Car Hire Groningen

Groningen Mini Guide

What Can you Tell me About Groningen?
Groningen is a historic city with evidence of its past found everywhere in the city. It’s also a canal city with the waterways surrounding and threading through it; signs of its commercial past. The majority of the historic centre was destroyed in fighting to liberate the city at the end of the Second World War, exacerbating the damage already done by aerial bombing. Few of the original important buildings were left standing but some were painstakingly rebuilt after the war. The authorities now restrict access to the centre to cars which makes a stroll around the centre a quiet and relaxing experience.

How Can I Get to Groningen?
It’s possible to fly into Groningen Airport Eelde, five miles away from the city and hire a car or take a bus into the city. The airport is mainly a holiday airport taking the Dutch to many Mediterranean holiday destinations or to the ski resorts of Austria.

What is There to See and Do in Groningen?
You should begin by familiarising yourself with the old city centre. As it’s mostly pedestrianised, you can leave your hire car outside the outer ring of the canal which demarcates the centre and walk around the compact area. Guided tours are available which will give you an idea of what you may want to come back and spend more time seeing. Key amongst these is the Martini Tower, which is the tower of St Martinus Church. Once Europe’s tallest building, you have an unrivalled view out over Groningen. Look out for the bullet hole in one of the bells; it reputedly came from a Canadian bullet fired during the liberation of the city in 1945. If you like art, spend some time too at the Groninger Museum which has one of the most striking collections of contemporary art in the world.

What Makes Good Souvenirs From Groningen?
There are a number of great streets for gift shopping in Groningen. Folkingestraat is renowned for its number of unusual gift shops and you’re sure to find a suitable present for friends or family there. The city also has a famous chocolate shop that is found in Grote Kromme Elleboog. There, you’ll be able to sample some of the chocolates and take home boxes of the delicious confectionery.

What Should I Eat in Groningen?
There are many great places to eat in Groningen and a large multicultural presence in the city makes for some interesting food choices, including several Moroccan restaurants. For typically Dutch food, try the ubiquitous Dutch pancakes, thicker than the usual kind and often stuffed with stringy melted Edam cheese and pickles.

What About Entertainment in the City?
For the young crowd who love parties, there’s a website called Partyflock, www.partyflock.nl which details where the best parties are going to be held. Elsewhere, bars serving Dutch and Belgian beers abound and the entertainment is reminiscent of a German bierkeller.

Groningen is bursting at the seams with history, thought to be much older than its documented beginnings, the old part of the city has many medieval buildings in a zone that is heavily pedestrianized. A notable feature of the medieval city is the old guest houses linked by courtyards to each other and which used to serve as accommodation for travelling traders.

Today the city has a thriving youth scene fuelled by the 50,000 students that study at the university which has encouraged the many museums and art galleries of the city.