Breda

Breda is a city of 180,000 people (2014) in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It has a long history as a military stronghold and army base. Important parts of the Dutch military still reside here. The military character is still at the heart of town, as the national Dutch Military Academy resides in the historic Castle of Breda, right in the centre of the old town.

Understand
The VVV has 2 offices in town. The primary one is across the train station, but there's a smaller office with more limited opening hours on the Grote Markt.





By plane
Breda does not have a commercial airport, but thanks to the excellent public transportation system of the Netherlands, it can be reached easily from numerous airports in the Netherlands and even in Belgium.


 * Amsterdam Airport Schiphol  is the largest in the Netherlands and one of the most important global hubs, with extensive flight connection network across many continents. From the airport's train station (directly underneath the terminal), NS Dutch Railways operates frequent Intercity Direct high-speed rail service every 30 minutes to Breda. The journey takes 1 hour and costs €21.40 one-way (including €2.40 supplement for using the Intercity Direct)
 * Rotterdam The Hague Airport is closer to Breda and served by a number of short-haul connections. From there, one needs to take RET's bus 33 to Rotterdam Centraal railway station and continue to Breda by the same Intercity Direct or regular Intercity to Breda. The total journey takes about an hour as well and costs €11 (Intercity Direct supplement does not apply, as it is only required for journeys including the stretch between Rotterdam and Schiphol).
 * Eindhoven Airport is the country's second-largest airport by number of passengers, served mostly by low-fare traffic from all over Europe. Again, one needs to take a bus from the airport to Eindhoven's railway station and change to an Intercity train to Breda, with a total journey time of slightly above 1 hour and costs €12.90.
 * Brussels Airport is another international and intercontinental hub close to Breda, with many flights to Africa in particular. It has an integrated train station as well, but trains from Brussels Airport no longer run directly to Breda - one has to change in Roosendaal. The total journey time is 1.5 hours and cost of both train tickets should not come above €20.



By train
Breda is a major railway hub. Two railway lines meet at the Breda station - the north-south line from Rotterdam to the Belgian border, with further extensions to Amsterdam, Schiphol Airport and The Hague, and the east-west line branching out in Breda through Tilburg towards Eindhoven and 's-Hertogenbosch. The latter connects to branches going to Utrecht, Arnhem, Nijmegen and Zwolle. A variety of trains, including frequently stopping Sprinters, traverse those lines connecting Breda not only to those major cities but also many smaller stations along the way, such as Delft. Pretty much all of the Netherlands can be reached from Breda by trains with one train change.

High-speed premium Intercity Direct trains connect Breda to Amsterdam, Schiphol and Rotterdam without intermediate stops. As of 2018, Breda again has direct international connections to Antwerp and Brussels, eliminating the need to change in Roosendaal along the way.

Train schedules and ticket prices can be found on the Nederlandse Spoorwegen website.

By car
From Amsterdam, Breda can be reached by taking the A2 to Utrecht and then the A27. Breda is less than a 90 minute drive from the three main ferry ports in Holland. From Rotterdam, Breda can be reached by taking the A16 to Breda, which will take about 30 to 40 minutes.

By boat
P&O Ferries operates overnight ferry service between Hull, England and Rotterdam, the nearest port to Breda. The journey takes 12 hours.

On foot
The city centre and most of the sights are easy to discover on foot.

By bike
Alternatively, biking is a good option, and bikes can be rented at the train station bike parking.

By bus
The city bus is another option, circling through town. Arriva (Bravo) operatees buses here.

See














Museums
The city has a number of museums worth noting.







Do

 * Get a guided tour through the old moats of Breda. There's plenty of stories behind the historic façades. Book ahead via the tourist office. Alternatively, they sell a Dutch language booklet called "Historische Kilometer", which (if you can understand it) allows you to walk around yourself and still read up on the historic backgrounds.
 * Visit the old neighbourhood Zandberg and Ginneken, just south of the Wilhelminastraat. It has lots of old merchants' houses and on the south end you will find the Mastbos, one of the nicest forests in the Netherlands.
 * Football: NAC Breda were promoted in 2024 and now play soccer in Eredivisie, the top tier. Their home ground Rat Verlegh Stadion (capacity 19,000) is 1.5 km northwest of town centre.
 * Rent a canoe and make your own way through the Breda canals. On Saturday and Sunday you can rent one from the starting point at Spanjaardsgat without reservation. For other days, reservations are required and bookable via the tourist office or via the Beleef Breda website
 * Head out for a picnic in Park Valkenberg, a large and pleasant park halfway between the train station and the Grote Markts.
 * If you have a smartphone, you can enjoy walking around the city with free audio tours, published on izi.travel platform.

Buy
Breda is a well-known shopping city in the Netherlands. In the old city centre you can find lots of clothing shops. You should visit the Wilhelminastraat. It is located just south of the city centre and hosts lots of exclusive shops. It has a very rich and nice atmosphere.

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:



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



Go next
Some nearby destinations of interest are:
 * Tilburg, student city famous for its 10-day-long fun fair in July, which is the largest in the Benelux.
 * Kaatsheuvel, equally famous for fun, as it is home to the Efteling theme parc.
 * Dordrecht, major historic trade port with a well preserved medieval old town and hundreds of monuments.
 * Antwerp. This historic Belgian town is less than 45 minutes from Breda.