’s-Hertogenbosch – Den Bosch to everyone, including its own residents – is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands and one of the least visited by foreigners. It has a cathedral that took two centuries to build, a river that runs underneath the streets, and the birthplace of a painter whose imagination is still unmatched five hundred years later.
It also has the best pastry in the country, which is not the reason to come but is not nothing either.
Sint-Janskathedraal
The Gothic cathedral is the single most impressive building in the southern Netherlands, and the detail worth knowing is on the outside. Climbing the flying buttresses are dozens of small stone figures – the hemelbestormers, storming heaven – carved over centuries. During a restoration in 2010 a new one was added, an angel holding a mobile phone. Finding it is a genuinely good reason to look up.
The Binnendieze
The river Dieze once flowed openly through the city. As Den Bosch grew, people built over it, and the result is a network of waterways running underneath houses, streets and squares. You can take a small boat through it, ducking under the city.
This is the most unusual thing to do in Den Bosch and the thing to book first, because the boats are small and they fill. An hour, and you come up seeing the city differently.
Hieronymus Bosch
The painter was born here around 1450 and took his name from the town. None of his original paintings are in the city – they are in Madrid, Lisbon, Vienna and elsewhere – but the Jheronimus Bosch Art Center holds full-size reproductions of the complete works in a converted church, which lets you see them together in a way no museum on earth can.
The Noordbrabants Museum on the same square is the general art museum and worth the hour.
The Markt and the Bossche bol
The main square is where the city gathers. The Bossche bol is a large profiterole filled with whipped cream and covered in chocolate, and eating one is a small local ritual rather than a tourist tax. The bakeries on and around the Markt all sell them; the queue tells you which one people rate.
De Moriaan
On the Markt, a brick house dating from the thirteenth century and one of the oldest in the country. It looks unassuming next to the cathedral, which is rather the point.
Carnival, if you time it right
For a few days each February or March the city renames itself Oeteldonk and disappears entirely into carnival. It is not a spectator event – you either join in or you do not go. If you do, know that the costume is not optional.
A workable day
Book the Binnendieze boat first, since it sets your timing. Cathedral in the morning, boat before or after lunch, Bosch Art Center in the afternoon, Markt and a Bossche bol whenever. That is a full day and the city is small enough that none of it involves rushing.
If you would rather explore it as a group with something to solve, an outdoor city game covers the same ground with questions attached – the how it works page explains the format and the locations page shows what is running.
Frequently asked questions
Is Den Bosch worth visiting?
Yes. The cathedral, the underground waterways and the Bosch collection are each unusual, and together they make a day that no other Dutch city can replicate.
What is Den Bosch known for?
Sint-Janskathedraal, the painter Hieronymus Bosch, the Binnendieze canals running beneath the city, the Bossche bol, and a carnival that takes over the place completely.
How do you get there?
By train: about an hour from Amsterdam, half an hour from Eindhoven and Utrecht. The station is a ten-minute walk from the Markt.
How long do you need?
A day covers the centre comfortably. The boat trip alone is an hour, and it is worth building the day around it.
Is it good with children?
Yes, and the boat is the reason – going under a city in a small boat is memorable at any age. The cathedral figures work as a spotting game too.
And with a group?
The centre is compact and walkable. For larger bookings, our groups and companies page covers the practical side, and there is more on choosing a format by size in our piece on group activities. Note that the Binnendieze boats are small, so a large group needs several.
Planning a visit?
Ask us anything through the contact page.
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