Car hire Hoofddorp

Introduction

Hoofddorp is a fairly young city, which was founded after the reclaiming of the Haarlemmermeer in the 19th century. Initially, it was called Kruisdorp, but because there was already a place with that name in Zeeland, the name was changed. Since the 1960's Hoofddorp has grown enormously, and it consists mainly of new suburbs. Due to the noise caused by the nearby airport, Hoofddorp was only able to expand to the west. That means that the old town is on located to the east. Hoofddorp is not an independent municipality, but it is the most important town in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer.

Population

Hoofddorp has almost 70,000 inhabitants. It has grown tremendously in a very short time: in 1970, it had only 9,000 inhabitants.

Location

Hoofddorp is located in the center of the Haarlemmermeerpolder, due west of Schiphol Airport. The town was founded where the Kruisweg and the Hoofdvaart intersect. The Hoofdvaart is a canal that runs straight through the polder, from Amsterdam to Leiden. To the west of the city are the dunes at the North Sea coast, where Amsterdam gets its drinking water. To the south of the city there is another important new town - Nieuw-Vennep. The two towns have virtually grown together.

Economy

Hoofddorp's economy depends to a great extent on the national airport of Schiphol. Most of its inhabitants work at companies that are connected to aviation directly or indirectly. Many companies are dependent on the vicinity of the airport: trade, transport and logistics are heavily represented. In addition, many people in Hoofddorp work in the business service sector, and there are a number of ICT companies, research institutes and high-tech companies.

Airports

The national airport Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is located due to the east of Hoofddorp. The city owes it its growth and healthy economy.

Public transport

Hoofddorp does not have a city bus service, although various regional bus service have bus stops in the city. If you take the bus, you are bound to see the controversial design of the bus station near Spaarne hospital. It is the world's largest sculpture made of synthetic material; polystyrene covered in polyester.
The so-called Zuidtangent is a high-speed bus connection that connects Haarlem to the business center in Amsterdam Zuid-Oost, via Hoofddorp and Schiphol. There is also a night bus to Amsterdam.

Hoofddorp has a train station, which connects the town to, among other places, Den Haag, Schiphol, Amsterdam, Hilversum and Almere.

Traffic and Parking

The city is very accessible, thanks to the A4 motorway (Amsterdam-The Hague), to the east of Hoofddorp. Traffic is routed around Hoofddorp via the so-called Road around the North. The town itself is not very busy, and usually parking your car won't pose a problem. In the center you need to pay to park your car. The center is divided into parking zones: the closer you park to the shops, the more you pay. The rates in the cheapest zone C are very reasonable and you will be in the shopping center within minutes. There are five car parks, two of which are open 24 hours a day. Near Spaarne hospital there is a P+R area, from which you can proceed by bus.

Hotels

Thanks to the presence of Schiphol, there are plenty of hotels in and around Hoofddorp. Most of them are located at the edge of the airport and not in the town itself. You will have no trouble finding a room, but if you are thinking of a specific hotel, we recommend booking in advance.

External Sources

For more information about Hoofddorp, we recommend Google, and the following sources:

• Wikipedia, Hoofddorp
• VVV Hollands Midden
(Dutch and English)
• Municipality of Haarlemmermeer
(Dutch and English)