
Delfzijl
Delfzijl is a city and former municipality with a population of 25,651 in the province of Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands.
Delfzijl was a sluice between the Delf and the Ems, which became fortified settlement in the 16th century. The fortifications were removed in the late 19th century. Delfzijl is the fifth largest seaport in the Netherlands, and the largest port in the North East of the country.
Getting to Delfzijl
There's a train connection from Groningen, which leaves every half-hour (€6.80, 37 minutes). It stops at Delfzijl's central station and at Delfzijl-West. The trains are operated by Arriva.
- 01Delfzijl
Johan van den Kornputplein 1.
- 02Delfzijl West
There are also bus connections to and from Winschoten, Uithuizen, Appingedam, Groningen (city) and many hamlets and villages in the area.
Worth seeing
The town centre has a number of interesting structures. Just strolling around will lead you past most of them, as the centre is small and easy to navigate. There's the windmill Adam (with an exhibition centre on the ground floor), a monumental train station (1884) and the former town hall (located at the Oude Schans, built in 1899. The former munition building is the oldest building in town, originating in 1591.
- 01Saint Joseph Church
Waterpoort, At the end of the Havenstraat.
Things to do
Stroll along the sea side promenade, watching ships heading in or out. It offers fine views of the harbour, where there's always something going on If you're here at the end of August or early September, you might be in time for the Havendagen, an annual maritime event attracting some 55.000 visitors.
Where to eat
Some of the best restaurants in town belong to hotels. The Eemshotel and Hotel Boegschroef deserve a quick mention here, as they offer good dinner options. Hotel-Restaurant Boven Groningen is another good choice. See the sleep sections for details. De Kakebrug, Waterstraat 8,. Tasty dishes, classy restaurant.
Getting around Delfzijl the local way
- Get inIn summer, there are daily ferry crossings (also for cars) to the German island of Borkum and the German town of Ditzum.
- Go nextThere is a ferry service for people and bicycles (but no cars) to Emden in Germany.
From Wikivoyage: Delfzijl, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. That article was last edited 2023-08, so a service it names may have changed or stopped.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.