the city of bicycles and students in the north of the Netherlands, with the Martinitoren on the Grote Markt, the canals of the A and Mendini's museum on the water, and in December the illuminated historic ships of the WinterWelVaart
Groningen is the big city of the north of the Netherlands, close to the Wadden Sea and to Germany. It was a city of the Hanseatic League, and in 1614 it got its university, the second oldest in the country still in operation; in 1672 it withstood the siege of the Bishop of Münster, and every 28 August since then it has celebrated. Today it is a city of students, and you get around it by bicycle: in 1977 the centre was divided into sectors that cars cannot cross, and since then it has belonged to bicycles. On the Grote Markt stands the Martinitoren, the 97 metre tower that is still the tallest building in the city; around it the brick churches with the organs of Arp Schnitger, the quiet courtyards of the medieval almshouses, the garden of the princes of Nassau, the warehouses on the canal of the A and, in front of the station, the Groninger Museum, colourful, set in the water. In winter the city lights up: Sinterklaas arrives by boat in mid November, from late November the Grote Markt has the Christmas market and the ice rink, and in mid December the historic ships of the WinterWelVaart light up along the A. For those arriving by motorhome the city's rule is clear: you sleep only at campsites and official places, and you go into the centre by bus or by bicycle.
Sleeping
Stops and overnight stays
In Groningen the city is firm: you sleep in a motorhome only at a campsite or an official motorhome place, and a vehicle longer than 6 metres or higher than 2.40 cannot be parked on any street in the city, except in the industrial areas. In winter, around the city, the campsite open every day is the one at Westerbroek, on the eastern edge, which however closes from 22 December to 2 January; the Stadspark one, the closest to the centre, opens only at weekends from 6 November. Closer to the centre there is the private area inside a shipyard. The old stopover in the Kardinge car park no longer exists. For the trips out of the city, to Bourtange, to Lauwersoog for the Schiermonnikoog ferry and to Uithuizen for the Menkemaborg, there are campsites and areas that in winter are almost all closed.
Camping Groningen Internationaal, Westerbroek
Woortmansdijk 1, 9608 TA Westerbroek
the campsite open all year, east of the city, in the municipality of Midden-Groningen: it is the place to count on in winter. From October to April it takes only motorhomes and caravans; the motorhome pitches, fifteen on hard ground and fifty on grass, each have electricity and a tap, and water filling and emptying are free. The main toilet block is heated and open all year. Reception is open from 8:00 to 22:00; you pay on site. The owner writes that the buses to the centre are convenient, without saying which line: ask at reception. At Christmas and New Year it is closed
65 pitches, plus a hardstanding for about ten motorhomes
With the 2026 price list, 6.30 euros per adult, 3.80 for children up to 12 years, 9.50 for the motorhome and 3.90 for electricity, tourist tax included: two adults spend 22.10 euros a night, 26 with electricity. The shower costs 0.50 euros for five minutes, with coins · +31 50 404 1433 · campinggroningen.nl
the campsite inside the Stadspark, the large park south-west of the city, the closest to the centre: the owner writes that you are on the Grote Markt in a quarter of an hour. In winter it is open only at weekends, and until when the owner does not say, nor whether the Christmas weekend counts: phone ahead. Reception is open from 9:00 to 18:00, and you can arrive until 22:00
The pitch for two people with the motorhome costs 35.50 euros, electricity 4.50, each extra person 8.50 and children under 12 years 6.50, tourist tax, showers and wifi included: two adults spend 40 euros a night with electricity. The owner does not give the year of the price list · +31 50 525 1624 · campingstadspark.nl
a private area inside a working shipyard, in the Eemskanaal industrial area, east of the centre, where the ban on large vehicles does not apply. The shipyard's website talks only about boats, and what is known comes from those who have stayed there: at most 72 hours, motorhomes up to 12 metres, electricity, water, emptying, toilets and showers. You can get in only when the shipyard is open, on weekdays from 8:00 to 17:00, and at weekends it is closed. Phone the shipyard before going. You go into the centre on foot or by bicycle
15 motorhome pitches
services not recorded
The owner does not publish a price list; those who stayed there in 2026 report 17.50-20 euros a night for two people · +31 50 577 3411 · nolimitships.com
the Bourtange campsite, less than a kilometre on foot from the fortress, with motorhome pitches, toilets and token showers. You arrive from 14:00 to 22:00, and those arriving without booking register themselves at the terminal. In December it is closed, and no source gives an open place near the fortress for the Christmas market
services not recorded
With the 2026 price list the motorhome pitch costs 12.50 euros in low season and 14 in high season, each extra person from 13 years 4.50, electricity 3.80; on top of that 1.40 euros tourist tax and 0.35 environmental charge per person from 3 years. The price list does not say how many people the pitch includes · +31 599 354383 · plathuis.nl
the visitors' car park, next to the information centre and the entrance to the fortress. The fortress website says to come here by motorhome too, because there is room, but sleeping here is not allowed. It is free on the days of the Christmas market too
