Zoetermeer

Zoetermeer
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Information
Country:	Netherlands
Province:	Zuid Holland
Population:	120.257
Major roads:	A12
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Zoetermeer is a city in the Netherlands, located about 15 kilometers from Den Haag.

Hitching Out

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 north side of this bridge there is a bus stop (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.

On the bus stop Fonteinbos on the road Afrikaweg an official hitchhiking spot will be created. This hitchhiking spot will be useful to acquire rides towards Den Haag.

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 bus stop, and a small parking spot these are ideal for hitchhiking

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 (traffic lights) here just go back in the opposite direction.)

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. Go to railway station Zoetermeer Oost (not Zoetermeer) and walk to the end of the platform, over the bridge and keep following 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 petrol 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.

On the bus stop Pruimengaarde on the road Australieweg an official hitchhiking spot will be created. This hitchhiking spot will be useful to acquire rides towards Gouda and Utrecht. In Gouda it is very easy to obtain a ride to Utrecht.

Public Transport

Zoetermeer has two tram lines 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 lines 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 are often broken, in witch case you don't have to pay.

Zoetermeer has two railway stations on the Den Haag - Utrecht line, only slow trains stop at Zoetermeer and Zoetermeer Oost railway stations.

In weekends Zoetermeer in connected to the night railway network by bus B17 to Rotterdam central station and bus N5 to Den Haag centre (Buitenhof) (about 10 minuts walk from Den Haag central station). night bus tickets are about ¤4,- and can be bought at the driver.

Places to Visit

Zoetermeer is not to exiting, 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 is witch you can 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 the big cities of the Netherlands. The major of Zoetermeer has declared alcohol prohibitation zones in the centre and in some parks and squares.

Accommodation and Sleep

Though Zoetermeer is quite a sleeping town, there is an active Hospitalityclub/Couchsurfing/Bewelcome community, asking people trough these networks will prove successful.