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Den Bosch
Den Bosch (officially 's-Hertogenbosch) is a city in the south of the Netherlands and the capital of the province of North-Brabant.
Culture and History
The population of Den Bosch is aprox. 140,000 and with that it is reaching its limits. This because almost all the ground available for building has been used. This does not mean that the whole area is one big city as there are several (big) parks. Likewise, the southern edge of city is totally green as this is a protected natural reserve.
Den Bosch can be seen in 9 regions (note: these regions are build up of several neighborhoods):
- Center includes the whole area inside the city walls. Most sights and places to visit can be found in this area.
- North is the area between the city center and the A59, which includes the neighborhoods de Rompert, Orthen, Herven and the area around the Prins Hendrik Park.
- Maaspoort is the area north of the A59. Mostly a residential area with some industry.
- Hintham is the area around the FC Den Bosch football stadium.
- South is the area between the city center and the A2 highway to the south. Residential, but with also a large amount of office buildings.
- West is the area west of the central station. High presence of industry, as wel as the residential neighborhoods Kruiskamp and Helftheuvel. The Brabanthallen can be found here.
- Engelen is the village of Engelen which is going through the development of Haverleij, a combined residential complex on a golfcourse.
- Rosmalen, a town to the east of the A2.
- Empel, small village to the north of Rosmalen.
Most visitor attractions are found in the center, except for the footballstadium and the Sportiom.
Travel to Den Bosch & Visa Requirements
Flights and airtickets to Den Bosch
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is the largest airport in The Netherlands, and is serviced by allmost every airline in the world. It is located near Amsterdam and there is a direct train link from the airport to the station of Den Bosch.
Rotterdam Airport and Eindhoven Airport are smaller, regional airports located near their respective cities. Transavia, KLM CityHopper and Ryanair service these airports from various destinations within Europe. Getting from the airport to Den Bosch is possible by public transport, although it necessary to change modes of transport several times. From these airports a car is best option.
By train
Den Bosch has a good location within the railway system of the "Nederlandse Spoorwegen" (Dutch Railroads) and almost every city has a direct connection or with a single stopover. Trains depart from Den Bosch main station in city center, which is located at the 'Stationsweg', towards Utrecht-Amsterdam-Haarlem and Utrecht-Schiphol in the north, in the direction of Nijmegen-Arnhem-Zwolle in the east, towards Eindhoven-Maastricht and Tilburg-Breda-Roosendaal in the south.
By car
Although Den Bosch is along major highways, it is not easy to reach Den Bosch because of traffic jams.
The major highway that passes Den Bosch is the A2, generally seen from Amsterdam to Maastricht. This one of the busiest highways of The Netherlands, and the part along Den Bosch, known as "knooppunt Hintham" and "knooppunt Empel" (intersection Hintham and Rosmalen), is in the top 5 of busiest traffic points in The Netherlands.
The other, less busy, highway passing Den Bosch is the A59, comming from Roosendaal (and the A16) towards Nijmegen. This highway is less busy than the A2, although traffic jams might occur when there is a jam on the A2 as the A59 merges into the A2 for a short part.
Nevertheless, if staying outside the peak hours, which are roughly from 7AM-9PM and from 4:30PM-7:30PM, Den Bosch is easily accessible by car.
Buses to Den Bosch
The regional buses, operated by the BBA, link Den Bosch with Tilburg and Eindhoven. As these are the regional buses, they do not go directly between these city but stop at several small villages. Therefore, the fastest and advisable way is using the train.
Tours & Getting around Den Bosch
Everything within the city center is reachable by foot. Everywhere in the city, so also in the suburbs, are sidewalks. In the city center, most areas are pedestrian only, and traffic within the city is restrected.
If you want to go to the suburbs (where there is no reason to, as all interesting places are within the city center), Arriva operates a network of busses throughout the city and towns in the vicinity. All busses arrive and depart from the central station, although for some lines it is along the line. Travelling on these busses is around €1,20 per zone, and you have to purchase at least 2 zones. You can either pay cash at the driver, or but a 'strippenkaart', a sort of multiple journey card, for this. The last one should only be considered of you intend a lot of traveling, or travel with multiple persons.
The city counsel is trying to get the city center car free, so it is bringing up all kind of measures to deteriorate people from taking the car into the city. Cars can still be parked in the city center, but on Saturdays and Thursday evening these garages are packed. Parking is also available just outside the city center and from there busses are available every 15 minutes for only €1.
The best means of transportation is, just as in the rest of The Netherlands, by bicycle.
Den Bosch attractions and sightseeing
Den Bosch is a medieval city and among the oldest cities in the Netherlands. When the Netherlands were still young it was a fortified city that served for the protection of The Netherlands. Especially on the south side of the city, a lot of these fotifications have been saved and over time restored. Start at Bastion Vught and walk northwards via the Parklaan, Spinhuiswal, Zuidwal and Bastion Oranje and Hekellaan until you reach the bridge over the Zuid Willemsvaart. This way you covert the best part of the old fortifications. In 2004, the city was awarded European Fortress of the year.
The Sint Jans Cathedral is one of the most prominent landmarks of Den Bosch. Building on the cathedral as we know it right now started in 1380 and is built in Gothic style. Because the exterior of the building is deteriorating fast due to toxic rain they started in 1998 with the restoration of the exterior. It will take years to restore the full church, but the first sections are already finished and can be seen at this moment. This restoration only applies to the exterior.
The Moriaan is the oldest brick building in The Netherlands, built in the 13th century. It is located on the market square and currently houses the Tourist Center (VVV), and in the basement rockcafe Plein79.
Another place on the market square that is worth a visit is the Town Hall. It is located on the south side of the square next to the V&D department store. It was built in the 17th century and reflects Dutch classicism.
In the north of the city center, outside the boudaries of the northern fortifications is the Citadel. This fortress was added to the city later and is not directly included in the fotifications but sort of pasted on. It holded the garrisson to protect the city or, if necessary, to counter an uprising in the city. It is now part of the national archive.
Opposite the Citadel is the Kruithuis, or powder arsenal. It is an hexagonal building and one of the last in its kind. It is currently used as a museum for art.
As the city center is protected there are still a lot of medieval buildings to be found. Wander around and see the traditional building style.
Den Bosch city tours
Learn
Work
Den Bosch souvenirs & shopping
Den Bosch Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive
Budget
Mid-range
Splurge
Den Bosch nightlife, bars, clubs & pubs
Nightlife in Den Bosch is as you might expect from a city alike: not as extravagant as Amsterdam or Rotterdam, but nice, with a friendly crowd attending and a nice atmosphere. The places most worth visiting:
- De Drie Gezusters(One of the most popular places in Den Bosch, it has 3 areas: Pub, Apres Ski and Club with different music and appearance. Can't miss it on Friday and Saturday as there will be a line outside.), Karrenstraat, [1]. Opens at 21.00, but the scene starts at around 23.00. Open until 04.00. Entrance €4, coatcheck €1.
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This page was last edited at 19:59, on 4 August 2008 by Wikitravel user Morph. Based on work by robert, Thijs Kinkhorst, Niek and Peter Fitzgerald, Wikitravel user(s) Cacahuate and Brabo and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel.
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