Nieuwe Markt

Top choice in Groningen

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 lounging when it finally takes shape in 2019. Its eastern side will be hemmed by the pyramidical hulk of the Forum Cultural Centre, and several cafe terraces, including trendy Het Concerthuis, will fringe its southern side.

For foodies, the main lure will be Merck (old Dutch for 'market'), a state-of-the-art food hall with 24 kitchen stalls, a coffee roastery, rooftop terrace and distillery by cocktail king Mr Mofongo. In 2020 a new luxury hotel, four-star WestCord Market Hotel Groningen, will also open on the square, complete with bakery, bar, restaurant and terrace.

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Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Groninger Museum

0.47 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…
Kunsthalle

28.28 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…
Noordelijk Scheepvaartmuseum

0.4 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…
Bourtange Fortress

29.71 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…
Lauwersmeer National Park

17.95 MILES

Nature lovers are in paradise in this tiny national park protecting the man-made watery shallows of Lauwersmeer, split between Friesland and the…
Schiermonnikoog National Park

24.8 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…
Martinitoren

0.04 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…
Forum Cultural Centre

0.03 MILES

Groningen's landmark cultural centre - home to the city's tourist office, library, five cinemas, exhibition spaces, the Nederlands Stripmuseum and a…

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Nearby Groningen attractions

1. Forum Cultural Centre

0.03 MILES

Groningen's landmark cultural centre - home to the city's tourist office, library, five cinemas, exhibition spaces, the Nederlands Stripmuseum and a…

2. Martinikerk

0.04 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…

3. Martinitoren

0.04 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…

4. Grote Markt

0.05 MILES

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…

5. Town Hall

0.08 MILES

The Town Hall is an eye-catching building on the Grote Markt. It was built in 1810.

6. Prinsentuin

0.18 MILES

Take a breather at the serene gardens of Prinsenhof, a 15th-century mansion-turned–luxury hotel with peaceful Renaissance-style gardens fragranced with…

7. Academiegebouw

0.21 MILES

The stunning, Dutch Renaissance Academiegebouw is the main building of the university, with a breathtaking, richly decorated exterior from 1909.

8. Aa-kerk

0.32 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.

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