The main square holds some gems, of which the Town Hall, dating from 1810, is the most dazzling. The string of cafes along the south side are perpetually buzzing. A 1950s melange that sprang up on the east side following wartime devastation is in the process of being updated, and will aptly be known as Nieuwe Markt (New Market) when complete in late 2019.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.44 MILES
Those arriving by train can't help but notice the Groninger Museum. Occupying three islands in the ring canal in front of the station, the museum is, at…
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0.05 MILES
This dynamic city's most ambitious redevelopment project to date, the gleaming 'New Market' square is slated to become an A-lister hub for alfresco…
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28.33 MILES
Emden’s art gallery shows off a range of big, bold canvases, focusing on 20th-century art, in its light-flooded, white-and-exposed-timber rooms. Every few…
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0.35 MILES
This engaging tour of the lives of seamen and the ships they sailed unfolds through the set of buildings that once made up a 16th-century distillery…
29.75 MILES
One of the best-preserved fortifications in the country stands at tiny Bourtange near the German border. With its flooded moats, solid defences and quaint…
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17.93 MILES
Nature lovers are in paradise in this tiny national park protecting the man-made watery shallows of Lauwersmeer, split between Friesland and the…
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24.78 MILES
The entire island, except for its single town and surrounding polder, was designated the Netherlands' first national park in 1989. It's easy to lose…
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0.05 MILES
A climb up 251 steep and spiralling stone steps to the summit of this elegant, 96m-tall medieval tower (1482) rewards with grand views – and worrisome…
Nearby Groningen attractions
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The Town Hall is an eye-catching building on the Grote Markt. It was built in 1810.
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This dynamic city's most ambitious redevelopment project to date, the gleaming 'New Market' square is slated to become an A-lister hub for alfresco…
0.05 MILES
A climb up 251 steep and spiralling stone steps to the summit of this elegant, 96m-tall medieval tower (1482) rewards with grand views – and worrisome…
0.07 MILES
This huge 16th-century church commands the northeast corner of Grote Markt. The iconic church and its tower, Martinitoren, are among the few remnants of…
0.08 MILES
Groningen's landmark cultural centre - home to the city's tourist office, library, five cinemas, exhibition spaces, the Nederlands Stripmuseum and a…
0.17 MILES
The stunning, Dutch Renaissance Academiegebouw is the main building of the university, with a breathtaking, richly decorated exterior from 1909.
0.21 MILES
Take a breather at the serene gardens of Prinsenhof, a 15th-century mansion-turned–luxury hotel with peaceful Renaissance-style gardens fragranced with…
0.27 MILES
Located in the old harbour area, Aa-kerk was once a seaman's church dating to 1226. No longer a church, it is used as a concert and reception hall today.