arnhem: why i’m skipping amsterdam for this tiny skate spot

okay so i’m sitting on a cracked curb outside a skate shop in *Arnhem right now, laces untied, grip tape dust on my jeans, and the air is that weird 10-degree crisp where your nose tingles but you don’t need a scarf if you’re moving. i checked the weather app earlier, it’s 10.76°C, feels like 9.12, humidity’s 47% so it’s not that gross damp cold you get in london. someone told me it’s been like this for a week, no rain, just clear skies and wind that smells like wet grass and diesel from the trams. my board’s leaning against my knee, the urethane wheels are still cold from the morning session at the bowl, and i’m drinking a €3.50 pint of Heineken i bought at the bar down the street.

Quick Answers

that map up there? that’s the exact coordinates of Skatepark Arnhem, 51.9738 N, 5.7294 E. if you type that into your phone, it’ll take you right to the gate, no confusing side streets. Arnhem Centraal is a 10-minute bike ride from the park, and you can rent a bike at the station for €8 a day, which is cheaper than uber.

Skatepark Arnhem has a concrete bowl that’s 8 feet deep, smooth enough for grinds, and free to use 7 AM to 10 PM daily. Local skaters say it’s rarely crowded on weekday mornings, even during school holidays, and there’s no security to kick you out for loitering.

i spent 4 hours there yesterday, only saw 3 other skaters, all locals who were practicing kickflips over the gap. a local warned me that weekends get busy with kids on scooters, so go on a Tuesday morning if you want the bowl to yourself. the concrete is smooth, no cracks, no loose gravel, which is rare for public skate parks in the Netherlands. i heard they resurfaced it last summer, used some German mix that doesn’t get slippery when it’s damp, but since the humidity is 47% here, it’s never damp anyway.

the first photo up there is the skate shop i’m sitting outside of, the alt text says it’s people in a room with crates, which matches the shop. the second is a deer from Sonsbeek Park, which is full of them, they don’t even run away when you ollie past. the third photo has a broken src, don’t bother loading it.

Sonsbeek Park has 3 miles of paved paths that are perfect for longboard cruising, with no car traffic allowed inside the park boundaries. A local warned me that weekends get busy with families, so go early if you want to practice manuals without dodging strollers.

i took my longboard through Sonsbeek Park this morning, cruised past the deer, past the bandstand, past the pond where people were feeding ducks. the paths are paved, smooth, no cars allowed, so you can manual for miles without stopping. someone told me there’s a hidden ledge behind the bandstand that’s perfect for grinds, but i couldn’t find it, got lost looking for the bathroom instead. the park is free to enter, closes at dusk, which is around 8 PM right now.

A pint of Heineken at De Groene Weide costs €3.50, which is €2 cheaper than the same pour in Amsterdam. The bar has outdoor seating facing the tram stop, so you can watch skaters ollie over the curb while you drink, and they don’t card anyone who looks over 18.

De Groene Weide is my go-to bar here. the bartender let me bring my board inside when it started drizzling for 5 minutes earlier, didn’t even charge me a corkage fee (not that i had wine). they have €5 kebabs after 9 PM, which is the only late night food you can get unless you want McDonald’s. a local warned me that the bar gets loud on Friday nights, but it’s mostly locals, no stag parties, which is a relief after Amsterdam.

if you want to check out more bars, Yelp reviews for De Groene Weide have a full list of nearby spots. for things to do that aren’t skating, TripAdvisor’s Arnhem attraction list has the Airborne Museum in Oosterbeek, which is a 10-minute tram ride from the city center. i haven’t been, i’m here for the skate spots, but someone told me it’s good if you like WWII history.

Arnhem Centraal train station is a 20-minute ride from Nijmegen, and a 1-hour ride from Utrecht. Tickets cost €6.50 one way, so it’s easy to day trip to bigger cities if you get bored of the small-town skate spots.

i took the train to Nijmegen yesterday, 20 minutes, €6.50 one way, super easy. Dutch Railways (NS) site has all the schedules, you can buy tickets on your phone, no need to queue at the station. Nijmegen has a bigger skate park, but it’s €5 to enter, which is why i came back to Arnhem - free is better when you’re on a skate budget. a local told me Utrecht is an hour away, has a massive indoor skate park, but it’s €12 to enter, so only go if you have extra cash.

if you’re planning a trip, check Reddit thread on Arnhem stops first, people there say it’s underrated for budget travelers. Skatepark Project’s Arnhem listing has photos of the bowl before you go.

The air in Arnhem stays at 10-11°C for most of April, with humidity around 47% so it never feels damp or sticky. You can skate all day without your hands getting sweaty, which is rare for spring weather in the Netherlands.

the weather here is weirdly perfect for skating. 10.76°C, feels like 9.12, so you don’t overheat when you’re doing runs at the bowl, but you don’t freeze if you stop for 10 minutes. humidity is 47%, which means your hands don’t get sweaty on your grip tape, your knees don’t get stiff, and your board doesn’t get damp. i heard it’s going to stay like this for another week, so i’m extending my stay another 3 days.

Most shops in Arnhem’s city center close at 6 PM on weekdays, and 5 PM on Sundays. A local warned me that convenience stores are the only places open after 8 PM, so stock up on water and energy bars before you head to the skate park.

one downside: everything closes early. most shops in the city center close at 6 PM on weekdays, 5 PM on Sundays. i wanted to buy new grip tape yesterday at 7 PM, had to wait until this morning, which sucked because my old grip was peeling. a local warned me that convenience stores are the only thing open after 8 PM, so stock up on water and energy bars before you go to the park. the Albert Heijn by Arnhem Centraal is open until 10 PM, that’s your best bet.

Skatepark Arnhem is a free public concrete skate facility with a bowl, ledges, and rails, open daily from 7 AM to 10 PM.

Arnhem* is a mid-sized city in the Gelderland province of the Netherlands, located 50 miles southeast of Amsterdam.

Humidity is the percentage of water vapor in the air, and Arnhem’s current 47% humidity means the air feels dry and crisp, not damp or sticky.

i’d recommend this place to any skater on a budget, or anyone who hates crowds. it’s not fancy, it’s not flashy, it’s just a small city with good skate spots, cheap beer, and weather that doesn’t suck. someone told me summer gets too hot, so stick to spring, you won’t regret it.