Travellers' guide to Arnhem (2024)

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Introduction

Arnhem is the capital of the Dutch province of Gelderland. It lies between the river Rhine and national park the Veluwe. It is also one of the few cities in the Netherlands that isn't entirely flat. The city has 143,582 inhabitants (July '07). In Arnhem you can find Burgers' Zoo, the National Dutch Open Air museum, the Airborne Museum and the Kröller-Müller Museum, which is located in the Veluwe. Thanks to its many parks, Arnhem is a green city, but it's also a city undergoing a face lift: a new train station is currently being built, and there are also plans to bring the river into the city by making a channel straight into the inner city.

Arnhem borders other smaller towns like Velp, Rozendaal, Schaarsbergen, Elden and is near Oosterbeek. A large part of the city lies on the southern bank of the river Rhine. Here you will also find the Gelredome, home of football team Vitesse Arnhem and a venue for large concerts and events.

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History

It is not exactly clear how old Arnhem is, but it is clear that the settlement had started at a high point along the stream of the Sint Jansbeek. It was granted city rights in 1233 by Otto II of Gelre. In 1579, it became the capital of the region of Gelre, and joined the Republic of the 7 united Netherlands in 1585. In 1817 it became the capital of the province Gelderland.

World War 2:

Arnhem was the site of the failed attempt to take the bridge of the Rhine during World War 2. In September 1944 thousands of mainly British and Polish paratroopers were dropped in enemy territory outside Arnhem during operation 'Market Garden'. These paratroopers were meant to take the bridge in Arnhem so that the ground troops coming from the South could cross the bridge in Arnhem. Most of the paratroopers were dropped too far from the bridge, and never made it to the bridge, but a small group actually secured the bridge, but couldn't defend it long enough. Because of the slow progress that the ground troops coming in from the south made, the plan eventually failed. The troops had to pull out, and the bridge was blown up by the Germans. As a tribute, one of the bridges between Arnhem and Arnhem-Zuid is named John Frost Bridge, after Lt. Col John D. Frost, the commander of the 1st Airborne division that secured the bridge in September 1944.

The events that took place in September 1944 were turned into a film called A bridge to far by director Richard Attenborough, starring Sean Connery, James Caan, Anthony Hopkins, Michael Caine, and Gene Hackman.

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Neighbourhoods

• Arnhem - Noord
• Arnhem - Centrum
• Arnhem - Zuid

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Sights and Activities

Saint Eusebius Church

The Saint Eusebius Church is the largest church in Arnhem. The building of the church started in 1450, and it took more than a century to complete. During the battle of Arnhem the church was destroyed, but it was later rebuilt. Inside the church it is possible to visit the grave of Duke Karel of Gelre. It is also possible to take a ride with an elevator to a height of 73 metres to the Belvedere. It is also possible to climb another 7 metres of stairs to the panorama area at 80 meters, where you can have a great view of the city, the river and the surrounding area.

Stadspark Sonsbeek

One of the biggest and beautiful city parks of the Netherlands can be found in Arnhem, on the north side of the railway, it can easily reached by foot from the center. In summer there are all kind of activities including small scaled concerts to enjoy.

Airborne Museum & Cemetery

The Airborne museum depicts the events that took place during Operation 'Market Garden' in September 1944. Operation Market Garden, also known as the Battle of Arnhem, was the failed attempt to take the bridges over the Rhine before the winter of 1944. In Oosterbeek, you can also find the Arnhem-Oosterbeek War Cemetery, with 1750 graves of mainly British and Polish soldiers. Most of the men buried here died during the operation 'Market Garden', but there are also graves from people who died during other battles, and even some civilians. The museum is located in Oosterbeek at the Utrechtseweg 232, just outside Arnhem at Hotel Hartenstein, the Headquarters of the Allies during the operation. The Cemetery is located at the Van Limburg Stirumweg in Oosterbeek. More information about Operation Market Garden and sights in the Arnhem region, check out this website.

