Breda

Photo © Utrecht

Travel Guide Europe Netherlands North Brabant Breda

Introduction

Travellerspoint meeting pub in Breda!

Breda is a city with about 170.000 inhabitants in the west of the province of North Brabant, which still makes it one of the 10 biggest cities in the Netherlands. Still, it feels more than a rather small city when walking across the centre with its main market square and cathedral as a central landmark. The city has a lively atmosphere, partly thanks to the students of the National School of Tourism and Traffic (NHTV).

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Brief History

The first settlements appeared in the 12th century A.D. along the shores of the Mark river. Later in history, around 1333 the city of Breda became fortified and entering the city was only possible from 3 main points. In this era, less than 3000 people lived in Breda.

Breda became a very important city in during the 80 year war between 1568 and 1648 and during this time the city was occupied by the Spanish several times, as it was on the border between the catholic south and protestant north.

Even later, during the early 19th century, French and Russian troups, among others, conquered the city. But like most of what is now called the Netherlands, the second half of that same century saw a more positive periode of trade and wealth. Nowadays, Breda is a modern city, with history around every corner.

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Neighbourhoods

Apart from the city center, which is totally surrounded by water ('grachten'), you can find the following neighbourhoods in Breda:

Haagse Beemden
Hoge Vucht
Belcrum
Linie/Doornbos
Heilaar
Tuinzigt
Westerpark
Princenhage
Heuvel
Boeimeer
Ginneken
Zandberg Oost en West (East and West)
Blauwe Kei/Overakker
IJpelaar
Brabantpark/Heusdenhout

Also, within the municipality of Breda there are several small villages and towns like Bavel, Prinsenbeek, Ulvenhout, Teteringen and Effen.

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Sights and Activities

There are several sights in Breda which are worth a visit. Most of these sites can be visited by walking around the centre or otherwise taking a bike or bus.

On the central market square you can find the Grote or Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe Church, with graves of former leaders of the city. Also the market itself, lined with restaurants and pubs is a lively area, especially on market days and in summer.
The castle of Breda, where the Royal Military Academy is located nowadays.

Military Academy in Breda

The Spanjaardsgat symbolises the hole in the defence made by the Spaniards and is made up of two towers on the northside of the centre of Breda, next to the Castle of Breda.
Begijnhof Breda, where from around the 13th century the Begijnen lived. They were catholic women who wished to live in a peaceful and religious way, with a live full of praying. They did not, however, made a promise of eternal loyalty and poverty.
The townhall of Breda, originally made up of 3 houses, now is the place most weddings take place. In front of the townhall are steps up to the front door.
The Bouvigne Castle, south of Breda, and its gardens. Although the castle is usually closed and only open on certain days of the year, you can visit the French, German and English gardens around the castle. Next to the castle is the Mastforest, where you can walk around and escape the crowds of the city.

Valkenberg Park, Breda

Valkenberg Park, located between the trainstation and the city centre. A great place to relax, meet with friends, have a picknick or enjoy one of the events held here during the year.
Generaal Maczek Museum, De la Reijweg 95, Breda, ☎ +31 76 527 40 89. This museum is dedicated to the 1st Polish Armoured Division, which under the leadership of General Stanislaw Maczek liberated important areas of the Netherlands in 1944 and 1945. (Military area; identification is required.) edit

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Events and Festivals

Breda is a city with lots of events and festivals, most of them held during the spring and summer season.

Breda Jazz Festival - One of the biggest events in Breda, usually held in May, early June.
Breda Balloon Fesitval - Hot Air Balloon colour the sky.
Harley Day - want to see dozens of Harley Davidson's? This is your day!
Breda Hippique - Horses and stuff.
Readhead Day - a relatively new event which attracts hundreds of redheads from the Netherlands and other countries.
Breda Barst - music festival
Breda Singelloop - for the sportive people

Koningsdag (King's Day)

In 2013, the Dutch throne was passed on to King Willem-Alexander and what used to be Koninginnedag (Queen's Day) will from 2014 become Koningsdag (King's Day). The date will be changed to the 27th of April, which is the king's birthday. On this day the streets of almost every sizable town in the country come alive with activity.

