Groningen is certainly underrated... if you do get a chance to visit, don’t miss out on climbing the 260-stairs all the way to the top! There are some breaks along the way, fortunately! After the first 60 to 80 steps, there is an alcove with a small exhibition on the tower bells. Do you have some upper body strength? Try ringing the big bell! After another 80 to 100 steps, you get to see all the bells of the tower up close. There is also a touch screen facility that shows the names and pitches for each bell. After a little bit further up, you reach the top with panoramic views on the city of Groningen. There are sign posts in each direction that caption the buildings you can spot in the distance. After catching your breath, start making your way back down the spiral staircase 😊 tickets for the tower can be purchased at the Tourist Information centre

I think there are around 250 steps to get to the top. Going up is probably not the safest, the same stairs you're going up, others are going down and there isn't any railing either, just a rope that's dangling. The top is a very nice view of the city. I think it's around 3 euros per person, and you buy the ticket at the tourist information office across the street.

It turns out that you no longer can get coins at the VVV to climb up the Martinitoren . You now can only reserve on-line. There are a few tours a day with limited capacity, so it is necessary to reserve timely, especially if you want to go up in the weekend. We got a time slot for 10 am on Sunday morning. It was early and bad weather. However still worth doing the climb. The tour guide explains about the tower at the various stops during the climb (255 steps), which was interesting. We recommend a visit.