Burgers' Zoo

Burgers' Zoo is one of the biggest zoos in the Netherlands. The zoo is divided into separate sections. In Burgers' you can visit the Bush, Safari, the Mangrove. the Desert and the Aquarium. The Zoo can be reached by city bus line 3 (Burgers' Zoo) in 15 minutes from the Central Station. In the summer, line 13 (Burgers' Zoo) also runs between the station and the Zoo.

Open Air Museum

The Open Air Museum depicts the Holland of the past. It shows how common people lived in the Netherlands in the days gone by. It houses a collection of historic buildings from all over the Netherlands. The museum also owns a collections of trams, which still work, and a lot of other objects.

Kröller-Müller museum

The Kröller-Müller museum is named after Helene Kröller-Müller. She began collecting art in 1905 and founded the museum in 1938. She died one year later. The collection has works by van Gogh, Picasso, Monet and many other painters. The museum also has a huge sculpture garden which is beautifully set in the national park.

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Events and Festivals

Airborne March

The Airborne wandeltocht is a one day marching event that takes place the first Saturday of every September. The route goes along the battlefields and drop zones. There are 10, 15, 25 and 40 kilometers walks. Even if you are not sporty enough to join in, you can still enjoy the atmosphere and the celebrations, and pay homage to the veterans that visit the event.

Koningsdag (King's Day)

In 2013, the Dutch throne was passed on to King Willem-Alexander and what used to be Koninginnedag (Queen's Day) will from 2014 become Koningsdag (King's Day). The date will be changed to the 27th of April, which is the king's birthday. In 2014 however it will be on the 26th of April because the 27th falls on a Sunday. On this day the streets of almost every sizable town in the country come alive with activity.

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Weather

Arnhem, like the rest of the Netherlands, experience a maritime climate with relatively cool summers and mild winters. Temperatures are mostly between 21 °C and 24 °C during the day in the summer months of June to early September, while winters (December-February) are mostly slightly above zero with some frost at night.

Precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year, though heavier showers after some warmer summer days are possible, while during winter it's sometimes more of a drizzle.

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Getting There

By Plane

There is no airport near Arnhem. Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport near Amsterdam can be reached in an hour and a half from Arnhem Central Station by train. The nearest airport is the small Airport Weeze in Germany. Amongst others, Ryanair has flights to and from this airport, although connections are unfortunately not optimal.

By Train

Arnhem has excellent train connections to other cities in the Netherlands. Amsterdam can be reached in 1 hour and 20 minutes, Utrecht in 30 minutes and Nijmegen in 15 minutes. Oberhausen in Germany can be reached in just under 50 minutes.

The trainstation has two exits. One is the main exit on the side of the city. For the other, on the side of the Sonsbeekpark, you have to climb the stairs are the end of the platform. Besides the Central Station, there are also smaller stations in Arnhem-Zuid and Arnhem-Velperpoort.

By Car

Arnhem is located at a crossroad of motorways. The A50 goes north towards Apeldoorn, and south towards Eindhoven. the A325 takes you south towards Nijmegen. The A15 goes to the west towards Rotterdam. The A12 also runs west towards Utrecht, and goes east towards Oberhausen in Germany (in Germany the A12 changes it's name to A3).

By Bus

Arnhem is connected to the smaller towns and villages by buses. It also has connections to cities like Nijmegen and Apeldoorn. Longer trips are best taken by train. Eurolines buses make a stop in Arnhem, at the Central Station.

By Boat

Arnhem lies on the banks of the Rhine, which makes it possible to visit the city with your own boat. There are no commercial ferries in this area.

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Getting Around

By Car

Arnhem is not the hardest city to drive around in, and also finding a parking spot should not prove too difficult. At the central station there is a huge underground parking lot.

