Like most cities in The Netherlands, Groningen's city centre is surrounded by a canal. And like most cities in Europe, Groningen's museums are generally closed on Mondays. With those points in mind, here are some of the interesting sights:
The Groninger Museum. Just opposite train/bus station. Spectacular architecture. Hosts state of the art of contemporary art in the world. One of the five most progressive modern/contemporary art collections in the world.
Het Noordelijk Scheepvaartmuseum. The northern museum of water transport. Shows the history and role of transport over water until the 1970's
Synagogue. The synagogue was built after the oriental design of the New Synagogue in Berlin. Shortly after WWII the Jewish community was forced to sell the synagogue since only a mere 7% of the entire Jewish community of Groningen survived the war. In 1981 the building was renovated and rehabilitated.
The Tabaksmuseum Tobacco museum, 'roommate' of the scheepvaartmuseum. Collections moderately interesting, but housed in very beautiful, old, authentic warehouses.
The Universiteitsmuseum is a strange and wonderful little museum located just off Oude Kijk in 't Jatstraat. Temporary exhibitions, often of a technological bent, are held on the first floor; upstairs (past an elaborate stained-glass window in the stairwell) is an eclectic collection in the Victorian style, with everything from anatomical specimens and taxidermied animals to early scientific instruments.
The Aa-kerk Beautiful church built in the middle ages.
The Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, the University of Groningen, is the second-oldest university in the Netherlands and one of three State Universities of the Netherlands. It was established in 1614. While the university has its share of modern buildings, both in and out of town, the Academiegebouw is an old and attractive building with a tower and worth strolling past.
The Grote Markt (great market) and the Vismarkt (fish market) are two large market squares in the center of the city.
There are several late-medieval Guest Houses (Gasthuizen) scattered through the city centre within the ring of canals. During daylight hours these courtyards can be visited for free. Be mindful that the houses themselves are not open to the public and that the people living in them enjoy their quiet and privacy. Visitors are welcome in the courtyards. Access is through gated doorways that will be unlocked during daylight hours and locked during the evening/night. The largest one is in the Pelsterstraat, next to the church and consists of several courtyards connected through archways. Another one is located behind the Vroom and Dreesman shopping centre in the Rode Weeshuisstraat (Red Orphanage Street). In the Peperstraat, near the end on the left when viewed from the Poelestraat, is the Peperstraat Guest House. Part of the medieval city wall is still visible from the courtyard. The St. Anthony Guesthouse is located opposite the police headquarters on the Rademarkt just south of Zuiderdiep.
St. Anthony's Guest House garden
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Groningen
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Groningen - updated May 2024
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Groningen Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
