From Roman camp to Catholic university town of 13,000 students, Nijmegen buzzes with energy and is vibrant place to spend a couple of days. This is the oldest town in the Netherlands, with a compact medieval centre yet all the urban-cool of a big city. Historic cafes, specialist craft-coffee shops and a decent smattering of museums and monuments lace its streets that stagger gently from the 16th-century Lower Town by the banks of the Waal River to the older Upper Town. In summer, Dutch party lovers pour into town for its annual four-day hiking fest and Zomerfeesten music festival.