Where Hunnerpark is in Nijmegen

Hunnerpark sits on the south side of the Waal, west of Nijmegen's medieval centre and below the Valkhof ridge. Its address is listed as Sint Jorisstraat, 6511 TB Nijmegen, which is the simplest thing to type into a phone if you are walking in from the station or the centre. The park is close to Museum Het Valkhof on the plateau above.

The park's shape follows the old defences: a green slope running along the river with the Hunnerpark bridge at its western end. Because it lies on the river side of the centre, it works naturally as the first or last stop on a loop through the old town rather than as a separate outing.

How to reach the park on foot or by bike

From Nijmegen's central shopping streets, walk west and downhill towards the Waal; the park opens out once you pass the built-up edge near Sint Jorisstraat. The approach is short enough that most travellers will reach it in well under fifteen minutes on foot from the centre, and cycling is easier still because the riverside roads are flat where the town centre is not. See our Nijmegen Attractions: 5 Visitor Guides for the wider city layout.

If you are coming from the station side, aim for the Valkhof ridge first and drop down to the river from there, which puts you into the park from above. Bikes can be wheeled along the paths, but the riverside route is the better surface for riding, so lock up and walk the last stretch if the ground is busy.

What to see: the layout and the old stone bridge

The park's layout is simple: sloping grass, mature trees and paths down to the water. Because the planting changes with the season, judge what you will see by the month you travel rather than by photographs.

The TripAdvisor visitor listing describes an old stone bridge as the park's marker, and the riverbank is the prize. The bridge and the water make the strongest few minutes of the visit, so build your walk around them rather than around the lawns. River views open up along the waterfront, with the Waal bridge traffic and the water itself in plain sight.

For the history behind the river and the bridges, the museum at De Bastei covers the Waal and Nijmegen's relationship with it, which adds context to what you are looking at from the park. It is a short walk east into the lower town and pairs naturally with the same afternoon.

How long to allow and how the park fits a short break

Budget half an hour for the park itself and up to an hour if you linger on the bridge and walk the full length of the riverbank. That is honest accounting: there is no ticketed attraction inside, so the time you spend is the time you choose to spend looking at water and greenery. On a one- or two-day Nijmegen trip, slot it into the late afternoon when the light on the river is at its best.

The park works best combined with the Valkhof plateau directly above it, where the outline continues with older ground and wider views. Walking the two together gives you a proper two-hour block without repeating yourself, and you finish back in the centre for the evening.

If you have a third day and want a second green stop, Kronenburgerpark on the other side of the centre offers a different character and a longer loop. It is not a substitute for Hunnerpark, but it fills the same slot in an itinerary without sending you out of town.

Events in the park: Festival TREK in Hunnerpark

Hunnerpark hosts Festival TREK, which in 2026 ran from Friday 29 to Sunday 31 May and turned the park into a food and entertainment village with food trucks, bars, street theatre and a silent disco. Entry was free, with opening hours of 16.00 to 23.00 on the Friday, 14.00 to 23.00 on the Saturday and 14.00 to 21.00 on the Sunday; the organiser publishes the programme for each edition.

To keep entry free, the festival used a reusable glass system: a one-off 3,50 euro charge for a standard TREK glass and 4,50 euro for wine or cocktail glasses, with no deposit returned and the glass kept as a souvenir. If you are in Nijmegen on a festival weekend, expect the park's paths and lawns to be occupied rather than quiet, and plan your river walk for another part of the day.

In July 2026 the park was designated a safety-risk area from 18.00 on the Friday until 06.00 the following morning around a large gathering, which shows that the grounds are occasionally subject to public-order measures around big events. That designation applied to that night only, so check the current position before travelling if a big gathering is on.

Nearby sights to pair with a visit

Museum Het Valkhof sits on the plateau above the park and is the obvious cultural pairing, with archaeology and modern art in one building. Check its opening days before you go, since Dutch museums commonly close on Mondays, and build the park into the same walk rather than a separate trip.

Museum De Bastei in the lower town covers the Waal, nature and the city's river history, and it is close enough to reach on foot from the park's eastern end. Between the two museums and the Valkhof grounds, a single afternoon covers the park and its neighbours without any transport.

Beyond that, the centre's squares and shopping streets are a ten- to fifteen-minute walk back uphill, so the park fits neatly at the start or end of a city day. The wider Nijmegen Attractions: 5 Visitor Guides collection covers the other named sights if you want to build a fuller plan.

Is Hunnerpark worth the detour?

Yes, if you are already heading for the Valkhof ridge or the river, and no if you were thinking of crossing town for it alone. The park is small and best used as a thirty-minute pause with the old stone bridge and the Waal as the payoff. Build it into a walk between the centre and Museum De Bastei and it earns its place without eating a day.