Eindhoven Netherlands
Eindhoven is a large city located in the Southern part of the Netherlands about an hour and forty minutes away from Amsterdam. We stayed there for two nights back in April, during our second visit to the country.
The city was sort of a half way point between two towns that we wanted to see, Alkmaar in the North and Maastricht in the Southeast, so it seemed like the ideal location for a home base.
I'd say that it worked out fairly well in that regard.
Eindhoven is a little like the city of Rotterdam in that it is modern and new looking and has a lot of tall buildings.
The city tourism site describes it as the design capital of the country and as a place of innovation and creativity, which you can see in some of the buildings that you come across while touring the streets and different neighborhoods.
Most of the original city was bombed and destroyed during WWII, so the city had to be rebuilt anew.
When you google Eindhoven, photos online show a very modern looking city, one that looks very futuristic.
After seeing it in person though, I would say that it doesn't look all that futuristic, more just like a standard modern city with some neatly designed buildings thrown in here and there.
Some parts were actually looking a little dated to me, like a once innovative building that had recently passed it's prime.
Overall, I would say that Eindhoven was a fine town, but as far as big city destinations in the Netherlands goes, we much preferred Rotterdam. Sorry to those that live in the city.
That being said I should point out that this city wasn't our focus so we didn't spend a whole lot of time there either. We spent most of our days in other towns and only toured the city in the late afternoon and evening. So I'm sure that there are many things that we missed.
Side note: Shoes hanging from wires seems to be a thing in the country. I've come across it in at least three different cities. I always get a kick out of it...
Anyway, what is there to do in Eindohven?
Well you can start by heading over to the Strijp S neighborhood. Don't ask me how to pronounce that. What sound does a J and a P make when side by side? Certainly not something that an English person can pronounce.
Strijp S is a hip and trendy sort of neighborhood with old factory buildings that have been converted into trendy shops and/or upscale restaurants.
There is also a small shipping container mall and this amazing work of architecture called the Trudo Vertical Forest (both can be seen in the photo above).
I loved this building and would say that it was my favorite thing to see in the city.
Like most cities in the Netherlands, Eindhoven has great infrastructure for biking so that is probably the best way to get around town.
The city is also very walkable. We ended up just walking everywhere we went, like most places that we go. Its our main mode of transportation in any city. You don't get 30+ thousands steps by taking taxis and Ubers everywhere.
There are at least two large greenspaces in Eindhoven as well, and our hotel was located directly across from one of them called Stadswandel Park.
We spent a lot of time in there walking the dog and looking at the different art pieces along the way.
I liked this statue the most because it changed significantly depending on your perspective of it.
I think it is a very interpretive piece really. Is the man protecting his wife or is he overshadowing her? I think it can be interpreted in a lot of different ways. What do you think?
The park was large and felt very safe, even as it started to get dark out. So we made a point of walking through it each afternoon on our way to dinner and each night with the dog.
The weather always seemed to be nice when we were in the city, which was a major plus because two of the days that we spent in the north were actually very cold and gloomy.
It was nice to see the sun in the afternoon after freezing earlier in the day.
Overall, we thought that the city was fine to visit considering the other towns that we wanted to see. We thought that it was clean and modern and liked some of the interesting architecture and green spaces throughout.
That being said, I personally wouldn't consider it a must see destination in the country so if your time is limited then you might want to skip it and visit some of the more interesting destinations.
But let me know your thoughts in the comments - especially if you have been there or wish to go. Feel free to tell me that I'm wrong in my opinion or point out what I missed during my visit.
