Last Friday I was looking for a kunst or art activity to do, and I ended up taking the train to Eindhoven. I had only passed by Eindhoven, either via de snelweg or the centraal station, but I had never really been in Eindhoven. It seems so silly that I had not gone considering that it takes about 45 minutes by train to get there, and the city has several attraction points.

Once you exit de centraal station, you can get information about the city at the VVV office. The Eindhoven Brandstore is an amazing place where you can get information about the city, a coffee from a very different type of coffee place, and where you can “feel the brand of Eindhoven, where you can see it and buy it” (quote from the This is Eindhoven website). I can recommend a fresh mint tea and banana bread to eat there as you feast your eyes to the plants and design objects that surround the place.

I went to Eindhoven because I was interested in the tentoonstelling at the Van Abbe Museum, which happens to be about 10 minutes away from the station. The museum is one of the first contemporary art museums in Europe, and is a sight to visit for its architecture. It lies on the Dommel rivier and the architects who design it made sure to add fish, waterbeds and other features to create an inner lake. Some exhibition rooms have sitting areas with view of the rivier; these areas are excellent for taking a break from your visit or to further think about what you have just seen. My favorite tentoonstelling was titled Er was eens… or “Once Upon a Time.” It starts with Picasso in 1909 and ends with artwork from 2013, and provides the historical context of the works on display. There was een zaal, for example, that had paintings done after the eerste wereld orloog, and you can feel the war in the paintings. The Van Abbe museum is definitely one of my favorite art museums in the world!

Every year Eindhoven hosts Dutch Design Week and this event is felt throughout the city year-round. The city is filled with sculptures, buildings, and stores full of the design spirit Eindhoven is known for. The Design Academy in Eindhoven is another example of the importance of design. The academy offers bachelors and masters in design and these are taught by the leading figures in the field.

Eindhoven is not only known for its love of design, but also for its light. The “Light City” hosts an annual Lichtkunstfestival GLOW that showcases installations, sculptures, projections and performances throughout the city. The festival usually takes place in November and is gratis, so take advantage if you happen to be in the area. In the video below you can watch one of the projections on the St. Catharina Kerk.

 And for those who are soccer fans, Eindhoven is the home of PSV, one of the leading Dutch soccer teams this season. The stadium is just a couple of footsteps away from the train station and is considered to be one of the most beautiful stadiums in the Netherlands.