A gay city trip to Eindhoven or how the history of light reinvents the Modern Dutch Design Capital in the South of the Netherlands. Eindhoven, the fifth-largest city in the Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant, is a hidden historic treasure that is often underestimated, even by its citizens. However, Eindhoven is not the European city of light; rather, it is the European city that became the center of the lighting industry, especially during the early 20th century when Philips, the electronics giant, began to influence the world’s lighting. Exploring the city of Eindhoven with some time to walk the town, also outside the center, opened up the beauty of Industrial design and architecture. As fans of modern design, we found many beautiful spots to fall in love with all over the municipality, so we can only recommend planning a gay Eindhoven city trip, even in January.
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What to do on a gay Eindhoven city trip?
We enjoy walking around the city. Starting from the center, our explorations are going beyond the main tourist and shopping routes to discover the real beauty from a traveler’s perspective. Usually, even citizens no longer know how beautiful an everyday city can look to foreigners, let alone to us coming from Amsterdam. Where to get the best coffee in the morning, which exhibition you have to visit, or which part of the city is, in our opinion, the best place to be, eat, and wander around. Enjoy our tips and ideas for Eindhoven, and don’t hesitate to add more things to do in Eindhoven with a comment or a message! But now, enjoy our impressions and photos of our city trip to Eindhoven!
Breakfast Tip: Coffee & Toast at COFFEELAB
Good morning, this beautiful weekend in Eindhoven starts with a good wake-up coffee and a first snack. We found this excellent spot right in front of the Eindhoven Station. With really delicious coffee, tea and the so-called toast 2.0, the CoffeeLab at Stationsplein is located in the unremarkable VVV building. You would not expect this cozy, green, and welcoming atmosphere, complete with tasty sandwiches and hot drinks, in the middle of a station square. The girls working there were friendly and helpful – a “lekker” start for our great day in Eindhoven.
Unfortunately, this space closed down. Still looking for a coffee place in Eindhoven? Have a look here >
Wandering around Eindhoven City Center
Of course, we wanted to get a first impression of the city in the center of Eindhoven. Busy shopping streets, full of Design and Style shops, alternate with well-known brands, boutiques, and small, private shops. We are fans of architecture, design, and art. A tip for a mix of all of that, including a shop, food, and drinks, is undoubtedly the Kazerne Eindhoven. “Come eat, drink, and get inspired”, true to the motto of this joint venture, the combination of the galleries and artworks of this unique environment in an old barracks building is truly making a difference. Check it out!
Architecture Highlights of Eindhoven Center
Due to the destruction of the old part of Eindhoven during World War II, the city’s architecture is a proper mixture of styles, eras, and perspectives. Every corner appears to be different, every facade special, but nothing seems to be a successful match, although it somehow is. Although one specific style recurs repeatedly, it is the Industrial architecture. Take a look at some of our favorites:
Walk to Industry & Design: Eindhoven STRIJP-S
We are fans of industrial Design and Architecture, so visiting the Strijp-S district, Northwest of the city center, was our next step. The former Philips-City (also known as Philips-village) of Eindhoven is a part rich in still-visible history and marks the cultural heritage of Eindhoven to this day. Our route led us past the typical Philips village buildings, passing the Philips Stadium, home of the world-famous PSV Eindhoven football club, to Strijp-S.
What does the Strijp-S look like? Factories, industrial buildings from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, and later, an urban mix of nature and artificial subculture define the area in West Eindhoven. Hip, modern, and in industrial Design, that is how you can describe the location of Eindhoven. The history of the workers seemed omnipresent as we wandered around this unique environment.
Iconic building EVOLUON – a gigantic flying saucer
Did you know that Eindhoven has a UFO just like Seattle? The architectural Icon Evoluon looks extremely impressive, resembling a gigantic flying saucer. Especially at night, the building, today used as a congress and meeting center, looks incredible. You should take some time to visit the building during your Gay Couple City Weekend in Eindhoven, both during the daytime and later in the evening, when the colored lights illuminate the Eindhoven Congress Center.
Sweets & Pastry in an old Factory Building
Arriving in Strijp-S after a relaxed wander around made us hungry – time for a (sweet) snack and a small break in between at PastryClub of Eindhoven. Already, the first look into this unbelievable Pastry store is stunning: steel chains, a crane, rusty old factory machines, and in the middle of the hall in the basement, a bar full of chocolate and delicious snacks. Explore the entire space, including upstairs and downstairs, and take your time imagining how this building was used in the past. Tip!
Travel Guide Amsterdam
The Dutch capital is considered to be one of the most gay-friendly cities in the world. By legalizing same-gender marriage as the first country in the world already in 2001, the Netherlands and its capital offer a diverse LGBTQ+ friendly cultural program throughout the whole year. The highlight of the Summer is (Gay) Pride Amsterdam.
