A three-day road trip in Groningen

A weekend in Groningen is a weekend in another world. A province where you can feel as though you’re on a film set. The Lauwersmeer is so dark that you can see all the stars. The Groninger Museum is so colourful that you almost glow. Head out for an unforgettable weekend!

You’ll know Groningen for the Groninger Museum, the Martinitoren and Fort Bourtange. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Under the stars in a rowing boat? Harvesting your own oysters from the sea? Going on safari in a Land Rover? Soaking up the culture in the city centre. Groningen offers everything you need for an adventurous road trip. We’ll take you there.

With the empty candy wrappers in the glove compartment and your favourite playlist on the speakers, you drive into Groningen. The first choice: city or countryside. Urban exploring or exploring villages and nature reserves.

If you don't want to park your car right away, start your road trip in the province. You can find special places in practically every direction. Drive to Niehove and have coffee on the terrace opposite the church. You imagine yourself in a film set, so bizarrely unchanged is it here. A little further on, you'll pass the impressive Electra pumping station (where at +25ºC, Old Dutch-bridge-jumping is a hobby).

Follow the picturesque landscape along the Reitdiep towards Zoutkamp and, whilst you’re at it, stop off for an original gift at the Tea Museum in Houwerzijl. It’s housed in a converted church in a charming little village. A little further on, you’ll find yourself in Zoutkamp: a picturesque fishing village with a quay lined with colourful houses and a harbour full of fishing boats.

You’ll reach Lauwersoog before dark. There, you’ll head inside ‘t Ailand – Barbara and Jan’s quirky eatery, situated on the very edge of the mainland. There, you’ll eat seafood from the very sea you’re looking out over. If you’ve got time, you can even join in to catch your meal yourself from the sea and head into the kitchen to prepare it. Nature on your plate – that’s what you’ll find here.

Late in the evening, take a boat out onto Lauwersmeer. Lying on your back, you can see why this is an official ‘Dark Sky Park’. Here, it’s still truly dark and you’ll see more stars than you’ve ever seen before. For the adventurous: there are small harbours right in the middle of Lauwersmeer where you can moor and spend the night in your boat. For those who aren’t afraid of the dark!

If you’re fit enough to pull an all-nighter, head to Staats Mooibroek. A monumental name for a man who’s bound to get a statue on the mudflats one day. For years, he’s been guiding walkers across the mudflats – over sandbanks, through the mud and shallow water. With children, with experienced walkers and with adventurers. Tonight you’ll be walking across the mudflats under the full moon. As sunrise approaches, the sky changes constantly – shifting between pink, red, orange, white and blue. It’s as if you’re walking on another planet. You’ll hear nothing but the sounds of the animals and the water shifting the sand. This road trip is now truly off-road.

If you’re looking for a bed rather than a night-time adventure, why not stay at d’Olle Pastorie in Vierhuizen? A bed and breakfast offering serene rust with all the luxuries of a hotel. Prefer to stay outdoors a little longer? Pitch your tent at Camping Reitdiep in Roodehaan, or hire a luxury log cabin.

Road trip resumed: the following morning, on the road between Lauwersmeer and Groningen, you’ll pass the Borg Verhildersum estate. As you walk across the estate, you’ll come across all sorts of old buildings, such as the coach house and a labourer’s cottage. Each building used to have its own name and function. Moreover, Borg Verhildersum was – and still is – at the heart of farm life. In and around the museum farm, you’ll discover how the nobility lived alongside the farmers and labourers here, from sowing to harvest.

If you’d like to explore more family-related attractions, you could also pop over to the Menkemaborg in Uithuizen. It looks as though the noble Alberda family might return home at any moment from a dinner elsewhere or a hunting party.

Fancy something completely different? You can, of course, go seal-spotting nearby, in Pieterburen. The salty sea air works up an appetite, so once you’ve arrived at the wooden Wadden cottages in Noordpolderzijl, you can fire up the barbecue. In no time at all, your fresh fish – caught just a short distance away – will be ready to eat. After dinner, pour yourself another glass and enjoy the silence and a breathtaking starry sky by the fire. Tonight you’ll sleep soundly in the northernmost accommodation in the Netherlands.

After all that fun in the province, it’s time to round off the road trip in the city – the beating heart of the province. Here you’ll find the Groninger Museum, the pop music venue Vera, Zwanestraat with its best shops and, above all, happy people on the streets. One in four residents is a student, and you can really tell. More bikes than cars, a wide and varied selection of cafés, restaurants and shops. Groningen is a young city, and you can feel it in the air.

Park your car at a Park & Ride and take the bus to the Main Station. Walk along Folkingestraat to the Korenbeurs. On the way, you can pick up everything you need for a picnic in the Noorderplantsoen. You can experience authentic Groningen whilst sitting on a blanket on the playing field, or around the stately pond amongst the students. Looking for tips on how to enjoy yourself? Be sure to chat to a local – they know the best spots in the area.

A road trip to Groningen isn’t complete without a visit to the Groninger Museum, so we walk along the Lage der Aa towards the large golden tower. Before you set off on your return journey, you’ll face the almost impossible task of choosing between all the fantastic places to eat. Chic and stylish at the Prinsenhof? Authentic Italian at Da Vinci on the Spilsluizen? Modern at Paviljoen Sterrenbos? Or cosy over tapas at Cervantes?