The Brabant Kempen region: natural beauty at its best

August 19, 2021

Meet the Brabant Kempen region! Full of beautiful scenery, remarkable stories and delicious local products. On your trip through this region you will end up in charming villages with welcoming pavement cafés and restaurants. And all that within cycling distance of design city Eindhoven.

Would you like to be completely immersed in the Kempen hospitality? Then make sure you stay in one of the unique accommodations: from boutique hotel to award-winning campsite! For more inspiration in this area, also read: De Peel: mother nature at her most beautiful or Discover Vincent's Homeland and visit the City of Design.

A journey through the Brabant Kempen, in the southeast of Brabant and bordering Belgium, is a true voyage of discovery. In this vast area you will find beautiful views, fens, valleys and heathland. The Catholic church has been very influential here and this can still be seen in the Gothic architecture of the chapels and churches, and the monasteries and abbeys, which to this day produce delicious beers and cheeses.

With the theme route Brabantse Zaligheden you will discover the taste of the Brabantse Kempen. Get to know regional products through encounters with the hospitable locals. If you are travelling with children, then they will love the themed route Zwarte Kaat. Zwarte Kaat (Black Kate), also known as the Witch of Hellende, used to be a local menace and is now hidden in the beautiful countryside.

Closer to

the greatest spots to stop off at
Closer to

exciting local stories
Closer to

the vast Kempen

In the middle of cycling paradise De Kempen, southwest of the village of Eersel, lies the wild Cartierheide heath. It's an area full of history, where Napoleon left his mark. In Eersel you can visit Kempenmuseum De Acht Zaligheden. This museum takes you on a journey back in time and lets you discover how the people of the Kempen lived, worked and prospered. You can stop off at Dinee-Café Fourteen for a bite to eat and a drink. Tip: with the completely new equestrian network the Cartierheide is also an ideal place to experience on horseback.

A short cycling distance further on you will find Natuurpoort d'n Ouwe Brandtoren in Reusel, and the adjoining Keimennekesbos. A name which translates into something like “pebble urchin woods”, and is indeed a great place for urchins to play! Children can play with water and sand and build huts. Climbing and scrambling at great (or small) heights? Then go on an adventure in the nearby Outdoor Park Reusel, with its 26 metre high viewing and climbing tower.

Cartierheide
Kempenmuseum De Acht Zaligheden

Kempenmuseum De Acht Zaligheden
Taverne d'n Ouwe Brandtoren

Taverne d'n Ouwe Brandtoren

Continue your bicycle tour through these beautiful surroundings in the direction of Bladel, a village where you can let your taste buds be pampered by Liberty Foodbar or Restaurant Crijns. Another beautiful village to visit is Bergeijk: a verdant municipality surrounded by woods and farmlands. It is home to National Monument De Ploeg, a beautifully renovated weaving mill factory. Nowhere else in the Netherlands can you find more projects by the famous Dutch architect Gerrit Rietveld.

The Rietveld walking route will take you to architectural highlights. Bergeijk also has various spots for a culinary break, such as: Regional restaurant De Hofkaemer and Herberg in het Wilde Zwijn. But perhaps you’d like to make your own meal? Then take a workshop about baking traditional Brabant sausage rolls at De Grenswachter Bakery Museum in Luyksgestel (photo). From Bergeijk you can be in Valkenswaard in no time, and while there you should take a look at the Dutch Museum of Lithography. It’s the only museum in the world devoted fully to the art of lithography.