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Geldrop is a town in North Brabant in the Netherlands. It's located at easy biking distance from Eindhoven, but is mostly surrounded by heathlands and forest area. It is this combination of nature and nearby big city facilities that draws in visitors. In fact, with over 280.000 overnight stays a year (both business and tourist), Geldrop hosts far more visitors than you might expect from a town its size. It's a fine base to explore the natural surroundings and a more peaceful alternative to staying in Eindhoven. And the best is, there's even a few sights worth seeing, in particular the charming Geldrop castle right in the town centre.

Understand

Brigida church

For centuries, textile production was the main economic activity in Geldrop. In the 19th century, it had the second largest wool production centre in the country, second only after Tilburg. The textile production declined rapidly after the 1960s, however, until is was almost entirely gone in the 1970s. Today, the Weaving Museum reminds of those glory days of industry. Local authorities are now trying to stimulate the existing recreation and tourism industry further, hoping to develop it into the area's main source of income.

Tourist information

Get in

By public transport, Geldrop is best reachable via nearby Eindhoven. Bus lines 10 and 20 leave from Eindhoven bus station and take about half an hour. Line 20 also connects to nearby Asten and Helmond.

Faster is the NS Sprinter train (direction Weert) which will get you to Geldrop in just 5 minutes.

If you're driving, the A67 passes close by Geldrop. It connects to the A2 to go north or south, or to the E34 to go east and across the border to Germany. Coming from Eindhoven, follow the Geldropseweg and than the Eindhovenseweg.

Alternatively, you can easily reach Geldrop by bike coming from Eindhoven.

Get around

The town is small enough to get by on foot. A bike is a good way to take in a bit more of the surroundings. Some hotels offer rental bikes at a charge.

See

Corn mill 't Nupke
  • Geldrop castle, Mierloseweg 1, but the parking place is at Helze 8, ☏ +31 40 2801230, . Visit castle: Sun 14:00-17:00, Expositions:Thu, Fri, Sun 14:00-17:00. First built in the 14th century, the current castle structure originates for a large part in the 17th century, with further adaptations made around the 1870s. The lovely English gardens were also established during that last large round of restorations. Today, the castle is maintained by a non-profit foundation and the park is also home to a children's farm and vegetable & herb garden. The park and children's farm is open all year, but the castle is only open in summer. In July and August, you can visit Tue-Sun from 14:00 to 17:00. Other months, it's only open at those times on Sunday. No charge, gifts appreciated. 
  • 't Nupke (Corn mill), Molenakker 3, ☏ +31 40 2851229, . Sat 10:00-16:00. Corn mill 't Nupke was built in 1843 on a plot of land called Nupke and is of type round stones belt mill, ie the outside of the mill is of stone and the mill has a raised foot of sand, a so-called belt. 
  • [dead link] St. Brigidakerk, Nieuwendijk 2, ☏ +31 40 2862364, . The Roman Catholic church was built between 1889 and 1891 to a design by architect Carl Weber. Weber inspired the church at the Minster Church in Roermond. It is a strong neo-Romanesque cruciform church with towers and a large dome. The towers on the front are 71 meters high and topped by a spire on four gables. The church has a tubular choir and transepts. Besides the dome are built two towers on both sides. The interior of the church is carried out in different color bricks. Above the cross is the huge dome that has an internal height of approximately 40 meters. The church is one of Weber's most important work to date and is used by Brigida Parish in Geldrop. 
  • St. Vincentius building, Langstraat 27. The St. Vincent building is a built in 1899 and is on the National Monument List. A Vincentius Association was a parochial institution named after Saint Vincent Paolo with the task of taking care of the poor. The image on the facade is Saint Elisabeth of Hungary. 
  • Weverij Museum (Weaving Museum), Molenstraat 21, ☏ +31 40-2863574. Only every Wednesday and Saturday, plus the first Sunday of every month. 1-5pm. Tours are available at 1.30, 2.30 and 3.30pm.. A small museum about the rich textile industry Geldrop once knew. €5. 
  • 1 J. R. R. Tolkien neighborhood, 500m south of the train station. There is a neighborhood in Geldrop where for whatever reason all the streets are named after characters of J. R. R. Tolkien's books (such as Aragorn or Galadriel - the usual ending "straat" (street) is not used in the names. The only exception is Laan van Tolkien - Tolkien Avenue). (updated Jan 2020)

Do

Heeze castle

Hiking and biking is a popular activity around town, as it is surrounded by heat lands and forests. Several trails and routes are available from the tourist information office. In the vicinity of Geldrop are nice little villages. Heeze, just 6km South, has a wonderful castle in a great wooded area. Heeze has some thirty national monuments of which a dozen around the castle. Furthermore, there are monumental longhouse farms, churches and houses.

  • Heeze castle, Kapelstraat 25, ☏ +31 40 2261431, . In summer, guided tours held on Sunday afternoons at 14:00 and 15:00. Heeze Castle can be reached via a splendid drive. It is at three sides surrounded by canals and consists of two parts, the medieval castle and the newer Eymerick 17th century castle built between 1660-1655. Although the castle is inhabited, it is open to visitors. It has about thirty rooms, including a number of fine style rooms. There is a strange bathroom with a rare bathtub with a 17th-century Goblin tapestries, including some that show scenes from the life of Alexander the Great. €8. 

Geldrop is a town within the municipality of Geldrop-Mierlo. Mierlo, with 10.000 inhabitants, is 6km East of Geldrop. The village has a nice center and nine national monuments including two old mills, the town hall, a patronage and some farmes.

Tired of biking? Consider a relaxing day in the spa. The Thermen Geldrop are one of the best options around Eindhoven, and offers delightful saunas and massages as well as good food. It can be a bit crowded in weekends, but gets lots of positive reviews.

Buy

Geldrop's history is all about textiles. Why not take a kitchen towel or table cloth as an actually useful reminder of your visit? The Weverij Museum shop has some good examples.

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Connect

Geldrop has areal code 040 which is the same as Eindhoven. If dialing from abroad, use +31 but then leave out the 0 in the area code. All hotels have free WiFi.

Go next

  • Eindhoven - the city of light and a design hotspot
  • 's Hertogenbosch - a beautiful historic city some 50 km from Geldrop.
  • Roermond - historically an important town with a pleasant town centre full of monuments.
This city travel guide to Geldrop is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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