Best Western Plus Hotel Groningen Plaza is on the intersection of the A7 and the A28. Therefore, this design hotel is an excellent starting point for exploring the city of Groningen and the Ommelanden (the countryside). The hotel is located directly by the Hoornsemeer, a lake which is situated in the middle of a natural area which is perfect for cycling and walking.
Hotel rooms
Conference rooms
Bicycles
Boats
City and surrounding area
Best Western Plus Hotel Groningen Plaza is an excellent base camp for trips to the lively city of Groningen and to its surrounding area.
The city of Groningen offers its visitors a mixture of culture and history. But Groningen is also a very modern city. Characteristic is the fact that in the beautiful city centre, the native residents live together quite harmoniously with the student population. Discover the diverse range of shops and visit one of the famous cafés or terraces around the Grote Markt (Great Market). Also the Ommelanden (surrounding area) of the city offers lots of entertainment and sights. Polders and nature reserves, old ‘borgen’ (castles), festivals, fantastic cycling and walking options, there is plenty to do. Experience it yourself! Because there’s nothings that goes beyond Groningen.
Interested in the many activities in the city and the countryside? Then please, check our Activities page!
Walking routes
The vast landscape of Groningen with its magnificent views, the unique Wadden, but also the small-scale fields and meadows (Westerkwartier), offer great walking trails. Famous areas include: Lauwersoog, Westerkwartier, Hondsrug and Dal van de Ruiten Aa. Groningen is also the start of the famous Pieterpad (Peter Trail). The Pieterpad is the best-known long-distance walking trail in the Netherlands. The trail runs from Pieterburen (by the Wadden coast) to Sint-Pietersberg near Maastricht. Along the way, you will pass the most diverse landscapes. The length of the trail is 492 kilometres. The good thing is that Best Western Plus Hotel Groningen Plaza is located along the Pieterpad! Reception will be happy to help you making your choice and can also provide roadmaps.
Nature lovers and water sports enthusiasts will enjoy themselves at Best Western Plus Hotel Groningen Plaza. Nature reserve ‘Hoornsemeer’, including the ‘Hoornseplas’, is directly adjacent to the hotel garden. The nature reserve has several cycling and walking paths and the lake is perfect for boat trips or other recreational activities on the water.
Restaurant Meerwold has a kitchen with international touches. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner. All our dishes are made with seasonal products.
Our 121 hotel rooms offer you anything you’d might expect from a modern hotel. Our Twin Rooms have exactly what you might need, while the Comfort Top View Rooms offer all luxury you could wish for. Our Comfort Deluxe Rooms are spacious and very suitable as family rooms. All rooms are equipped with a flat screen TV and free Wi-Fi. The hotel has an indoor swimming pool and a spacious garden.
The hotel has free parking. There are charging stations for electric cars (also suitable for Tesla). At the weekend you can make use of the free Shuttle Service to the city centre. The nearest bus stop (Eisenhowerstraat) is a little over 650 metres away from the hotel. From here, buses go straight to the city centre.
Swimming in the indoor pool? Cycling, walking, or running in a nature reserve? Best Western Plus Hotel Groningen Plaza offers lots of sports activities for you to relax. And if you want to make life easy for yourself, then hire one of the hotel’s e-bikes. Ask at the reception about the possibilities.
Medisch Centrum Zuid fitness centre is only two minutes cycling from the hotel. Our guests can use their facilities at a special rate of € 10.50 (including a towel).
The “Meerwold” was built in 1991 and used to be a Dutch Royal Mail training centre. The remarkable building has a very rich history. Back in the day it used to be called modern and nowadays the design is still very striking. It has the size of a text book.
The Castle of Manor Nienoord is centrally located at Estate Nienoord. The Estate dates back to 1508 when nobleman Wigbold van Ewsum bought vast pieces of peatland near Midwolde. He had built a new house there, the ‘Nije Oord’, and thus Estate Nienoord was born. A castle of manor built in a mixed style: Neo…
The Castle of Manor Nienoord is centrally located at Estate Nienoord. The Estate dates back to 1508 when nobleman Wigbold van Ewsum bought vast pieces of peatland near Midwolde. He had built a new house there, the ‘Nije Oord’, and thus Estate Nienoord was born. A castle of manor built in a mixed style: Neo Classicism and Jugendstil. Nowadays Nienoord is a stylish noble estate with monuments, scenery and tourist attractions. The Castle of Manor provides accommodation to Museum Nienoord since 1958 and, since 2014, also to Grand Cafe Castle of Manor Nienoord.