The MU Artspace with Exhibition “BODY OF MATTER”
Next on our list: the MU, in January 2016, with the exhibition “Body of Matter”. The MU > is an art space in an old factory building showing art, design, pop culture and new media right in the heart of the Strijp-S. We were invited to have a look at the art pieces of the chosen artists and to find out how to interact and to discover their different features.
“.. They [the 10 artists] explore its materiality, stimulation, quantification using technology, integration with alien matter, and, finally, its obsolescence by stimulation.”
The MU
The artists featured in this exhibition are Maarten Vanden Eynde, Charlotte Jarvis, Floris Kaayk, Orion Maxted, Kirstin Neidlinger, Špela Petrič, and Hongjie Yang, as well as thewinners of the BAD Award 2015, Isaac Monté, Agi Haines, and Emma Dorothy Conley. Take your time to see, feel, and interact with the artworks in the exhibition “Body of Matter – Body based bio art & design” until February 7, 2016, for only a 3€ entrance fee.
Lunch & Dinner: “Teds Eindhoven Strijp S – All Day Food & Drinks” – Vegetarian & Vegan friendly
After an intense and adventurous time here in the Strijp-S it was time for dinner and some beer! Because walking makes you hungry after all! Perfect for a hungry stomach: Avocado-Egg sandwich, a lentils-sweet potato soup, and a fresh beetroot salad with goat cheese and two Ginger-beers at “Teds”. We do like Ginger Beer – a perfect spot to feast, but also to work and recap the time in Eindhoven. For a gay couple’s city weekend in Eindhoven, Teds place is worth a visit!
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Escape Room Strijp-S Eindhoven
If you want to spice up your visit to the Strijp-S area in Eindhoven, we have found the perfect one-hour adventure for you, even after dinner. The “Escape Room Strijp-S Eindhoven“ locks you and your friends/family/dates up in a 60-minute mind-maze room full of puzzles and secret doorways. Your number one priority… escape! There are two different escape rooms available: The Crime Lab, which brings you right in the middle of a CSI operation, and The Adventure Camper, which will drive you around the world in a trip packed with secret maps and different cultures.
As travel enthusiasts and big fans of theme park-related activities, we chose to explore the Adventure Camper. Most escape rooms are designed for groups of between 4 and 8 people, so we needed two more players. Who would be better at winning (and looking cute doing it) than our Mister Gay Netherlands 2015, Tom Van Den Nieuwenhuijzen, and his sweet husband? After a brief introduction, we got locked up in the big old school bus. The first thing to do: start the engine… and the clock started ticking. What happens in the Adventure Camper stays in the Adventure Camper. So if you want to know how to get out: check it yourself!
Eindhoven – History charged Chronicles
Eindhoven, as the fifth-largest city in the Netherlands, is a city in the Dutch province of North Brabant with a total population of approximately 223,000 citizens. Back to the roots, Eindhoven became an officially recognized city as early as 1232, but remained insignificant for a long time. Eindhoven was established at the point of confluence of the two rivers, the Dommel and the Gender. With the Industrial Revolution around 1900, started a rapid growth of the city population, not least because of the well-known, gigantic electronics company Philips. In this context, five municipalities of the neighborhood were incorporated into “Greater Eindhoven”, nowadays, Eindhoven.
Our Trip to Eindhoven
After reviewing the historical background information, you can begin preparing for your city weekend in Eindhoven. As the first city on our Netherlands tour, we arrived in Eindhoven via the Dutch railway service, NS, at Eindhoven Station. If you plan to visit the Netherlands, consider flying directly to Eindhoven, located in the southern part of the country. From Amsterdam Airport, Schiphol, it is about 1.5 hours by train to Eindhoven. You will set your first step right in the center of the city. Try to obtain it before or after you arrive in Eindhoven, either the App or, as we did, the small guidebook “This is Eindhoven” for a better overview of all the districts. There are also special offers available for food, drinks, and discount coupons throughout the city.
We loved our Gay City Trip to Eindhoven
Our city weekend in Eindhoven seriously exceeded all our expectations. Eindhoven has a special atmosphere that you can only see with a second sight. The people we met were more than welcoming and helpful, offering us valuable tips and insights on how to make the most of the city. Design, Architecture, industrial environments, history-charged districts, and a special spirit of optimism that expresses the best of how we experienced our city weekend in Eindhoven.
We will come back, promise! Do you want to know more about our gay travels as an openly gay couple around the world? Stay tuned on Facebook, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. See you around in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, Europe, and on one of our next gay pride trips around the world!
Karl & Daan.
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