Things to Do in Dordrecht, Netherlands: Walking Guide

Dordrecht is a historic Dutch city shaped by trade, waterways and religious change. Its compact centre brings together medieval churches, surviving city gates, old harbours, museums and views across the meeting point of three rivers. Neywo’s free audio guide to Dordrecht covers 38 narrated places, helping you explore the city as you walk.

What to See in Dordrecht

Grote Kerk

The Grote Kerk, also known as the Grote of Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk, is Dordrecht’s largest church and one of its most prominent landmarks. Built between 1284 and 1470, it has a Brabantine Gothic form and a tower that was never completed.

Inside, several periods of history appear together: early Renaissance choir stalls, a marble pulpit, a Baroque-style organ façade and stained-glass windows depicting scenes from Dordrecht’s history. The church became Protestant in 1572 and remains an active church of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands.

Groothoofdspoort

At the meeting point of the Merwede, Oude Maas and Noord stands Groothoofdspoort, one of Dordrecht’s surviving city gates. The original gate dates from the fourteenth century, while much of its current appearance comes from a reconstruction in 1618.

Brick, sandstone and richly sculpted decoration give the monument a distinctive character. After becoming seriously unstable, it was restored and partly reconstructed between 1969 and 1975. Its riverside position makes it one of the most memorable places to see in Dordrecht.

Nieuwkerk

Nieuwkerk, also called the Nieuw or Saint Nicholas Church, has origins reaching back to 1175, when the former Saint Nicholas Chapel became the parish church of the Merwede lordship. Around 1420, it was enlarged into a hall church.

A fire in 1567 or 1568 destroyed much of the building. The surviving section was rebuilt as a smaller double-choir church, using some of the original stone and new Leiden brick. The church returned to use by 1592. Its cemetery served as the burial place of prominent Dordrecht families, although little of the graves remains visible today beyond several tombstones inside.

H. Maria Maior

On Voorstraat, H. Maria Maior—also known as Sint Maria Maior—is a church belonging to the Old Catholic Church. It provides another glimpse of the religious history preserved in Dordrecht’s historic centre.

Augustijnenkerk

The Augustijnenkerk began as part of an Augustinian monastery and was originally built around 1293. A side aisle was added during the second half of the fifteenth century, while the Classical façade dates from 1773.

The church also played a role in Dordrecht’s religious upheaval. The first Reformed service took place here on 27 July 1572. The building later suffered damage to its memorials and was, for a time, used to stable French horses. A restoration between 1994 and 1996 helped preserve its historic character, including a Maarschalkerweerd organ from 1899.

Trinitatiskapel

The Trinitatiskapel is a modest late Gothic hall church used by Dordrecht’s Evangelical Lutheran congregation. It originally belonged to the Blindeliedengasthuis, an institution demolished in 1629.

Its simple design reflects its original role as a chapel. The building has been recognized as a national monument since 1966 and is now part of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands.

Catharijnepoort

Catharijnepoort stands along the Hooikade, closing off the Korte Engelenburgerkade. Built in 1652 with the now-demolished Annapoort, it was intended as a decorative entrance rather than a defensive structure: it was never part of the city wall and had no military purpose.

The gate was created after the Maartensgat was dug, beginning in 1647, and the surrounding area was laid out. With the demolition of the Annapoort in 1869, Catharijnepoort became one of only two remaining historic city gates in Dordrecht, alongside Groothoofdspoort.

Dordrechts Museum

The Dordrechts Museum presents six centuries of painting and other works of art, with Dutch art at the heart of its collection. Founded in 1842, it moved to its present location on Museumstraat in 1904 as the collection outgrew its first exhibition rooms.

The permanent collection includes paintings from the Dutch Golden Age and Baroque period, landscapes and nineteenth-century works. Artists represented include Rembrandt, Jacob van Strij and Aelbert Cuyp, Dordrecht’s most famous painter.

Hof and Museum Het Hof van Nederland

The Hof is a monumental complex that combines the former Augustinian monastery of Dordrecht, Museum Het Hof van Nederland and the city archive. The monastery was founded in 1275, and the site later became the state house of the County of Holland.

Since 2015, the former state house has been home to Museum Het Hof van Nederland. The buildings together reveal how the complex developed from a religious foundation into a political centre and, eventually, a place dedicated to preserving Dordrecht’s history.

Huis Van Gijn

Huis Van Gijn occupies two monumental buildings on Nieuwe Haven and recreates the atmosphere of life more than a hundred years ago. The main building was the home of Simon van Gijn, whose collecting, household and outlook shaped the museum.

The rooms offer a glimpse into the life of a wealthy Dordrecht resident and collector. The museum received the Museum Prize from the Prins Bernhard Culture Fund in 2004 after a major reorganisation that preserved the sense of a lived-in home.

Binnenvaartmuseum

At the Wantij waterway, the Binnenvaartmuseum explores the history of inland shipping aboard the former pusher tug René Siegfried. The vessel was launched at the De Biesbosch shipyard in 1963 and has been located here since 2004.

A fully restored wheelhouse and an inland-shipping simulator make the ship itself part of the experience. The museum forms part of the Binnenvaartcentrum, which also includes a growing documentation centre devoted to Dutch and international inland shipping.

Museum 1940–1945

Museum 1940–1945 focuses on the Second World War and Dordrecht’s particular role during those years. Located in an old building on Nieuwe Haven, it was founded in 1988 and officially opened in June of that year by Prince Bernhard.

A plaque inside commemorates two police employees who died in 1944, connecting the museum’s wider historical subject with events in Dordrecht.

Teekengenootschap Pictura and the Ary Scheffer statue

Teekengenootschap Pictura has been part of Dordrecht’s artistic life since it was founded in 1774. It is the oldest drawing society in the Netherlands that is still in existence. Since 1900, it has occupied the former mint house of the County of Holland at Voorstraat 190 and 192, where its long tradition continues alongside current art and exhibitions.

Nearby, the statue of Ary Scheffer commemorates the Dordrecht-born artist. Created by Joseph Mezzara and erected in 1862, it is recognized as a national monument in the Netherlands.

Remonstrantse Kerk

The Remonstrantse Kerk is another historic church building in Dordrecht. Together with the city’s other churches, it forms part of a route through the religious and architectural layers of the old centre.

Explore Dordrecht with a Self-Guided Audio Tour

A Dordrecht self-guided walking tour is an easy way to connect the city’s landmarks without joining a group. Neywo offers three walking tours and one bus route in Dordrecht:

• Gates, Harbours and the Great Church: 2.06 km, 100 minutes and 11 narrated stops.
• Monks, Painters and Statehouses: 1.43 km, 75 minutes and 11 narrated stops.
• Beyond the Canals: Dordrecht’s Southern Churches and Squares: 2.41 km, 74 minutes and 8 narrated stops.
• Bus 10: From the Station into the Old Town: 2.4 km, 10 minutes and 6 narrated stops.

The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages, and the free guide includes 38 narrated places in total.

Dordrecht is part of South Holland, a region with many other historic cities to explore, and of the Netherlands.

Download Neywo and Explore Dordrecht

Download Neywo to explore Dordrecht with a free audio guide that follows you through its churches, gates, museums and waterways. Choose one of the three walks or the bus route, arrive at each stop when you are ready, and listen to the city’s story as you go—without a group or a fixed schedule.