What to do in one day in Eindhoven

Eindhoven is a small city compared to Amsterdam and Rotterdam, but there is a lot to see here too. That’s what I’m going to talk about in this guide.

We arrived in Eindhoven from Rotterdam by train, and it took us about an hour.

We spent a full day in Eindhoven, so I’ll share with you what we had time to see and try there.

For the night, we stayed in a private room at Hotel La Reine. It’s not a bad place to rest up before an early flight. Room rates vary by date, so check the current price for your stay.

Cultural program

In Eindhoven, the first thing we did was visit the Van Abbe Museum (Bilderdijklaan 10), one of the most famous in the Netherlands. In 1934, local resident Henry van Abbe, a cigar manufacturer, Art Nouveau enthusiast, and collector of paintings, sold his collection to the city and founded a museum for the collection.

Here visitors will find a huge collection of works by Art Nouveau and avant-garde artists such as El Lissitzky, Picasso, Kandinsky, Marc Shagall, and Mondrian, and, of course, several provocative exhibitions of contemporary art. Installations, caricatures, a car suspended from the ceiling that you can sit in and watch TV—it’s all here. The museum itself is very interestingly designed: for art from the beginning of the century, you go down to the basement; for modern art, you go up the stairs and walk along the corridor between the glass walls.

Connoisseurs of technology should look at the Philips Museum (this brand originates here). And you can see the car of the royal family in the local Museum of mechanical engineering, DAF. This company, founded in 1928, is a global manufacturer of trucks.

In between museums and walks, you can have a good coffee in such coffee houses as DENF Coffee, Lucifer Coffee Roasters, and Zwartwit Koffie.

Walking around the city, we reached the Eindhoven University of Technology.

In general, walking around Eindhoven is a great opportunity that should be used: There are not so many tourists here, so you can enjoy the Dutch streets in relative privacy.

I hope this guide has been helpful to you. Share your favorite places in Eindhoven in the comments.

Also, read my insider’s guide to Rotterdam’s best attractions.

Getting to Eindhoven Airport

Eindhoven Airport is outside the city centre, but getting there for an early flight is straightforward. From Eindhoven Centraal station, take Hermes bus 400 or 401 to Eindhoven Airport. Both services stop directly outside the terminal.

• Bus 400: the faster airport shuttle; the journey from the station usually takes about 20 minutes.
• Bus 401: a regular service that also runs between Eindhoven Centraal and the airport, taking roughly 25 minutes.
• Payment: check in and out with a contactless bank card, phone or smartwatch using OVpay. An OV-chipkaart is also accepted.

Allow extra time in the morning, especially if you are travelling at rush hour or have an early departure. Check the current timetable before leaving, as service frequency can vary by day and time.