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History and natural history sites Eastern Netherlands

Starting to think about a trip to Holland and Belgium, but this question is specific to some of the eastern provinces of Holland, i.e. Noord Brabant, Gelderland, and Overijssel. If we were looking to explore places accessible by train in this region, what would you recommend? Our interests are: history, art history, museums, architecture, photography, natural history, birdlife/wildlife, and of course, food and drink! We are fit(-ish!) in our 60s, and enjoy walking and hiking, but not bicycling (I know, blasphemy in Holland). I say "by train," but are open to buses too -- but we will not have a car. Hopefully that's enough to go on, but ask for more info if needed. Looking forward to everyone's thoughts...

EDIT: A couple initial thoughts to throw out for reactions: One idea was a day devoted to some of the Hanseatic Cities, particularly Zwolle, Deventer, and Zutphen. We were also eyeballing Breda as a bit of a hub. Seems like a nice-sized and attractive base with good rail connections. Thoughts?

Posted by
1214 posts

“One idea was a day devoted to some of the Hanseatic Cities, particularly Zwolle, Deventer, and Zutphen.
The Hanseatic cities are well worth a visit, but visiting these 3 cities in 1 day is very rushed. It’s not something I would recommend doing. You need to allocate at least 2 days for this.

“We were also eyeballing Breda as a bit of a hub. Seems like a nice-sized and attractive base with good rail connections. Thoughts?”
Coincidentally I live in Breda, so I most definitely agree that it’s a nice-sized and attractive city. I’m however not sure it’s a good base to visit the eastern part of the Netherlands. From Breda to Zwolle by train for instance takes 2 hours and 20 minutes.
Breda can however be a base to visit Belgian cities like Antwerp (34 minutes by train) or Mechelen (55 minutes by train).

I very much want to help you plan this trip, because I really appreciate that you’re willing to look beyond the standard cities like Amsterdam, Leiden and Delft. However I must admit it’s not exactly clear to me what part of the Netherlands you wish to visit. You mention wanting to visit the eastern part of the Netherlands, but you also mention Breda which is in the southwest of the Netherlands. Can you please give a bit more details?

Posted by
700 posts

Thanks @Dutch_traveler. And yes, I definitely know my ideas may not make a lot of sense right now (a bit all over the map), but hopefully the Forum can help! :-) Still, I'll attempt to explain some of the logic...

We somewhat stumbled into the idea of Breda, but we really like it. Breda provides easy access to more "traditional" places -- Delft, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, The Hauge, as well as access to Belgium (as you point out), which is our next destination.

I guess the heart of my question is what does Breda get us in the other direction--towards the east? i.e. Hertogenbosch, Wijchen, Nijmegen, Arnhem, etc. Is there anything of note in that direction based on our interests? One idea from that question was that of Zwolle, Deventer, and Zutphen. I recognize Zwolle is a long distance; however, the idea was to go to that farthest end and work our way back over the course of a long day. Too much?

What else in Noord Brabant, Gelderland, and Overijssel might be doable from Breda? If not by train, then perhaps by bus?

Posted by
1214 posts

First of all, forget about the bus to explore the country. In the Netherlands public transport is arranged as follows; the train connects cities and larger towns. Small villages without a train station can be reached by regional busses, which usually depart from the nearest train station. And Inside cities you’ll find a mixture of city busses, trams and/or subway.
All the cities you mentioned have a railway station, so you can reach them by train from Breda. Whether or not that’s advisable is another matter. It makes much more sense to pick 2 bases. Zwolle en Breda for instance. From Zwolle you can explore the eastern part of the Netherlands; Groningen, Zutphen, Deventer, Kampen, Nijmegen, Arnhem. NP The Hoge Veluwe. But definitely not in 1 day!!!
From Breda you can then take day trips to Rotterdam, Delft, The Hague, ‘s Hertogenbosch, Brussels, Antwerp, Mechelen, Leuven etc.

I suggest you get a guidebook about the Netherlands and Belgium to see what cities and places attract you the most.
When will you be taking this trip? And how much time do you have for it?

Posted by
84 posts

I live in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and if you stay in Breda, it’s a nice daytrip from there. I can recommend this: https://dagjedenbosch.com/en/activities/historical-boat-tour-on-the-binnendieze/ . I’ve done this a couple of times and enjoyed it each time. We have a beautiful cathedral. And a very nice historic city centre with loads of small alleys to explore. Loads of opportunities to sit down, have a drink or eat something and watch the world pass by. Also a nice museum: https://www.hetnoordbrabantsmuseum.nl/en/.

Posted by
7595 posts

If you are interested in WWII history, then "the bridge too far" is in Arnhem. Also, there is a British War Museum in the house that was the HQ for the British paratroopers in that battle.

Posted by
1730 posts

OP you've picked two really great areas of the Netherlands to explore. I'll be on my 4th Netherlands visit in 4 years this summer, returning to the Hanseatic north with my family and a friend of our daughter's. I'd recommend Kampen, Olst and Giethoorn among cities and town already mentioned. Also the Veluwe national park.

In the Breda area I've based in Den Bosch, which is an utterly fantastic city for a tourist visit. At home I bikepack occasionally with a Dutch friend from Breda and he only has good things to say about his hometown. I've only passed through but it looks good. The Culemborg, Geldermalsen, Zaltbommel rail corridor is nice too, all quiet pretty historical towns, some castles, etc.

Posted by
1 posts

I will be sojourning in Zwolle for 9 days in early June, and would like to hear suggestions for day trips out of Zwolle by boat, bicycle, or train. For history, nature walking, bird watching, and seeing rural life. On a previous trip I visited Kampen, Hattem, and Giethoorn. Veluwe National Park is on my future list. What other towns or destinations? Are there boat trips on the Ijssel, perhaps out of Kampen? Thanks for any ideas from this inspiring and helpful forum!