Carnaval

The (catholic) south of the Netherlands celebrates carnaval at the beginning of the year. (40 days before Easter). During the days of Carnaval, all the names of the cities and towns get another (a bit loony) name. The party starts at Saturday and ends the following Tuesday. It goes hand in hand with a lot of drinking and dressing up.

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Weather

Breda weather is typical of what you get in the Netherlands: mild winters with rare snow but regular frost at night, and reasonably warm summers, when temperatures are usually around or slightly above 20 degrees Celsius. The best months to visit Breda are between May and September, especially if you want to enjoy some of the nice terraces on the market square or along the harbor.

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Getting there

By Plane

Breda has no airport. The nearest airports are Eindhoven (about 1 hour) and Rotterdam (45 minutes). Schiphol Amsterdam is about 1.5 hours by car, more so by public transport.

By Train

The Breda Train Station offers regular connections towards the east (Eindhoven), west (Vlissingen) and north (Rotterdam) of the Netherlands, with connections towards other places in the Netherlands and places in Belgium and Germany.

By Car

You can reach the city by car on one of the highways. There is the A27 from Utrecht, A58 from Tilburg and A16 from Rotterdam.

By Bus

Most people arrive in Breda by car or train, but several buses travel to neighbouring cities. One of them is the 'Brabantliner' by Veolia which travels between Breda and Utrecht.
Eurolines offers also international connections to and from Breda.

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Getting Around

By Car

For some areas further away from the city center and difficult to reach by bus you might choose to take the car. Remember though that usually between 8:00am and 9:00am and between 4:00pm and 6:00pm during weekdays, traffic is quite heavy and biking might be (much) faster. Also, Thursday evenings and Saturdays can see more traffic than usual.
The city centre has paid parking, usually around €1.5 an hour or €7 a day.

By Public Transport

There are dozens of buslines that connect the trainstation and city centre with the surrouding neighbourhoods, towns and some places further away. Veolia offers most connections (Dutch only).

By Foot

The entire city centre can be navigated on foot quite easily. Distances are not big and even the trainstation is only about 10 minutes from the central market square.

By Bike

Ok, there is my bike

Like many other Dutch cities, Breda has numerous biking lanes, which make it easy and pleasant to take your bike. Also, guarded parking of your bike is free of charge in Breda.

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Eat

There's a wide choice of restaurants available throughout the centre. The best places to search are around the historic market squares: the Grote Markt, the Havermarkt and the Veemarktstraat all have a number of nice establishments. Some good options are:

De 3 Vrienden, St. Janstraat 4, ☎ +31 76-5335880. 17-22h. Small but busy restaurant. They don't take credit cards. Rather than "starters" and "main courses", they have portions which are somewhere in between, for €8.50 each.
Zuyd, Ginnekenweg 35, ☎ +31 76-51 51 340, e-mail: [email protected]. noon-2:30PM, 6PM-10PM. Closed Sun&Mon. Call ahead, as this ambitious place gets raving reviews and is regularly booked full. It offers fine dining French cuisine in a modern restaurant. The service is good too. Menu's start at €36,50, but if you're out for a splurge, try the 7 course tasting for €67.50. Mains from €26.50.
Smaak en Beleving, Van Voorst tot Voorststraat 44, ☎ +31 76 5718099. The food in this small place is better than you might expect from its looks, and the portions are large. The dishes are simple but fresh and very tasty. They do take away too, so expect people to come in and out for that. With 3 course menus for €24.50, this is great quality for money though.
Breda Bistro, Grote Markt 17, ☎ +31 76-5214306. 08.00-17.00h. A small place where you can find the real French dishes for breakfast and lunch and where everything is fresh. The service is also very kind and helpfull.
Het Smaakwarenhuis, Ginnekenweg 11-13, ☎ +31 76 762 01 74. Closed Sun&Mon. This place is an interesting combination of a fresh food supermarket and a small restaurant. Virtually all products are produced in or directly around the Netherlands, and many in the region. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, often with a typical Dutch twist. Dinner is a set 3, 4 or 5 course meal with only a few choices. A fun place to discover Dutch produce. Breakfast around €5, from €32.50 for 3 course dinner.
Restaurant Chocolat, Torenstraat 9.
Restaurant Huispizzeria, Grote Markt 35, ☎ +31 76 - 5143900, e-mail: [email protected]. For the best authentic Italian style dishes. The service is very good and it's very cozy inside. They have something for everyone and every week they have a week special.
Restaurant Dickens & Jones, Grote Markt 40.

