A weekend of enjoyment in ‘s-Hertogenbosch
Wherever you are – at a table, in the shopping streets or in the middle of the countryside – enjoying the good life is deeply rooted in the DNA of North Brabant. In the capital city of Brabant, the locals love to show you how that feels, tastes and looks. A weekend in ‘s-Hertogenbosch will allow you to become acquainted with sustainability and social and local initiatives. Unique addresses, within the city and outside of it, are filled with stories that will stimulate all of your senses and invite you to both celebrate and be still.
Day 1. A good start
If possible, make your visit a long weekend and arrive in ‘s-Hertogenbosch a little early to get the most out of your stay. This will give you enough time to explore the city centre at your leisure, so why not spend the afternoon enjoying a stroll along the Tramkade? ‘s-Hertogenbosch shows its tough side in the silos of a former factory site, with cool addresses for enjoying good food, design, games, music and the requisite Brabant beers. It buzzes with locals here from Thursday to Sunday in particular.
Exploring along the Tramkade
Old factory doors are opened for you to take a look at the creative businesses in this strong example of repurposing. For example, the Werkwarenhuis or Work Warehouse, which contain Restaurant van Aken (you can’t miss it due to its vivid pink interior) and the Social Label shop with its studio, where designers and people who are distanced from the labour market collaborate on social and sustainable items.
Play a game in the Barkade arcade hall or raise your glass to a good weekend at Bossche Brouwers – a brewery that arose from a group of friends with a passion for truly well-brewed beer. If you have the time, you can even get into an electric boat along the Tramkade to explore the city from the water.
“If you are in ‘s-Hertogenbosch on a Friday and have arrived early, be sure to take in the city centre to visit the Organic Market that is in the middle of the centre every Friday morning. It is a pleasant hustle and bustle of farmers, bakers and other taste makers of the region who come to sell their honest products in the middle of the city centre of ‘s-Hertogenbosch.''
The Botanical Challenge of Pollevie
The Tramkade does not lack for nice places to eat a good meal but there is a very special restaurant on Hofvijver street in the Paleiskwartier with an extraordinary story behind it. At Pollevie, vegetables are the cooks’ greatest source of inspiration. The menu is not exclusively vegetarian or vegan but vegetables do always play a principal role. They themselves call it the ‘Botanical Challenge’ – an exploratory journey with unique tastes and preparation techniques. The latter include a fermentation lab to get the most out of the opportunities that plant-based products offer. Furthermore, as many as possible of the vegetables come directly from the food forest Den Food Bosch and Tuinderij Geworteld.
If you want to sleep close to the city centre yet enjoy peace and quiet, Boutique Hotel Ryder is located in the outskirts of ‘s-Hertogenbosch. It is an ideal home base if you want to explore both ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Vught or the surrounding area. The hotel has a unique location on a 17th-century barracks site at Fort Isabella, where the nature of the Bossche Broek nature reserve lies at your feet.
Day 2. ‘s-Hertogenbosch’s city centre - Treasure hunting in the narrow (shop) streets
‘s-Hertogenbosch’s city centre is the place to enjoy yourself strolling through narrow streets. No large chain stores and famous brands here; rather, well-hidden addresses where beautiful purchases with a good story await behind every door. These addresses start already in Vughterstraat, which is less than 10 minutes on the bicycle from Hotel Ryder. A street filled with hotspots if you are looking for beautiful, sustainable items and vintage clothing, including P!MPT, Appel&Ei, Gooische Fashion Outlet, Reshare Store and the Terre Des Hommes bookshop. You could almost call it treasure hunting if you proceed to go down Snellestraat, which contains the most beautiful, pre-loved designer items at Het Archief. And Wanderwood, a shop filled with beautiful and ‘earth-friendly’ items. Along the way, be sure to stay alert – you are now in Uilenburg, the most charming part of the city centre, with unique viewing holes, enclosed gardens and historic buildings.
Trendsetters
Time for a break? On the corner of Snellestraat is NomNom. What makes this cozy restaurant extraordinary is that the menu changes every day. Under the motto ‘flexible and freestyle’, every day the cooks take the liberty of writing the dishes of the day on the board. The result? Creative combinations that fit in with the season and never waste ingredients.
Be sure to leave some room for the local treat of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Bossche Bol. There are plenty of nice bakeries and cafes where you can taste them but the Raadskelder under the city hall is a real experience. Discover everything there is to know about this world-famous Brabant speciality in the mini-museum and then enjoy the most delicious Bossche Bollen at Bakkerij Royal.
“Want some time to relax? In ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the countryside is just around the corner. Walk from the city centre towards Vught to enter the Bossche Broek nature reserve with its numerous hiking and cycle routes. Another recommendation is the Moerputten nature reserve, located on the other side of the city. Here you can walk for about 5 kilometres over the now iconic railway bridge and beautiful wooden walkways.”
Plant-based culinary art at Eten bij Fret restaurant.
Close to the Bossche Broek nature reserve is the plant-based culinary artists of Eten bij Fret restaurant. If you are an omnivore, do not be deterred by the vegan menu because it does not include any tasteless tofu. There is a reason they won the Vegan Award in 2024! You probably won’t even notice that you are eating only vegetables. With shared-dining dishes like cauliflower wings and grilled aubergine, you won’t even miss the meat. Sometimes you even believe that it is meat.
Day 3. Being still in Vught
In ‘s-Hertogenbosch you can easily combine a city trip with the peace and quiet and space of the Brabant countryside. From the city centre you can easily reach Vught, with plenty of opportunities to walk, cycle and be still during your weekend away.
Being still at Camp Vught
During the Second World War, Camp Vught was the only SS concentration camp outside of Nazi Germany and the occupied territory. At Camp Vught National Memorial you get a compelling look into the history of this place, including the permanent exhibition ‘De verhalen blijven’ (The Stories Remain), where you are taken on a journey through what happened here through the use of personal stories and objects. It is a charged location where, afterwards, you can relax during a walk around the nearby recreational lake IJzeren Man. There is a beautiful route that at times follows the banks of the lake and at other times travels along an unpaved pathway through the wooded areas.
Conclude at Fort Isabella
Fort Isabella was built in the 17th century by the residents of ‘s-Hertogenbosch as part of the Zuiderwaterlinie and, in the 20th century was given a new purpose as a barracks site. Nowadays it is an outer city that is called Fort Vught, a green location where residents, businesses and visitors can enjoy a lively spot in the countryside. Wandering about the premises will allow you to view the history, complete with bastions and a gatehouse.
Of course, it is also possible to sample the delicious gastronomy of Brabant here. Go into Markthal Het Fort and meet the businesses that will passionately tell you about their product of Brabant origin. Take a seat in Bij Isabelle restaurant or walk a little further to Keilekker bakery for a delicious snack. Here you will see the bakers rolling the real Brabant sausage rolls. Seize this opportunity to take a few home. Did you know that there is also a vegan variant available? It’s just as delicious!
