Location

Location and Traveling Information

The 26th edition of the European Association for Machine Translation (EAMT) conference is going to take place in Tilburg, the Netherlands at the Schouwburg Concertzaal Tilburg.

Tilburg is the sixth-largest city in the Netherlands, which has over 200 thousand inhabitants. Tilburg is located in the southern part of the Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant, right between Breda and Eindhoven, and close to the Belgian border. The city is easily accessible by train, by bus, from the highway, and by air. The conference will take place at the Schouwburg Concertzaal Tilburg, centrally located at Louis Bouwmeesterplein 1, 5038 TN Tilburg

Table of Contents

Getting There
Accommodation
About Tilburg University
About Schouwburg Concertzaal Tilburg
Local Attractions

Getting There

By Train

You can easily reach Tilburg by train. Tilburg Station is the central train station (there is a Tilburg University train station, but it is far from the venue, although close to Tilburg University). There are direct trains from many major cities to Tilburg Central Station, including Eindhoven, Breda and Rotterdam. From Tilburg Central Station it is an 11-minute walk to the conference venue.

You can use the NS trip planner to plan your journey and find information about train schedules, tickets, and facilities.

For information about international train travels, use theNS International website. You can contact NS International by phone (paid) or WhatsApp: +31 (0)30 23 000 23.

By Bus

Taking the bus is the most budget-friendly way to travel to Tilburg. FlixBus offers routes from most major European cities, and the bus stop is right at Tilburg Central Station, which is an 11-minute walk from the conference venue. You can plan your journey and find information about timetables, tickets, and facilities on the FlixBus website or use Arriva.

By Car

Tilburg is well-connected to major highways and is well accessible from Belgium (E19 / A16).

Note:Taxis are quite expensive in the Netherlands, so be aware of this when you order one. It is a good idea to ask the driver for the price before you get in. There is a law that regulates maximum prices. Hence, the maximum initial fee for an ordinary taxi is 3.60€/3.84$, the fare per minute is 0.44€/0.47$, and the cost per km is 2.65€/2.82$. Payments can be made in cash and via debit/credit cards.
Note: Tilburg University aims to reduce CO2 emissions on campus. We therefore advice attendees to come by sustainable transport, such as public transport or bicycle, as much as possible.

By Air

There is no Tilburg Airport. However, it is in a convenient reach from Amsterdam Schiphol airport (AMS), Eindhoven airport (EIN) and Brussels Zaventem airport in Belgium (BRU).

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS):

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is the biggest airport in the Netherlands. It is easily reachable by train, car and bus. You can travel between AMS and Tilburg by:

  • Train (about 1 hour and 30 minutes) with one intermediate stop either in Breda, Rotterdam or 's-Hertogenbosch. The airport train station is conveniently located in the airport intself, so you don't need to walk out of it.
  • Car (approximately a 2-hour drive, but can be significantly impacted by traffic).

You can fine more information on the AMS Website

Eindhoven Airport (EIN):

Eindhoven Airport is the closets airport to Tilburg, located only 25 km from the city. It is reachable by train and bus or by car / taxi. You can travel between EIN and Tilburg by:

  • Train and Bus (about 1 hour in total): There is a bus between Eindhoven Central (train) station and Eindhoven Airport and a direct train between Tilburg Central Station and Eindhoven.
  • Car / taxi (approximately a 30-minutes drive, but can be significantly impacted by traffic). A typical taxi fair to the airport is around 80€.

You can fine more information on the EIN Website

Brussels Airport (BRU):

Brussels International Airport (BRU) or Brussels Zaventem is very convenient to get to Tilburg. While it is reachable by car and by train, it is highly recommended that you use the train:

  • Train: There is a direct train between Brussels Airport and Breda. There is a direct train between Breda and Tilburg which takes approximately 15 minutes. The total trip time is approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. One can buy tickets and check schedules via the NS International Website.
  • Car / taxi (approximately a 30-minutes drive, but can be significantly impacted by traffic). A typical taxi fair to the airport is around 80€.
Note: Do not confuse Brussels International Airport with Brussels South (or Brussels Charleroi, CRL) Airport. Brussels South Charleroi is located in the south side of Belgium and is very inconvenient for travelling from / to Tilburg.

You can fine more information on the BRU Website

Visa requirements:

Some participants may need to procure a visa to travel to the Netherlands. You can check here the visa requirements.

If you need an invitation letter, please request one by contacting us at eamt2026@tilburguniversity.edu or via our contact form.

Note: Attendees bear the responsibility of procuring a visa in time. Unfortunately, we cannot help in any way speed up the visa process.

Accommodation

Recommended Hotels

About Tilburg University

Tilburg University is one of the top public universities in the Netherlands. Tilburg University was established in 1927 as Roomsch Katholieke Handelshoogeschool (Roman Catholic Business School). In 2010 it was renamed from Universiteit van Tilburg to Tilburg University. Tilburg has a student population of about 19,150 students. The University has 67 Bachelors & Master's programs, a PhD population of about 1,000 PhDs and awards approximately 99 PhDs per year. In 2024, the university had over 97,000 alumni. The university has over 3,000 FTE staff members, of which 57% are academic staff.

The Department Intelligent Systems (DIS) at Tilburg University is part of the Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences. Together with the Department Computational Cognitive Science (DCS), it succeeds the Department of Cognitive Science and AI. The two new departments collaborate closely in the new Research Center for Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence (CSAI) emphasizing innovative cutting-edge research in those areas of cognitive science that bring together psychological and computational theories and methodologies. The ISMT group, part of the Computational Linguistics Unit of the CSAI research centre, is dedicated on the research and development of state-of-the-art multilingual technologies, the analysis of bias and societal impact of these technologies as well as the associated environmental and sustainability concerns.

About Schouwburg Concertzaal Tilburg

Schouwburg Concertzaal Tilburg consists of a theater, concert hall, studio, and film foyer, offering a wide-range of events for a broad audience. Each year, the Schouwburg presents more than 350 performances across all genres, from cabaret and musicals to classical music and dance. In addition, the theater screens around 650 films annually and provides space for theater companies from the Tilburg region. The venue has a large hall with 900 seats and a small hall available.

The first plans for a theater date back to 1910, but due to a lack of funding, they were not implemented. Since there was still the need, an old textile factory was used as a theater in 1928. In 1952, the decision to build a fully-fledged theater was finally made. It took six years before the design by architects Bernard Bijvoet and Gerrit Holt materialized: the first foundation pile was set in 1958, and the theater officially opened its doors in 1961. After several renovations, the theater eventually became part of Theaters Tilburg. In 2015, the building was designated a national monument.

Today, Schouwburg Concertzaal Tilburg serves as the cultural center of the city, hosting major performances, festivals, and social events, as well as regional initiatives and an extensive youth program. The theater offers something for everyone. With a view on the future, it caters for innovation and talent development.

Local Attractions

For local attractions check out the guide by Ask the Dutch Guy.