EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

Way south of Groningen, ARNHEM was once a wealthy resort, a watering-hole to which the merchants of Amsterdam and Rotterdam would flock to idle away their fortunes. Last century it became better known as the place where thousands of British and Polish troops died in the failed Allied airborne operation of September 1944, code-named " Operation Market Garden ", which gutted the greater part of the city. What you see today is not especially enticing. But Arnhem is a lively town, with plenty going on, and a good centre for seeing the numerous attractions scattered around its forested outskirts. The best of the old town is the northwest part of the centre, around Korenmarkt , a small square which escaped much of the wartime destruction and has one or two good facades. The streets which lead off Korenmarkt are full of restaurants and bars, but otherwise Arnhem deteriorates as you walk southeast towards the John Frostbrug - the "Bridge Too Far" - named after the commander of the battalion that defended it for four days. It's just an ordinary bridge, but for Dutch and British alike it remains the symbol and focus of remembrance of the battle. At its north end, the characterless Markt is site of the sixteenth-century church of St Eusabius (Tues-Sat 10/11am-4/5pm, Sun noon-4/5pm; free), reconstructed in the 1960s after wartime bombing, when a new tower was added (same times; ¬2.30). To mark the fiftieth anniversary of Operation Market Garden a glassed-in viewing platform was added to the top of the church, from where you can look down on the fifteenth-century Stadhuis tucked in behind. In the opposite direction, fifteen minutes' walk west from the station along Utrechtsestraat, is the Museum voor Moderne Kunst Arnhem , Utrechtseweg 87 (Tues-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat & Sun 11am-5pm; ¬4.50). It's linked to the Historisch Museum Het Burgerweehuis , about ten minutes' walk away at Bovenbeekstraat 21 (same times); collections include numerous archeological finds from the surrounding area, a display of Chinese, Japanese and Delft ceramics, and a modest selection of paintings, with the emphasis on views of the landscape, villages and towns of Gelderland, and canvases by the so-called magic realists.

Immediately north of Arnhem, the Nederlands Openluchtmuseum (April-Oct daily 10am-5pm; ¬10.70; www.openluchtmuseum.nl ; bus #3 towards Alteveer and, during July & Aug, special bus #13) is a huge collection of Dutch buildings assembled here from all over the country. Where possible, buildings have been placed in groups that resemble the traditional villages of the different regions of the Netherlands - from the farmsteads of Friesland to the peat colonies of Drenthe. There are about 120 buildings in all, including examples of farmhouses, bridges and every type of Dutch windmill, and several working craft shops demonstrating traditional skills. Other parts of the museum incorporate one of the most extensive regional costume exhibitions in the country and a modest herb garden. All in all, it's an imaginative attempt to re-create the rural Dutch way of life over the past two centuries, and the museum's own guidebook (around ¬3.60) explains everything with academic attention to detail.

Arnhem's train station is on the edge of the centre, next to the bus and trolleybus stations. Always check the destination of buses and trolleybuses, as several routes share one number. Nearby, the VVV , Willemsplein 8 (Mon 11am-5.30pm, Tues-Fri 9am-5.30pm, Sat 10am-4pm; tel 0900/202 4075; www.vvvarnhem.nl ), operates an accommodation-booking service. Among the cheaper hotels in the centre are Parkzicht , Apeldoornsestraat 16 (tel 026/442 0698, www.bookings.nl ; £10-15/$16-24/¬18-27), ten minutes' walk from the station; Rembrandt , Paterstraat 1 (tel 026/442 0153; £10-15/$16-24/¬18-27), the second right off Apeldoornsestraat; and the Old Dutch , Stationsplein 8 (tel 026/442 0792; £15-20/$24-32/¬27-36). Take bus #2 in the direction of Schaarsbergen out from the centre to reach Pension Warnsborn , Schelmseweg 1 (tel 026/442 5994; £10-15/$16-24/¬18-27). The HI hostel , Alteveer , 4km north at Diepenbrocklaan 27 (tel 026/442 0114; £5-10/$8-16/¬9-18), can be reached on trolleybus #3 (direction Alteveer). The nearest campsite is Warnsborn (tel 026/442 3469), 6km northwest at Bakenbergseweg 257 (bus #31). For eating , Pizzeria Da Leone on Korenmarkt is a good, moderately priced place and there are plenty of cheap options on Jansplein near the post office; for more traditional Dutch fare try Old Inn , Stationsplein 40.