Gregarious Groningen

A couple of weeks ago we visited family in Groningen and had the best time! The days melted into one another in a whizz of laughter, food and leisurely strolls.

It might not be the obvious choice if you’re thinking of visiting the Netherlands for the first time as it’s a bit remote however it’s a charismatic city bustling with life but with significantly less tourists than other places!  It’s a university city so it has that youthful, fun vibe and it’s surprisingly artistic. Plus if you drive or take the train from Amsterdam you get to see the country side of the Netherlands and if you’re lucky maybe some tulip fields too!

We spent the days walking past the dreamy canals and imagining what it would be like to live on one of the many charming boats…

Or in any of the gorgeous houses down narrow pebbled streets…

Once we had enough of the peace and quiet (and with a heartbreak realised we could not afford buying anything here) we headed towards the town centre.

The city centre has some great shops and restaurants just perfect for when the window shopping wore us down.

There are plenty of things to do in Groningen if you don’t want to be as lazy as we were! The Groninger Museum is a great spot (you’re spoilt with choices when it comes to museums and galleries) or you can go up the Martini Tower to take in the views. For the evenings just ask around to find out where there’s going to be live music on that night. We went to a jazz concert in the loveliest, most intimate venue and it was absolutely dreamy!

As we were visiting over the weekend, on the Saturday we went to the Grote Markt  market to shop for fresh fruit and to have a look around. By now I think you all know how much I love checking out food markets wherever I visit!

Everyone else was also out enjoying the sun and preparing for the Kings Day celebration, which we promised ourselves we’re not going to miss again next year!

On our last full day we spent some time relaxing in Noorderplantsoen Park admiring the nature and trying not to get run over by all the cyclists and joggers whilst we stopped (way too often) to take pictures.

We loved our time in the Netherlands and plan on going back next spring to visit more. So far we’ve been to Amsterdam, Utrecht and now Groningen and each are different and lovely in their own way! Have you ever been to the Netherlands? We’d love to hear your thoughts on it!

Love,
2WW