Walk Groningen inside its canal ring
Groningen is the big city of the northern Netherlands, a student town ringed by canals and largely closed to cars. FOG hides the map until you walk it, and the ring of water makes the centre a clear patch to fill.
The centre
The Grote Markt is the main square, overlooked by the Martinitoren, a church tower you can climb for a view over the flat land around. The Vismarkt, the fish market, is another large square close by.
The Prinsenhof gardens are a quiet green space with a sundial and a herb garden. The Akerkhof square, by the A-kerk, is surrounded by cafes.
The canals
The Diepenring, a ring of canals, encloses the old centre. Walking around it outlines the city core on the map, and the inner streets fill in quickly.
The Groninger Museum is a colourful building standing in the water opposite the station. North of the centre, the Noorderplantsoen is a park on the former ramparts, popular with students.
Wind and rain
Groningen is flat, and the centre is easy to cover. The wind off the North Sea can be strong, with rain at any time.
Bicycles are everywhere, so watch the lanes. Start at the Grote Markt, climb the Martinitoren to see the whole ring, then walk the Diepenring all the way round and spend the rest of the day filling in the streets inside it.
Share the shape you walked
After a proper walk FOG can offer a walk card: the shape of the route you just covered in Groningen, ready to post as a square, a story or the bare shape. The lifetime card shows the area you have unfogged, the distance travelled and how much of the city you have lit.
It all runs on your phone with no account and no cloud. Choose kilometres in Settings, pick a fog colour (Midnight, Abyss, Violet, Ember or Slate) and a density, and walk. Exploring is free, and one purchase of FOG Unlimited opens every rank, every path and Google Timeline and GPX import.
Questions people actually ask
Can you climb the Martinitoren?
Yes, it is open to visitors and gives a view over the whole city.
Is Groningen car-free?
The centre is largely closed to through traffic, which makes it easy to walk.
Does it work with the app closed?
Yes. With background exploring on, FOG keeps clearing fog while the app is closed and the screen is off.
Start with a dark map.
FOG is free to explore. No account, no subscription, and your map never leaves your phone.
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