From Wikitravel

Nijmegen is a large city in the southeast of the Netherlands, population 160,000 (city proper). It's the largest city in Gelderland, and in the Arnhem-Nijmegen metropolitan area (pop. 725,000). Nijmegen is well-known for its left-wing politics, and its large student population.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By Plane

Airport Weeze (IATA: NRN), [1], located 20 miles southeast of town, between the villages of Weeze and Nieuw-Bergen. Although both Ryanair (the biggest airline serving the airport) and the airport itself advertise with Duesseldorf-Weeze, Duesseldorf proper is actually not anywhere near the airport. The city of Duesseldorf is located 60 miles to the southeast of the airport, making Nijmegen the only major city close to the airport. Weeze serves just over 20 destinations across Europe, Northern Africa and Western Asia.

The only form of public transportation nonstop to Nijmegen is a taxivan you have to reserve in advance and will set you back EUR 15 (one-way).

For the more adventurous traveller, it's possible to get to Nijmegen by city bus to the Weeze railway station, then take a train into Kleve, where you can get a bus into Nijmegen. This will take about 75 minutes and costs EUR 5.90-7.60 (one-way).

Another option is to just hitch. There's a major freeway not far from the airport, connecting Duesseldorf with Nijmegen. This can take as little as 30-45 minutes if you're lucky, and 4-6 hours if you're not.

Eindhoven Airport (IATA: EIN), [2]. Located 60 kilometres (35 miles) to the southwest of Nijmegen. From the airport you take bus 401 to Eindhoven Central Station and then a train to 's Hertogenbosch (which is the same as Den Bosch). In 's Hertogenbosch, change trains and take the train to Nijmegen. This journey will take you approximately 90 minutes by public transportation. When driving yourself, take the A326 feeder motorway to the A50, (Zwolle-Eindhoven) which skirts the west of the metropolitan area to the Eindhoven ring road (A58/A2) Airport exit is exit 29 on the A2.

Flughafen Dusseldorf (IATA: DUS), [3]. Located 110 kilometres (65 miles) southeast. About one-third the size of Amsterdam-Schiphol, but with plenty of international connections, including to the USA, and gets served by all the major airlines in Europe. Although it doesn't get nearly as many flights as Amsterdam does, it's cheaper, doesn't have nearly as many congestion problems, and generally much less hassle at the airport itself. Major inconvienience here is the lack of a good public transportation link to the Nijmegen area; you either need to take bus 58 to Kleve, and change there for a regional train to Dusseldorf Hbf, where you can take S1 to Flughafen terminal or take the train to Venlo, and change there for Dusseldorf Hbf. Both options take about 2,5-3 hours one way, since it'll be taking commuter trains all the way. When driving there this airport should be the obvious choice though. A73 to Knooppunt Rijkevoort, then follow the signs to the A77 which changes to A57 when it passes the German line. By Kreuz Meerbusch take motorway A44 to exit 31 which is right by the terminal. Expect a 75-minute drive, although it can be done in 50-55 minutes if there's little traffic, due to the fact that 2/3rds of the route is on the German Autobahn.

Amsterdam-Schiphol airport (IATA: AMS), [4]. The largest airport in the Netherlands, and the fifth largest in Europe. 135 kilometres (85 miles) to the northwest. Train takes about an hour and 45 minutes, and will cost EUR 17,- one way. Take the train to Utrecht or 's Hertogenbosch. You do have to change trains for Nijmegen in one of these cities. Schiphol airport gets served by most major carriers, and has in excess of 100 flights to the United States alone per day. When driving; A73 to Knooppunt Ewijk, A50 to Knooppunt Valburg, A15 westbound to Knooppunt Deil, A2 northbound to Knooppunt Holendrecht, A9 westbound to Knooppunt Badhoevedorp, and finally A4 southbound to exit 2, Schiphol airport. Expect this to take anywhere from 75 minutes to over three hours, depending on traffic. the route will take you through both the Utrecht and the Amsterdam metropolitan areas, both infamous for their traffic jams.

