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Voykit pocket guide · Netherlands
Assen
Give Assen one night for the Drents Museum and the TT Circuit; without a race weekend or a museum interest, skip it and base in Groningen.
Assen is the capital of Drenthe and a rail and bus hub on the Zwolle–Groningen line, 15 minutes from Groningen by intercity train. Its one headline sight is the Drents Museum, with bog bodies and a prehistoric canoe. The other reason to come is the TT Circuit, which fills the town for the Dutch TT in late June. Outside those two, it is a working provincial town with a compact centre and good cycling.
- Country
- Netherlands
- Best months
- May–Sep; late June for the Dutch TT
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (grey, wet, few events)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR). Cards dominate; some shops and cafés are card-only and a few supermarkets accept debit cards but not all credit cards, so carry both.
- Daily spend
- Budget €60–90 excl. bed · Mid €90–150 excl. bed · High €150+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- KPN, Vodafone and Odido run the networks; Lebara and Lyca sell cheap prepaid SIMs in supermarkets and at Schiphol.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 112
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Standard continental two-pin; UK and US plugs need adapters.
- Tipping
- Café: Round up.; Restaurant: 5–10% for good service; tell the server the total when paying by card.; Taxi: Round up.; Hotel: Not expected.
- Water
- Tap water is among the best in Europe; restaurants may charge for it, so ask.
- Toilets
- Stations charge about €0.70–1; cafés expect you to buy something; free urinals (and a few public toilets) in city centres.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | €2.50–4 |
| Lunch main (sandwich, soup) | €8–15 |
| Restaurant main course | €15–25 |
| Beer: café draught / supermarket can | €3–5 / €1–2 |
| Train Assen → Groningen | about €6–8 |
| Bike rental, one day | €10–18 |
| Museum entry | €10–18 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- GRQ · Groningen Airport Eelde
- About 18 km north; bus 50 from Assen station towards De Punt, then a walk or bus 2 to the terminal, roughly 35 minAbout 11 mi north; bus 50 from Assen station towards De Punt, then a walk or bus 2 to the terminal, roughly 35 min
- AMS · Amsterdam Schiphol
- Direct intercity trains to Assen, about 2 h
Typical fares
- Train Assen → Groningen
- about €6–8, about 15 min
- Train Assen → Schiphol
- about €28–32, about 2 h
- Bus 50 to Groningen Airport Eelde
- about €5, roughly 35 min
Get around
The centre is small enough to walk end to end in about 15 minutes. Bikes are the local way to reach the Asserbos and the villages; rentals at the station. Intercity trains run twice an hour to Groningen (about 15 min) and south towards Zwolle, with connections onward to Amsterdam, Schiphol, Utrecht and Rotterdam. Buses to smaller Drenthe villages leave from the bus station beside the railway station.
See and do
Known for
- Drents Museum and its bog bodies
- TT Circuit Assen and the Dutch TT
- Cycling in Drenthe
- Provincial capital and transport hub
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Groningen | Intercity train from Assen station | About 30 min |
| Westerbork transit camp | Train to Beilen or Westerbork, then bus or bike | About 45–60 min |
| Emmen | Train or bus south | About 45–60 min |
| Coevorden | Train via Zwolle or bus | About 1 h |
| Meppel | Sprinter train south | About 30 min |
| Hoogeveen | Sprinter train south | About 25 min |
Sleep
- City centre (Brink, Markt, Brinkstraat)
- Walk to the Drents Museum, restaurants and bars; the only area worth booking for a short stay.
- Station area
- Practical for an early train or a bike rental at the station; 5–10 min walk to the centre.
- Near the TT Circuit (De Haar)
- Only for race weekends, when central beds sell out and prices jump.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | HalloHAH-loh |
| Thank you | Dank je weldahnk yuh vel |
| Excuse me / Sorry | Pardonpar-DON |
| Do you speak English? | Spreekt u Engels?spraykt oo ENG-uls |
| How much is it? | Hoeveel kost het?hoo-VAYL kost ut |
| Can I pay by card? | Kan ik met de kaart betalen?kan ik met duh kart buh-TAH-lun |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Firm handshake with eye contact; three cheek kisses among friends; avoid: Hugging new acquaintances
- Directness: Say what you mean; expect honest, blunt answers; avoid: Taking bluntness as rudeness
- Punctuality: Be on time; diaries plan weeks ahead; avoid: Dropping in unannounced
- Money: Split bills; pay your share; avoid: Showing off wealth
- Homes: Bring flowers or a small gift; congratulate everyone at a birthday; avoid: Expecting dinner if invited for coffee
Scams and watch-outs
- Dutch TT weekend (late June): beds and campsites sell out months ahead and prices spike — book early or avoid the dates.
- Many restaurants and shops close on Sunday evening and Monday; check before you plan a Monday arrival.
- The TT Circuit is about 5 km south of the centre with limited public transport outside event days; plan a taxi or bike.
- Winter days are short and wet; the province is at its best on a bike between May and September.
Assen is a low-risk town; the real issues are bikes (yours and theirs), dark unlit cycle paths outside the centre, and race-weekend crowds and drink. Standard precautions are enough.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Assen yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Drents Museum and its bog bodies
- TT Circuit Assen and the Dutch TT
- Cycling in Drenthe
- Provincial capital and transport hub
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit Assen (VVV): www.vvvassen.nl/
- Municipality of Assen: www.assen.nl/
- Drents Museum: www.drentsmuseum.nl/
- TT Circuit Assen: www.ttcircuit.com/en/
- Groningen Airport Eelde: www.gae.nl/
- NS (Dutch Railways): www.ns.nl/en
- Wikivoyage: Assen, revision 5245734 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5245734
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Assen
Naar dit adres, alstublieft
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance112
No embassies in Assen; most countries keep embassies in The Hague and consulates in Amsterdam. The US embassy is in The Hague.
Dutch trains and buses are tap-in, tap-out with a contactless card or OV-chipkaart; buy a paper ticket only as a fallback.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/assen). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.