Nijmegen: River Cruise Port on the Waalkade

Nijmegen Cruise Port on the Waal

Nijmegen is a river cruise port on the southern bank of the Waal. On the opposite northern bank are Veur Lent and, beyond it, the Spiegelwaal. River cruise ships dock at the Waalkade, with the old town immediately to the south. Grote Markt lies south of the waterfront, and Nijmegen Centraal station is to the southwest. The railway bridge is west of the docking area, and the Waal Bridge is to the east. The port publishes a berth allocation plan for the Waalkade; commercial vessels also require approval from the harbourmaster.

The Waalkade and the Old Town

The Waalkade district is home to De Bastei and historic ships in Lindenberghaven. The Dutch city is one of the oldest in the country. Its Roman history dates back to the first century: Oppidum Batavorum stood at and around Kelfkensbos and was destroyed in 69 AD during the Batavian Revolt. Ulpia Noviomagus was founded to the west and received city rights around 100 AD. Another Dutch stop on river cruises is Amsterdam.

For centuries, the Waalkade was a focal point of city life; the first town hall stood there. At the end of the 14th century, the city council moved into three houses on Burchtstraat. In 1553–1554, these were converted into a town hall with a shared monumental façade, which still stands today. In the Middle Ages, a weigh house stood on Grote Markt; the present building was constructed in 1612–1613. Goods were weighed there under municipal supervision. The cloth hall, with its cloth merchants’ stalls, stood on either side of the Kerkboog. A municipal crane on the Waalkade was used to load and unload ships. It was powered by a treadmill in which people walked.

The Station and Getting Around the City

Nijmegen has five railway stations: in addition to Centraal, these are Heyendaal, Lent, Goffert and Dukenburg. Nijmegen Centraal is southwest of Grote Markt and also serves as a bus stop. The main bus stops in the city centre are Plein 1944 and Kelfkensbos. Bus routes including 1 and 8 depart from Centraal station. Free bicycle parking is available at the station and in the city centre. Feenstra Rijn Lijn from Arnhem runs river cruises on the Rhine and Moselle, as well as in the Netherlands, Belgium, along the Main and on the Danube.