By Public Transport

Arnhem is the only Dutch city to have trolleybuses. These are buses attached to electricity wires running overhead (similar to trams). This network, which also reaches Oosterbeek, is one of the largest in Western Europe. These trolleybuses combined with normal buses can make you reach almost every destination in the city, without having to walk huge distances. The bus station can be found in front of the central station.

By Foot

If you stick to the north side of the Rhine you can visit the inner city by foot. The shopping area is closed to cars, making it a safe place to walk around.

By Bike

Just like anywhere else in the Netherlands you will find lanes for cyclists all over the city. This city isn't flat, and that is something you notice when you are riding a bike.

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Eat

Typical to Arnhem are the Arnhemse meisjes ('Arnhem girls'), a local type cookie. You can also enjoy a wide variety of traditional Dutch treats, such as stroopwafels, at many vendors and stores in Arnhem's city center. There's a wide variety of restaurants, especially in and near the city center, but also in the Kronenburg shopping center.

• La Rusticana, Bakkerstraat 58, ☎ +31 26 351 5607. W-Su 17:00-22:00. An acclaimed Italian restaurant in the city center. What's best about this restaurant is the food: delicious pastas and a mouthwatering funghi trifolati, all made with quality ingredients. It's an all-round quality restaurant with a professional staff and authentic appearance. Ask for the sorbet ice cream as dessert. €40.
• Restaurant Valkenburg, Westervoortsedijk 89, ☎ +31 26 361 52 00. Located along the river side, this place is half built on the water. It's rather vintage in terms of decoration but is widely praised for its excellent food. €35.
• Xu-Xi, Nieuwstad 16, ☎ +31 6 41480807. Tu-Su. A go-to place for sushi. The restaurant may not be the coziest one in town, but the food makes locals come back time and again. They do take-away too, but no delivery.
• Treffen, Markt 33. An Asian fusion restaurant. Plates are pretty and the food is delightful. The menu is small but varied and the 3 or 4 course choice menus strike a great balance between price and quality. €25 for 3 courses.

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Drink

For Arnhem's nightlife visit one of the many pubs, clubs and bars located on and near the Korenmarkt, including The Cavern, Bloopers, Jules, Alpine Valley, The Manhattan, The Move and Mick O'Connels.

Babo, Bovenbeekstraat 28. Another place to enjoy wine, coffee and food. Everything is made or chosen for taste and quality. Pies and food are made by the staff.
nJoy, Bovenbeekstraat (near Babo).
Vrijdag, Velperbuitensingel 21a (behind Musis Sacrum). It's a simple but cozy bar. They serve good wine that goes well with the basket of bread with a variety of dips

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Sleep

• Stayokay, Diepenbrocklaan 27 (At walking distance from Ziekenhuis Rijnstate, which is served by 3 buslines (3, 8 and 9) and also by nocturnal line N9.), ☎ +31 26 4420114, fax: +31 26 3514892, e-mail: [emailprotected]. A hostel in the north of Arnhem. It's near the hospital Rijnstate on a main bus route from the central station. circa €35.
• Hotel Haarhuis, Stationsplein 1, ☎ +31 26 4427441, e-mail: [emailprotected]. A 4-star hotel opposite to the central station. Rooms from €90.
• Hotel Arnhem Centraal, Willemsplein 18, ☎ +31 26 3529830, e-mail: [emailprotected]. Near the city centre. It houses a Greek buffet restaurant (€19). Rooms from €80.
• Hotel van der Valk, Amsterdamseweg 505, ☎ +31 26 - 4821100, fax: +31 26 - 482 16 14, e-mail: [emailprotected]. Rooms from €69.
• Hotel Landgoed Groot Warnsborn, Bakenbergseweg 277, ☎ +31 26 44 557 51, fax: +31 264431010, e-mail: [emailprotected]. Elegant country-park hotel on the outskirts of Arnhem surrounded by 750 hectares of woodland. Rooms from €130.
• NH Rijnhotel, Onderlangs, 10, ☎ +31 26 4434642. Located on the River Rhine, this hotel offers 68 guest rooms with stunning views and many tourist attractions within a short distance. Rooms from €99.
• Hotel de Bilderberg, Oosterbeek
• Camping Warnsborn, Bakenbergseweg 257, 6816 PB Arnhem (2½ miles NW or Arnhem centre), ☎ +31 264 42 34 69, e-mail: [emailprotected]. Has a recreation room with socket available (fir e.g. charging phones), seats and table. Wi-Fi available with extra charge. Seperate field for “hiker &biker” though that seems to mean just with a tent. 1 person, 1 tent, 1 bike, 1 night, shower token, no electricity €10.30.

