We love our house because of its location: in the immediate vicinity there is a lake (the Groote Wielenplas) with a beach where you can swim during hot summer days or walk around it at other times.
Our house is located close to historic 's-Hertogenbosch; a city that makes us very happy because it has a lot to offer.
In the middle of the Netherlands; most sights are reachable within a 1.5-hour drive. Close to 's-Hertogenbosch, on the edge of the village and therefore quiet. But Germany and Belgium can also be reached within 1 hour. Day trips to Bruges and Cologne are easily possible from our home.
There is also a lot of nature in the area: Loonse and Drunense dunes (20 minutes' drive), Hoge Veluwe national park (one hour), De Biesbosch (40 minutes).
There is actually plenty to see and experience for young and old in the vicinity of our home. Active, culture, culinary and so on.
Rosmalen has a train station which makes traveling in the Netherlands easy. The bus leaves for 's-Hertogenbosch at a 2-minute walk. But public transport is expensive in the Netherlands and a car is easier.
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www.efteling.com
https://www.
Visitdenbosch.nl/en
The rough guide:
Martin Dunford (the Rough guide) says:
Choose Den Bosch over Amsterdam: 'Luckily for us, there's a lot more to the Netherlands than Amsterdam, and much of it remains relatively undiscovered to travelers from the UK. With this in mind, you might consider a trip to 's-Hertogenbosch - a city so unpronounceable that even locals shorten it to Den Bosch.
Located in the Catholic province of Brabant, it has a reputation among Dutch people for its southern European spirit – called “Burgundian” – meaning it is a fun place where locals like to eat, drink and live life to the fullest. If that sounds like an ideal place for a weekend getaway, it is, especially now, as the city's main museum honors Brabant's most famous artist, Vincent van Gogh, in a new exhibition. But first the city. Den Bosch is in many ways typically Dutch: bisected by canals, cut into cubes with facades and with a triangular market square as its center.
The enormous Gothic St. John's Cathedral is anything but typical, however, with its Catholic colors nailed to the mast with a venerated statue of Our Lady of Den Bosch in a chapel near the entrance, and several other medieval features that have survived the 16th century . century of Protestant anger. The organ is one of the largest in the country and you can climb to the top of the tower for the chimes and fantastic views over the city. Do this first and plan your route from the air.
The most popular activity to do in Den Bosch is a canal cruise, or De Binnendieze - a slightly spooky affair on a small open boat that takes you through and under streets and buildings. As you sail through narrow tunnels and under bridges and arches, you realize how much of the canal system is invisible from the street. Afterwards, sit by the water in the nearby Bolwerk - a bar and restaurant in one of the medieval bastions, with a large terrace on the canal.
On to the exhibition, a five-minute walk away in the Noordbrabants Museum. Entitled Van Gogh's Inner Circle, it is a compelling collection of drawings, paintings, photographs and documents collected in part to debunk the idea that Vincent was a tortured fellow who spent most of his life alone. He certainly had problems, but as the exhibition shows, people were extremely important to him, and some relationships continued throughout his life, the most famous being his special bond with younger brother Theo.
There are early sketches and portraits of members of Vincent's family, many of nearby Nuenen, and photographs of his neighbor Margot Begemann, with whom he had a doomed love affair. You will also see a version of his famous The Potato Eaters, his Still Life with Bible next to the actual Bible of his preacher father, and portraits of Vincent and brother Theo hang next to each other.
The exhibition inevitably ends on a sad note, with all the condolences Theo received after Vincent's untimely death, but it's a great show, and in fact only the first of several possible stops on a van Gogh route through Brabant. You could visit his birthplace Zundert, and some of the places where he lived with his family, but if you only go to one place, go to Nuenen, just outside Eindhoven, where there is a museum dedicated to the artist.
Nuenen itself is an affluent place and home to one of the country's best restaurants, Soenil Bahadoer's excellent two Michelin star De Lindehof. Difficult to get into but worth every cent.
If you choose to stay in Den Bosch, you won't go hungry - in keeping with its Burgundian reputation, it is packed with bars and restaurants. For coffee, locals swear by the java at Drab in the cool Uilenberg district; for a beer, try Café Bar le Duc, just down the street. It's a real Dutch "brown café" that is always busy - the place for a lunchtime uitsmijster (ham and eggs). They also brew their own beer, Kolleke.
Bossche bol
For something more substantial, try the little Korte Putstraat, which is packed with eateries, or head to Tante Pietje, which has a thoroughly Burgundian atmosphere alongside hearty Dutch food, including steaks, ribs and more. Finally, save room for a "Bossche bol" – a dark chocolate-covered cake filled with whipped cream that is most famously tasted at the Jan de Groot bakeries near the train station. Get some on the way home. They make leaving Den Bosch a lot more bearable.'
A 30-minute drive from Eindhoven Airport (low cost) and 60 minutes from Rotterdam/The Hague airport (low cost) and Schiphol Amsterdam or 75 minutes from Dusseldorf Airport.
A car is certainly convenient, but public transport is also well organised. A bus stop is around the corner. And there is a railway station in Rosmalen.
Our place is a good option to explore the Netherlands, but also to discover Belgium or part of Germany.