Netherlands Travel – Groningen The Best Attractions To Visit

When you are planning your Netherlands travel trip you will often see some of the bigger cities like Rotterdam and Amsterdam as the place you will want to go to. However, what you need to realize is these larger cities are often full of tourist and can keep you from being around the attractions you want to see. The issue you will often come up with next is the fact that since Groningen is not really that well visited compared to some of the other places in Holland you will notice that it is going to be difficult to figure out what you can do. Thankfully, I have decided to let you know more about the attractions that I feel you have to see when you are in this beautiful area. Then you can finally plan out your trip and know you are going to have a great time when you are visiting one of the cities that I feel is one of the best-kept secrets in the Netherlands.

How Did I Narrow Down My List

Well, I have to say this was a challenge for me because I really like all of the different attractions that are in the city. However, I know that I have to be picky about what I am going to look for here. This is definitely something that was a challenge and I know that it is typically families who are going to travel to the area. So this made it even more of a challenge, but thankfully I was able to bring along a friend who was able to help me out quite a bit in finding the right attractions that would fit for almost anyone who is planning on coming to this beautiful area. With that being said, I have to say that I have taken my likes and her likes to come up with the best plan possible of all the attractions you are going to want to see.

Groninger Museum

The Groninger Museum is a place you will actually like even if you do not really care for art that much. I have found the place is one of those you are really going to love because it takes the concept of futuristic design to the next level and actually brings it out from the design table to the reality. This is going to make it easier for you to tour the museum and know you are going to have a great trip because you are in a place that is going to have some of the beauty you may have ignored before. What else is nice is the museum is going to cover a lot of the different aspects of the art world and that is what you are going to enjoy as well because it really helps you get a full appreciation of the art world and what all the different types are available in the world for you to enjoy.

What else you will like about this museum is the fact it is going to offer you quite a bit to see regarding the local area as well. This will make it easier for you to not only see the artwork that is around the area, but it is also a history lesson on the local area as well. So you will not only be seeing the arts, which even include the textile arts, but learn something about the region as well.

Noordelijk Scheepvaartmuseum

If you have studied any piece of Dutch history then you know that the shipping industry and trade were among the biggest things the country had going for it. However, what you may not realize is the important that this type of industry would play with the cities that were outside of the normal cities you would consider as being a trading giant. Groningen is one of those places and it is definitely a place that lives up to its reputation of being a great strategic trading gem that was hidden away from a lot of the heavily traveled areas that people are used to seeing, like this place.

What is amazing about the Noordelijk Scheepvaartmuseum is this is a place that showcases the shipping industry and the type of trade that happened in the area. This is going to really make the place stand out and be a place that will allow you to explore the history from the shipbuilding that happened in the area, to the impact the shipping industry has made on the local history of the region.

Martinikerk

You may be shocked to see that we have included a church in the attractions list here. However, I think she may be dropping a little hint, but this is a church that is definitely one that you will want to visit. It is a historic church for a variety of reasons, but it does have one thing inside of it that a lot of places have come up missing and that is the fact this is one of the few places that still has a grand Baroque organ in place. The best part is they still use the organ for concerts and other events as you can see in the video below from YouTube.

The church is also one that because of the history it has inside of it is going to offer tours. These tours are definitely something you will want to get involved with as they are going to take you all over the place in the history and the significance of the church. What else is nice is this church also host quite a few different cultural events throughout the year, so you would definitely have a chance of getting to explore these events as well.

Hortus Haren

While you may realize the Netherlands is well known for gardens, you need to realize the largest and one of the first to be established in the country is in Groningen. That is what you will find in Hortus Haren as it is the largest garden in the country and definitely a place that you are going to fall in love with because of what all it is going to offer you to see and do. The flowers in this garden are some of the best you can find, but also the paths you are going to have a chance to follow will make this garden one of those that you simply cannot overlook when you are looking for a great place to go and know you are going to be able to see something you usually would overlook. Not to mention, what is a better way to experience a country than get out into some of the places where you are sure to bump into some of the locals who are around the area and get to interact with them.

Noorderplantsoen

While I did try to stay away from the parks as much as possible, I could not avoid the Noorderplantsoen. This is a place you will really love because it has so much to do and see. It is styled after a lot of the English style parks, which is a great feature. However, this is a park you will enjoy because it has plenty of paths for you to follow, but while you are going down the paths you will have a chance to go ahead and gaze upon some of the sculptures that are in the park as well. You will probably enjoy the beautiful ponds that are along the paths as well, which will make it easier for you to have a great time strolling along the paths you probably would have overlooked if we had not told you about this beautiful park that is not an indoor activity at all. If you are in the area, you may want to check out what the theater and music festival schedule is here as this place does host some.

Universiteitsmuseum

Finally, we are back to one of the attractions I liked in the Universiteitsmuseum. This is a place that actually is a museum that has a strong focus on the sciences. Now, the sciences that are being focused on here are going to be more along the lines of the medical specimens, which I find fairly cool. However, it also is going to have some of the anatomical displays as well. Since this is a well-rounded museum it will make it easier for you to have a great trip that is going to provide you with an education you may have never expected to get before. So this is definitely a place you will want to put on your bucket list of attractions to see while you in Groningen.

You will really like this attraction if you are in the field where science is heavy, but also if you want to learn about the steps that science has made. This will make it quite a bit easier for you to know if you are doing things properly or if you should consider any type of a change.

What About The Other Attractions In Groningen

Well, as you can tell we have talked about Groningen quite a bit and I have to say it is one of those places that we really love. However, what I have found is the attractions in the region you are going to want to see is going to be varied depending on what you are looking to do. I can tell you that my friend really liked these attractions and as you can tell some of them were more specific to what she liked. At the same time, though, I do have to say I really love the fact that she brought up a unique perspective that I never really thought about. No matter what, we did have so much fun that we do plan on showcasing Groningen the best attractions to visit and have a great vacation or holiday.

Learn more about the Netherlands on our Holland travel page