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Drink

Drink real Belgian and Brabants beer on Grote Markt or Havermarkt square. Explore the nightlife on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays around Havermarkt square.

Cafe de Speeltuin, Visserstraat 14.
Parc Breda, Grote Markt 20.
Kerkplein, Torenstraat 17-19.

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Sleep

Hotel Sutor, Catharinastraat 2, ☎ +31 76-5322393. In the centre of town, in the lively bar district, which can cause some noise at night. For the rest, rooms are simple but good. There's no elevator, so you'll need to carry you luggage up the stairs.
Hotel Merlinde, Schorsmolenstraat 6, ☎ +31 76 751 30 00. A bit on the edge of the centre, this 4 star hotel is quiet and offers free parking. They specialise in hotel stays with health care options, making it perfect for senior or care dependent travellers, although regular guests are just as welcome. From €130 for a double, care is extra.
Golden Tulip Keyser Breda, Keizerstraat 5. Good quality hotel with friendly staff and spacious rooms. It's just outside the city centre but still at easy walking distance. There's no private parking, so if you come by car, you'll need to park for a fee at one of the public parkings. €140 for a double.
Hotel Nassau Breda, Autograph Collection, Nieuwstraat 21-25. This luxurious boutique hotel is a part of Marriott's Autograph Collection and is located in a complex of converted historic residential and religious buildings.
Camping Liesbos, Liesdreef 40, 4838GV, Breda (4 miles WSW fof Breda centre), ☎ +31 76 514 35 14, e-mail: [email protected]. Mainly chalets but area for tents. Site uses cardkey system so you pay deposit on the card plus a pre-payment and deposit/unused pre-pay is refunded (pre-pay used for e.g. showers). Credit cards accepted. 1 person, 1 tent, 1 bike €10.31.

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Learn

The NHTV is one of the main institutions in Breda, with many international students. It specializes in traffic and tourism education.

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Keep Connected

Internet

Internet cafés are not as widespread as you would expect, but you can easily find one in the popular cities. Most hostels, hotels and camp sites have several computers, so you can keep connected with folk at home. Here is a list of internet cafés that could come in handy for travellers. Otherwise, most libraries have lots of computers and prices are around the €2-3 per hour range, although sometimes it can be even more expensive.

Wireless internet access using wifi is becoming more popular and is usually available at most hotels and increasingly at train stations. Also in trains (at least in most first class wagons, but also more and more in second class) and some buses you can use wifi. Finally, places like McDonald's and Starbucks have free wifi, and smaller individual business like cafés and restaurants are on the rise too offering these services. More often than not, these service tend to be free of charge, though there might be a limited time you can use the internet.

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Post

The rate for sending a postcard or letter up to 20 grams within the Netherlands is €0.64 (2014). Since 2010 there are stamps available for domestic post which no longer include the value in €. Instead, there are stamps available with either a '1' or a '2' as a substitute for value. The '1' can be used for letters and postcards up to 20 grams, while 20-50 grams require you to use the '2'-valued stamps (or two '1'-valued stamps of course).

Sending items to other EU countries and the rest of the world (there is one price since 2014) will cost €1.05. Stamps are sold at post offices, supermarkets and smaller shops/kiosks; often the place where you buy your postcards can also supply you with stamps.

Sending parcels abroad is more costly. A standard-sized parcel between up to 2 kilograms will cost you €9 for destinations within the EU and €18 (both without Track & Trace) to the rest of the world. Prices with Track & Trace start at €13 and €24.30 respectively. Parcel service is available from major post offices only; standard-size boxes are on sale there as well. For sending parcels, it might be just as competitive and fast to use a company like TNT, UPS or DHL.

If you need to receive mail while moving around, you can have it sent poste restante (to be called for) to a post office of your choice, where it will be kept for a month. If you come to claim it, bring a valid ID, and make sure to have told the sender that the name on the envelope must be an exact match with that in your passport. For addresses of post offices, as well as more information, consult the TNT website.

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