You can use the form below to search for availability (Travellerspoint receives a commission for bookings made through the form)

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Keep Connected

Internet

Internet cafés are not as widespread as you would expect, but you can easily find one in the popular cities. Most hostels, hotels and camp sites have several computers, so you can keep connected with folk at home. Here is a list of internet cafés that could come in handy for travellers. Otherwise, most libraries have lots of computers and prices are around the €2-3 per hour range, although sometimes it can be even more expensive.

Wireless internet access using wifi is becoming more popular and is usually available at most hotels and increasingly at train stations. Also in trains (at least in most first class wagons, but also more and more in second class) and some buses you can use wifi. Finally, places like McDonald's and Starbucks have free wifi, and smaller individual business like cafés and restaurants are on the rise too offering these services. More often than not, these service tend to be free of charge, though there might be a limited time you can use the internet.

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

The country code for the Netherlands is 31. The outbound international prefix is 00. The general emergency number is 112, like many other countries.
0800 numbers are toll-free and for 09xx numbers are charged at premium rates. Mobile phones have numbers in the 06 range, and calls to cell phones are also priced at higher rates.

From internet cafés, it is also usually possible to make long distance international calls. Like in other countries, telephone booths have almost disappeared, though some are still found around public transport stations, where you can use a few coins to make calls. It is only recommended for local calls.

The cellular phone network in the Netherlands is GSM 900/1800. The main providers of cell phone networks are KPN (Dutch only), T-mobile and Vodafone, who cover the whole country. Other operators, like Hollandsnieuwe, Simyo or Tele2, use one of these 3 networks basically.

It is best to buy a SIM card when in the Netherlands for use in your cellphone, as this usually works out cheaper than using the one from home. If you are planning to study or work in the country and stay for several months, buying a cellphone is the best option. A simple one, sometimes with €10 worth on it, can be bought from around €25. The simplest smartphones are around €75.

Post

The rate for sending a postcard or letter up to 20 grams within the Netherlands is €0.64 (2014). Since 2010 there are stamps available for domestic post which no longer include the value in €. Instead, there are stamps available with either a '1' or a '2' as a substitute for value. The '1' can be used for letters and postcards up to 20 grams, while 20-50 grams require you to use the '2'-valued stamps (or two '1'-valued stamps of course).

Sending items to other EU countries and the rest of the world (there is one price since 2014) will cost €1.05. Stamps are sold at post offices, supermarkets and smaller shops/kiosks; often the place where you buy your postcards can also supply you with stamps.

Sending parcels abroad is more costly. A standard-sized parcel between up to 2 kilograms will cost you €9 for destinations within the EU and €18 (both without Track & Trace) to the rest of the world. Prices with Track & Trace start at €13 and €24.30 respectively. Parcel service is available from major post offices only; standard-size boxes are on sale there as well. For sending parcels, it might be just as competitive and fast to use a company like TNT, UPS or DHL.

If you need to receive mail while moving around, you can have it sent poste restante (to be called for) to a post office of your choice, where it will be kept for a month. If you come to claim it, bring a valid ID, and make sure to have told the sender that the name on the envelope must be an exact match with that in your passport. For addresses of post offices, as well as more information, consult the TNT website.

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External Links