Things to do in arnhem
Hello my lovelies!
It’s that time again – another day, another city to explore! While I am desperately waiting to go and travel again, I am making the most of my time discovering some hotspots in cities closer to home. I’ve discovered a lot of new places in the last few months and a lot of that is because of timetomomo. I’ve used their app before when I wrote about exploring in Nijmegen, and I’ve chosen one of their walking routes again for this day trip to Arnhem!
Timetomomo makes travel guides complete with walking routes. Unique is that each travel guide they have has been put together by a local. So while you will see all the incredible tourist spots, you also get local advice on some hidden secrets and I’ve discovered so many of my favourite places this way! So today I’ll be taking you with me to some great spots that I hand-picked from the Arnhem Centrum route, let’s start exploring!
Arnhem Central station
I kicked off my day bright and early, fully ready for a day of seeing and experiencing the city all over again. But before you make your way into the city, make sure to look around the central station. This building is not just any station, but a beautiful piece of architecture. Designed by the same genius behind the Erasmus bridge in Rotterdam, this building makes use of the city’s height differences and it’s curves and waves make it look futuristic. Take a moment to appreciate it before diving into the heart of Arnhem!
HOEK
I went to get some coffee and a small breakfast at café HOEK. Right across the busy central station, this is an oasis of calm. The café is filled with furniture in beautiful colours and a lot of plants. The menu is small but has everything you need. Out of the selection I opted to get a banana and chocolate croissant paired with what they proudly claim to be the best coffee in Arnhem. Last but not least, the chairs here were so comfortable I probably could have sat in them all day. So this might also be a good place to get some work done!
Boekhandel Hijman Ongerijmd
First stop after breakfast was a bookstore! This one has an extensive selection, covering both popular and staff-recommended books. They had about an equal amount of Dutch and English books which I loved (I mostly read in English). In addition to the books, they also have a cute collection of magazines, cards and games for you to browse through.
Kroese Arnhem
While strolling through the city center I stumbled upon Kroese, an impressive record store filled with vinyl, CDs and even DVDs. I didn’t know people even sold those anymore, but they had recent movies like Oppenheimer available. It wasn’t on the official route, but I really like collecting records so I had to take a look. If you’re into records, this store is definitely worth checking out.
Rozet
Our next official stop was Rozet. Rozet is a huge building that serves multiple purposes. In here there is a library, work spots, music and language lessons, a restaurant, and auditorium, a great view from the rooftop and an exhibition about the history of Arnhem. Events are often held here, but even when there is nothing on the schedule, this place is great to wander around in for a bit. Plus, the view from the rooftop is absolutely worth it!
Airborne at the Bridge
After a great little walk along the river you will arrive at Airborne at the Bridge, a smaller version of the full museum in Oosterbeek. The reason that this exhibition is here is because while you are reading about the tragedies that happened in the Battle of Arnhem in World War II, you are looking straight out onto the bridge where these events happened. This way, it offers a unique perspective on the very grounds where the events unfolded. I thought this was a really special experience and even though the museum is small it is definitely a must-see in Arnhem. I was really affected by the stories told in the museum and it was one of the places that impressed me the most today.
First Eet Café
Walking through the Sabelspoort, the only original entrance way to the city remaining, you will quickly arrive at First Eet Café for lunch. They serve mainly plant-based food and the menu was so full of great options that it was difficult to choose. Besides great food they also offer a variety of different freshly made juices and they have a cute little store in the café. The staff was incredibly friendly and even though I only got to try one dish this time, I’ll definitely be back to try the rest of the menu!
Eusebius church
After lunch it was time to visit the Eusebius church, which I was really excited about! It is the central point of Arnhem and you can see it anywhere in the city centre. A ticket cost 13 euros, which I initially thought was quite a lot. But the captivating journey I went on, totally worth it. With your ticket you get an audio guide, which takes you along the main floor and the tombs in the basement. The audio is spoken from the point of view of the then ruler of Arnhem, which I thought was really funny and interesting. The audio is available in Dutch and English.
After the tour of the main floor, it’s time to go up! All the way up on the 7th floor, you can take some small stairs to the very top of the tower at 80 meters. When you go down to the 6th floor, at 60 meters you can stand on some glass platforms that extend from the church for the most incredible view over Arnhem and its surroundings. I thought it was pretty scary but so cool to walk onto the glass platforms (not me in the photo pretending I’m having a really good time lol). Lastly, going back down to the first floor, there is a movie about the history of the church and how it went down in World War II and was rebuild. Top recommendation of the day, you can’t miss this one!
Boekhandel het Colofon
Still coming down from the excitement of staring at the city from 80 meters up, I walked onto the second (and last, I promise) bookstore on the list. Het Colofon is a bookstore that I have been coming to for years. I actually studied in Arnhem and lived there for 2-3 years and so I am familiar with some spots, this being one of them. Het Colofon is a place I love to come to. While the English selection is slightly smaller than in the first bookstore, they make up for it by having an entire extra floor filled with second hand books. It’s so fun to browse through the selection and find some really good stories for a great price. Besides this, they also have a really cute café in the store where you sit with your book and enjoy a cup of coffee.
Woarst
A special store dedicated to… sausages! This tiny store is full of Italian delicacy’s and if you are looking for a great gift or something to bring and have with your friends, you are in the right spot here. The staff can help you select the perfect item. Even better, they make the best meat sandwiches here. But you have to be on time, you can get a sandwich until 14:30 or until they run out of their supply for the day!
HELLO
Need a gift for someone? Look no further! HELLO has everything you need. The tiny store is full of plants and has an amazing selection of clothing, accessories, card games, books, cards, and things to brighten up your home. I was especially obsessed with the great selection of earrings, which were not like anything I’d ever seen before but so much fun! They also have a webshop and I will definitely be shopping there more often!
After some gift shopping I ran into a bit of an issue. Some of the spots that I chose for this route did not exist anymore. I’m talking about 4-5 places just in this route. Usually timetomomo routes are extremely relevant and kept up-to-date but I found that that wasn’t the case here and I was a bit disappointed. Of course, I informed them of the fact that this route was not really accurate anymore and they told me they will have it fixed as soon as possible! But it left me with some time to spare. I took a stroll through Musispark and walked along all the little shops in the Steenstraat, where I used to live when I studied here. It was really nice to be back!
Cosí
As the day wound down, I enjoyed a nice dinner at Cosí. This Italian restaurant looks tiny, but extends a lot further to the back once you turn a corner. As the name suggests, the place is super cosy and feels luxurious while you can get some great food for a decent price. I opted for some truffle pasta and it was amazing! The staff was friendly and the service was quick. Also, on the table next to me I saw they have amazing snack plates to share. So if you want to have a drink and snack with friends (or in Dutch, a borrel) you will also not go wrong here!
After a full and fun day it was time to go home again. I really enjoyed my day here and found it really cool to learn more about the city’s history and discover some new places. While waiting for the updated timetomomo route, feel free to follow the spots I’ve shared in this blog post. Which ones are you excited to try? Do you have any tips? Let me know in the comments!
Until next time!