Museum Nienoord
Museum Nienoord is a 19th-century Groninger outdoor place of allure, with a unique collection of carriages of national importance. The museum has two permanent exhibitions and every year there is a varied range of new exhibitions, carriage packages, concerts, guided tours and lectures.
Castle of manor Nienoord
The museum is located in a monumental castle of manor with outbuildings. The complex originally dates from 1524. The glorious history of the castle of manor and its former residents is playfully shown in the exhibition Hidden Stories. Special animation movies for young and old bring the past to life. The visitor thus becomes acquainted with the wealth that once existed in Nienoord, but also with the turbulent times, the wars and the personal dramas.
Experience the history in the Knight’s Hall, servants’ room, carriage house and horse stable. Admire the 17th century shells cave in the garden or visit the contemporary exhibitions in the garden hall. The carriage exhibition Destination Achieved shows in image, smell and sound the challenges of traveling by carriage in the 19th century. Here visitors can take a ride in a carriage with the interactive horse driving game. In the garden hall you can also enjoy the exhibition about the Groningen artist Otto Eerelman until 2 August. In the garden hall you can also enjoy the exhibition about the Groninger artist Otto Eerelman until August 2.
Every year, The Oosterpoort & The Stadsschouwburg Groningen presents a little over 600 performances and concerts for a little over 240,000 visitors a year. Pop concerts, (classical) music, cabaret, theatre, dance, opera and different high-profile festivals such as Eurosonic/Noorderslag: there is always something special to see on the stages of The Oosterpoort & The Stadsschouwburg…
Every year, The Oosterpoort & The Stadsschouwburg Groningen presents a little over 600 performances and concerts for a little over 240,000 visitors a year. Pop concerts, (classical) music, cabaret, theatre, dance, opera and different high-profile festivals such as Eurosonic/Noorderslag: there is always something special to see on the stages of The Oosterpoort & The Stadsschouwburg Groningen. Make your evening out special by visiting The Oosterpoort & The Stadsschouwburg Groningen, you can find the program here.
Special rates
Do you have a CJP pass or a student card (up to 29 years old)? Then you benefit from greatly reduced prices at many performances and classical concerts.
The Tea Factory is a unique combination of the only tea museum in the Netherlands, an atmospheric tearoom with perhaps the most extensive tea menu in the world and a fragrant tea shop… a paradise for the tea lover! The Tea Factory is located in the former church and rectory of the picturesque village of…
The Tea Factory is a unique combination of the only tea museum in the Netherlands, an atmospheric tearoom with perhaps the most extensive tea menu in the world and a fragrant tea shop… a paradise for the tea lover!
The Tea Factory is located in the former church and rectory of the picturesque village of Houwerzijl, bought in 1989 for the symbolic amount of 1 guilder (45 cents) and has now grown into a true tea attraction that attracts approximately 50,000 visitors annually. Houwerzijl is located in the beautiful, quiet northwest of Groningen, on the edge of the Lauwersmeer National Park.
The Oldambt has had a beautiful new cultural center since March 2015: De Klinker. De Klinker houses 5 cultural organizations in one location: theater, arts center, film house, library and local broadcaster RTV GO. The building therefore has an important function in the municipality of Oldambt and East Groningen. In De Klinker expression is not…
The Oldambt has had a beautiful new cultural center since March 2015: De Klinker. De Klinker houses 5 cultural organizations in one location: theater, arts center, film house, library and local broadcaster RTV GO. The building therefore has an important function in the municipality of Oldambt and East Groningen.
In De Klinker expression is not only expressed in drama, dance and music. It provides space for a 24-hour cultural liveliness. Due to its central location in Winschoten, residents pass the culture house every day, where they can enjoy culture in the theater, the library, the arts center or the radio studio. In addition, one can visit the theater café Koperen Kees for a cup of coffee, lunch, dinner or drinks.
On the edge of the lauwersmeer area you will find Adventurepark Waddenfun, the largest indoor climbing park in the Northern Netherlands. Waddenfun is the place to indulge yourself! Enjoy an active afternoon with, for example, climbing, archery or another outdoor activity and afterwards good food. Waddenfun gives you and your family, colleagues or friends an…
On the edge of the lauwersmeer area you will find Adventurepark Waddenfun, the largest indoor climbing park in the Northern Netherlands. Waddenfun is the place to indulge yourself! Enjoy an active afternoon with, for example, climbing, archery or another outdoor activity and afterwards good food. Waddenfun gives you and your family, colleagues or friends an unforgettable day. Both indoors and outdoors, daredevils climb over the ropes, bridges or on the 300m cable cars at a height of 8m: the course is fun and offers enough challenge and fun for young and old.
