Getting Around Groningen
Groningen is a compact, student-heavy city where the historic centre is deliberately designed to keep cars out. For a visitor, that's good news: most of what you want to see sits within the canal ring known as the diepenring, and the fastest, cheapest ways to move around are on foot or on two wheels. This guide covers the practical options, from bikes and buses to trains, taxis, and how to reach the city from its airport.
Orientation: the Canal Ring and the Centre
Groningen's historic centre is surrounded by a canal, the diepenring. Most of the sights lie within this area, and the Central Station sits just outside it. Within the ring, traffic is heavily restricted and the centre is designed to be as traffic-free as possible, so driving and parking inside it is difficult. The good news is that the central area is compact and easily crossed on foot or by bicycle.
Further out, the city is loosely wrapped by a ring road made up of several N-roads forming a roughly square shape around the centre. The city sprawls somewhat and crosses this ring in places, but most of the population lives within it.
Walking
Walking is the natural way to explore the centre. Because the historic core is compact and largely free of through traffic, you can cover the main sights on foot without much effort. The Central Station is only a short step outside the canal ring, so arriving by train and walking into the centre is straightforward.
Cycling
Cycling is widely regarded as the best way to travel around Groningen. From almost anywhere in the city, you can reach the centre in at most about twenty minutes, making a bike a fast, cheap, and easy option. The city is home to tens of thousands of students, whose primary means of transport is the bicycle, so don't be intimidated by the sheer number of bikes on the streets.
One caution: bicycle theft is fairly common. Most bikes have a single lock, but it's wise to add a good second lock — ideally a strong chain lock.
Trains
Groningen has three train stations: the main station (often called the "Hoofdstation"), Groningen Europapark, and Groningen Noord. All trains eventually arrive at the central station, and only a few stop at the smaller stations. Tickets for train journeys can be bought at the station or online at NS.nl.
By Dutch standards, Groningen sits a fairly long way from the major destinations in the western Netherlands, but reaching it is not difficult. Direct trains run to southern destinations such as Amsterdam and Rotterdam, with services also continuing toward The Hague. The train toward The Hague also calls at Amsterdam South and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, and Amsterdam Central can be reached with a single change at Almere. Brussels and Paris are reachable with one change at Schiphol Airport. A regional line operated by Arriva runs west to Leeuwarden several times per hour, and commuter trains operated by Arriva run toward Uithuizen/Roodeschool, Appingedam/Delfzijl, Winschoten, and Veendam.
Note that the train service between Leer in Germany and Groningen has been replaced by a bus service, so if you're arriving from that direction you'll continue by bus for part of the journey.
Buses and Public Transport
The main bus station sits right next to the central train station. From there you'll find a wide range of city buses and lines serving virtually all large and small destinations in the region, plus direct buses toward Emmeloord via Heerenveen and Lemmer. If you don't have a bike, the bus is the best option for distances you'd rather not walk. All buses run through or terminate at the Central Station, and most also stop at the Grote Markt square in the centre of town. On buses and at bus stops, the Central Station is listed as "Hoofdstation."
Among the city's bus services is the Q-Link group — air-conditioned buses with WiFi that connect city destinations with places just outside the region. These include routes linking the Central Station with the Zernike area and Zuidhorn, routes running between the eastern and western edges of the city via the Grote Markt and Central Station, and a route connecting Station Europapark with Annen via the UMCG Hospital, Grote Markt, Central Station, and P+R Haren. Some buses on that last route terminate early at P+R Haren, so check the destination display if you're heading further out.
Buying Tickets
You can buy tickets from the driver, or pay using the OV-chipkaart. During off-peak periods a Eurokaartje is available from the driver. Importantly, buses no longer accept cash, so bring a payment card that works in the Netherlands — Maestro is the safest bet — or be prepared for disappointment. The same applies to the airport buses described below.
