I really like walking tours hosted by locals. So when I saw that Jessica from Corners of the World was organising a photo walk through her hometown Den Bosch, I happily jumped on the opportunity to join her. Along with me five other travel bloggers and photographers joined the walk. I found out that Den Bosch (also known as ‘s Hertogenbosch) is a beautiful city. If you’re planning a visit there I can highly recommend this route.

Golden Dragon

We start our walk near central station. If you ask me what’s the perfect way to start any day, I would tell you it doesn’t matter as long as there’s coffee. Luckily, the others agree and we start out getting to know each other a bit at Coffee Lab. A little cafe with a killer view. It’s right next to the statue of the golden dragon. An iconic statue of the city of Den Bosch.

View over the Dommel

After we were done with our coffee (s; plural if you’re me), we walked towards the Dommel. This river is lined by weeping willows. We crossed the bridge, from which we saw the Tramkade on our left hand side which hosts walls filled with street art. This and the next stop are probably my favourite sights of the city; so if you’re in Den Bosch and following my instructions, I would advice you to walk towards that wall.

Street art Tramkade and Havendijk

It’s easy to lose track of time while taking photos of the street art at Havendijk. Every side alley has some pieces of art in the weirdest nooks and crannies. Some life size, some tiny.

Talking about life size…. If you’d like to be wow-ed by street art 10X style, there’s a place behind the Werkwarenhuis with huge siloes that are fully painted. This is truly a sight to behold!

I thought Berlin had the most impressive street art, but Den Bosch can certainly hold its own.

Houses along the Dieze

After we had our fill of street art, we walked along the Dieze. Another river in Den Bosch. There are some typically Dutch houses along the river here. If you’re lucky or unlucky depending on how you view it, you might get an accidental striptease from one of the houses like we did while we were taking photos.

Uilenburg

The next neighbourhood we walked into was Uilenburg. A very cosy looking area of the city. We didn’t have a chance to really stop here, but I certainly will in future. You can see a river running through the city here (a bit like Venice but not really), which would make for an awesome boat trip. You’ll see this in my list of things to do for my next visit.

Lunch at Gossimijne

After a bit of aimless walking to take in the city, we decided to have lunch at Gossimijne which was delicious. If you’re in the area and you’re hungry I can really recommend this restaurant. The portion sizes are quite big, so even a tosti can easily fill you up. Jessica also rated Oerwoud very highly.

St. John’s Cathedral

The next stop of the day was the beautiful St. John’s Cathedral. I’ve heard you can climb up the tower, but the building itself is a nice enough sight to behold. This Roman Catholic gothic-styled church is beautifully decorated on the outside. There’s even a statue with an angel holding a phone, try to spot it when you’re there!

Bosch Garden

Hieronymus Bosch is an important figure of the city. He is a representative of the Early Netherlandish painting school. He created a lot of fantastic illustrations with religious concepts and narratives. His macabre and nightmarish depictions of hell are his most renowned works and my favourites. If you don’t have time to visit the museum dedicated to him, you might as well visit the Bosch Garden if you’re in the neighbourhood (which you are when you’re standing next to the church).

You can spot a few of his surreal statues and another piece of street art here.

The Market

The place where we finished our walking tour and said goodbye to each other was the Market. The main hub of the city. Here you can find a statues of Hieronymus Bosch, his former house, and city hall among other buildings.

Read More

Den Bosch is Jessica’s hometown, so you can use her travel blog for more information on the city:

• What to do in the vicinity of Den Bosch (only in Dutch)
• Her favourite coffee places in the city (only in Dutch)
• This walking tour including helpful directions and other tips (in English & Dutch)

What I missed?

As always with city trips, I leave wanting much more. I actually thought I would pick up a Bossche Bol at the end of the day at the famous bakery. Don’t try this. They are sold out well before closing time. A Bossche Bol is basically a large profiterole, which originates from Den Bosch. Jan de Groot is the best spot to try them (apparently, as I haven’t had a chance to try one). I would also like to visit the Jheronimus Bosch Art Center next time I’m there. As I said, I’m a big fan of Bosch’ depictions of hell and I’d like to explore his other works. I would also like to take a boat trip on the river through the city next time. It looks like a fun “adventure” as the river passes below houses sometimes. I mean, it would be too expensive to do in Venice, so why not try it in Den Bosch?

Conclusion

Den Bosch is an incredibly fun city for a day trip in the Netherlands. It’s easy to reach by train – it will take you around an hour from Amsterdam, and also by car shouldn’t be a problem. The city has plenty of beautiful sights, and nice restaurants to explore as well as touristic sights. I don’t want to say that one day is more than enough, it’s one of those cities where you could spend a day or more if you’re also checking out the vicinity. Who knows, maybe next time!