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Zwolle

Travel Guide Europe Netherlands Overijssel Zwolle

Introduction

Zwolle is the capital of the province of Overijssel. Zwolle was the birthplace of legendary Dutch rocker and painter Herman Brood.

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Neighbourhoods

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Sights and Activities

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Events and Festivals

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Weather

The weather, like much of the Netherlands, is of the maritime variety with relatively cool summers and mild winters. Precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year, with somewhat heavier showers possible in the summer months from June to September, when temperatures are mostly around or slightly above 20 °C. Winters see occasional frost and snow.

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Getting There

By Plane

The nearest airport is in Groningen, but has few flights. Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport near Amsterdam is about 2 hours away by car or train, while Weeze Airport is about 1.5 hours away, and has more budget flights.

By Train

Trains to Zwolle and further north leave from Utrecht and Amsterdam every 30 minutes. The last trains back leave around 11:30pm.

By Car

Zwolle is connected by the following three major roads:

A28 - which runs from Utrecht to Groningen
A50 from Eindhoven, to Emmeloord, although after Zwolle the road continues as the N50
N35 which connects Zwolle to Enschede and Germany.

By Bus

Apart from smaller regional towns, it is best to take a train.

By Boat

It is theoretically possible to approach Zwolle via the IJsselmeer, leave your vessel at Kampen and take a train from there. You will need to rent your own boat, though, since there is no regular public transport taking this route.

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Getting Around

By Car

Don't use a car to get around the centre. It's too small and crowded for that. Automatic signs placed at the entry points to the city will point you to a suitable car park. Avoid rush hours from 7:00am to 9:30am and 4:00pm to 6:30pm from Monday to Friday.

By Public Transport

The city has an adequate network of city busses which will get you within 10 minutes' walking distance from every possible location. Within the city centre, you won't have any need of public transport, as the centre is tiny.

By Foot

Zwolle is small, and the historic center can easily be explored on foot. Especially the part within the limits of the medieval walls is of interest to tourists. The train station is located some 10 minutes from the centre; city busses #2, #3 and #4 pass through the centre.

By Bike

Bikes are a good way to get around town. They are for rent at the train station's bike park.

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Eat

One of the two, three michelin star awarded restaurants in the Netherlands is located in Zwolle. It is called De Librije, and is run by master chef Jonnie Boer. It received its third star in 2004 and has kept it every since. If you want to eat here, dress smart, bring a BIG wallet and book well in advance; 8 months isn't exaggerated.

Another good option is Het Pestengasthuys, located in a building that used to be a 15th century plague house. It serves elegant food while not being too expensive. You need to book in advance; usually, a week's notice is sufficient.

In the cheaper segment of the market, Zwolle abounds with cafetarias, steak houses and the like. Most of them are located at Grote Markt and Melkmarkt.

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Drink

De Tagrijn (Buitenkant 8, Phone: +31 (0)38 4211867) is the nicest bar in town. It draws a mixed crowd of intellectuals of all ages, and serves a very good home-brewn beer that is named after the late owner who recently (2008) died of diabetes. Most other bars are your typical run-of-the-mill kind of watering holes. Beware, since the clientele tends to drink heavily. Some of them may even try to drive their cars afterwards.

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Sleep

Unless you want to go cycling or if you plan a brief stay in the Dutch country side, there won't be any need to sleep in Zwolle, since the city itself can easily be explored in a day-trip from Amsterdam or Utrecht. Probably as a result of this, Zwolle hasn't much to offer in the way of budget accommodation.

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

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Work

Unless you speak Dutch at (near) native level, better forget about it. Try your chances in the Randstad area.

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Learn

Zwolle has one of the largest non-universitary student populations, due to an unusually large number of institutions for tertiary education. Since almost all programmes are taught in Dutch, there won't be much reason for you to enroll here, though.

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Keep Connected

Internet

Internet cafés certainly are not ubiqutous to say the least. Although there are a few, it's best to go on the internet in your hotel, hostel or maybe in the nearest library, as they can be hard to find.

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Post

The rate for sending a postcard or letter up to 20 grams within the Netherlands is €0.46 (2010). Since 2010 there are stamps available for domestic post which no longer include the value in €. Instead, there are stamps available with either a '1' or a '2' as a substitute for value. The '1' can be used for letters and postcards up to 20 grams, while 20-50 grams require you to use the '2'-valued stamps (or two '1'-valued stamps of course).

Sending items to other EU countries will cost €0.67, while the rest of the world sets you back €0.89 per piece. Stamps are sold at post offices and supermarkets; often the place where you buy your postcards can also supply you with stamps.

Sending parcels abroad is more costly. A standard-sized parcel between 500-2,000 grams will cost you €9.10 for destinations within the EU, and €17.50 to the rest of the world. Parcel service is available from major post offices only; standard-size boxes are on sale there as well.

If you need to receive mail while moving around, you can have it sent poste restante (to be called for) to a post office of your choice, where it will be kept for a month. If you come to claim it, bring a valid ID, and make sure to have told the sender that the name on the envelope must be an exact match with that in your passport. For addresses of post offices, as well as more information, consult the TNT website.

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