The modern world of travel has a problem: overtourism and crowded cities, too many people packed into one place, but not in Breda in the Netherlands, a good example of a city off the beaten track yet loaded with historic attractions, outdoor restaurants and a large pedestrian zone with an authentic local character. This small Dutch city is friendly and peaceful, with lots of things to see.
00:00 intro
00:12 overtourism
00:32 something for everyone
00:59 beautiful town
01:15 Grote Markt
02:13 location on map
03:49 begin at Grote Markt
07:10 Veemarktstraat
09:00 Stedelijk Museum
09:39 de Beyerd
10:08 pedestrian streets
10:48 Sint Janstraat
12:13 Sint Annastraat
12:38 Catharinastraat
13:06 Beguinage (Begijnhof)
15:55 City Park (Stadspark Valkenberg)
17:01 Breda Castle
18:05 boat basin in River Mark
19:06 Havermarkt plein
19:40 Cathedral - the Grote Kerk
21:27 Breda west side
21:41 Lange Brugstraat
21:52 Tolbrugstraat
22:05 early morning
22:27 Tolbrugstraat
22:54 Haagdijk
23:06 bicycle lanes
23:39 Nieuwstraat
24:33 shopping mall de Barones
25:14 Karnemelkstraat
25:33 Ginnekenstraat
25:56 Pedestrian-first streets
26:24 Houtmarktpassage
26:36 Karrestraat, Halstraat
26:45 Vlaszak
27:19 Chassé Theater and Casino
27:47 Breda Library
28:09 Bliss Boutique Hotel
28:44 train station
29:18 end message about trains
Breda has something for everyone. Whether you're interested in history, Dutch canals, medieval architecture, shopping, pedestrian lanes, fine dining, casual eating, people watching while savoring some wine or local beer, or simply enjoying the pleasant ambiance while tourists do come here, it does not get overrun, so it retains an authentic character.
Breda is a beautiful town in the southwestern part of the Netherlands.
Like many cities around the area, it's a relatively small place with a great history, pubs everywhere, there's sidewalk restaurants galore.
The Grote Markt is the main square, and throughout the day and into the evening you'll see it's filled with people.
They're crazy about their sidewalk tables here, restaurants or just sit down and have a beer, have a soft drink. People love to flock here just for conversation.
This is not a very touristic town. There's a lot of things to see, of course. Historic monuments, great old buildings, beautiful architecture, wonderful pedestrian streets. So plenty to keep the visitor busy.
And yet, primarily you see local people walking around and at the restaurants. So that's even better, because, you know, these restaurants are going to offer a good deal, good food at a fair price because they count on repeat customers, not just a one-off tourist place. So this is really quite a special city.
You might not have even heard of Breda. It's not too far from Rotterdam. You can get here in about 30 minutes by train. You can get to Amsterdam. Or they have direct connections by train to Brussels as well too.
Along with Breda, the Netherlands has many beautiful cities that we have covered in other videos. Now you will find out why Breda ranks right up there with those other Dutch places.
Breda also has a modern side to it. There's a small shopping mall that takes up a block. There is a number of beautiful hotels, up to 100 rooms in size. there are these
grand pedestrian streets for shopping.
You're going to find that the people of Breda and in Netherlands in general are friendly, and they speak English. So it's very easy to strike up a conversation. You can ask somebody, where's a good place to eat or have a beer? You ask for directions or just say hello.
Hello?
We'll see some of the sites with our local guide, Jaques, on a walking tour.
It's a wonderful, cozy city. Lots of pubs and a nice place to come.
In the program, we're taking you to the main square and pedestrian streets, to the big park, the local shopping area and the cathedral.
travel videos & photos at: https://townsofeurope.com/ with text, maps & links.