the motorhome car park for the Schiermonnikoog ferry, five minutes on foot from the terminal: the operator writes that motorhomes go here, because P2 has no height limit, while the covered P1 is 2.25 metres high. There is no booking; you pay with the QR code or at the pay machine, and the barrier reads the number plate. Whether you can sleep here the operator does not say
no services
8 euros for each calendar day · +31 519 349139 · scheepspark.nl
an area on the Lauwersmeer, next to the fishing harbour, half a kilometre from the Schiermonnikoog ferry. You arrive by 22:00 and leave by noon; the places on the water are not guaranteed by booking. When it is open the owner does not say: in November and December phone ahead
21 euros the pitch, 25 the one on the water, with electricity, water, toilets, showers and wifi; on top of that 1.75 euros per person tourist tax: two adults spend 24.50 euros a night, 28.50 on the water. The owner does not give the year of the price list · +31 6 30083494
a nature campsite, on a farm a kilometre from the Menkemaborg, with water filling and emptying for motorhomes and hot showers without tokens. Those with a motorhome of eight metres or more phone ahead. In winter it is closed: in Uithuizen, in December, there is no known open stopover
With the 2026 price list, 6.50 euros per adult, 6.50 for the motorhome, 3 for electricity and 1.75 per person tourist tax: two adults spend 23 euros a night, 26 with electricity. On top of that, the first time, the nature campsites card, 15.95 euros, which you buy on site · +31 595 433473 · maarlandhoeve.nl
In Groningen the motorhome stays at the campsite, and you go into the centre by bus or by bicycle: inside the ring of canals the city is small, and you can walk all of it. For Bourtange, Lauwersoog and Uithuizen you need the motorhome.
From Italy via Switzerland: from Chiasso via the Gotthard, Basel, and then Germany along the Rhine, via Karlsruhe, Frankfurt and Cologne, to the Emsland and Groningen. From Milan it is about 1,130 kilometres. You need the Swiss motorway vignette, 40 francs: the 2026 one is valid from 1 December 2025 to 31 January 2027. Over 3.5 tonnes the vignette is not valid: you pay the flat-rate heavy vehicle charge with the Via portal, for every day spent in Switzerland, even with the motorhome parked
From Italy via Austria: from the Brenner and Innsbruck, then Germany via Ulm, Würzburg and Kassel. From Milan it is about 1,360 kilometres. The ten-day Austrian vignette costs 12.80 euros, and the Brenner motorway 12.50 euros on top, for vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes; over that you pay by the kilometre with the GO-Box
In Germany the lorry toll applies to vehicles over 3.5 tonnes intended for the carriage of goods, and a motorhome is not one. The low emission zones of German cities leave out the motorways: those who stay on the motorway all the way to Groningen do not need the sticker
In the Netherlands the motorways are free, and on the road to Groningen there is no toll tunnel
Low emission zones: Groningen has no environmental zone. Since 1 April 2025 it has a zero emission zone in the centre for vans and lorries, and a motorhome registered as a passenger car, foreign ones too, enters it without a permit. A motorhome registered as a goods vehicle, with category N1, N2 or N3 in the registration document, under item J, must check the rules for foreign vehicles, which require a 30 euro day permit. In any case, a motorhome cannot be parked in the centre
Where you cannot stay: the city's regulation forbids sleeping in a vehicle on public land and camping outside campsites, and since 2024 vehicles longer than 6 metres or higher than 2.40 cannot be parked on any street within the built-up areas of the municipality, not even by day, except in the industrial areas. The city sums it up like this: you sleep and park for long only at an official motorhome place or at a campsite. The park and ride car parks, the P+R, are not a stopover for a motorhome either
The traffic circulation plan: since 1977 the centre has been divided into sectors, and by car you cannot go from one sector to another: you go back out to the ring road. Bicycles and buses get through
The city buses are run by BUS Groningen Drenthe: you get on and off by holding your credit card or phone to the reader, and when you get on a 6 euro deposit is blocked, settled when you get off. At weekends and in the holidays the Broezz'n ticket costs 13.50 euros a day for two adults, with unlimited buses throughout the province and in Drenthe, and up to three children from 4 to 11 years free for each adult. Line 63 goes to Lauwersoog
The bicycle: the railways' hire bicycles, at the station, require a Dutch subscription, and are of no use to those passing through; the Stadspark campsite hires out electric scooters
Seeing
Sights
The walk is a loop that starts from the station, where the buses arrive. First the south: the Groninger Museum, the synagogue street, the first almshouse, the Vismarkt and the Akerk, and the canal of the A; then the university and the north, as far as the Nieuwe Kerk and the Noorderplantsoen park; finally the princes' garden, the Martinikerk with its tower, the Grote Markt and the Forum, whose terrace closes at sunset in winter, and the last almshouse. It is about seven kilometres, six without the Noorderplantsoen. The botanical garden is outside, at Haren, six kilometres to the south. Tap a marker on the map to open its entry below.
