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Major city · Netherlands

Nijmegen

Give Nijmegen one full day plus a night: Valkhof hill, the Stevenskerk and the Waal riverfront, then use it as a base for Arnhem and the German border.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
EUR
Best months
May–Jun, Sep
avoid Mid-Jul (Four Days Marches: 1.5 million visitors, roads closed, hotels full)
Airports
NRN · EIN · AMS · DUS
Nights
1–2
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 8Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window…
  • Europe ↗Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window, counted across all 29 Schengen states together — not per country; the Entry/Exit System now logs each crossing, so an overstay is detected automatically.
  • Europe ↗On the first Schengen entry since EES began, non-EU travellers give four fingerprints and a face photo at the border instead of a passport stamp; there is nothing to apply for or pay in advance.
  • Benelux ↗Dutch and Belgian police can ask anyone to show identification (in the Netherlands from age 14): carry the original passport or EU ID card — a photocopy is not accepted.
  • Benelux ↗Tap-in fares, Dutch and Belgian domestic tickets and Luxembourg's free transport all stop at the border: buy an international ticket for cross-border legs, or you will be fined on board.
  • Netherlands ↗The Netherlands is in the EU and the Schengen area; the EU Entry/Exit System applies to non-EU visitors. Check the official EU and Dutch sources for your passport.
  • Netherlands ↗Red or marked bike lanes are for bikes: do not walk or stand in them, and look for cyclists before crossing.
  • Netherlands ↗Amsterdam has local rules on public drinking, cannabis use in some areas and short-term rentals; check the city's current rules and book licensed accommodation.
  • Netherlands ↗The Anne Frank House, Van Gogh Museum, Rijksmuseum and Keukenhof sell timed tickets online only or mostly; book before you arrive rather than queueing.

Nijmegen calls itself the oldest city in the Netherlands and marks 2,000 years of settlement. Most of the medieval centre was destroyed by a mistaken American bombing in February 1944 and later shelling, so the heritage is a handful of sites rather than a whole old town. It is the largest city in Gelderland, a student town, and the start point for the Four Days Marches each July. Two nights covers the centre and one day trip.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Nijmegen, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • CoffeeCoffee in a café€2.50–4 (≈ US$3–5)
  • Sit-down mealDinner, main course€15–25 (≈ US$18–30)
  • Street or quick mealLunch, sandwich or soup€8–14 (≈ US$10–17)
  • BeerBeer, draught in a bar€3–5 (≈ US$4–6)
  • Metro or bus rideCity bus single ridecheck€2–3 (≈ US$3–4)
  • Museum or sight ticketMuseum entry (Valkhof Museum, Velorama)check current prices€5–8 (≈ US$6–10)
  • Budget bedHostel dorm bed, a night, per person€30 (≈ US$35)
  • Mid-range bedHotel double room, a night, per room€130 (≈ US$160)
  • High-end bedHotel double room, a night, per room€220 (≈ US$300)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget €55 (≈ US$65) · Mid €100 (≈ US$120) · High €180 (≈ US$250)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Claimed oldest city in the NetherlandsValkhof hill and the Carolingian chapelSt. StevenskerkFour Days Marches (Nijmeegse Vierdaagse)Waal riverfront and the Waalbrug
Airports
NRN Airport Weeze (45 km southeast, just over the German border; bus SB46 to Nijmegen Centraal, about 65 min, every two hours) · EIN Eindhoven Airport (60 km southwest; bus 400/401 to Eindhoven Centraal, then train via 's-Hertogenbosch, about 90 min total) · AMS Amsterdam Schiphol (135 km northwest; direct train to Nijmegen twice an hour on weekdays, about 1 h 30 min) · DUS Düsseldorf (110 km southeast; no good rail link, 2.5–3 h by commuter trains, about 75 min by car)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Nijmegen: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

6°C

1°C

12 rd

Feb

7°C

1°C

10 rd

Mar

11°C

3°C

10 rd

Apr

15°C

5°C

9 rd

May

19°C

9°C

10 rd

Jun

22°C

12°C

10 rd

Jul

24°C

14°C

11 rd

Aug

23°C

13°C

10 rd

Sep

20°C

11°C

10 rd

Oct

15°C

7°C

11 rd

Nov

10°C

4°C

12 rd

Dec

7°C

2°C

12 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

The centre is compact: every downtown sight is within about 20 minutes on foot from Centraal station. RRReis city buses cover the neighbourhoods; commuter trains serve Lent, Dukenburg and Heyendaal. Bikes are the local default and the RijnWaalpad cycle highway runs to Arnhem. Leave the car out of the centre — six main roads meet at one roundabout and parking is expensive.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Arnhem

go

Door to door: About 35 min

NS train from Nijmegen, 4–6 an hour, about 20 min

Full adult fare about €5.20 one way (2025); pair with the Open Air Museum or the Airborne museum at Oosterbeek.

