Combine a visit to Van Gogh Etten-Leur with more. With a walk or a bike ride through the nature that was so dear to Vincent's heart. With a snack and a drink. Or combine your visit with, for example, Van Gogh's birthplace Zundert or bustling Breda with Princenhage. Or discover more (religious) heritage in nearby Oudenbosch. May we inspire you?
(More regional tips to follow)
A visit to Etten-Leur begins with a visit to the Tourist Information Point. The picturesque building at Markt 4 is an official Van Gogh Monument and also a (museum) shop. This is not only your welcoming entrance to the Van Gogh Kerk, but to all of Etten-Leur and region De Baronie van Breda. Sights, trips, routes, postcards, souvenirs, books and the cutest (Van Gogh) gifts.
One of the special features of this route is that from the little street "Achter de Vaart" you pass several hundred pollard willows. Vincent van Gogh loved these so characteristic trees. He drew many of them and - later in France - also painted them. Sometimes from his memories of Brabant. Pollard willows had a deeper meaning for Van Gogh. They took on an almost human dimension.
The route / gift box is of course available in our shop.
You bike to the surrounding villages of Hoeven and St. Willebrord. Vincent came to Hoeven (the Hoeve in the vernacular) with his father, who was assistant pastor there. He also came to St. Willebrord ('t Heike), where Cornelis Schuitemaker lived. That was one of Vincent's favorite models at the time. He made several drawings of him. Both in the center of Hoeven and in St. Willebrord there is an audio column.
The route / gift box is of course available in our shop.
Enjoy cycling from Van Gogh Kerk Etten-Leur past an ice cream farm, a wine and asparagus farm, a strawberry terrace, the Van GoghHuis, inn 't Pannehuske, Trappist brewery/abbey store De Kievit and recreation farm De Menmoerhoeve. Stop where and when you feel like it and .... enjoy.
The route can be downloaded from the site as GPX.
A stone's throw from the Van Gogh Kerk is Van der Veeken, the bicycle specialist (Bisschopsmolenstraat 104). The store is open by appointment and is also a great address for bicycle rentals. There is a choice of women's or men's bicycles, with 3 gears or just coaster brake, in various sizes. If necessary, they can bring and pick up the bikes at an address you specify for a small fee. Price city bike: 1 day €10,00, price electric bike: 1 day €18,00.
Etten-Leur has three beautiful windmills. Two of them are on the Van Gogh Cycling Route (North and South) and all three can be visited regularly.
Where shall we start with the highlights of Van Gogh community Etten-Leur. We'll start at the Van Gogh Kerk in front of the door. On the Market is The Tree of the Year from Brabant and from the Netherlands: The Moeierboom. The 350-year-old lime tree was already an imposing monument when Vincent van Gogh walked around here.
Vincent van Gogh made hundreds of sketches and drawings in Etten-Leur. You don't have to go to a museum to see them. A selection can be admired in large format on a large outdoor wall behind the Van Gogh Kerk. An absolute selfie hotspot! If you want to learn more about the Etten works, take a walk with one of our enthusiastic guides
At various locations in the beautiful countryside you can get acquainted with the farm life and life in and with nature. For example, at Wine and Asparagus Farm De Sanspuy (with local produce store) and at Recreation Farm De Menmoerhoeve, the gateway to nature reserve De Pannenhoef. Both locations provide activities and excursions.
The picturesque Sint Paulushofje on the Market Square is well worth a visit. An oasis of peace on the lively Market Square. At the back of the courtyard is Museum The Art of Living. Here you step back in time, including an authentic farmer's room from Van Gogh's time in Etten. Highly recommended in combination with the Van Gogh Kerk!
Etten-Leur has a variety of options for lodging. The Van Gogh municipality has 4 hotel accommodations, several b&b's, a villa and 2 campsites. We have listed some options.
Stay tuned
The Vincent van Gogh Etten-Leur Foundation is part of the collaboration Van Gogh Brabant .
Their common goal is to make visible the Brabant biography of Van Gogh, in order to achieve a better understanding of the story behind his drawings, his paintings and behind the person Vincent van Gogh. The sites together tell the story of Vincent van Gogh in Brabant.
Visit historic and vibrant Breda. The city has three Van Gogh Monuments: the Grote Kerk in the center and Villa Mertersem and the Haagveld cemetery in the Princenhage district. The Blind Walls Gallery is also a must-see!
Breda
Vincent van Gogh was born here on March 30, 1853. Zundert has six Van Gogh monuments. Visit the Van GoghHuis (with VVV) as a living art center. A nice, compact walk is available of about 20 minutes. The booklet leads you along the highlights.
Zundert
Nuenen can be considered an open-air museum. Start your visit to Van Gogh Village Nuenen at museum Vincentre (with VVV) and immerse yourself in the many stories surrounding Vincent's first masterpiece: the potato eaters. Various walking and cycling routes are available at the VVV.
Nuenen
Het Noordbrabants Museum (HNBM) is the only museum location in the southern Netherlands to house original works by Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890). They tell the story in the Vincent van Gogh room of the artist's Brabant origins and his great fascination with farm life and landscape.
HNBM
"Vincent in a letter to Theo, March 23, 1877 "
"...try to be at Etten at Easter, if we are together again it will be good again.-"