1
Hoofdstation
Monument · free entry · 53.21092, 6.56410
Stationsweg 13, 9726 AC Groningen
the central station, by Isaac Gosschalk, opened on 16 April 1896, between Dutch Renaissance and Gothic Revival. The entrance hall is worth walking through instead of going round it: the ceiling decorated with papier-mâché pressed in moulds, the painted windows, the tile panels with figures by the Groningen ceramicist F. H. Bach and a tall wrought iron lamp post. It was restored in 1999, and in 2019 travellers voted it the most beautiful station in the Netherlands. In the city it is called Hoofdstation, and that is also the name of the bus stop.
the city museum, on an island in the canal right in front of the station: three colourful buildings in the water, joined by footbridges, opened in 1994, with Alessandro Mendini leading Michele De Lucchi, Philippe Starck and Coop Himmelb(l)au. It was paid for almost entirely by a gift of 25 million guilders from Gasunie, the Groningen gas company. Inside, contemporary art, the Groningen expressionist group De Ploeg, with an exhibition until January 2028, and about nine thousand pieces of Chinese porcelain that arrived on the ships of the East India Company. Until 10 January 2027 there is Playing House, an art biennial made with children and young people. With free entry up to 18 years it is the best value museum for a family.
Opening hours Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00; closed on Monday, on 25 December and on 1 January · 19.50 euros; free up to 18 years. The museum does not give the year of the price list · +31 50 366 6555 · groningermuseum.nl · info@groningermuseum.nl
the synagogue of 1906, in Moorish Revival style, with two domed towers, the last and the richest example of that style in the Netherlands. The guided tour starts every hour on the hour and lasts an hour: only with the guide do you enter the consecrated part. For children there is a suitcase of games, with ten things to look for. The Folkingestraat, which leads to the Vismarkt, was the heart of the Jewish quarter: in 1942 and 1943 2,550 Jews of Groningen were deported, 191 from this street alone. In the paving there are Stolpersteine, and at the corner with the Zuiderdiep a bronze door without a handle recalls the houses of the past. Today it is a street of independent shops.
Opening hours from March to December on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday from 13:00 to 17:00; in January and February only on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. On Saturday it is closed. For the Christmas and New Year days the opening hours are not published · 6 euros, free up to 12 years; with the guided tour 8 euros. Tickets are sold only at the ticket office · +31 50 312 3151 · synagogegroningen.nl · info@synagogegroningen.nl
Point of interest · free entry · 53.21568, 6.56638
Pelsterstraat 43, 9711 KJ Groningen
the oldest and largest of the Groningen almshouses, first mentioned in 1267, when Pope Clement IV granted it the chapel and the cemetery. It was founded by the Order of the Holy Spirit for the poor, the sick and pilgrims, and its white double cross on a black shield can be seen in several places. The little bell tower of the church has the oldest bell in the city, from 1459. Today around the four courtyards there are forty-two rented houses: it is a lived-in place, and you visit it in silence, on the paths, without dogs or bicycles and without photographing the people who live there.