The history of the Groningen Peat Colonies is surprisingly rich. Take the meter-thick peat layer that has been excavated since 1600 by refugees and jobseekers who came from far and wide. Take the shipbuilders, ship owners and the naval college that delivered hundreds of captains. Or the special role played by the captains’ wives. The…
The history of the Groningen Peat Colonies is surprisingly rich. Take the meter-thick peat layer that has been excavated since 1600 by refugees and jobseekers who came from far and wide. Take the shipbuilders, ship owners and the naval college that delivered hundreds of captains. Or the special role played by the captains’ wives. The woman literally stood her ground on board. Not to forget the retailers and manufacturers: cardboard, potato starch, sugar beets. Anthony Winkler Prins wrote the encyclopedia named after him in Veendam. In Sappemeer, the first female medical student Aletta Jacobs went to HBS. Everyone left their own mark in this special area; a colorful group of enterprising adventurers and pioneers.
Nature boring? Then you’ve never been to DoeZoo! Nature becomes an exciting experience in DoeZoo. DoeZoo is all about doing! All your senses are covered in the park: hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling and tasting. A snake around your neck, pet a skunk and of course kiss a frog! That is quite different from pictures on…
Nature boring? Then you’ve never been to DoeZoo! Nature becomes an exciting experience in DoeZoo. DoeZoo is all about doing!
All your senses are covered in the park: hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling and tasting. A snake around your neck, pet a skunk and of course kiss a frog! That is quite different from pictures on the wall of a museum.
DoeZoo is also the world of insects. You will not only encounter insects, but also animals and plants that eat insects. DoeZoo is outdoors and indoors (700m2 of covered fun!), And therefore suitable for rain, snow and sunshine.
Huninga Heem is an Oldambtster farm located on the Oldambtmeer, with a pitch & putt course (mini-golf) in between. The game of golf is intended for everyone, and in the front house of the monumental farm it is possible to have lunch, dinner or just have something to eat. Besides a fun party game, pitch…
Huninga Heem is an Oldambtster farm located on the Oldambtmeer, with a pitch & putt course (mini-golf) in between. The game of golf is intended for everyone, and in the front house of the monumental farm it is possible to have lunch, dinner or just have something to eat. Besides a fun party game, pitch & putt is also a fun sport that is played worldwide.
The Flower Farm is an agricultural company with, among other things, a Corn Maze, Gnome Maze and a Corn Bath. By finding the right path and answering questions correctly, you can earn a Corn Maze diploma. There is also a Gnome Maze for the little ones. Next to the Agriculture branch, there is a floricultural…
The Flower Farm is an agricultural company with, among other things, a Corn Maze, Gnome Maze and a Corn Bath. By finding the right path and answering questions correctly, you can earn a Corn Maze diploma. There is also a Gnome Maze for the little ones. Next to the Agriculture branch, there is a floricultural enterprise on the farm. These flowers are sold in our farm shop, just like the Farmer’s spiced cheeses and Groningen gift items. Would you like to put together your own bouquet? That is possible in the picking garden.
Do you want to be sporty? This is possible between our agricultural crops, because a Frisbee golf course and a wooden shoe golf course have been set out there. This way you can enjoy the peace and space on the Hogeland while exercising. Fancy an unforgettable day, company outing or family party? Then come to Saaxumhuizen!
Four special museums and a marine aquarium under one roof! Visit a limestone cave and a hunebed. Amaze yourself at the variety of shapes and colors of shells, crystals, minerals, stones and ancient fossils. Discover the world below sea level in the marine aquarium. Within the three-meter-thick walls of a World War II bunker are…
Four special museums and a marine aquarium under one roof! Visit a limestone cave and a hunebed. Amaze yourself at the variety of shapes and colors of shells, crystals, minerals, stones and ancient fossils. Discover the world below sea level in the marine aquarium. Within the three-meter-thick walls of a World War II bunker are aquariums with fish, crustaceans and molluscs from the North Sea and the Wadden Sea. Beautiful model ships, old ship objects, navigation devices and, among other things, paintings, books and photos give you a glimpse of the rich maritime history of the harbour town of Delfzijl.