[edit] By Train

The Dutch Railways, [5] (Nederlandse Spoorwegen, NS) serve Nijmegen from all parts of the Netherlands non-stop. 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. 4 trains per hour depart for Zutphen of which 2 continue to Deventer and Zwolle (with connections to Leeuwarden and Groningen in Zwolle). Furthermore, 2 trains per hour connect to Tilburg-Breda-Roosendaal (with connections in Breda to Rotterdam/The Hague, and in Roosendaal to Antwerp/Brussels).

The neighboring cities of Arnhem and 's-Hertogenbosch are served by commuter trains: 4 trains per hour leave for 's-Hertogenbosch and 6 trains per hour for Arnhem. On this last connection, there are up to 10 trains per hour between Nijmegen and Arnhem during rush hour. The full adult fare on this line is 3.60 Euros on way or 6.20 return, correct as of September 2007.

Veolia Limburg runs 4 commuter trains an hour to Nijmegen Heyendaal, the town of Cuijk and further to Venray. Two of these trains continue all the way to Roermond.

[edit] By Bus

Nijmegen is connected to the German city of Kleve by bus. This bus (58) usually runs once per hour, but it does not go in the evenings and barely goes on sunday.

[edit] By Car

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. There are many feeder highways connecting these freeways to the city. From Amsterdam one would take the A2 southbound to intersection (knooppunt) Deil, and take the A15 eastbound to Nijmegen from there. Avoid visiting the city by car during the Four Days Walking March, as roads tend to be blocked and circulation is even worse than normal. Also, you may find almost no available parking anywhere near the center of the city.

[edit] By Thumb

Nijmegen is probably one of the easiest places in the Netherlands to hitch from. The best spot is just south of the Waal Bridge, on the northbound lane leading to the bridge. You will see a sign saying 'liftershalte' here. This means it's an official hitching spot. Usually it takes anywhere from 1-30 minutes to get a ride.

[edit] Get around

The city bus company Novio 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. Forget about using your car unless you're absolutely sure of your driving skills: the city can get extremely clogged up during rush-hour because 6 main roads end up at an infamous roundabout in the middle of the town. Beside this, parking is relatively expensive. Nijmegen is extremely bike-friendly, and the old downtown area is compact (every place in the downtown area can be reached within 20 minutes from the Central Station by foot) Commuter trains serve the neighboorhoods of Lent, Dukenburg and Heyendaal (the campus area), as well as the nearby town of Wijchen.

[edit][add listing] See

Nijmegen is the oldest city in the Netherlands, celebrating her 2000th birthday in 2005. The Valkhof Museum, on the Valkhof, has a permanent display of the history of Nijmegen, including artifacts from the Roman era. Additionally, they usually have temporary exhibitions of more and less famous artists. Unfortunately not a whole lot of very old buildings are left in town: first the Americans put a bomb carpet on it February 1944, then the Germans shelled it for about 5 months after the liberation in September 1944, and finally there were a lot of very rigorous city planners in the 1950's, 60's and 70's who finished what the Americans and Germans started.

There's still a few noteworthy sights, however. Valkhof hill downtown features a Carolingian chapel (eight, ninth century AD) and a small remainder of an imperial castle that was demolished in 1798. From Valkhof hill walk west through the Burchtstraat. Here you will see, on your left hand, the fifteenth century town hall. If you've finished admiring its exterior (there's nothing of note inside) continue walking west to the Grote Markt (Great Market) on the north side is a sixteenth-century weighing hall that now serves as a restaurant. On the west side you will see the entrance to the St. Stevenskerk courtyard. Enter it. On the left is a fifteenth-century Latin school. On the right stands the thirteenth century St. Stevenskerk, the interior of which was destroyed during the Dutch revolution of the sixteenth century. To the north of the church is a series of small seventeenth-century houses that now serve as trinket shops.

