Nijmegen
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Lovely Nijmegen is the oldest city in Netherlands and it is situated in the east of the Netherlands and Gelderland province, on a range of hills near the River Waal. It has appr. 168, 000 residents, having population about 285,000 in whole metropolitan area. It has an university and the city is vivid for its student-based influence.
Nijmegen was first mentioned in history in 1st century, when the Roman Empire built a military camp on the site of the current city. In 104 Roman Emperor Trajan renamed the town, which now became known as Ulpia Noviomagus Batavorum, Noviomagus for short (the origin of the current name Nijmegen).
Recreation
There is a lot of relatively cheap restaurants (“eetcafés”) to be found, specially in the Van Welderenstraat and on Kelfkensbos. Six weeks before Easter is Carnaval, and people dress up in funny costumes and drink. There are parades in every town & village during the season. Downtown and neighborhoods just next to it consist the center of nightlife with numerous pubs and cafés. Annual rock festival Forta Rock gathers thousands music fans every year.
Shopping
Trendy shops are concentrated on the two storey Marikenstraat. Each Monday, there is a weekly market in the centre of Nijmegen, mainly located on the Grote Markt. The wide range of stalls sell a wide range of products.
Something to explore
Kronenburgerpark
This idyllic park is outstanding for calm strolling and piqueniques. Main sight here is the Kruittoren (Powder Tower), 30 meters long tower built c. 1426, which is the remain of the wall build around the city in the 15th century.
Grote Markt
This market is a popular gathering place for cafés and old architecture. One of the notable sites is a 16th-century weighing hall (waag) on the north side, that now serves as a restaurant.
Museum Het Valkhof
The museum stands on the edge of the Valkhof park, site of a Roman army camp and a citadel built by Charlemagne, at the address Kelfkensbos 59.
It depicts Roman artifacts found archaeological excavations, as well as 17th-century paintings, silverware, and modern art.
Commanderie van Sint Jan
This building at the address Franseplaats 1 used to be a monastery for the Order of the Knights of Saint John, but today it houses a brewery and cozy restaurant.
How to get around in Nijmegen
The local bus company Breng connect almost every neighbourhood in Nijmegen to the city center. Hermes run buses into the suburbs as well as a few towns outside of the metropolitan area. More information is here.
How to get in Nijmegen
Nearest international airport is Airport Weeze located 45 km southeast of town just across the border with Germany, between the villages of Weeze (Germany) and Nieuw-Bergen (Netherlands). List of its airlines is here, destinations here. For getting to Nijmegen from here takes a trip by city bus to the Weeze railway station, then taking a train into Kleve, where one can get a bus into Nijmegen. This will take about 75 minutes and costs €5.90-7.60 (one-way) – see the bus timetables here.
Slightly more suitable is Eindhoven Airport located 60 kilometres to the southwest of Nijmegen. List of its airlines is here, destinations here. From the airport one can take bus 401 (with stops in between) or 400 (non-stop) to Eindhoven Central Station and then a train to ‘s Hertogenbosch. In ‘s Hertogenbosch, change trains and take the train to Nijmegen.
The Dutch Railways (Nederlandse Spoorwegen, NS) operates regularly between Nijmegen and other main Dutch cities. There are 4 trains an hour to Utrecht, 2 of which continue to Amsterdam and Den Helder. At Utrecht, you can change on trains to Schiphol Airport or Rotterdam and The Hague. Handy journey planner on Dutch sites is here.
The A73 connects Nijmegen with Venlo, the A77/A57 leads to the German Rhineland. The A15 runs between Nijmegen and Rotterdam and the A50 (Eindhoven-Zwolle) skims the western edge of the metropolitan area.
Top 5 in Nijmegen
- Museum Het Valkhof
- Kronenburgerpark
- Grote Markt
- Old Town
- Forta Rock festival
Text: Timo Hellman
Photos: With the CC licence / Finalart2005, Peertje55, G.Lanting, Carole Raddato, Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed[/fusion_text]
