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Wedged between Zeeland and Limburg, the Netherlands' largest province shares a long border with Belgium, and is culturally linked to its southern neighbour. Don't be surprised to encounter Catholic shrines at crossroads and some of the Netherlands' more interesting villages. Cafe culture is lively, superb Brabantine beers include the Netherlands' only Trappist brews, and city calendars are studded with festivals. Richly historic towns like Breda and Den Bosch bear remnants of ancient canals and ramparts, while postindustrial younger siblings Eindhoven and Tilburg revel in contemporary culture. Home to Vincent van Gogh (who hailed from Zundert, south of Breda), Noord Brabant gives its artists pride of place in great museums. And the rural landscapes, river valleys and woods that inspired them are all easily accessed via a superb cycling network.
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Noord Brabant.
Museum
With several fine historic room interiors, a French garden and picture-perfect medieval walls, this splendid city-centre palace houses a treasure trove of 17,000 historical artifacts. Don't miss the brilliantly presented photographic room, the world's oldest complete pair of spectacles and the kermis salon full of mesmerising miniature rides that spring into action with the push of a button.
Village
Ringed by grassy medieval rampart-banks, the charming citadel-village of Woudrichem became famed as the set for popular TV drama Dokter Tinus. Its small harbour is filled with old-world fishing boats, the relatively intact central square (Hoogstraat) is lined with 17th-century houses, and there are a couple of floating restaurants. An 'on call' mini-ferry (€1.40 each way) takes pedestrians across the creek from the yacht marina to Kasteel Loevesteen, a 14th-century moated castle that's also an upmarket B&B.
Church
One of the finest churches in the Netherlands, this cathedral took from 1336 to 1550 to complete. The interior has late-Gothic stained-glass windows, an organ case from the 17th century and a much-revered statue of the Madonna which, in May, is the focus of pilgrimages. Take the opportunity to climb the 73m tower, with its carillon and great views.
Amusement Park
Is Efteling Europe's greatest theme park? The Dutch certainly think so. Their 'Disneyland' pulls in more than four million visitors annually and offers a great selection of enchanting fairy-tale themed entertainment, talking trees and water shows but also some of the craziest rollercoasters you're likely to ride, including the 360-degree screamer 'Baron', and in-the-dark sensory-overload 'Vogel Kock'.
Museum
From Keith Richards' tape-recorder to a wide-screen projector that once won an Oscar, this engaging museum tells the extraordinary story of the light-bulb maker turned multinational electronics company who invented the CD and shaped a century of development in Eindhoven.
Village
Picture-postcard little Heusden features antique tile-roofed houses, post-mills, minibridge and lovely inner yacht-harbour all wrapped in a fortified river-moat still retaining triangular ravelins (island-bastions).
Gallery
This superb modern-art gallery uses elements of its rich collection (including originals by Picasso, Braque, Kandinsky and Léger) along with plenty of contemporary material to ask probing questions about the nature of art, its changing role and the space that contains it. The building itself is a dramatic architectural statement, the original castle-style 1936 gallery conjoined with a multilevel 2003 grey-stone addition that incorporates a weir of the Dommel river. The waterside cafe is worth a linger too.
Museum
Housed in the grand, century-old St Jacob's Church, this remarkable museum has reproductions of all 29 known Bosch paintings, brought to life by an explanatory free booklet. Atmosphere is added by dangling 3D sculptures, an astronomical clock and a basement re-creation of the artist's studio.
Village
Together Baarle Nassau (NL) and Baarle Hertog (B) form an extraordinary geopolitical quirk divided by the world's messiest border jigsaw: 22 miniature exclaves of Belgium lie within the Netherlands, and a further half-dozen Dutch pockets lie within these. Visit the tourist office for an exhibition explaining the background then stroll the (otherwise ordinary) streets, noticing studs and crosses marked on roadways and pavements denoting the eccentric frontier line.