[edit] Events

[edit] Spring

• Carnaval Six weeks before Easter is Carnaval. People dress up in funny costumes and drink. There are parades in every town & village. To the south of Nijmegen Carnaval gets celebrated more, and if you like this kind of thing, go to Maastricht, Den Bosch or Kerkrade instead.

• Dag van het Levenslied Every year in May there's a traditional Dutch folk festival in the Valkhofpark. Don't expect Dylan though, The type of music is comparable to the German schlager music as the lyrics are usually about shitty stuff in your life. Again: Lots of drinking!

• Roze Meifeesten Also in May, this is the annual Gay and Lesbian festival in downtown.

[edit] Summer

• Heavy Metal festival Traditionally, there's a one-day Heavy Metal festival in the Goffertpark, 2 miles SW of the Central Station. Usually it's called Fields of Rock, Dynamo Open Air or Ozzfest, but they all get organized by the same company anyway. Usually draws 15-25,000 people depending on city regulations.

• Nijmeegse Vierdaagse/Zomerfeesten The most famous of them all, the Nijmeegse Vierdaagse (Four Day Marches of Nijmegen) with the Zomerfeesten (Summer Festival). This is the biggest event in the entire Netherlands and according to the organisers the largest walking event in the world. The Four Day Marches draw about 45,000 people alone, walking 30 miles a day for four days in the Nijmegen area. The Summer Festival lasts for 10 days, starting the Friday before the marches start, continuing all the way to the Sunday after the Marches. For these 10 days, the entire downtown area is one big festival with concerts everywhere, even more beer stands and 1.5-1.7 million people partying or trying to get some sleep because they have to walk another 30 miles the next morning.

• Other festivals In some years, a one-day festival, called Rockin' Park, is organized in the Goffertpark. The line-up usually consists of various national and international rock acts. Another festival is the Arrow Rock Festival, featuring several (older) national and international rock acts. Also, the Goffertpark is often used for large once only concerts of prominent bands (often with numerous support acts).

[edit] Fall

• Nijmeegse Kermis The oldest street carnival in the Netherlands, dates back to 1272. Usually lasts a week and a half, and there are a lot of attractions, traditional ones like the Ferris Wheel and the Merry go-'round, Bumpercars, but also modern stuff like a Bungy-Jump. Again, there are plenty of possibilities to get drunk.

• Zevenheuvelenloop

A annual 15 km (9 mi) run around Nijmegen and it's surrounding hills. (Hence the name Zevenheuvelen-which means "Seven Hills" in Dutch.)

[edit] Leftist politics

Nijmegen is known for the abundance of left-wing political activist organizations, including many student organizations. It is a major stronghold of the Dutch socialist and 'green' parties. For those in the leftist political spectrum, a visit to Nijmegen could bring about interesting contacts.

[edit] Climate

Nijmegen has a semi-continental climate, and it's usually together with Venlo and Eindhoven the warmest city of the Netherlands during summer.

Update: on July 19th, 2006 Kalkar (the weather station most representative for Nijmegen) reached a record high of 38.6C. Nijmegen-Dukenburg reached an unofficial high of 38.7C During this heatwave the "Vierdaagse" got cancelled due to 3 deaths caused by extreme heat. 2 of these died during the monday march, number three died that night at the campsite. (source - "De Gelderlander")

Climate Table

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average daily maximum temperature (°C)	5	7	10	14	18	22	24	25	21	15	9	6	14.65
Average daily minimum temperature (°C)	2	1	3	6	10	12	14	13	11	7	4	2	7.1
Record daily maximum temperature (°C)	17	20	27	32	36	36	39	38	33	30	21	17	39
Record daily minimum temperature (°C)	-15	-17	-13	-3	-1	0	2	1	-2	-7	-11	-13	-17
Mean total rainfall (mm)	50	45	50	60	70	60	90	95	75	60	55	60	770
Source: [Deutsche Wetterdienst, KNMI - Klimaatatlas van Nederland]

[edit][add listing] Do

[edit][add listing] Buy

[edit][add listing] Eat

Being a student town (roughly 21,000 students in a population of 160,000) there's plenty of relatively cheap restaurants ("eetcafés") to be found. Look for them in the Van Welderenstraat and on Kelfkensbos. Fastfood is also widely available in the city center, with two McDonalds', a Burger King and numerous snackbars often offering traditional dutch snacks, but also turkish dishes.