Opening hours Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 18:00, closed on Sunday; but the same page still carries the notice that visits are not possible, and it is worth phoning · +31 50 312 0703 · pelstergasthuis.nl · info@pelstergasthuis.nl
the market square, long, with a name that appears at the beginning of the fifteenth century. At the end the Korenbeurs, the corn exchange, of 1862-1865, by the city architect J. G. van Beusekom: many windows and a cast iron and glass structure, because grain was judged in daylight, and on the roof three statues, Neptune, Ceres and Mercury, navigation, agriculture and trade. Since 2000 there has been a supermarket inside. The 4 Mijl race finishes here every year, and the city market is held here.
Opening hours the market is on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday from 9:00 to 17:00, and on the first Sunday of the month from 12:00 to 17:00, except in January and February · visitgroningen.nl
the boatmen's church, born around 1200 as a chapel on the bank of the A and dedicated to St Nicholas, their patron saint; today's cruciform basilica dates from about 1495. It was Catholic until 1594, then Protestant, and worship ended in 1970: today it hosts exhibitions and concerts, and since 2021 it has taken back its old name, Akerk. The tower collapsed by itself on 23 April 1710; today's, 76 metres tall, dates from 1711-1718, by Allert Meijer. The organ is by Arp Schnitger, from 1702, and is famous worldwide; on the vaults, scenes of the Resurrection. In December, on the days of the WinterWelVaart, there are performances.
Opening hours Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 16:00, Sunday from 12:00 to 16:00; closed on Monday. For the Christmas and New Year days the opening hours are not published · there is no ticket; the church asks for a donation · +31 50 318 1433 · akerk.nl
the two quays on either side of the A, the river that in the city is called just that: the Hoge, the high quay, on the east, and the Lage, the low one, on the west. It was the city's first harbour, and until 1877 the tide could be felt here. Along the water the old warehouses, twenty-nine national monuments, and moored the traditional sailing ships: it is one of the most photographed corners of Groningen. In Brugstraat there are the two oldest stone houses in the city, the Canterhuis and the Gotisch Huis, which house the Museum aan de A, the old maritime museum: it is closed for works until the end of 2027, and you look at them from outside. From 11 to 13 December 2026 the WinterWelVaart is held here, with some twenty illuminated historic ships.
the university museum. The permanent exhibition tells four centuries of professors and discoveries, from Petrus Camper to Ben Feringa, Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2016, with an audio guide made like a radio play; then the anatomy theatre and the study of Aletta Jacobs, the first woman to graduate in medicine in the Netherlands, with her desk. Until 10 January 2027 there is the exhibition on the Siberian diamond stolen and found again among the fossils of a museum in Drenthe. It is wheelchair accessible, and has no café.
Opening hours Tuesday to Friday from 11:00 to 17:00, Saturday and Sunday from 12:00; closed on Monday, except in the northern school holidays. Closed on 25, 26 and 31 December and on 1 January · 8.50 euros; free up to 18 years. The museum does not give the year of the price list · +31 50 363 5083 · rug.nl · universiteitsmuseum@rug.nl
the university's main building, born in 1614 in an old convent on this very street. The neoclassical building of 1850 burnt down in 1906, and today's, of 1909, is by J. A. Vrijman, in northern Renaissance style: on the façade five statues, with Minerva in the middle. The professors' portraits and the banner of the students' company that in 1665 enlisted against the Bishop of Münster were saved from the flames. Inside there are no public visits, and you look at it from outside; around it, between the Broerstraat and the Oude Boteringestraat, is the university quarter, with the library opposite.
the first church in the city built for Protestant worship, of 1660-1664, by Conraet Roeleffs, on a Greek cross plan with the little tower in the middle, modelled on a church in Amsterdam. It stands on the northernmost hillock of the Hondsrug, the sand ridge on which the city was born, in a meadow with old trees that was the plague cemetery, then outside the walls. The organ is by J. W. Timpe, from 1831.
Opening hours the porch with the room of silence is open every day from 10:00 to 18:00; the church can be visited on Thursday from 10:00 to 16:00, and in summer on Saturday afternoon too · +31 50 312 3756 · nieuwekerkgroningen.nl · scriba@nieuwekerk.org
the long, narrow park, opened in 1880 on the seventeenth century walls: the old moats and ramparts have become ponds and rolling lawns, in the English style, around four old bastions. About fifty species of trees, many with a name label, which with children becomes a game. It has been a national monument since 1971, and in August it hosts the Noorderzon festival. It is the optional stop on the walk.
from 1594 the Prinsenhof was the residence of the Nassaus, the stadtholders, and in 1626 the garden was made for them, enclosed by a wall, with the rose garden, the herb garden and the tunnels of interwoven trees. In one flower bed the box hedging draws the letters W and A, for William Frederick and Albertine Agnes. On the gate towards the canal there is a sundial of 1731, with the Latin motto that says: the past is nothing, the future uncertain, the present unstable, take care not to waste yours. It shows solar time, which here stays about half an hour behind the clock, more or less depending on the season: a riddle for young people. The Prinsenhof is a hotel.
