Eindhoven is a major city in the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands. With a population of over 230,000 people (2019), it's the fifth-largest city of the Netherlands. It is by no means a main tourist destination in the country and most travel guides will devote no more than a page or two to it. Nevertheless, this bustling and modern city has a lot more to offer. Eindhoven's history is dominated by industrial development and is inextricably linked to electronics giant Philips and, to a lesser degree, DAF Trucks.
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Until the beginning of the 20th century, Eindhoven was no more than a village. Less than a century later its number of inhabitants had boomed to over 200,000. The main reason for this tremendous increase in size was the establishment of electronics multinational Philips, which was founded as a light bulb manufacturing company in 1891 and was headquartered in Eindhoven until 1997. As Philips grew, the city of Eindhoven grew with it to feed the company's constantly growing need for workers.
The city centre is largely car-free and small enough to get around on foot. If you're headed for the outskirts or surrounding villages, take the bus or rent a bike. Eindhoven has an bus network where most lines start and end at the train station. You pay your trip by tapping your debit or credit card when entering and exiting the bus (OVpay, €1.08 + €0.194 per km). It is also still possible to buy a single use paper ticket with your debit card at the bus driver (€ 4,96 for one trip no transfers, € 7,80 for unlimited trips after 9 AM).
In order to claim you have seen Eindhoven, at least a glance at its Philips-related history is a must. Fortunately, this is hardly a challenge as many of the Philips sights are right in the heart of the city. The Van Abbe Museum is the main attraction listed by travel guides and is an excellent pick if you're into modern art. 1 Van Abbemuseum, Bilderdijklaan 10, ☏ +31-40-238-1000, info@vanabbemuseum.nl. Tu-Su 11:00-17:00. The Van Abbemuseum is one of the leading museums for modern and contemporary art. The impressive collection includes works of Picasso, Chagall, Kandinsky, El Lissitzky, Theo van Doesburg, Mondriaan and Appel.
Eindhoven is perhaps the liveliest city in the South of the Netherlands. If you're willing to get informed, you'll find events are taking place at almost any given time. If you're flexible in planning, try to visit during one of the main events like GLOW or the Dutch Design Week. When you've had enough of the urban vibe, just head for one of the many natural areas around and see a whole different side of the Eindhoven region. Dive into Eindhoven's industrial history. Walk by former industrial complexes in the centre, such as the Lichttoren (one of the city's main landmarks), the Admirant and the Witte Dame. Visit Philips' first Incandescent Lamp Factory of 1891, now a small museum.
You'll find plenty of restaurants in the city centre. Main restaurant areas are the Dommelstraat (almost directly opposite the train station), the Markt and the Bergen kwartier, comprising both the Kleine Berg and the Grote Berg. They are mostly in Dutch, but numerical ratings will give you an idea of popularity at least. Many restaurants are closed on Mondays and some close down for a week or two during summer. 1 Friture Dik & Lang, Jan van Lieshoutstraat 28. Fast food is an unhealthy but cheap dinner option. "Fritures" serving fries and snacks are common, but Dik & Lang is reportedly the best one in the city centre.
Bars and eateries's opening times in the city centre are usually until 02:00 during the week, and 04:00 on a Friday and Saturday. Student-nights in Eindhoven are Thursdays. The city's late nightlife mostly takes place in Stratumseind, a street literally filled with bars and fast food places, and the Market Square. The Stationsplein and adjoining Dommelstraat has a few bars too and for a less main stream experience, try the places on the Kleine and Grote Berg which are also more popular with an artistic crowd. Main party days are Thursday to Sunday, and you might find some places to be closed on other days. On a sunny day, the Grand Café terraces on the Market Square fill up in no time.
Eindhoven, as with much of the Netherlands, is safe for the most part. However, up until the late 2000s, the city had the unfortunate reputation of being the country's "murder capital". Though an exaggerated moniker, it did highlight crime rates that were quite high by western European standards. Nowadays you should not have any problems if you know how to be street-smart. The Woensel section, in the north-northwest of the city, has been described as sketchy and seedy by locals and the media, but it has no touristic appeal.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Jul, Eindhoven typically sees ~25°C daytime highs and 18 rainy days.
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