Things to Do and See in Eindhoven

Eindhoven in a nutshell

Eindhoven, with almost 250,000 inhabitants, is the fifth-largest city in the Netherlands and the largest outside the Randstad, the urban area around Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague. For a long time it was a group of villages along the Dommel; in 1920 five neighbouring municipalities merged with Eindhoven. The real growth came with Philips, founded here in 1891 as a light bulb factory. That is why Eindhoven is called the City of Light (Lichtstad), and why light and technology still return in its festivals, museums and buildings.

Today Eindhoven is a city of technology and design, with the Eindhoven University of Technology, the High Tech Campus and companies such as ASML. Here are the places we recommend.

Strijp-S: from Philips factory to creative district

For almost a century, Strijp-S was a closed Philips factory site where radios and televisions were made. Anton Philips built the first factory there in 1916. After Philips left, the area was redeveloped into a creative district with homes, studios, restaurants and event halls in the old industrial buildings. Highlights are the Klokgebouw, named after its clock tower, the Ketelhuisplein square and the Veem building. Strijp-S has its own train station, one stop from Eindhoven Centraal, and is the main hub of Dutch Design Week in October.

The city centre

The historic centre is small and walkable. The Markt is the old market square, with terraces and the statue of Jan van Hooff, an Eindhoven lawyer and politician from the late eighteenth century. Nearby are the neo-Gothic Catharinakerk, the shopping streets around the Demer and the Heuvel, and the 18 Septemberplein, named after the day Eindhoven was liberated in 1944. The Witte Dame, a former Philips lamp factory, now houses the city library and the Design Academy Eindhoven. And Stratumseind, the longest pub street in the Netherlands, is a few minutes' walk away.

Museums

The Van Abbemuseum is one of the oldest public museums of modern art in Europe and the best place in the city for art. The Philips Museum, in the former first light bulb factory, tells the story of Philips and the city. The DAF Museum shows more than a hundred Dutch trucks and cars. Read more in our museums guide.

Football at the Philips Stadion

The Philips Stadion is the home of PSV, founded in 1913 as a sports club for Philips employees. PSV won the European Cup in 1988 and is one of the most successful clubs in the Netherlands. The stadium holds about 35,000 people and lies within walking distance of the city centre. Getting a ticket for a home match is not always easy: most go to members and season-ticket holders, so check PSV's ticket information well in advance.

Parks and green spaces

The Genneper Parken on the south side of the city are the green lung of Eindhoven, with the Dommel, walking and cycling paths, sports facilities and Museumpark VONK, an open-air museum about the Iron Age and the Middle Ages. Closer to the centre, the Stadswandelpark is a classic city park, with the Parktheater Eindhoven on its edge.

Architecture: the Evoluon and more

You can't miss the Evoluon, a flying-saucer-shaped building opened by Philips in 1966 as a science museum. Today it is a conference and event centre, so you can usually only admire it from outside, but it is one of the most photographed buildings in the city.

Festivals that define the city

• Dutch Design Week (October): more than a hundred locations across the city, with the work of designers from the Netherlands and abroad.
• GLOW (November): a free light art festival with a walking route of about five kilometres through the city centre.
• Carnival (February): for a few days Eindhoven becomes Lampegat, with costumes, parades and parties.
• Lichtjesroute (from 18 September): a route of light decorations through the neighbourhoods that commemorates the liberation of 1944.

Practical tips

• Getting around. Eindhoven is flat and made for cycling. You can rent an OV-fiets at the stations. Buses leave from the north side of Eindhoven Centraal; pay with your bank card or phone (OVpay).
• From the airport. Eindhoven Airport is about 8 kilometres from the centre and is connected to Eindhoven Centraal by bus.
• Parking. The centre has paid car parks; during big events, use the P+R locations on the edge of the city and take the bus.
• Language. Almost everyone in Eindhoven speaks English, and you will find many international restaurants and services.

Looking for more? See what's on this weekend, all free events, our tips for nightlife and rainy days, or browse the calendar by month.