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Nijmegen holds a distinction that most Dutch cities cannot claim: it is the oldest city in the Netherlands, with a history stretching back to Roman times when a settlement known as Noviomagus occupied the high ground above the river Waal. That elevation is itself unusual in a country defined by flatness, and it gives Nijmegen a physical character quite unlike Amsterdam or Utrecht. The city sits in the province of Gelderland, close to the German border, and the broad sweep of the Waal below the Valkhof hill has shaped everything from its medieval fortifications to its contemporary waterfront life.

The Valkhof park remains the natural starting point for understanding the city. The ruins of a Carolingian chapel and a Romanesque apse stand here as quiet evidence of the centuries when Nijmegen was a seat of Frankish imperial power, favoured by Charlemagne himself. Below the park, the Waalkade stretches along the riverbank and functions as the social spine of the city, lined with terraces that fill whenever the weather permits. The Kronenburgpark nearby offers a more contemplative green space, with remnants of the medieval city wall still standing at its edge.