Bed and Breakfast hotels in Eindhoven

The fifth largest city in the Netherlands, Eindhoven is located in the province of North Brabant and has a population of around 217,000 people, or 261,000 if neighbouring Veldhoven is included.

The name Eindhoven comes from the two words Eind - a typicial prefix for place names meaning "end" or "last" - and hove - a piece of land that was leased to individuals by a local lord. Although the city is today very modern, Eindhoven is in fact one of the oldest towns in the Netherlands, first chartered in 1232. The city has been destroyed and rebuilt over the years and was under the rulership of different countries until it became part of the Netherlands definitively in 1629. The Industrial Revolution led to huge changes in Eindhoven with the construction of railroads, canals and roads. Industrial activities boomed with the rise of lighting/electronics with Phillips, founded in 1891. In the early 1900s the market shifted towards car manufacturing, and eventually engineering.Today, Eindhoven has emerged as a the capital of Dutch industrial design.

A two-day break
Two days is just enough time to spend in Eindhoven. The Campanile Eindhoven hotel is located on the east side of Eindhoven near Veldhoven, only 10 minutes from the centre of the city. At the very least, during your two days in Eindhoven you should take a quick dive into the city's Phillips-related history. Most of the sites are right in the center of the city! Why not start off with Phillips' first Incadescent Lamp Factory of 1891, a museum right in the heart of the city! Other great things to see during your two-day stay include the Vanabbe museum, a haven of modern art, the DAF musuem, which traces the history of DAF vehicules from 1928 to the present day, or the Historic OpenAir Musuem, which will take you back into Eindhoven's rich history.

A week-long stay
Spend the rest of your week checking out some of the city's modern landmarks (like the De Admirant tower, the Evoluon or the Witte Dame) and churches before venturing off into nearby cities. The rural countryside that surrounds the city has a lot of charming villages that are certainly worth a visit. The Brabant region is full of natural areas and open parks which are crossed by many bike and hiking routes. Nuenen, a village only 8km to the east, was a favourite painting spot of Van Gogh (his father is buried in the local cemetery), and Geldrop, also to the east, has a beautiful castle surrounded by 19th century English gardens.

A family holiday
Eindhoven is a great place to bring the whole family as the city is full of open-air art spaces and, with great music and theatre venues, there really is something for everyone!

Transport
The A2 national highway from Amsterdam to Maastricht passes right through Eindhoven. It is therefore easy to reach by car, but be aware that, like in most Dutch cities, parking in the city centre can be very expensive. Eindhoven Airport is just 5km outside the city and has many international daily flights. Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport is also but a 90-minute train ride away. You also can reach the city easily by train or bus. As for travel inside in the city, it is easiest to get around by foot as the centre is relatively small. If you prefer, you can quite easily rent a bicycle and keep it in a free guarded bike park while you're busy shopping.

Gastronomy
The city centre boasts many restaurants, notably in the Dommelstraat, Markt and Bergen kwartier areas. Beware that many restaurants are closed on Mondays, and that most will close down for a week or two during the summer. Southern Dutch cuisine is well known for its rich pastries, soups and stews. The traditional alcoholic beverage of the region is beer, and there are many local brands such as Trappist or Kriek.

Events
Many large and small events are arranged across the city all year long, often featuring artificial light and design. The Dutch Design Week takes place every October and welcome over 1500 designers who come to display their work in over 300 events organized all around the city. Glow Eindhoven is an international forum on the place of light in art in architecture and takes place towards the end of the year. The Park Hilaria Fair takes place over a week in August and is great for families.

Interesting Fact
Did you know that almost half of all R&D activities in the Netherlands take place in the Eindhoven region?

Useful links
http://www.vvveindhoven.nl/en/things-to-do/ (main tourist site)
http://www.vanabbemuseum.nl/en/?no_cache=1&cHash=6bca090a07 (vanabbemuseum)