Oosterbeek

go

Door to door: About 50 min

Train to Arnhem, then bus or a short train to Oosterbeek

Airborne Museum Hartenstein covers Operation Market Garden, fought around Nijmegen and Arnhem in 1944.

Wijchen

caution

Door to door: About 25 min

Commuter train from Nijmegen, about 10–15 min

Small town with a castle; only worth it if you have a spare half-day.

Kleve, Germany

go

Door to door: About 1 h

Bus SB58 to Kleve; the Deutschlandticket is valid on this line

Border town with gardens and museums; check the bus timetable before you go.

Amsterdamovernight

Door to door: About 1 h 30 min

NS train via Utrecht, change at Utrecht Centraal

Too far for a comfortable return day; sleep there instead.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

City centre (Burchtstraat / Grote Markt)

Walkable to Valkhof, Stevenskerk and the Waal; 10–15 min on foot from Centraal station.

Bottendaal

Quiet residential streets 5 min from the station, pubs and Thiemen Park; good for a longer stay.

Lent / north bank

Across the Waalbrug, newer housing and river views; commuter train to Lent.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
€55–85 (≈ US$65–100) excl. bed
Mid
€90–150 (≈ US$110–180) excl. bed
High
€160 (≈ US$190)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Hotel double room1 × 2 nights × €130€260
Food, local transport, entries2 × 2 days × €100€400
Train Schiphol → Nijmegen, one way2 × €25 · check€50
Bus Weeze airport → Nijmegen Centraal, one way2 × €12 · check€24
eSIM, about a week of data2 × €15€30
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurge€76
Trip total≈ €210 per person per day, bed included€840≈ US$1,000

2026 estimate in euro; flights and rail passes excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Coffee in a café€2.50–4 (≈ US$3–5)
Beer, draught in a bar€3–5 (≈ US$4–6)
Lunch, sandwich or soup€8–14 (≈ US$10–17)
Dinner, main course€15–25 (≈ US$18–30)
Museum entry (Valkhof Museum, Velorama)check current prices€5–8 (≈ US$6–10)
City bus single ridecheck€2–3 (≈ US$3–4)
Train Nijmegen → Arnhem, one way€5.20 (≈ US$7)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Nijmegen is a safe, ordinary Dutch city; the real risks are bikes on the paths, pickpockets around the station and Grote Markt on festival nights, and the July crowds during the Four Days Marches.
  • Mid-July Four Days Marches: the centre becomes a 10-day festival, roads close and parking near the centre is almost impossible — book beds months ahead or avoid the dates.
  • The centre is small; do not expect a preserved medieval old town — most of it was lost in 1944 and 1950s–70s rebuilding.
  • Cyclists have priority on most streets and bike paths; look both ways before crossing.
  • Dutch weather changes fast: rain in any month, so carry a light shell.

Emergency numbers

Police, fire, ambulance
112

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

NijmegenNijmegen

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

Naar dit adres, alstublieftTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Police, fire, ambulance112

Embassy

No embassies in Nijmegen; most countries have embassies in The Hague and consulates in Amsterdam.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Train Nijmegen → Arnhem: about €5.20 (≈ US$7) one way, 20 min
  • Train Schiphol → Nijmegen: about €24.50 (≈ US$30) one way, 1 h 30 min (check)
  • Bus SB46 Weeze airport → Nijmegen Centraal: about €11.88 (≈ US$14), 65 min (check)

Say or show

  • Hallo — Hello (HAH-loh)
  • Dank je — Thank you (dahnk yuh)
  • Alstublieft — Please (als-tuh-BLEEFT)
  • Hoeveel kost het? — How much is it? (hoo-VAYL kost hut)
  • Kan ik met de kaart betalen? — Can I pay by card? (kan ik met duh kaart buh-TAH-lun)
  • Waar is het toilet? — Where is the toilet? (vaar is hut twah-LET)

English is widely spoken; Dutch phrases are a courtesy, not a necessity.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Nijmegen. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: May–Jun, Sep · avoid Mid-Jul (Four Days Marches: 1.5 million visitors, roads closed, hotels full) · month by month →
  2. 4 airports and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 5 day-trips, door to door
  6. 4 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contracts for NRN, EIN, AMS and DUS: last bus and train times field-checked, taxi fallback, overnight rung.
  2. Walking clusters with rescue anchors: Valkhof and the Waalkade, Grote Markt and Stevenskerk, Bottendaal, the station quarter.
  3. Place pages with verified opening hours (Valkhof Museum, Velorama, Stevenskerk) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Four Days Marches fixture: dates, road closures and hotel sell-out pattern checked each spring.

Meanwhile

Back to Netherlands

Sources