Groningen is the largest city in the north of the Netherlands and it does not behave like anywhere else in the country. The university dates from 1614, the student population is enormous, and in the 1970s the city rerouted cars out of the centre and handed the streets to bikes. The result is a compact, noisy, young place where the traffic you have to watch out for is two-wheeled.
The Martinitoren
The tower on the Grote Markt is the city's landmark, known locally as d'Olle Grieze, the Old Grey One. You can climb it, and you should: the stairs pass through the bell chamber, where the carillon bells hang close enough to touch, and the platform gives you the whole flat north laid out to the horizon.
The square below was largely rebuilt after wartime damage, and the newest building on it is the Forum.
The Forum
A tall, angular cultural building on the Grote Markt holding a library, cinemas and exhibition floors, and, at the top, a free roof terrace. Take the escalators all the way up. It is the best view in Groningen that does not involve stairs, and nobody charges you for it.
The Groninger Museum
The museum sits on its own island in the canal opposite the station, and it is impossible to be neutral about. Designed in the early 1990s by Alessandro Mendini with several other architects, it is a stack of clashing coloured volumes that look like they were assembled by different people who were not speaking. That was more or less the intention. Inside are Dutch painting, ceramics, fashion and contemporary work. Whatever the exhibition, the building is the argument.
The Vismarkt and the Korenbeurs
Two squares run into each other in the centre: the Grote Markt and, just west, the Vismarkt, closed at one end by the neoclassical front of the old corn exchange. Market days fill both. It is the best place in the city to stand still for ten minutes and watch it work.
The Noorderplantsoen and the Prinsentuin
The Noorderplantsoen is a long curving park laid out on the line of the old city fortifications, which is why it wraps around the centre rather than sitting in it. On the first warm day of the year the entire student population is in it. The Prinsentuin is the opposite: a small walled Renaissance garden behind the old governor's residence, quiet even in summer.
The horse outside the station
Near the station stands a statue of a horse, the Peerd van ome Loeks, from a local song about an animal that came to a bad end at the station. Groningen kept the story and put up a statue. Ask someone about it if you want to hear a version of the song.
The station building itself is worth a look before you leave: 1890s, tiled, and far grander than the trains running out of it require.
Bikes
Cycling here is not a tourist activity, it is the transport system, and visitors underestimate it. Cyclists come from directions you are not expecting and they will not slow down for you. Look both ways on a bike path exactly as you would on a road. Then rent one and join in, the city is flat, small and built for it.
Seeing the centre on foot
Groningen's centre is small enough to cross in fifteen minutes and layered enough that you will miss most of it. A city game gives you a route of puzzles that ties the squares, the park and the canals together and explains each stop as you reach it, which suits a group better than a guided tour and gives children a reason to keep walking.
Never played one? Read how to play first.
Frequently asked questions
Is Groningen worth visiting?
Yes. It is the liveliest city in the north, has a genuinely good museum, and feels different from the Randstad, younger, cheaper and less polished.
How long do I need in Groningen?
A day covers the tower, the centre and the museum. Two days lets you add the Noorderplantsoen, the Forum and an evening out without hurrying.
Can you climb the Martinitoren?
Yes, in season and with a ticket. The stairs are narrow and steep, and you pass the bells on the way up.
Is Groningen good for a night out?
It is one of the best in the country, largely thanks to the students. The streets off the Grote Markt are where it happens, and it runs late.
Do I need a bike?
Not to see the centre, which is walkable. But renting one is the quickest way to understand how this city is organised.
Does Groningen work for a company outing?
Well. The centre is compact, there is space to eat afterwards, and a route-based activity keeps a group together. See the options for companies and groups.
Start at the top of the tower
Climb the Martinitoren first to see how small the centre is, then walk it. Want help choosing the right game for your group? Get in touch. Heading further north? Our guide to Leeuwarden pairs naturally with this one.
