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|province state = Zuid Holland

'''{{FULLPAGENAMEE}}''' is a city in the [[Netherlands]], located about 15 kilometers 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). == Hitching Out Hitchhiking out ==

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.

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 will be is useful to acquire rides towards Den Haag, delft Delft and Rotterdam as wellas 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 CenterCentre, 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 hitchhikinghitch hiking.

At the bus stop Pruimengaarde on the road Australieweg you will find 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 tunneland then up to the bus stop.

Zoetermeer has two tram lines and various bus lines to most area's 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 differentdifferently. paying works like everywhere in the Netherlands. the The city has two zones Oosterheem and everything else. In the trams there are ticket vending machineswitch accept coins only. the The driver does not doesn't sell tickets neither , sometimes controllers do the controllers. These machines however are often broken, in witch case you You don't have to paywhen 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 - Utrecht Gouda line, only slow so called ''sprinter'' trains stop at Zoetermeer and Zoetermeer Oost railway stations.

In weekends On the night between Saturday and Sunday Zoetermeer in 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 (about 10 minuts walk from the Nighttrain stops at Den Haag central stationHollands spoor, take bus N1 to Buitenhof and transfer, same ticket). night Night bus tickets are cost about ¤4,- EUR 4.00 and can be bought at the driver.

Zoetermeer is not to exitingtoo 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 is witch for you can to have a relaxing walk. Zoetermeers architecture is very interesting as the city is build almost entirely in compliance with the VINEX spatial Spatial Planning bill (even the street names are in alphabetical order).

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

== Accommodation and Sleep Nomadwiki & Trashwiki ==Zoetermeer has a large an active HospitalityClub / Couchsurfing / BeWelcome community, asking people trough these networks will prove successful.