Ah yes Noord-Brabant, you’re what makes the Netherlands. Home to a certain poster on this site and just overall the best province. The second largest province of the Netherlands in land mass is known for it’s farmer past but is also home to the 5th(Eindhoven), 7th(Tilburg) and 9th(Breda) biggest cities of the Netherlands. It is also known for carnival which is happening right now.

Noord-Brabant carnival is originally a Catholic festival week that happens before Lent. Traditionally a very Catholic region it has been slowly become none religious, like most of the Netherlands, since the mid 60s but Carnival still happens. A long weekend full of booze, dress up and loads of hoompa music mixed in with the electronic Dutch language party music heard in the header. It’s not my personal favorite but I usually go for a couple days and even they tend to hate it the most of the Netherlands come invade our regions for it.

Enough about carnival lets talk about the region! Noord-Brabant might be one of the biggest provinces but it mostly best viewed split in two parts. The more sparse farmland part and the part that connects all the cities together that runs kind of through the province. Even if you are in the city you can stand in farm land in around 20 minutes tops, it’s kind of wonderful. And by farm land I mean real 100-300 people towns farmlands that the Netherlands still spots in other provinces but never with as much cows and sheep as in Brabant. It got allot of cattle, if you take a long bike ride you will run across allot of cows grazing in big open green fields. But it is also home to several of the Netherlands biggest universities(Tilburg and Eindhoven) and the city space is densely populated.

Brabant also is famed for it’s (man made) forests and overall being a province that really was important in medieval times. It’s why there are a bunch of castles still around here or well were. There’s tons of walking and biking routes that run through De Peel(shared limits with Limburg), de Kempen(shared limits with Belgium) and most important national park Biesbosch which limits it shares with Noord-Holland.

It’s also the province known for bourgondisch/burgundian living which still runs through it today. A very loose social style coming from the time which we were under French reign and mostly means a love for drink and food(see carnival) and living well. It’s the place in history for the Netherlands for breweries to settle and where most of it’s best vegetable and meat produce comes from. It also means a straight talking but relaxed kind of atmosphere is overall the vibe of the province.

There’s also allot of biking and hike paths if you enjoy those. Sharing some of the biggest nature reserves and parks with it’s neighbouring provinces you can pretty much spent 2 weeks going every direction here. Even more if you count Flemish Belgium which the region neighbours to which some posters on this site for sure reminded you off.

Allot

It’s also home to ton of old cities, farm towns and well of allot of bars/farmshops. Some of the best cheese and meat you will encounter over here for sure that aren’t imported to speciality shops. So come visit us were fun!

What to do in Noord-Brabant by Bresson

Boy this is gonna be a lengthy one

Museums and places to be

-Being the Province capital ‘s-Hertogenbosch is not the province’s biggest town but for sure one of it’s oldest. Surrounded by defence works there mostly since the middle ages and further expended till the 17th decade it’s for sure one of the most charming towns the province spots. Allot of old buildings, water and in the times of carnival home to a gigantic farmer doll named farmer Knillis. It’s home to the province museum which has allot of the most famous Dutch artists included which is right beside the Dutch Design Museum which is the the one really worth visiting most of time. A wonderful ever changing collection of design art and modern art that is put in a wonderful mix of old and new building.

-Being a former industrial town(mostly the textile industry) and having suffered allot during WO II Tilburg isn’t really that charming. I’ve called it the province’s Bristol before and it’s the place where I mostly spent allot of my teens. Grey but when you look a bit further full of charm and most important museums. It also spots 013, one of the biggest and often noted as best club level music venues of the Netherlands, and niche venues like renowned jazz club Paradox and metal bar Little Devil. For museums there is the kid focused nature museum, wonderful massive modern art museum De Pont and the National Textile Museum which is my favorite of the bunch. Loads of information and shows about fashion, history of the city and the textile industry in general. For a good beer the nonsense tiny cheap café(with pretty great beer card) ‘t buitenbeentje, located on the tiny bar street, is the place to go and for even more speciality beers next door to the paradox is Kandinsky.

-One thing Noord-Brabant is also known for is beer. It’s home to the only real beer making abbey in the Netherlands; Koningshoeven just located under the smoke of Tilburg and still (partly) ran by monks even they long gave way to regular brewers. Still it operates very much as only to make profit for the abbey and while commercial sold it famous La Trappe beer has a barrel aged series only sold at the brewery. It’s a nice bike ride from Tilburg and some years back they updated the rudimentary drinking/eating location that was there to a full blown nice although basic bar and bistro which serves allot of lunch options of local cheese, sausage and ofcourse La Trappe beer. You can finally sit decently inside also even most seating is still in the wonderful garden there.

–Museumbrouwerij de roos is located at the other side of Tilburg in cramped Hilvarenbeek and is one of the few museum breweries the Netherlands spots. Pretty much the old brewing installation is a fun museum tour but their also a active brewery with a limited but good array of beers. The brewing is done in modern ways and while it’s limited open in the weekend it’s allot of fun to go there and also hit the tasting room.

-For more modern craft beer rooms there is plenty to choose: VanMoll in Eindhoven is one of the longer running craft bars in Eindhoven and has everything for everyone. Their bar is fun although crowded and full of board games. Usual their core range and specials on tap with 12 specials taps for guest beers. In Breda you will find Frontaal who are pretty much my favorite Dutch brewery at this point. A weird mix of ipas, stouts and sours whose tasting room is located at former sugar factory de Faam.

-On the other side of Tilburg is ofcourse de Efteling. Hailed by everyone, including Tony Baxter, as one of the best theme parks in the world started as a nature park in the 1940s and slow evolved in a fairy-tale walk along showcase that now is one of the biggest parks of the EU. Renowned for it’s in house style/theme and ability to keep rides open forever(rip spookslot soonish) it really is the old fairytale park(which still is getting expanded to this day) surrounded by a collection of coasters, weird unique dark rides and whatever volk van laaf is. It feels big but it’s surprisingly compact even a full blown steam train runs through it.

Festivals

–Roadburn, which first editions were in Eindhoven but since long moved to Tilburg, is one of the biggest alternative metal festivals in the world. It literally take over the city for a long weekend every april and showcases the best/obscure in doom, black, psychedelic metal and much more.

–De Parade travels around various cities but the one in ‘s-Hertogenbosch is the only one really taking place in heart of the city center. A wonderful mix of obscure theater, big debuts for the new seasons and even some speciality shows not being played anywhere else it’s worth to crash out at and get involved. Den Bosch itself also showcase the Boulevard theater festival which takes place in August and is a bit more massive but still very much set in being a great showcase of performing arts.

COME TO NOORD-BRABANT