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Eindhoven/Efteling trip questions.

Hi guys, got a trip to Efteling planned for in a few weeks time and I have a few questions to help with my preparations. We arrive a day earlier than our Efteling booking so have some time to kill once we land in Eindhoven. Plan on getting some lunch and having a wander round the city before heading to the hotel back near the airport.

What are the buses and trains like? Is it easy enough to get from Eindhoven Airport into the main city? Is there some kind of day saver ticket for the bus or train?

Is starling card accepted in most places?

What are peoples experiences of getting from Eindhoven Airport to Efteling? Thinking of getting a taxi but it’ll be pricy. Have checked out the 9292 app and it looks like the journey on public transport would involve a bus, train and another bus. Is this easy to navigate? I’m sure it would be miles cheaper than a taxi although would take about 1.5hours. Trying to weigh up the pros and cons here. Think a taxi back to the airport at the end of our trip is a given for the convenience and maximising our time on the last day. Hire car out of the question as it’ll just be sitting in a car park for most of the time and would cost more than a taxi.

Speaking of taxi’s are there any companies anyone would recommend or will any do? Uber or not? Any help appreciated.
 
Direct bus from Tilberg to the park, so it's a case of getting from Eindhoven to there. Presumably the main station does.

S'Hertonbosch (if spelt correctly) is the other train station that's viable.
 
Direct bus from Tilburg to the park, so it's a case of getting from Eindhoven to there. Presumably the main station does.

S'Hertonbosch (if spelt correctly) is the other train station that's viable.
We took a train to Tilburg from Eindhoven Station recently and then the bus up to Efleling with no issues.
 
Never had any issues getting Starling accepted anywhere.

Iirc there was a direct airport bus to the city centre. Eindhoven is a small airport so easy to navigate.

Rome2Rio is a handy tool as well for having a look at transport
 
There is a direct bus from Eindhoven Airport to Eindhoven station. either the 300 or 301. Takes about 15mins.

Public transport across Holland is very easy to navigate: signage & information boards are clear for both trains and buses. Using the 9292 app you can buy all your transport tickets for the bus and trains. The NS app for dutch trains is also available: this will tell you which platform the train will be departing from/arriving at and any delays etc. (you can by your train tickets through the NS app as well, but i don't think you can get the bus tickets as well through the NS app)

Last time we went, there were strikes affecting various routes. 9292 kept us updated with anything effecting our travel: in our case, on the day of arrival, it was the 300/301 route that was effected with several buses being cancelled. We where able to take an alternative: there are hire e-bikes available via the Tier and Go apps, by the bus station at the airport there is a spot where you can pick up/drop off the hire bike. you can just scan the QR code on the bike in the app and then unlock and ride. Takes about 25/30mins to cycle from the airport to the train station and it's all on dedicated cycle paths away from car traffic (except for 1 road leading from the airport where you are in a painted cycle gutter at the side of the road, but traffic is really light here).

If your planning on visiting Eindhoven for lunch, then from the Bus station, it's a short walk to the center of Eindhoven. To walk through the train station to get to the city center side you need either a valid train ticket for a journey or an "OV Chipkaart" with at least 25euros on it (OV Chipkaarts are the Dutch transport payment cards, like an Oyster card, which you can get, but for short trips it's not worth it - stick with the 9292/NS apps) so, best is to head over to the right side of the station, where the bicycle parking is, and head through the tunnel under the train track (stick to the pavement side and not in the cycle way or you'll get lots of angry ringing of bells ;))
My recommendation would be head to the Market square - there are lots of nice places to eat around there, personal fave is the Queen Hotel.
If you'd like to try some locally brewed beer and good food, there is the 100watt brewery just to the south of the city centre, about 15min walk from the station.

Many places in Holland away from the tourist areas only take Maestro card or cash. They wont accept Visa (debit/credit) or Mastercard (which is weird as Mastercard own Maestro!) Jumbo supermarkets will accept visa/mastercard, but Albert Heijn only accept cash or maestro. so it can be worth asking first when at a shop/bar/restaurant.
 
Many places in Holland away from the tourist areas only take Maestro card or cash. They wont accept Visa (debit/credit) or Mastercard (which is weird as Mastercard own Maestro!) Jumbo supermarkets will accept visa/mastercard, but Albert Heijn only accept cash or maestro. so it can be worth asking first when at a shop/bar/restaurant.

I’ve definitely used my Starling card in Albert Heijn, the one just around the corner from Dam square in Amsterdam came in very handy for a getting a cheap freshly baked pizza (whilst everyone around was just getting, erm, baked).
 
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