Eindhoven travel guide
Philips heritage, the Van Abbemuseum and Dutch Design Week
Eindhoven is the Philips company town turned design city, with a strong modern art museum, industrial landmarks and big autumn festivals. Come for Dutch Design Week in October or GLOW in November, or any time from May to September. One or two days is plenty. Prices are very high, and many nationalities visit visa-free.
Eindhoven, the biggest city in North Brabant, was little more than a village until Philips started making light bulbs here in 1891; the company's growth turned it into the fifth-largest city in the country. Its legacy is all over the centre, from the Lichttoren and the Witte Dame to the small museum in the first Philips lamp factory. Design is the city's calling card today.
The Van Abbemuseum by the Dommel holds modern art with works by Picasso, Chagall, Kandinsky and El Lissitzky, and its riverside cafe is free to visit. The DAF Museum covers the truck maker founded here. Plan around Dutch Design Week in October or the GLOW light festival in November if you can, but book early: hotels are aimed at business visitors and fill up for big events and PSV home matches.
Nights centre on Stratumseind, a street lined with bars that stay open until 04:00 at weekends, while the Bergen quarter (Kleine Berg and Grote Berg) is better for dinner. Many restaurants close on Mondays. Buses 400 and 401 link Eindhoven Airport with the central station in about 20 minutes, roughly every 10 minutes by day.
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Top things to do in Eindhoven
Modern art, Philips landmarks, a DAF truck museum and late nights on Stratumseind.
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Best time to visit Eindhoven
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Average highs climb from 19C in May to 24C in July and August, the months for terraces in the Bergen quarter and walks along the Dommel.
Dutch Design Week in October and GLOW in November fill the streets and the hotels; highs drop from 15C to 10C and rain is frequent.
Book well ahead for Dutch Design Week and for PSV home matches, the times Eindhoven runs short of rooms.
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Getting there
Airport bus and intercity trains
Eindhoven Airport, about 5 km west of the city, is the second busiest in the Netherlands by number of flights, served mainly by Ryanair, Transavia and Wizz Air. Buses 400 and 401 reach Eindhoven Centraal in about 20 minutes, together every 10 minutes by day, but none run from midnight to 06:00. Intercity trains from Schiphol take about 90 minutes.
- Eindhoven Airport (EIN)
- Bus 400 or 401 to the station, about 20 minutes, none between midnight and 06:00
- Schiphol (AMS)
- Intercity every 15 minutes, about 1.5 hours, some with a cross-platform change at Utrecht
- Late arrivals
- Uber and Bolt both serve the airport
- Tap a contactless bank card or phone on and off the airport bus; it is cheaper than a ticket from the driver or the machine.
Where to stay
Centrum near Stratumseind or the station side
Eindhoven's hotels are mostly chain properties near the station and in the centre, priced for business travellers. Rooms are easy to find except during Dutch Design Week, the GLOW light festival and big PSV home matches, when you should book months ahead.
- Centrum
- Walk to Stratumseind, the Bergen quarter and the museums; noisy near the bars at weekends
- Near the station
- Handy for the airport bus and early trains, but quieter and less interesting after dark
Getting around
Hermes buses, Velorent bikes and the umob app
Walk Eindhoven's compact, largely car-free centre: from Eindhoven Centraal, the 18 Septemberplein, Stratumseind and the Bergen quarter are within about ten minutes. Hermes city buses start at the station and take a tapped bank card. For Strijp-S, west of the centre, use a bike from Velorent or the umob app, or a bus.
- Buses
- Most lines start at the station; tap a bank card on and off
- Bikes
- Velorent at Gasfabriek, or shared bikes through the umob app
- Strijp-S
- Former Philips district west of the centre, by bike or bus
Know before you go
What makes Eindhoven worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- The Van Abbemuseum, for Kandinsky and El Lissitzky, and its cafe on the Dommel.
- Dutch Design Week, when studios and venues across the city open their doors.
- The Lichttoren, a former Philips factory and one of the city's main landmarks.
Good to know
- Monday is a bad day to eat out: many restaurants close, and some shut for a week or two in summer.
- Order chips carefully: at snack bars like Dik and Lang they may arrive buried in mayonnaise unless you say otherwise.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Eindhoven, month by month
Eindhoven's July and August highs reach about 24°C, and January's about 6°C. July is the wettest month at about 76 mm, April the driest at about 41 mm.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Eindhoven (Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, via Wikipedia).
Eindhoven's Van Abbemuseum, the Lichttoren and the studios of Strijp-S
Start at the Van Abbemuseum on Bilderdijklaan, open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00, for art from Picasso and Kandinsky to El Lissitzky and Mondriaan. Walk into the centre past the Lichttoren, the former Philips light-bulb factory, and after lunch choose between the DAF Museum and the design studios of Strijp-S.