• Gallisch Eetcafé, of Wintersoord street (off the Hertogstraat), which itself hosts a fair number of internationally flavored eateries, such as an Indian restaurant, a Yugoslav restaurant and a Portuguese restaurant).
• Eetcafé De Plak, corner of Plein 1944. An absolute classic. Not only is it a mainstay of Nijmegen's sizeable alternative scene (don't be surprised when your meal is served by a pierced waitress with dreadlocks or a waiter with a mohawk), it's also famous throughout the Netherlands for its Kaasgehakt - a hearty dish made with cheese and breadcrumbs that's supposed to be a vegetarian version of "gehakt" (minced meat).
• Dromaai, Plein 1944. A relative newcomer and dirt cheap. After your meal there be sure to pop into ijssalon Ghiani's across the street for some of the finest Italian-style ice cream to be found in the Netherlands. Ghiani makes his ice-cream since 1982 using ingredients from all over the world. like mango from India, strawberries and blueberries from Poland, vanilla from mexico, raisins from australia and hazelnuts from Piedmonte. Ghiani is open from march till october!!
• Riva, at the Waalkade (alongside the Waal river) Walk downtown to the market, keep the market at the left and walk downhill to the river. Turn right and then it's one of the first restaurants on the right. Popular among students and offers a range of delicious meals. The restaurant has recently been redesigned, both interior and food and it's now an even nicer place to visit!
• Restaurant Ankara, on the corner of the Burghardt van den Berghstraat and the Graafseweg in the Bottendaal district, is at walking distance from the central station and the city center. It offers a wide range of affordable Turkish meals, as well as a wide range of pizzas. You are always offered a free soup, which is quite spicy and tasty.
• De Kluizenaar, of the Burghardt van den Berghstraat, offers tapas from various cooking styles, and more traditional meals, such as salads and spare ribs. In the summer, it is a nice place for a drink, just like cafe Maxim across the street.
• De Ontmoeting, on the corner of the Graafseweg and the Stijn Buijsstraat (at walking distance from the central station and the city center) is a tapas bar with plenty of choices available.
• Van Buren, of the Molenstraat, offers traditional french cuisine for a good price, and also has plenty of lunch options. Furthermore, in the summer, you can enjoy your food outside.
• Funkenstein, on the Lange Hezelstraat. Small, cosy, and good value for money.
• Meneer Dijkstra on the corner Hobbemastraat/Daalseweg, opposite the Albert Heijn supermarket, is a typical student restaurant.
• Eten & Drinken on the Groesbeeksedwarsweg (corner Heyendaalseweg/Groesbeekseweg) is very cheap (almost all main courses are under € 8), but portion size and quality is good enough. Lunch is also possible.

The pizza fan is also well-catered for by a wide range of restaurants. Many though, are specialized in take-away/delivery, and don't offer a very nice eating experience. However, if you like to sit down for a pizza, there are still some nice options. Generally, all pizzas in the restaurants below are under € 10. Most of the establishments also offer other italian dishes.

• Donatello's, Eerste Walstraat, on the edge of the city center. It's a bit hidden, don't let the alley-like street scare you away.
• Pinoccio, beginning of the Molenstraat, one minute walking from Donatello's
• Bella Italia, St. Annastraat, a short stroll from the Keizer Karelplein. Best pizzas in town and very nice icecream.
• Mr. Jacks, Kelfkensbos. Do not expect top quality service, but the food is cheap and tastes reasonable. You might have to wait long whilst you have already ordered - there is often a table available, but not enough capacity to serve it. Instead of a pizza, you may also choose to order a greek dish here.