Opening hours every day from 10:00 to 16:30 according to the tourist board, which makes no distinction for winter; the tea room is open only in summer · visitgroningen.nl
the oldest church in the city, a hall church mostly of the fifteenth century, built over older churches, and a cathedral from 1559 to 1594. The main organ is by Arp Schnitger, of 1691-1692, enlarged by his son, with 53 stops: one of the largest Baroque organs in the world. On the vaults the fifteenth century paintings, St Christopher, Saints Cosmas and Damian, St Martin, covered with whitewash after the Reformation and found again in 1923. In 2026 the restored golden cockerel returned to the choir. It is often taken up by concerts and services: check the visiting days on the calendar before going.
Opening hours from 12:00 to 16:00, only on the days marked on the website calendar; in December 2026 on the 1st, 8th, 15th, 16th and 17th, and from January usually Tuesday to Thursday · 3 euros, free up to 12 years · +31 50 311 1277 · martinikerk.nl · info@martinikerk.nl
the tower of the Martinikerk, 97 metres tall, rebuilt by 1627 after the fire of 1577, which the people of Groningen call d'Olle Grieze, the old grey one. You climb on foot, with no lift, up to behind the bells: along the way the clock floor and the church vaults, at 39 metres the gallery that runs round the tower, and at 40 a small cinema with a ten-minute film on the history of the city. The visit lasts an hour. The carillon is by the Hemony brothers, of 1662-1663, and one bell still has a bullet hole from the liberation. Tickets are sold online or at the Groningen Store, the tourist office inside the Forum.
Opening hours all year Monday to Saturday from 11:00 to 17:00, Sunday from 12:00, with last entry an hour before; closed on 25 and 31 December and on 1 January · with the 2026 price list, 7 euros, up to 11 years 5, up to 3 years free · +31 50 313 9741 · visitgroningen.nl · info@vvvgroningen.nl
the main square, the city's drawing room. The neoclassical town hall has stood here since 1810, designed by the Amsterdam architect Jacob Otten Husly, slowed down by the arrival of the French and by a lack of money; the weathervane on the roof was a gift in 1889 from W. A. Scholten, who lived opposite and wanted to see from his window where the wind was coming from. Behind it, the Goudkantoor, of 1635, the provincial tax office, with the motto "render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's": the name comes from the gold and silver assay office that was there in the nineteenth century, and today it is a café. In April 1945 the fighting destroyed the north and east sides, rebuilt in modern style. On 28 August the end of the siege is celebrated here, and from late November there are the Christmas market, the ice rink and the Ferris wheel.
the city's new building, opened on 29 November 2019, by NL Architects, next to the Grote Markt: library, cinema, exhibitions, and at the top, at 45 metres, the terrace with its glass parapet, from which in fine weather, the Forum writes, you can see Schiermonnikoog. You go up by escalator to the tenth floor, then a staircase. In winter it is the stop to make last, in the sunset light, around 16:30 in December. Storyworld is the museum of comics, animation and video games: you make your own stop-motion cartoon or program a game, and it is the indoor stop for children. On the ground floor is the tourist office.
Opening hours the building every day from 9:00, Sunday from 10:00, until the evening; the terrace until sunset, from October to March at the latest until 18:00. Storyworld Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00, closed on 25 December and on 1 January · the terrace is free; Storyworld 11 euros, from 7 to 17 years 8 · +31 50 368 3683 · forum.nl · info@forum.nl
Point of interest · free entry · 53.21732, 6.57149
Peperstraat 22, 9711 PN Groningen
the almshouse of St Gertrude, patron saint of pilgrims, founded in 1405 for the poor pilgrims who came to the Martinikerk to see the relic of the arm of St John the Baptist; then for the poor, the elderly and the mentally ill, with its brewery and bakehouse. In the first courtyard the church and the regents' room, in the second the little houses around the lawn where the washing was bleached, with espaliered lime trees. You walk through and leave at the far end on the right, by a short flight of steps onto the Gedempte Kattendiep. The opening hours are not published, and it is lived in: you pass through in silence. Around it, the Peperstraat and the Poelestraat are the streets of the students' bars.
the botanical garden of Groningen, born in 1642, today at Haren, six kilometres south of the centre: more than fourteen hectares, with a Chinese garden in Ming style, the Celtic garden, the herb garden and the rock garden. Opposite the entrance there is a car park for cars and coaches: it is the only place on this page that you can drive straight to by motorhome. In winter it costs less, but in the Christmas holidays it is closed.