Long-Distance and International Buses
Flixbus operates a couple of domestic intercity bus lines from Groningen, and these generally leave from P+R Haren (near the Postillion Hotel) and from opposite the central train station, on the other side of the road. Booking in advance is cheaper, and these buses are in most cases cheaper and faster than making the same journey by train.
Several direct bus links to Germany and Belgium are operated by German carriers, with services to cities such as Bremen, Oldenburg, Hamburg, Berlin, Antwerp, Brussels, and Leuven. Destinations in Belgium, France, and England are reachable with one transfer in Amsterdam, and destinations in Sweden require a change in Copenhagen. Ecolines also runs a line toward Warsaw, stopping en route in German cities such as Bremen and Berlin. All international bus lines leave from opposite the train station, and booking a day in advance gets you the lowest fare.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Taxis are not always available at Groningen Airport Eelde, so if you want one from the airport, book in advance. A taxi from the airport into the city typically costs around €25–30. Within the city, taxis are an option for trips where walking or cycling doesn't appeal, but given how compact and bike-friendly Groningen is, they're rarely necessary for getting around the centre.
Driving and Park & Ride
Groningen is well connected by road, with the A7 running west–east and the A28 coming from the south, plus several N-roads linking nearby destinations. That said, driving in the old city — particularly within the central canal ring — is not the best option. Parts of town are car-free, there are many one-way streets, parking is not always easy to find, and none of it is free.
A smarter approach is to use one of the Park & Ride (P+R) facilities around the city. At these, you can park your car for free and take a fast, frequent bus into the centre for a small fee. The facilities are clearly marked on the motorways and on the ring road. Which one suits you depends on your direction of travel: from the south (Assen), P+R Haren is the best option; from the west (Drachten), P+R Hoogkerk is on your route; from Germany, Kardinge is the one to aim for. At the Sontweg facility, east of the city near IKEA, parking is free and a regular bus service takes you into the centre for a small one-way or group return fare. As a bonus, you can also park for free overnight at IKEA, a short cycle from downtown.
Getting from the Airport into the City
Groningen is served by Groningen Airport Eelde (GRQ), which offers a limited schedule of flights to selected cities and holiday destinations, including connections via Copenhagen, Munich, and Brussels that open up many more destinations with a transfer. Because the airport's direct connections are modest, many visitors instead fly into Schiphol Airport, which has far more direct connections and is reachable from Groningen by direct train.
From Groningen Airport Eelde, you have a few options for reaching the city:
- Bus 9 runs twice per hour between the airport and the city, taking roughly 40 minutes to the centre. A one-way ticket costs about €5 and can be purchased from the driver or paid with an OV-chipkaart. Not all line 9 buses go to the airport, but this is clearly shown on the digital destination displays. Remember that cash is no longer accepted, so have a card valid in the Netherlands (Maestro is best).
- Bus 100 is a special shuttle to and from the airport, starting at the Central Station, but it only runs around the Copenhagen, Brussels, Munich, London, and Gdansk flights. Besides the Central Station, it also stops at the main downtown places and hotels (including the Hampshire Plaza Hotel in the southern part of the city) and the academic UMCG Hospital. The trip takes about 20 minutes from the Central Station and costs about €5 one way, with tickets available from the driver.
- Taxi — book in advance, as taxis aren't always waiting at the airport. Expect to pay around €25–30 to the city.
If you're arriving via Schiphol instead, the direct train from Schiphol Airport into Groningen is the simplest option and connects you straight to the main station.
Practical Tips
- Bring a payment card that works in the Netherlands — Maestro is the most reliable — since buses no longer take cash.
- Use the OV-chipkaart for buses and trains, or buy tickets from the driver or at the station.
- For airport travel, check whether your flight is one of those served by the Bus 100 shuttle, as it's faster than Bus 9.
- If you're driving in, leave the car at a P+R and take the bus into the centre rather than trying to park inside the canal ring.
- Lock your bike with a good second lock — theft is common.