If your budget allows it, there's also plenty of opportunity for luxury dining. The Hoo Wah on Plein 1944 serves excellent Asian food (not to be confused with the stuff sold in normal Dutch "Chinese" restaurants). Het Savarijn in the Hertogstraat offers classy French food while Heertjes in the Ridderstraat is the place locals go to when they want to indulge themselves. Het Lemke in the Lange Hezelstraat offers high quality French cuisine, though it might be a little bit too experimental for some. More up market dining can be found along the Waal river. From the casino, walk west past the terraces and into the old downtown. For up market dining near the university, Chalet Brakkenstein is well worth a visit. Finally, for more classic french style cuisine in a historic ambiance, try either Belvedere (the tower) or Het Poortwachtershuis (the small building west of the museum) west of the Valkhof park. (Please note that for the moment, the Belvedere is only open to groups with a reservation, due to a lack of cooking staff.)

[edit][add listing] Drink

Downtown Nijmegen and the neighborhoods just next to it are positively swarming with pubs and cafés. Some notable ones:

• De Blaauwe Hand, Grote Markt. The oldest pub in Nijmegen. Very, very picturesque.

• Samson, Houtstraat. Old fashioned and classy with service of an exceptionally high quality.

• St. Anneke, St. Annastraat. Of interest primarily if you're staying in Hotel Catharina as it's right across the street but even then you'd be wise to walk a little (50 meters) further to Frowijn on the corner of the Pontanusstraat as that has a much nicer terrace.

• Mets';', Grotestraat. The premier gay / lesbian hangout.

• Kollektief kafee de Bijstand. Van Welderenstraat. This is where the local activist scene congregates. Wednesday night is cheap vodka night. All tips go to charity.

• Odessa (Sint Anthoniusplaats) is a reasonable and fairly cheap restaurant, but on Mondays it functions as a Jazz bar that attracts lots of foreign students.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

Finding a place to sleep during the summer festival and the four day's marches is absolutely impossible. Everything will be booked full months in advance. To give you an idea; during these days the population of Nijmegen swells from 160,000 to 1,800,000. It goes to the extent of people needing accommodation because they're walking the marches being taken into private people's homes and sleeping in sporting arena's. However, during the festival many trains and buses run around the clock, giving the opportunity to find a place to stay outside the city. During the rest of the year, however, you should have no problem at all.

[edit] Budget

• Hotel Catharina, St. Annastraat,
• Hotel Atlanta, Grote Markt
• City Hotel, Kelfkensbos.

[edit] Moderate

• Hotel Belvoir, in the Graadt van Roggenstraat.
• Hotel Mercure, next to the train station.

[edit] Get out

The surrounding area of Nijmegen is unique in that it has to offer almost every landscape type available in the Netherlands. Rent a bicycle and start exploring the river landscape of the Ooijpolder to the northeast, the forested hills around Groesbeek to the east, the drier heath landscape to the south or, if you insist, the typically Dutch flat lowlands to the west. If you're interested in cities, pay a visit to 's Hertogenbosch or Zutphen (both between 30 min / 45 min by train) which have city centres far better preserved than that of Nijmegen itself.

During World War Two, the 82nd Airborne Division landed near Groesbeek as part of Operation Market Garden. Groesbeek has one of Canada's war cemeteries, called Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery. The Cemetery is a short drive out of Groesbeek.

• The Africa Museum, in Berg en Dal, has an indoors and outdoors section and specializes in african cultures. On most summer days, they organize all kinds of workshops.
• Museumpark Orientalis, in the Heilig Landstichting, provides a contemporary view of the three religions that have played a decisive role in establishing the identity of present day Europe: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!