Opening hours from 1 November to 20 March Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 16:00, Saturday and Sunday from 11:00; from 21 March to 31 October every day from 10:00 to 17:00. Closed from 21 December 2026 to 3 January 2027 · with the 2026 price list, in winter 6.50 euros, from 6 to 18 years 3.50; in summer 10.50 and 6.50; under 6 years free. Dogs are not allowed · +31 50 537 0053 · hortusharen.nl
Groningen has a full winter. In November St Martin, the patron saint, with the parade of sugar beet lanterns, and Sinterklaas arriving by boat; from late November to early January Wintergoud, the city's winter, with the Christmas market and the ice rink on the Grote Markt and, in mid December, the illuminated ships of the WinterWelVaart along the A. In January the city fills with concerts for Eurosonic. Carnival is not celebrated here. In summer the Noorderzon theatre festival in the park, the funfair, and on 28 August the festival of the lifting of the siege. Nearby, the Bourtange fortress has its Christmas market and its battle, and the Menkemaborg is decorated for Christmas.
Next: 4 Mijl van Groningen · 11 Octin 5 days
11Oct
4 Mijl van Groningen
in October
the four mile race, 6.4 kilometres, from Haren to the Vismarkt: one Sunday in October, with the race for the little ones on the Saturday. In 2026 all categories are sold out
in 5 days
31 Oct › 1Nov
Magisch Samhain
between late October and early November
the festival of magic and fantasy in the Bourtange fortress, for Halloween: shows, theatre, fire acts, magical figures and stalls, and by day activities for children. In 2026 on the Saturday entry costs 12.50 euros online and 15 at the ticket office, 12.50 in costume, from 6 to 11 years 6 euros, up to 5 years free; parking is free and dogs are not allowed
7Nov
Sint Martinus
in November
the feast of the patron saint of the city and of the Martinikerk, in the first twelve days of November: sugar beets are handed out free to be carved into lanterns, and on a Saturday in early November Sint Martinus on horseback leads the children's lantern parade through the centre, followed by the parade of the large illuminated figures. Coats and blankets are collected for people sleeping rough. Everything is free
14Nov
Intocht Sinterklaas
in mid November
the arrival of St Nicholas: the boat comes from the Reitdiep to the Zuiderhaven, and from there Sinterklaas rides on horseback, with the parade, to the Grote Markt, where the children are waiting for him, and then there is a party for them. It is free, and since 1947 it has been organised by the city's popular festivals association
14-21Nov
Jonge Harten
in the second half of November
eight days of theatre, dance and performances for teenagers and young people, in the city's theatres: more for older children than for little ones
27 Nov › 3Jan
Wintergoud
from late November to early January
the city's winter, organised by the municipality since 2024: on the Grote Markt Winterstad, with the Christmas market, the illuminated ice rink, the Ferris wheel, the little train and the café with music, which in 2025 was open every day from 11:00 until the evening; then the Christmas markets and walks around the city, and the WinterWelVaart weekend. Much of it is free; you pay for the rides. In 2025-2026 the new year was celebrated in the square on 1 January
5-6Dec
Kerstmarkt Bourtange
on the first three weekends of December
the Christmas market in the Bourtange fortress, with almost a hundred stalls on the squares and the bastions, the illuminated fortress, choirs and musicians, on Saturday from 11:00 to 21:00 and on Sunday until 18:00. Entry costs 4.50 euros online and 5 at the ticket office from 6 years, in a time slot, and you stay as long as you like; parking is free, dogs are not allowed
5-6 Dec · 12-13 Dec · 19-20 Dec
11-13Dec
WinterWelVaart
in mid December
the weekend of the historic ships: some twenty sailing ships and working boats lit up along the quays of the A, where you go on board and the captains talk about their ships, with Groningen music, theatre for children too, choirs and mulled wine stalls; there are performances in the Akerk as well. The market is open on Friday and Saturday from 12:00 to 22:00 and on Sunday until 20:00, and entry is free. It has been organised by the Museum aan de A since 2007; a week later, for one day, the ships also go to Zoutkamp, near Lauwersoog
25-26Dec
Kerst op de Menkemaborg
on 25 and 26 December
Christmas at the Menkemaborg in Uithuizen, open on both days from 12:00 to 16:00: the illuminated tree on the forecourt, the mistletoe over the door, the decorated rooms and the laid table, and in 2025 a concert on each day, of carols and organ on the 25th and of seventeenth and eighteenth century music on the 26th
