What the Prinsenhof is

The Prinsenhof is a building of four wings on the Martinikerkhof in Groningen, and today it operates as a hotel rather than a heritage attraction. It holds 34 rooms, including six junior suites, a loft and a Royal Suite, and two restaurants occupy part of the monumental complex.

That matters for planning: you do not buy a ticket to see the Prinsenhof. Treat it as a piece of the Martinikerkhof streetscape you pass on a walk through the old centre, plus a possible lunch or dinner stop. The two restaurants are the part of the building a day visitor can use without staying at the hotel.

Where it is and how to walk there

The address is Martinikerkhof 23, 9712 JH Groningen, and the navigation address for drivers is simply Martinikerkhof, without a number. The building faces the square that wraps around the Martinikerk, a short walk from the Grote Markt.

Arriving on foot from the Grote Markt, head for the Martinitoren and the adjoining Martinikerkhof; the Prinsenhof stands on this square by the Prinsentuin garden. Allow a few minutes from the Grote Markt, longer if you stop at the tower.

The Prinsenhof sits within a circuit of central sights: the Forum Groningen is nearby on the Nieuwe Markt, while the Groninger Museum is a separate stop further out. So the building slots into a broader walk of the centre rather than needing a trip of its own.

The building's history in brief

The Prinsenhof's name points to its princely past, and the hotel makes much of that inheritance: guest rooms sit under centuries-old beams, and the old guard gate forms the entrance to two of the suites. Those details belong to the hotel interior, but they explain why the building looks the way it does from the square.

From outside, look for the four-wing plan enclosing a courtyard. The building is documented as a four-wing structure at Martinikerkhof 23, which is the clearest way to read its shape as you walk round it.

What you can see from outside

The best view is from the Martinikerkhof itself, where you can take in the brick wings, the roofline and the courtyard side without entering. Walk the length of the square and then continue to the adjoining Prinsentuin.

Some rooms face the Prinsentuin and others the Martinikerkhof, so the building has two distinct outward faces. The Prinsentuin runs alongside, and the two together make a natural stop on a walk around the old centre.

The hotel's own pages present the Prinsenhof mainly as a place to sleep and eat, so treat a visit primarily as a look at the exterior from the square. If you want a view over the whole area instead, the Martinitoren climb gives you the square from above.

Eating and drinking on site

Two restaurants operate inside the Prinsenhof: Brasserie Prinsenhof, which handles breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and drinks in a relaxed setting, and the fine-dining Restaurant Nassau, which looks out over the Prinsentuin. Both are part of the hotel but serve visitors who are not staying there.

For a daytime stop, the brasserie is the practical choice; for an evening meal with a garden view, Nassau is the one to book. Neither is a museum café, so if you want a quick coffee between sights, plan accordingly rather than assuming a casual counter service.

Brasserie Prinsenhof opening times

Breakfast runs Monday to Friday from 07:00 to 10:00, and at weekends and on public holidays from 08:00 to 11:00. Lunch is served from 11:30 to 17:00, which makes the brasserie a useful midday stop after a morning on the Martinikerkhof.

Afternoon tea is a Thursday-to-Sunday affair, with arrival between 14:30 and 16:00. Dinner runs Tuesday to Saturday from 17:30 to 21:00, and Sunday and Monday from 17:30 to 20:30; on 31 December the kitchen closes at 20:00 and the brasserie shuts at 21:30.

Restaurant Nassau: evening service and 2026 closures

Restaurant Nassau serves Tuesday to Saturday, with arrivals between 18:00 and 20:00, and the restaurant closes at 23:30. Monday is not a Nassau evening, so shift your fine-dining night accordingly.

The restaurant also closes for a summer break from 19 July to 17 August 2026 and a winter break from 28 December 2026 to 11 January 2027. Those dates apply to those periods; for any later year, check the hotel's own contact and opening times page before booking.

Arriving by car

The Prinsenhof has no car park of its own. Drivers are pointed to the Forum garage, about 200 metres away, and the Boterdiep garage, about 500 metres away; both are a short walk from the Martinikerkhof.

Hotel guests can use a valet service in which staff park the car and return it the next day, charged at €35.00 per night and available between 07:00 and 22:00, with reservation advised because availability is limited. Day visitors pay the garage rate directly rather than the valet rate.

What is nearby

The Martinikerkhof is the immediate setting, with the Martinikerk and its tower at its centre, and the Prinsentuin garden runs alongside the Prinsenhof. A few minutes away are the Grote Markt and the Forum Groningen on the Nieuwe Markt; the Groninger Museum is a further stop beyond the old centre.

If you want green space beyond the formal Prinsentuin, the Noorderplantsoen lies to the north of the centre and is a further walk from the Martinikerkhof.

How much time to allow

Give the Prinsenhof and the Martinikerkhof about half an hour, including time for the Martinitoren or the Prinsentuin. If you stay for lunch, add an hour; for dinner at Nassau, treat it as the evening.

Pair it with the Groninger Museum or Forum Groningen rather than making the Prinsenhof the purpose of a day out, since there is no interior attraction to fill time. That keeps the building in proportion: a handsome, historic corner of the old centre with two good reasons to sit down.

Should the Prinsenhof be on your Groningen shortlist?

Yes, but as a walk-through and a meal rather than a ticketed sight. Build it into a circuit of the Martinikerkhof, Martinitoren and Prinsentuin, and book Nassau or the brasserie if you want to eat in the building rather than simply see it from the square.

For everything else in the city, from museum days to cycling routes, start with the wider Groningen Attractions: 7 Visitor Guides coverage and fit the Prinsenhof in where it belongs.