Eindhoven

Language

In Eindhoven the general population can speak Dutch, English and some German and some French. But mostly when they do speak German their level is good enough for a short conversation. As far as English goes, you won’t have any problems asking for directions or starting a conversation.

Best travel time

Eindhoven’s climate is temperate. Average temperatures are same as for the Netherlands in general, with cool summers and cold winters. Summers have an average temperature of 18°C and winters an average temperature of 4°C. The weather in Eindhoven is still affected by coastal weather patterns and it is very rainy, with more than 60mm of rainfall in 10months of the year.

Communication

In the city telephone reception is no problem at all. Also in the region there shouldn’t be a problem, but you may encounter some areas without reception.

Traditions and Culture

Eindhoven's culture is mostly driven by the electronics giant Philips, who is inspired by the large student population at the University. Philips has sponsored and built most of the buildings and institutes in Eindhoven that are responsible for culture and education in Eindhoven. Some popular venues are the Dynamo, the Effenaar, the Muziekcentrum Frits Philips and the Plaza Futura. Eindhoven has a rather young population. So the lifestyle here is set out for entertainment, be it going out to clubs, bars, live-band bars, the cinema or generally restaurants. You will find that Eindhoven is a modern city and very green. Not only because of the popular transportation method of the bike but also because it has many trees and parks set in the city.

Religion

Although many people in the Netherlands are not affixed to any religion, they are a very tolerant people when it comes to religion. Therefore the whole religious spectrum is well represented all around. In Eindhoven this is shown by the various religious institutions set in the city; Trinity Church (Christian, multi-denominal, English service) Stadskerk St.Cathrien (Christian, catholic, Dutch and English service) Heilig Hart Kerk (Christian, Catholic, Dutch service) Chinese Christian Church (Christian, Chinese, Chinese service) Zeelerstraat 186 (Hindu, English, Hindu and Dutch service) Fatih Mosque (Muslim) Anwar-e-Medina (Muslim) International Baptist Church of Eindhoven (Baptist, English Service)

By bus

The train station is the junction point of Dutch rail transport. From Eindhoven you can get direct transfer to all the major cities, also to the region. Eindhoven has 25 city bus lines that also connect to neighboring cities. Two of these are the so called Phileas buses. They offer high quality public transport and are a mixture of tram and bus. Next to these city buses there are also 30 regional lines including rush hour lines. Eindhoven is also the junction of the Dutch freeways. It is the junction of 5 freeways and lies directly to the important E34. The freeways connect Luxemburg to Amsterdam, Tilburg to Breda, Antwerp to Duisburg, Eindhoven to Nijmegen and Eindhoven to Zwolle.

By plane

Airport Eindhoven has an airport, the Eindhoven Airport. It is the largest regional airport of the Netherlands with 1.6 million passengers a year and the 2nd busiest next to Schiphol (Amsterdam). It is 8km from the center of Eindhoven (10 minutes by bus). It originally used to be an airport of the Dutch Air Force, but now it is also diversely used for civil transport. Car rental At the airport, several car rental companies are represented. The 4 major companies that have offices directly at the airport are: Hertz, AVIS, Europcar and SIXT. For rental cars there is a separate parking lot.

By taxi

Taxi Taxis are readily available, they offer high class taxi service to the airport or other destinations at reasonable prices. They can be ordered on demand or weeks ahead, whatever you like. Bike The city of Eindhoven is currently woking on “Actieplan Fiets” an urban development plan for making the city better accessible for bikes. From creating new bike paths to shortening waiting times at red lights, more security measures in dangerous areas and free bicycle locks stations called Lock’n’Go.

Sights

As Eindhoven is a rather young city in population it has embraced the modern world with open arms. You will see this city with its many futurist and modern buildings. It is a haven for fans of architecture. THE attraction in Eindhoven is the Philips light bulb factory, which is now a museum. It shows the development of the light bulb in its oldest building, dating back to 1891. The Van Abbemuseum is one of the most popular of museums in Eindhoven. Not only is its architecture admirable but also exhibits modern art throughout the year. Eindhoven has an automobile museum. It displays over 120 vehicles and automobiles who share the history of today’s cars. The DAF museum also shows the history of said historic automobiles. The“De Colse Water Mill” that was painted Vincent Van Gogh is still up and running. This famous building is now an attraction and visitors can view the mill operating (Saturdays) and then buy the milled flour. Around the mill there are also guided tours and various excursions possible. You won’t have seen Eindhoven completely if you didn’t go to the one of the department stores. Definitely worth a visit is the Piazza center. It’s an enormous 16’000m² glass shopping center.

Events

Eindhoven’s population is rather young because of the University. Therefore many of the events are oriented to fulfill this young city’s wishes and also the nightlife is full of excitement. Some of the more major events are: The International Horse Show National Cycling Day Culture Festival Virus (music and cinema) Fiesta del Sol & Confetti (music) Reggae Sundance (music and carnival) Freedom Festival (Torch Parade) Eindhoven Marathon

Food

Eindhoven is full of restaurants bars and cafés. You are sure to find anything you wish to taste there. Among the many Dutch restaurants are also restaurants for the foreign taste.