningen as smooth as possible, I compiled the different options for you to reach the town and, ultimately, the university.

 

So, where is the train station?

 As I mentioned earlier, there is no train station specifically in Wageningen. Instead, the closest train station is located in the nearby town of Ede. Here is where it gets a little confusing – the train station itself is actually called Ede-Wageningen, so upon arrival a lot of people assume that they have reached their destination. In reality it takes about 20-25 minutes by bus to reach Wageningen. The buses that go to Wageningen are numbers 303 and 86.

Taking the bus

Bus 303 is the most convenient if you want to reach the campus, since it passes either very close by the campus or, in about half of the times, right through it (whether it passes through the campus or not seems quite random. I haven’t managed to break that code yet). The 303 bus passing through the campus will say ‘via Campus/Forum’. If you want to reach the bus station, bus 86 is more convenient. The route is a bit shorter and it tends to be less crowded. The downside is that bus 86 doesn’t run as often as the 303.

 

Update: Bus 303 now passes through campus every 15 minutes and the bus ride is even shorter than before! It takes about 15 minutes to reach the campus from Ede-Wageningen station. A new bus line, 103, now goes from the train station via Hoevestien and Bornesesteeg, meaning that it does not pass through the campus. This line runs every 30 minutes and is longer.

 

For people arriving in the Netherlands by international trains from Germany and beyond, it might be good to mention the central station from Arnhem, since a number of connections stop there. You can choose to transfer onto a train to Ede-Wageningen and then take the bus to Wageningen. Alternatively, you can take a bus directly from Arnhem central station. Look for buses number 352 and 51 to reach Wageningen bus station, which both take about 30 minutes.

Another option is to travel to Utrecht central station and then take a direct bus to Wageningen. This is bus number 50 and it takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

 

Reaching the campus

The campus is located on the northern edge of Wageningen, a 30 minute walk or a 15 minute cycle from the city centre. If you are arriving from the direction of the train station Ede-Wageningen, the easiest way of getting to the campus is by taking the previously mentioned 303 line bus. If you arrive at the bus station first, you can still take the same bus (303), but this time heading to Ede-Wageningen. The  most convenient bus stops near or on the campus are: Campus/Forum, Bornsesteeg and Campus/Atlas.

 

Pro-tip: I recommend that you download the NS app  – the app of the Dutch national railway company. Here you can plan your journey, find the most up-to-date information and purchase tickets. You can also use the 9292.nl site, which is even more convenient when it comes to buses and their timetables.

Coming from airports

The Netherlands has a number of airports but, in my experience, you are most likely to arrive at Schiphol airport or Eindhoven airport. By public transport it takes about 1.5 hours to reach Wageningen town from Schiphol airport, and about 2.5 hours from Eindhoven airport. In both cases, you have to be prepared to transfer between different modes of transport.

Schiphol airport has a train station with direct connection to Ede-Wageningen, while Eindhoven airport does not. In Eindhoven, you first take a bus (number 400 or 401) that takes you to Eindhoven central station. Unfortunately, there is no direct connection to Ede-Wageningen, so you have to transfer in Utrecht or ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

 

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I hope you found this brief guide to public transport to and from Wageningen helpful and I wish you good luck moving here!

Warm regards,

Margaréta