What to See in Eindhoven, Netherlands: Free Audio Guide

Eindhoven is a city in the North Brabant region of the Netherlands, shaped by industrial history, religious architecture and Philips-led innovation. Its modern identity is closely connected with companies such as Philips and DAF, while its neighbourhoods preserve a remarkable collection of historic churches. Neywo has a free audio guide for Eindhoven with 102 narrated places.

What to See in Eindhoven

The best way to explore Eindhoven is to move through its different districts. The city centre introduces its religious and industrial past, while Stratum, Tongelre, Woensel and Strijp reveal how the city expanded beyond its historic core.

St. Catherine’s Church

St. Catherine’s Church, also known as Sint-Catharinakerk or Stadskerk Sint Cathrien, stands at Catharinaplein at the beginning of Stratumseind. The Roman Catholic church is dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria and replaced a medieval church that stood on the same site.

The medieval building had existed since the thirteenth century and had become a place of pilgrimage by 1340. Fire, looting and neglect eventually left it in ruins. The present church was built in 1867 in the Gothic Revival style, following designs by Pierre Cuypers.

Its two towers are deliberately different. The southern tower represents the Ivory Tower, associated with Mary’s purity, while the northern Tower of David symbolises strength. The church was damaged during the Second World War, and its later replacement stained-glass windows were made by Charles Eyck and Pieter Wiegersma.

Paterskerk and Mariënhage

The Paterskerk is one of Eindhoven’s historic church buildings. It is also called the Augustijnenkerk or Heilig Hartkerk and forms part of the Mariënhage complex beside it.

The church was built at the end of the nineteenth century for the Augustinian fathers of the neighbouring Mariënhage Monastery. Its name, meaning Fathers’ Church, reflects its former connection with the religious community.

Sint-Joriskerk

On Sint-Jorislaan in Stratum, Sint-Joriskerk is a major neo-Gothic landmark and a national monument since 1976. The church was built between 1884 and 1885 to replace an older church dedicated to Saint George.

Its most striking feature is the west tower, which rises 88 metres and is Eindhoven’s tallest religious structure. Designed in 1911 by Jac van Gils, a pupil of the original architect, the tower forms the main entrance, with three doors leading inside.

The interior follows a cruciform basilica plan with three aisles. Its high nave, bundle pillars, star vaults and pointed arches give the church a monumental character. The transept includes apses dedicated to Mary and the Holy Family.

Sint-Lambertuskerk

The Sint-Lambertuskerk stands on Hoogstraat and is dedicated to Saint Lambert of Maastricht. Its neo-Gothic design takes the form of a cross-shaped basilica.

Wolter te Riele created the design in 1909, and construction followed in 1910 and 1911. The building is one of Eindhoven’s distinctive historic churches.

Sint-Martinuskerk

At the centre of Tongelre’s old village centre, Sint-Martinuskerk remains an important local landmark. The church was built in 1890 for Tongelre’s Sint-Martinus parish and is recognised as a national monument of the Netherlands.

Its position reflects the older village structure of Tongelre, which is now part of Eindhoven.

St. Peter’s Church

St. Peter’s Church, or Sint-Petruskerk, stands on Kloosterdreef in Woensel. Rising to 76 metres, it is one of the highest churches in the Netherlands and a prominent landmark in the district.

The present church was inaugurated in 1880 after the earlier St. Peter’s Church had been demolished in 1815. Designed by H. J. van Tulder as a neo-Gothic cross basilica, it is protected as a national monument.

The tower has its own dramatic history: it collapsed in 1875, and its replacement was not built until 1912. The new tower was designed by L. P. J. Kooken.

Steentjeskerk

In Strijp, the Steentjeskerk is also known as the Sint Antoniuskerk. It was built in 1919 for the parish of Saint Anthony of Padua, in what was then the municipality of Strijp.

The church’s nickname, meaning Little Stones Church, comes from its unusual façades. They are built from Kunrader stone arranged in a distinctive pattern. The building served as a parish church until 1971 and housed Museum Kempenland from 1983 to 2012. Since 2001, it has been included in the national register of monuments.

More historic churches across Eindhoven

Eindhoven’s religious heritage extends well beyond the city centre. The Gerardus Majella Church stands in Stratum, while the former Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-van-Lourdeskerk, also known as Vlokhoven Church, recalls the former Roman Catholic parish in Woensel’s Vlokhoven district.

The Heilig Hartkerk on Ploegstraat and its adjacent former presbytery form a small historic ensemble built between 1929 and 1931. Both buildings are Dutch national monuments. In Strijp, the Sint-Theresiakerk served as a Roman Catholic church, while the former Sint Trudokerk recalls the district’s history as an independent village before Strijp became part of Eindhoven in 1919.

The Maranathakerk and Emmaüskerk add further variety: the former stands in Strijp, and the latter is a Protestant church in the Mensfort neighbourhood of Woensel. Schootsekerk, also in Strijp, is particularly memorable for its very high pitched roof and compact tower with a tall copper-covered spire. Built in 1934 as a Dutch Reformed church, it later became a Christian Reformed church. Its expressionist design includes a heavy round-arched entrance, strong vertical lines and a blue-green patina on the copper spire.

Explore Eindhoven’s Industrial Heritage

Eindhoven’s story is also the story of Philips and DAF. The city’s industrial development transformed it from a small settlement into a major centre of technology and manufacturing. Philips’ presence is especially visible in places connected with lighting and the company’s former western quarter, while the DAF Museum traces the history of the truck manufacturer.

The city centre also reflects Eindhoven’s twentieth-century history. Fires, territorial conflicts and extensive damage during the Second World War contributed to the modern appearance of the centre. Places such as Eindhoven Market, 18 September Square, Stationsplein and Stratumseind connect the present city with its industrial and wartime past.

Explore Eindhoven with a Free Audio Guide

Neywo offers 4 walking tours, 1 bus route and 1 bike route in Eindhoven, with 102 narrated places in total. The walks range from 2.16 to 4.03 km and take 87 to 97 minutes, with 7 to 12 narrated stops. The bus route covers 5.5 km in 24 minutes with 5 stops, while the bike route covers 4.3 km in 22 minutes with 8 stops.

The tours include:

• City of Light: How Philips Lit Up Eindhoven — 2.26 km, 87 minutes, 12 stops
• Liberation, Art and Old Eindhoven — 2.16 km, 91 minutes, 12 stops
• Strijp-S and the Flying Saucer: Philips’ western quarter — 3.45 km, 97 minutes, 8 stops
• Parks and prehistory: Stadswandelpark to Genneper Parken — 4.03 km, 90 minutes, 7 stops
• Bus 5: Station to the DAF Museum and Beyond — 5.5 km, 24 minutes, 5 stops
• Evoluon to the DAF Museum: Eindhoven by Bike — 4.3 km, 22 minutes, 8 stops

Download Neywo and explore Eindhoven at your own pace. The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, with no group and no schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages.