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Now summer is slowly getting closer (I mean, we can’t wait, can you?), we’re spending more and more time outside. But what are the best spots in town to chill outside to read a book, sip wine, enjoy food or just enjoy the sun? Here’s where to go.
City Beach (Ebbingekwartier)
One of the best places in summer is Groningen City Beach. It’s, like the name says, a beach in the city. You can cool off at the city beach by taking a swim in the water and dry up at the beach with drinks. Being your own or order food and drinks at DOT, which is a nice restaurant as well.
You can find the beach at Oosterhamrikkanaal, just behind DOT. Make sure you think about the people living at the beach and don’t be too noisy and clean up your garbage when you leave. So we can all enjoy this little piece of beach in the city🙌.
Noorderplantsoen
The best and most popular park in Groningen is Noorderplantsoen. We’re lucky enough to have lived at the park for 3 years, seeing everything that happens in the park!
Noorderplantsoen is great for chilling in summers, ice-skating in winters, and very popular for runners and sporters like basketball players and boxers.
Pre-corona, every summer there’s the Noorderzon festival: a curious combination of a cutting-edge international art festival and a large-scale summer fest for 135,000 visitors in Groningen. It’s the best festival in Groningen, if we may be subjective.
If you like busy, you can sit at the grass just behind the playground in the middle of the park. My favourite spot is the northern part, just behind the Zondag restaurant. Bring your own drinks, a slackline and a happy mood.
Coffee to go? We love the coffee at Zondag. There’s a cute little stand on the west side of the restaurant to grab your coffee to go.
Stadspark
The city park, Stadspark, is a large park, on the southwest side of the city of Groningen. Stadspark is the biggest park in the city of Groningen but less visited than Noorderplantsoen.
Where’s it’s super crowded in Noorderplantsoen in the summer, Stadspark has a lot of space for you to relax with food and drinks.
You’ll find a petting zoo, a Restaurant (Ni Hao Stadspark), a Kiosk, and Scottish Highlanders in the park (if you’ll look closely). There’s also room to frisbee.
In summer, there are normally a lot of great festivals at the drift track in the park-like the Stadspark Live, Kingsday, and the Hullabaloo Festival.
Stadspark Live
The website StadsparkGroningen.nl has a floor plan available for download.
Meerovers Beach (Meerstad)
Between the maze and the watchtower, in Meerstad, you will find the Meeroevers beach. It’s a small recreational beach with all amenities for a fun and active day. The water at Strand Meeroevers has been officially bathing water since 2020.
In addition to swimming and sunbathing, you can also go supboarding and kayaking, kiting, windsurfing and play beach volleyball.
You could rent a supboard at Watersport Meerstad or buy your own;-).
The beach is quite a drive from the city centre of Groningen, but then you’ll have a beach that exists entirely of sand.
Zilvermeer
Twenty minutes by bike from the center of Groningen you will find a beautiful recreation and nature area where you can escape from the city. Here you can enjoy a picnic, walking, flying, running, rollerblading or swimming in the Zilvermeer or Kardingerplas.
The Zilvermeer – which means “silver lake” – has a sand beach where you can enjoy the sun with drinks and snacks.
Wakeboarding
If you’d like to do something more thrilling, there’s also a wakeboard park for you to try out. There are obstacles for beginners and pro’s.
Opening hours can vary by week, depending on the weather forecast and club activities.
