Breda travel guide
Nassau tombs, a 100-metre church tower and beer on the Havermarkt
Breda is a former Nassau stronghold in North Brabant with a towering Gothic church, a castle, a Begijnhof and lively squares. Go between April and September, or at carnival if you want a party. One day covers it, longer if you add Antwerp. Prices are very high, and many passports enter without a visa.
Breda lies in North Brabant, about halfway between Rotterdam and Antwerp, and it became important as a fortified seat of the House of Nassau. The Grote Kerk, a Brabantine Gothic church with a tower close to 100 m tall, dominates the Grote Markt. Entry is free, and inside the Prinsenkapel holds Nassau family tombs.
The castle, rebuilt in Renaissance style around 1540, has been home to the Military Academy since 1826 and is not open to visitors, so view it from the Valkenberg park side. Close by, the Begijnhof is a quiet courtyard with a herb garden and a small museum. From April to October open boats tour the singels from the Haven, and Beleef Breda at 't Sas arranges canoe trips on the canals for groups.
Evenings belong to the Havermarkt, where bars pour Belgian and Brabant beers and stay busy from Thursday to Saturday. For Brabant cooking, Den Boerenstamppot on Schoolstraat serves a set three-course menu early in the evening. Trains make Breda easy: the Intercity Direct from Schiphol takes about an hour, and direct trains also run to Brussels Airport.
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Top things to do in Breda
A Gothic church, a castle academy, a Begijnhof and canals you can paddle.
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Best time to visit Breda
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Terraces on the Grote Markt and Havermarkt, and canoes on the canals.
The city parties for several days in full Brabant style.
Carnival takes over Breda in February or early March; book ahead and expect packed streets.
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Getting there
Rail from four airports
Breda has no airport, but four airports, one in Belgium, are about an hour away by train. The station is on the high-speed line, so the Intercity Direct from Schiphol needs no change, and Brussels Airport has direct trains from its station below the terminal. Valkenberg park leads from the platforms towards the castle.
- Schiphol (AMS)
- Intercity Direct every 30 minutes, about 1 hour
- Rotterdam The Hague (RTM)
- RET bus 33 to Rotterdam Centraal, then train; about 1 hour in all
- Eindhoven (EIN)
- Bus to Eindhoven station, then an Intercity; slightly over 1 hour
- Brussels Airport (BRU)
- Direct trains, a little over 1 hour
- From Rotterdam the regular Intercity is just as good as the Intercity Direct and needs no supplement.
Where to stay
Catharinastraat, Keizerstraat or by Valkenberg park
Breda's hotels sit in the old centre or just around it, along Catharinastraat, Keizerstraat or by Valkenberg park, so nearly every guest can walk to the sights. Rooms vanish at carnival in February or March, so book well ahead for those days.
- Centrum
- Near the Grote Markt and Havermarkt, with Hotel Sutor on Catharinastraat by the Begijnhof; loud on Thursday to Saturday nights
- Keizerstraat
- Hotel Keyser, with spacious rooms just outside the centre; still walkable, but there is no hotel parking
- Station and Valkenberg
- A few steps from the trains and the park, handy for day trips to Antwerp or Rotterdam
Getting around
Singels by canoe, Princenhage by bike
Walk Breda's compact old centre, where the sights lie a few minutes apart, with free audio tours on your phone. Rent a bike at the station for Princenhage, take a canoe trip on the singels with Beleef Breda at 't Sas, or board the open boats of Rondvaartbedrijf De Nieuwe Mark from the Haven between April and October.
- Walking
- Grote Markt, Begijnhof and castle within a few minutes of each other
- Bike hire
- Station bike park
- City bus
- Contactless payment; plan with 9292
- Canals
- Canoe trips through Beleef Breda; boat tours from the Haven, April to October
- Leave the car at home if you can: hotels in the centre, Hotel Keyser among them, have no parking of their own.
Know before you go
What makes Breda worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- The Grote Kerk, free to enter, with the Nassau tombs of the Prinsenkapel.
- Seeing the singels from the water, by canoe or on an open boat from the Haven.
- A Belgian beer on the Havermarkt on a Thursday night.
Good to know
- Coffeeshops will not sell to non-residents, so do not count on them.
- Ignore strangers asking you to carry packages across the border; drug couriers are recruited this way.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Breda, month by month
Month-by-month climate figures for Breda are being researched.
Valkenberg park, the Nassau tombs and a canoe on Breda's singels
Cross from Breda station into Valkenberg park, once the castle garden, for a view of Breda Castle over the moat; the Military Academy has used it since 1826, so you see only its front. At midday, the free Grote Kerk holds the Prinsenkapel and the Nassau tombs, and the afternoon suits a canoe trip on the singels.