Walk into the centre past the Lichttoren, the former Philips factory tower, and the Witte Dame, another converted Philips building that now houses the Design Academy and the city library, to the small museum in the lamp factory where the company began in 1891.
After lunch, choose between the DAF Museum on Tongelresestraat, with trucks, unusual cars and recreated shops from the 1930s, and a bike ride west to Strijp-S, the old Philips industrial district now given over to design studios, lofts and event halls. In the evening, eat in the Bergen quarter around the Kleine Berg, and if you want a late night, move on to Stratumseind, where bars stay open until 04:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.
Worstenbroodjes, Dommelstraat and the Bergen quarter's smaller kitchens
Eindhoven's restaurants gather in three places: Dommelstraat, almost opposite the station, the Markt with its summer terraces, and the Bergen quarter of Kleine Berg and Grote Berg, with smaller, more personal places. Try Brabant's own snack, the worstenbroodje, a soft bread roll baked around spiced sausage meat.
Menus are often in Dutch only, so lean on review scores, and remember that many kitchens close on Mondays and some shut for a week or two in summer.
Brabant has its own snack: the worstenbroodje, a soft bread roll baked around spiced sausage meat, sold warm by bakers across the province and eaten in quantity during carnival in late winter. For late-night chips, Friture Dik & Lang on Jan van Lieshoutstraat has a loyal following; say so if you do not want your fries smothered in mayonnaise. Stratumseind is the drinking street, one bar after another, busiest on Thursday student nights and at weekends, when places stay open until 04:00.
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How we research our Eindhoven travel guide
Eindhoven's airport buses and train links are checked with NS Dutch Railways and the city's official website, and the museum and festival details against Holland.com and Wikipedia's Eindhoven entry before each update.
Last updated . Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of EindhovenHolland.comNS Dutch Railways
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Eindhoven.
Getting there
No. They reach the central station in about 20 minutes, around every 10 minutes during the day, but nothing runs between midnight and 06:00.
Eindhoven Airport, about 5 km west of the city, is the second busiest in the Netherlands by number of flights, served mainly by Ryanair, Transavia and Wizz Air. Buses 400 and 401 reach Eindhoven Centraal in about 20 minutes, together every 10 minutes by day, but none run from midnight to 06:00. Intercity trains from Schiphol take about 90 minutes.
General
The company began here as a light bulb maker in 1891 and built much of the modern town, from Strijp-S to the Lichttoren. DAF trucks, the Design Academy and Dutch Design Week came later.
The former Philips factory district west of the centre, now a creative quarter of design studios, lofts and event halls such as the Klokgebouw.
It is a street of back-to-back bars that stay open until 04:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. Thursday is student night.
Brabant's sausage roll, best eaten warm from a bakery. For a sit-down dinner, head to the Bergen quarter around Kleine Berg and Grote Berg.
The city is generally safe with normal care. Locals regard parts of Woensel, north of the centre, as rougher, but visitors rarely have reason to go there.
Yes, for modern art, with works by Picasso, Chagall, Kandinsky, El Lissitzky and Mondriaan. It opens Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00 to 17:00.
Walk Eindhoven's compact, largely car-free centre: from Eindhoven Centraal, the 18 Septemberplein, Stratumseind and the Bergen quarter are within about ten minutes. Hermes city buses start at the station and take a tapped bank card. For Strijp-S, west of the centre, use a bike from Velorent or the umob app, or a bus.
Stay & facilities
GLOW takes over the streets in November, with Dutch Design Week the month before; book early for both. May to September is easier for rooms and terraces.
Cancellations & changes
Both. Trains run every 15 minutes and take about an hour and a half; half are direct and half need a cross-platform change at Utrecht Centraal.
Timing & weather
Every October, over nine days in the second half of the month, with venues across the city including Strijp-S. Book rooms months ahead.
The best time to visit Eindhoven is May to Sep, Oct to Nov for events. Mild terrace weather, then Dutch Design Week and GLOW in autumn.
- Summer: May - September (Average highs climb from 19C in May to 24C in July and August, the months for terraces in the Bergen quarter and walks along the Dommel)
- Festival season: October - November (Dutch Design Week in October and GLOW in November fill the streets and the hotels; highs drop from 15C to 10C and rain is frequent)
Visa & documents
Schengen rules govern entry to the Netherlands. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
Health & safety
Crime in the Netherlands is low. Bike theft and pickpocketing in busy areas are the main issues; watch out for cyclists.