to be confirmed
13-16Jan
ESNS
in mid January
Eurosonic Noorderslag, the festival of new European music: from Wednesday to Friday hundreds of concerts by emerging bands in all the city's venues, and on Saturday Noorderslag, Dutch music, at the Oosterpoort. 2027 is the forty-first edition; tickets are already on sale
12-18Mar
Schiermonnikoog Festival
in March and in October
the classical music festival of the island of Schiermonnikoog, with two editions a year, one in spring and one in autumn
28Aug
Gronings Ontzet
on 28 August
the festival of the lifting of the 1672 siege, intangible heritage of the Netherlands: the bells of the Martinitoren at 9:00, the horse parade at the Ossenmarkt and the horse show in the Stadspark, the speech on freedom, the funfair in the centre, a big concert and, at the end, fireworks over the Zuiderhaven
to be confirmed
This year's dates are not out yet
Meikermis
in May
the May funfair in the city centre, about ten days
Slag om Bourtange
in June
the great re-enactment of the Bourtange fortress, one year with the Eighty Years' War and one year with the Napoleonic era, on Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 to 18:00
Noorderzon
in August
the international festival of theatre, dance and music in the Noorderplantsoen park and around the city, eleven days at the end of August, with more than a hundred and fifty thousand people
Remember
Useful tips
In December, around the city, you sleep at Westerbroek, which is open every day until the 21st; from 22 December to 2 January it is closed, and in winter the Stadspark opens only at weekends. Those coming to Groningen for Christmas or New Year phone the Stadspark and the shipyard area beforehand
On Monday the Groninger Museum, the Universiteitsmuseum, the Akerk and Storyworld are closed: if you arrive on a Monday, that is the day for the tower, the Grote Markt and the courtyards
At the Groninger Museum and the Universiteitsmuseum young people up to 18 get in free
The Forum terrace is done last, at sunset, and it is free; the Martinitoren gives the same view from the top of the tower, with the effort of the steps
The Martinikerk can be visited only on a few afternoons: in December 2026 on the 1st, 8th, 15th, 16th and 17th, and the days should be checked again on the website calendar before going
For the WinterWelVaart it is best to arrive on the Friday: in 2025 the ships weekend was the busiest of the whole winter
At New Year throughout the Netherlands, since 1 August 2026, fireworks by private individuals are banned, apart from sparklers: 31 December 2026 is the first without bangers in the street. A public display in Groningen has not been announced yet
Outside the city, in December, the Bourtange fortress has its museums closed but the market at weekends; the Menkemaborg is open until the end of December and closes in January and February; the Haren botanical garden closes from 21 December to 3 January
At the Forum, where the tourist office is, you buy the tickets for the tower
In the courtyards of the almshouses, which are lived-in homes, you enter in silence, without dogs and without bicycles
Do not come for carnival: Groningen does not celebrate it
Groningen · part two
and then?
What to do, what to taste, and where to go tomorrow.
Experiences from here
What we did starting from here, ordered by driving time.
Groningen eats like the northern countryside: hot dishes, spiced cured meats, rye cakes. The city's dish is mustard soup, mosterdsoep, made with Groningen mustard, coarse grained, and served with slices of metworst, the province's hard sausage, which here is made with plenty of cloves. Groninger koek is the spiced rye and syrup bread eaten with coffee, in many versions: with aniseed, which is called oudewijvenkoek, with ginger, with candied peel, with walnuts; Knol's Koek, on the Hoendiep, has been making it by hand for three generations. Poffert is the winter sweet, a dough with raisins cooked in a mould in a bain-marie, served with melted butter and syrup. The eierbal, a hard-boiled egg wrapped in ragout, breaded and fried, is a snack born here: the first trace is a Groningen advertisement of 1951. Between Christmas and New Year kniepertjes are made, thin wafers: flat in December, because the old year has been entirely unrolled, and rolled up from 1 January, because the new one is still to be unrolled. From the port of Lauwersoog come the Wadden shrimps. The city's spirit was the jenever of Hooghoudt, born here in 1888: in 2025 the company was sold, and since November 2025 it has been distilled in Belgium. The market on the Vismarkt and the A-Kerkhof is on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.
