h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

So is it true that bars in Groningen don't have a closing time, unlike the rest of the Netherlands where most bars seem to close at about 1 a.m.?

Yes, It's true.

The bad thing is that it's no fun to go to bars before midnight, because they are completely empty at that time.

So if you have to go to work early in the morning, you have a big problem. (Or hangover).

I find this quite amusing.

Europeans from other countries who visit the UK always complain that the pubs stop serving beer at 11 p.m. (10:30 p.m. on Sundays). I used to agree with them.

Then I went to live in Paris, where the bars generally close at 2 a.m. I noticed that it wasn't worth going out before 10 or 11 p.m. because the bars were all empty; so people don't actually go out for longer - they just go out later. Fair enough.

However, you can't come home at 3 a.m., get eight hours sleep, and turn up for work at 9 a.m. the next morning, so few people go out during the week. So paradoxically, later opening means you go out less, not more.

In the UK, though, you can go for a night out on a Wednesday, say, see lots of people, be asleep by midnight, and manage to get up the next morning.

Even on Monday mornings...

I think you have the wrong picture. You could convince yourself about the fact that you can hit the town not so often, but view it from this perspective. It's ideal agains Jet-Lag. Whenever you arrive in Groningen, you can find a bar and drown your sorrows.

Also, don't forget that for a good night out, you should start with a good meal (a la carte) and a movie. When you finished both, you still can go to a bar...

It's true that the bars in Groningen don't have to close at a specific time. It depends on the bar you visit (and the bartender...) at what time the bar closes. The best days to go to a bar are thursday, friday and saturday. Especially at these days you may hang out at the bars until sunrise...

Since Groningen has a large university, there are a lot of students in the city (about 1/4 of the population). And lots of students means lots of bars! Furthermore, there are a lot of cheap spots to get a decent meal. Although Groningen is a very nice town, worthwhile a visit, it's not a very popular spot for tourists. So it's not too crowded and not expensive.