Getting Around Nijmegen
Nijmegen is a compact, bike-friendly city on the Waal River, and most of what a visitor wants to see sits in the old downtown area. The good news is that you rarely need a car here: walking, cycling and public transport cover the city well, and the main rail station is the hub from which everything radiates.
On Foot
The old downtown is compact and easy to explore on foot. Every place in the downtown area can be reached within about twenty minutes on foot from the Central Station, so a visitor arriving by train can simply walk into the centre rather than hunting for a bus or taxi.
By Bike
Nijmegen is very bike-friendly, and cycling is one of the most practical ways to get around. The city has exceptionally good cycle links, including the RijnWaalpad, a cycle highway connecting Nijmegen with neighbouring Arnhem. Two Dutch national cycle routes also pass through Nijmegen, the LF12 and the LF3-3; at Millingen the LF3-3 connects with the Rhine Cycle Route (EuroVelo 15), which gives Nijmegen a good cycling connection onward into Germany, France and Switzerland.
Trains
The Dutch Railways (Nederlandse Spoorwegen, NS) serve Nijmegen from all parts of the Netherlands. The main railway station, Nijmegen station, is the natural starting point for arrivals and the place to change between services.
- Intercity services run to Utrecht, with some continuing to Amsterdam and Den Helder. At Utrecht you can change for trains to Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam and The Hague.
- Services also run toward Zutphen, with some continuing to Deventer and Zwolle, where there are connections onward to Leeuwarden and Groningen.
- Another intercity connection links Nijmegen with Tilburg, Breda and Roosendaal, with onward connections at Breda for Rotterdam and The Hague and at Roosendaal for Antwerp and Brussels.
- The neighbouring cities of Arnhem and 's-Hertogenbosch are served by commuter trains, with frequent departures on both routes and extra services to Arnhem during rush hour.
- Arriva runs regional trains to Nijmegen Heyendaal, Molenhoek (nearby Malden), the town of Cuijk and on to Venray, with some services continuing all the way to Roermond.
Commuter trains also serve the Nijmegen neighbourhoods of Lent, Dukenburg and Heyendaal (the campus area), as well as the nearby town of Wijchen, which makes the train useful for reaching parts of the city beyond the centre.
Buses and Regional Transport
The regional bus company RRReis connects every neighbourhood in Nijmegen to the city centre with city buses, and also runs regional buses into the suburbs and to towns outside the city. For cross-border travel, regional bus line SB58 links Nijmegen with the German cities and railway stations of Kleve and Emmerich, and the Deutschlandticket is valid to and from Nijmegen on that line. Long-distance coaches also stop in Nijmegen, with Flixbus serving the town.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Given how compact the centre is and how well it is served by foot, bike, bus and train, most visitors will not need one.
Driving and Parking
Forget about using your car unless you are absolutely sure of your driving skills. The city can get clogged up during rush hour, partly because several main roads converge on an infamous roundabout in the middle of town, and parking is relatively expensive. If you do drive, note that roads tend to be blocked and circulation is even worse than normal during the annual Four Days Walking March, when you may find almost no available parking anywhere near the centre.
Reaching Nijmegen from the Airport
Nijmegen has no airport of its own, so visitors arrive via one of several airports in the wider region. Each has a different trade-off between convenience and cost.
- Airport Weeze (NRN) lies just across the German border and is the closest airport to Nijmegen. Bus SB46 runs to Nijmegen Centraal Station roughly every two hours and takes about 65 minutes; tickets can be bought via the DB NRWay app. Driving takes about 30 minutes in normal traffic.
- Eindhoven Airport (EIN) is to the southwest. From the airport, take bus 400 or 401 to Eindhoven Central Station, then a train to 's-Hertogenbosch (also known as Den Bosch); there you change trains for Nijmegen. The whole journey takes roughly 90 minutes by public transport. By car, take the A326 feeder motorway to the A50 and follow it toward the Eindhoven ring road (A58/A2), where the airport is exit 29 on the A2.
- Düsseldorf Airport (DUS) is larger and has plenty of international connections, including to the USA, and is served by all the major airlines in Europe. The major inconvenience is the lack of a good public transport link to the Nijmegen area: you either take bus 58 to Kleve and change there for a regional train to Düsseldorf Hbf, or take the train to Venlo and change there for Düsseldorf Hbf. Both options take about two and a half to three hours one way, since they use commuter trains all the way. Driving is the obvious choice for this airport: take the A73 to Knooppunt Rijkevoort, follow signs for the A77 (which becomes the A57 after the German border), and at Kreuz Meerbusch take the A44 to exit 31, right by the terminal. Expect about a 75-minute drive, or 50–55 minutes with little traffic, since much of the route is on the German Autobahn.
- Amsterdam-Schiphol (AMS) is the largest airport in the Netherlands and the fifth largest in Europe, served by most major carriers. The train takes about an hour and a half and costs around €24.50 one way. You do not have to change trains for Nijmegen: there are direct trains to and from Schiphol twice an hour on weekdays, and if you miss one you can catch a train to Utrecht fifteen minutes later and change there. Driving from Schiphol is possible but slow and traffic-dependent, taking anywhere from 75 minutes to over three hours, and the route passes through both the Utrecht and Amsterdam metropolitan areas, which are infamous for traffic jams.
Practical Tips
- Base yourself near Nijmegen station or in the old centre: from there the downtown is walkable and the train and bus networks are on your doorstep.
- Use the train for regional trips and for reaching the campus and outer neighbourhoods; use RRReis city buses to reach individual neighbourhoods from the centre.
- If you are coming from Germany, the SB58 bus to Kleve and Emmerich accepts the Deutschlandticket, which can simplify cross-border travel.
- Leave the car behind where you can, and avoid driving into the city during the Four Days Marches.