Turn into Catharinastraat for the Begijnhof, whose herb garden is open every day; the small museum keeps shorter hours.
Midday. The Grote Kerk costs nothing to enter. Look for the Prinsenkapel and its Nassau tombs, and for the organ, one of the largest in the country. Have lunch on the Grote Markt, then walk round to the modest 18th-century Oude Stadhuis on the same square.
Afternoon. Book a canoe trip with Beleef Breda at 't Sas, or between April and October board an open boat at the Haven for a tour of the singels. Either way you see the fortress town as its defenders did, from the water.
Evening. Eat early at Den Boerenstamppot on Schoolstraat, where the kitchen closes early in the evening, then move to the Havermarkt, liveliest from Thursday to Saturday.
Belgian ales on the Havermarkt, thick chips and stamppot on Schoolstraat
Belgium is close enough that Breda's food and drink lean south: café beer lists on the Havermarkt mix Belgian abbey ales with Brabant brews, and chips come thick-cut with a long list of sauces. For Dutch home cooking, eat early at Den Boerenstamppot on Schoolstraat, and hunt dinner on the Grote Markt and the Havermarkt.
Cafetaria De Toren on Torenstraat, a few steps from the Grote Kerk, is the classic stop for a cone of them with a fried snack on the side.
For Dutch home cooking, Den Boerenstamppot on Schoolstraat has an old Brabant interior and a name that tells you what to order: stamppot, potatoes mashed with greens such as kale or endive and served with smoked sausage. It runs a set three-course menu from late afternoon, so plan an early dinner. Out towards Princenhage, FOGO Bakehouse on Heuvelstraat bakes bread and pastries for breakfast on a few days a week.
Dinner hunting is easiest on three streets and squares: the Grote Markt, the Havermarkt and Veemarktstraat. Book at weekends. Beer enthusiasts can head out to the Bierreclame Museum on Haagweg, a collection of old brewery advertising with limited opening days. Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights are when the Havermarkt is at full volume.
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How we research our Breda travel guide
Breda's high-speed rail links are checked with NS Dutch Railways, and the castle, church and canal-trip details against the city's official site, Holland.com and Wikipedia's Breda entry.
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Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of BredaHolland.comNS Dutch Railways
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Breda.
General
The Intercity Direct runs every 30 minutes from Schiphol and takes about an hour, with a small supplement on the fare.
Yes. It sits about halfway between them with direct trains, and a day covers the church, the Begijnhof and the canals.
Rotterdam The Hague and Eindhoven are nearer, each about an hour by bus and train, but Schiphol has the most flights and a direct train.
On and around the Havermarkt, where bars serve Belgian and Brabant beers and are busiest from Thursday to Saturday.
No. Coffeeshops in Breda only sell to residents of the Netherlands.
Breda is a safe city to walk at night. The one trap is a stranger offering money to carry a package into Belgium or France; drug gangs recruit couriers this way, so refuse.
Belgian-style chips with sauce from Cafetaria De Toren by the Grote Kerk, and stamppot at Den Boerenstamppot on Schoolstraat.
Walk Breda's compact old centre, where the sights lie a few minutes apart, with free audio tours on your phone. Rent a bike at the station for Princenhage, take a canoe trip on the singels with Beleef Breda at 't Sas, or board the open boats of Rondvaartbedrijf De Nieuwe Mark from the Haven between April and October.
Breda is best known for:
- The Grote Kerk, free to enter, with the Nassau tombs of the Prinsenkapel
- Seeing the singels from the water, by canoe or on an open boat from the Haven
- A Belgian beer on the Havermarkt on a Thursday night
Breda's hotels sit in the old centre or just around it, along Catharinastraat, Keizerstraat or by Valkenberg park, so nearly every guest can walk to the sights. Rooms vanish at carnival in February or March, so book well ahead for those days.
Timing & weather
Breda Castle has housed the Dutch Military Academy since 1826, so it is not open as a rule. The best view of its Renaissance front is from Valkenberg park and across the moat.
The best time to visit Breda is Apr to Sep. Terraces on the squares and canoes on the canals.
- Summer: April - September (Terraces on the Grote Markt and Havermarkt, and canoes on the canals)
- Carnival: February - March (The city parties for several days in full Brabant style)
Getting there
Yes, direct trains run from the station under Brussels Airport and take a little over an hour.
Yes. The Grote Kerk, the castle, the Begijnhof and the main squares are all within a few minutes' walk of each other.
Visa & documents
Schengen rules govern entry to the Netherlands. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
