Den Bosch’s greatest hits: from Bossche Bol to St. John’s Cathedral
Hobnob with painters and merchants through eight centuries old Den Bosch
More than eight centuries ago, Hertog Hendrik had a city built where a forest once stood, officially known as ‘s-Hertogenbosch, meaning the Forest of the Duke. During this walking tour, I’ll tell you about the city’s history while we take in its decorated alleyways and beautiful market squares. We’ll also pass several stately buildings, ancient walls and moats from days gone by.
Born and raised in Den Bosch, I can’t wait to show you the city sites that played an important role in Dutch history, and my own life story. Bosschenaren, as we call ourselves, are known for their sociable nature, and everywhere you’ll find people eating Bossche Bol and drinking coffee on outdoor terraces. On this tour, I’ll guide you through the Uilenburg district, tell you about the origins of the name ‘s-Hertogenbosch, and let you in on where to find the best coffee in the city.
Along the way, we’ll take in:
• The impressive Gothic style of St. John’s Cathedral, where you’ll hear the story of the west tower that was never built
• The Binnendieze canals and their evolution from a merchant traffic hub to a leisure waterway
• Lively market squares and the tradesmen who peopled them
• The Noordbrabants museum with its gorgeous antiques
• Many cozy alleyways with terraces and other places that our famous painter Jheronimus Bosch would have been proud to tell you about
Allow at least 90 minutes to get the most out of this tour, or make a day of it if you’d like to fully enjoy the Burgundian lifestyle characterised by a joie de vivre. There are plenty of cozy cafes, restaurants and bars in the tiny alleyways along the way if you’d like to take a break.
on the VoiceMap app – GPS interactive.
Directions to starting point:
The audio tour starts at the city side of the central station of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, as this city is officially called. You have the bottom of the escalator at your back and a view over the fountain, with the taxi cars in front of it. To your right is the bus station. So, if you come by train, this starting position is very easy to find.
In the neighbourhood of the train staion is a P+R parking lot in case you come by car. Other P+R parking lots in the outer districts of Den Bosch are cheaper. In the tour I have mentioned two positions where you can start if you use these facilities of the municipality of Den Bosch;
From the P+R parking lot ‘Jeroen Bosch hospital’ the transfer bus brings you in ten minutes to the bus stop in ‘Achter het Wild Varken’ [Behind the Wild Pig]. The P+R of ‘Stadium de Vliert’ can also be used and in this case the transfer bus stops around the corner of the city library. Both options are mentioned in the route descriptions.
Attention; please note that if you are using the P+R facilities that take you to the Parade, a lot of the information about St. John’s Cathedral has already been given earlier in the tour.
The shiny Golden Dragon
Impressive town hall on the market
A tour on the Binnendieze
Indications of interest – please write your review so this is accurate:
TIPS
Places to stop along the way:
Jan de Groot bakery, Korenbrugstraat / Uilenburg terraces, Binnendieze canal cruise, Garden of Mariënburg, Coffee specialty store Fortin, Shops and terraces on the market, De Korte Putstraat Restaurants, North Brabant museum, Theater on the Parade, St. John’s Cathedral, Swan Brothers House, Oeteldonks Gemintemuzejum, Jheronimus Bosch silent garden, Terraces Karrenstraat, Kollenburg city brewery, The inner city harbour.
Length of the tour:
This audio tour is ‘only’ 4.8 km long, but has been developed with the aim of allowing you to enjoy a full day of fun in the city. You’re able to do the tour all year around. Check the opening hours of the museums online if you like to visit some of them.
Best time of day:
You can experience this city walk Den Bosch all day long. Be aware that on Monday mornings most shops are closed.
Precautions:
Due to the length of the audio information it’s wise to bring your smartphone battery charger or an extra power bank, to avoid that your battery runs out of power. Of course you can ask any waiter in a cozy bar or restaurant if you may charge your phone. There is a reason that Den Bosch has been voted the most hospitable city in the Netherlands several times already. If you walk the tour as a couple, it’s advisable (if you have one) to bring your bluetooth speaker along.
To give you an idea of all the beauty of the whole city walk Den Bosch it’s also published on this website. All 53 way points are work out as separate pages. Click through and have an idea.
Off course IT’S MUCH EASIER to use the VoiceMap app and let the hardware do the work for you. No worries when to play the next audio file and even a signal when you walk in the wrong direction.
The pages on this website are work out with additional images and the original sound files for the app.
Reviews about this city walk Den Bosch:
For sure I’ going to mention this to my friends and family. What a great way to get to know a city.
I give it:
I used VoiceMap before. That’s how I found this tour. Absolutely marvelous. Looking forward to the next one. AJ well done !!
In my opinion a well deserved:
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