North Brabant

Boat hire North Brabant

Van Gogh's home province, Noord Brabant, is alive with the arts: world-class museums and intriguing cultural escapes such as a cycle path lit by twinkly stars in tribute to Van Gogh's *Starry Night*. A stunning collection of five national parks make up much of Brabant's countryside, while historic towns such as Breda , Den Bosch and Eindhoven percolate with vibrant cafe culture and a surprising restaurant scene. Hire a motorboat or a sloop in Breda to explore the Mark River, reaching across the border into Belgium. Or journey along the canals of antique Den Bosch to see the grand architecture of the old town and make your way to the Biesbosch nature park for serene days on still waters

Hiring A Boat In Noord Brabant

A plethora of options exist for hiring a boat in Noord Brabant, with routes that take in quiet nature reserves and idyllic Dutch scenes full of windmills and canals, alongside more daring routes linking busy towns via long canals and rivers busy with commercial boats.

Harbours span the rivers and marinas of Noord Brabant: charming Den Bosch is a good option for inner-city moorings with berths along the scenery-rich canals, and there's a small marina just outside of Eindhoven on the Beatrix Canal.

Explore Noord Brabant By Renting A Boat

The best-known of North Brabant's towns is Holland's design capital (and home to Phillips): Eindhoven. However, there's little to see outside of the Phillip's Museum and a few interesting galleries, but the restaurants and cafes are worth a day trip, and cyclists should pedal the short but delightful Roosegaarde cycle path that twinkles like a Van Gogh after dark. From here, the stunning little town of Den Bosch offers exactly the opposite experience: with very little in the way of modernity but heaps of historic charm, a huge gothic cathedral (St Johns) with stunning views from the top, and lopping canals and rivers to explore by boat.

Nature-lovers should hire a cabin cruiser in Den Bosch and journey along the canals and rivers to the maze-like freshwater delta at Biesbosch nature park for a few nights of serenity, calm and wildlife. Some of the waterways within the park aren't explorable on anything other than a kayak, rentable within the boundaries of the park, but there are walking trails and cycling paths perfect for bird spotting, as well eco-lodges for anyone missing dryish land. Drimmelen is a perfect starting point if you'd rather skip the towns and jump straight into the park, but Dordrecht and the calming windmills of Kinderdijk are close by if you start to miss the rest of Holland's icons.

To sample the creative spirit of Noord Brabant visit Eindhoven in the autumn when the Dutch Design week, northern Europe's largest design event, takes place and brings designers from all over the world with finished works and inspiring concepts, sometimes posed as installations throughout the city. In Breda, an 80-strong (and growing), year-round gallery of gigantic street murals is placed at strategic points across the city, providing bold colourful art that contrasts with spectacular historic sights such as the moated Kasteel Bouvigne and the delightfully calm Begijnhof.

Best Areas To Hire A Boat In Noord Brabant

History lovers will adore the canals and rich cultural architecture on offer in Den Bosch, and boaters with a love of nature should opt instead for Drimmelen for its access to De Biesbosch and the windmills of Kinderdijk.

Den Bosch

The fortified capital of Noord Brabant's 's-Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch) is a pleasure for boaters. Take a cruise around the city walls to see the historic canals and churches reflected in the water, and hire a little sloepje, ideal for navigating the Binnendieze and passing beneath the historic wharves that arch over the river.

Drimmelen

Hire a boat in Drimmelen for immediate access to the National Park De Biesbosch or sail east along the Amer to connect to 's-Hertogenbosch. For longer journeys sail to Dordrecht and Rotterdam along the Beneden Merwede.

Breda

Easily reachable from across the border in Antwerp, Breda's cobbled streets and delightful architecture make a serene introduction to Noord Brabant. Hire a boat in Breda and sail towards Tilburg on the Wilhelminakanaal or explore atop the River Mark and connect to the Amer further north.

Types Of Boats To Hire

Cabin cruisers, motorboats and tenders are the most popular boats to hire in Noord Brabant. And while sailing yachts are perfect for the lakes and the rivers, they won't be appropriate for sailing in the warren of waterways at Park De Biesbosch, though small sailing boats are hirable nearby.

Sailing Yachts

Hire a yacht to explore Noord Brabant and its delightful little towns: Den Bosch and Breda. Sail along the Amer to connect to larger towns and cities throughout North Holland, or sail to the lakes east of Amsterdam.

Tenders

's-Hertogenbosch's (Den Bosch) old town canals lend themselves well to the tour boats that loop along the old city walls. The city centre is small enough to tour in a couple of hours but combine a tender with food and drink to learn a little about the city and its Roman roots while indulging in an onboard beer tasting or a plate of sushi.

Cabin Cruisers

For long cruising holidays along the canals and rivers of Noord Brabant and its neighbouring provinces, a cabin cruiser is ideal. Most cabin cruisers are suitable for 2-4 people sleeping across several berths, but larger versions are available should you have the need.

Do you need a licence to hire a boat in Noord Brabant

You won't need a boating license in Noord Brabant if your boat is less than 15m long and doesn't speed beyond 20 kilometres an hour. If your boat is a cabin cruiser or a twee electric boat built for the slim canals of Noord Brabant then you are unlikely to need a license.

For speedboats and larger vessels intent on speeding along the rivers or out on the lakes, you'll need a small, medium or large *Vaarbewijs* or an equivalent like an ICC (International Certificate for Operators of Pleasure Craft), available to EU and UK residents.

Best Times To Hire

Noord-Brabant's gentle undulations of farmland and flowery riverside are sublime in the spring and summer months when the gentle sun coaxes the countryside into bloom, and the cobbled lanes of the old towns take on a convivial alfresco atmosphere.

Temperatures remain moderate throughout the summer months, and rain is never far away (covered boats are easy to find, never fear), but the cold snowy winters, while beautiful is less than ideal for boating for all except the most committed of mariners.

How much does it cost to hire a boat

Hiring a boat in Noord Brabant generally starts at €35 an hour for motorboats. But some tenders, with lots of space for groups of up to 10 begin at €100 an hour, making them an unusually economical option for exploring towns like Den Bosch.

Cabin Cruisers are available to hire from €90 a day with a minimum booking length of two days, which, with a bedroom, space for sunbathing and small utilitarian cooking areas can be as little as €100 a day when factoring in the low (often €10-€20) overnight mooring fees in Noord Brabant.