the frozen Hoge der A on a winter morning, with the sailing ships moored and the tower of the Akerk in the backgroundPhoto: Bert Kaufmann, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0the Grote Markt dominated by the Martinitoren, the tallest tower in the cityPhoto: Wutsje, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0the neoclassical town hall on the Grote Markt and, behind it, the seventeenth century GoudkantoorPhoto: JoachimKohler-HB, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the outdoor tables in front of the Drie Gezusters on the Grote Markt on a November eveningPhoto: Hardscarf, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the Martinitoren lit up at nightPhoto: Wutsje, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0the bells in the belfry of the MartinitorenPhoto: OlafJanssen, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the Martinikerk seen from the east, with the Gothic brick choir and the Martinitoren behindPhoto: C messier, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the Martinikerk in the evening, with the windows lit and the Martinitoren illuminatedPhoto: Hardscarf, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the Kerkvoogdijkamer, the churchwardens' room inside the Martinikerk, with its painted vaults and large windowsPhoto: Hardscarf, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the tower of the Akerk seen from the Visserbrug bascule bridge, in the evening lightPhoto: Michielverbeek, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the interior of the Akerk, with its white columns, gilded memorial tablets and Gothic windowsPhoto: Marycke Naber, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 nlthe barge Stroom moored on the Hoge der A in front of the old warehousesPhoto: Michielverbeek, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the Hoge and the Lage der A under snow, seen at night from the Abrug, with an illuminated sailing shipPhoto: Hardscarf, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the illuminated historic ships of the WinterWelVaart on the Hoge der A, in December 2016Photo: Hardscarf, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the WinterWelVaart at night, with the illuminated masts of the sailing ships reflected in the water, in December 2015Photo: Hardscarf, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the frozen Noorderhaven in winter, with the boats held fast and herons fishing on the icePhoto: Gouwenaar, Wikimedia Commons, pubblico dominiothe sailing ships of the WinterWelVaart moored along the Hoge der A, in December 2016Photo: Hardscarf, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the bandstand of the Noorderplantsoen on a snowy nightPhoto: Hardscarf, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0skating on the frozen pond of the Noorderplantsoen, in February 2021Photo: Andre Hospers, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0the Korenbeurs and the tower of the Akerk seen from the VismarktPhoto: Gouwenaar, Wikimedia Commons, CC0the market stalls on the Vismarkt on a December eveningPhoto: Hardscarf, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the Groninger Museum on the water, with the yellow tower and the deconstructivist pavilionPhoto: Gouwenaar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the Groninger Museum seen from the west at sunset, reflected in the waterPhoto: Michielverbeek, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the Forum Groningen, the large slanting cultural building, among the roofs of the centrePhoto: Anneke Meulenaar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the red December sky over the roofs of Groningen, from the Forum terracePhoto: Hardscarf, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0the box hedges and roses of the Prinsentuin, with the Prinsenhof in the backgroundPhoto: Hardscarf, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the entrance of the Prinsenhof lit up in the eveningPhoto: Hardscarf, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0bicycles parked in front of the Academiegebouw, the historic seat of the universityPhoto: Averater, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0the Folkingestraat synagogue, built in 1906 to a design by Tjeerd KuipersPhoto: Jan Geerling, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the inner garden of the Pelstergasthuis with its little churchPhoto: Johan Bakker, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 nlthe Nieuwe Kerk among the trees of its meadowPhoto: Wutsje, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0the red brick façade of Groningen central stationPhoto: Agnes Monkelbaan, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the glass and metal entrance of the UniversiteitsmuseumPhoto: Crcd, Wikimedia Commons, pubblico dominiothe boat-shaped pavilion in the Chinese garden of the Hortus HarenPhoto: Agnes Monkelbaan, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the audience in front of the Eurosonic Air stage during Eurosonic Noorderslag 2011Photo: René Keijzer, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0a horse-drawn carriage race on 28 August 2023, the day of the Gronings OntzetPhoto: Wgeelhoed, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
