Creative citytour through Breda

Directions

• Start your journey at #1 T-Huis located in Valkenberg park. A relaxing hotspot where you, depending on the time of day, can settle down and enjoy a delicious coffee, a nice lunch or sip on alcoholic beverages. Take a seat on the terrace which overlooks the playground where kids are having a great time. With some luck you will be welcomed by the residential chickens, named Keith (Richards) and Mick (Jagger). Can you play an instrument? If so, join one of the jam sessions!
• You will leave the park behind T-Huis through a gate that leads you to John F. Kennedylaan. You cross this road diagonally and make your way through the narrow Bouwerijstraat which will take you the the Boschstraat. Turn right and you will find #2 Kamu at No. 31. Here, the love for home-roasted coffee and bikes go hand in hand. Together with an expert from Kamu you can compose your own bike.
• Follow the road up to the traffic lights where you will cross the street to Catharinastraat. Around house number 26 you take a left and enter the Willem Merkxtuin, a hidden art-garden, in the middle of the historical centre of Breda. As you continue your walk you exit the courtyard garden through the other gate that leads to the St. Annastraat, where small, creative entrepreneurs found their home.
• At #3 The Green Submarine the love for plants is clearly visible. Monique will help you choose, nurture, and maintain your green houseplants. Take a look inside and get inspired!
• Neighbour Sarah, owner of #4 SAARBARBAARS who has her workplace and shop in St. Annastraat designs, creates, and sells unisex leather bags. Here it is possible to alter the design to fulfil your personal wishes, this way you have the option to personalise your bag.
• By now you probably have noticed that the Sint Annastraat is a close-knit and creative street. The neighbour of Sarah is Freek, owner of #5 FAWL Customs. Freek is a big sneaker admirer. At FAWL you can compose your own sneakers, fully designed to your taste! Freek customises the sneakers by hand, this way you will get a unique pair of shoes. Besides developing your sneakers, you can let your old pair of shoes be cleaned, restored or fixed. This way you give your shoes a second life!
• Further down the St. Annastraat you take the second street on the right side and enter the St. Janstraat.
• A little bit furhter down the road you will see The Grote Markt, this is the bustling centre of the city. Following this route however, you go left to the Halstraat. At the end of this street, you cross the road and enter a new shopping area, the Houtmarkt.
• When entering the Houtmarkt you bump into a ’little square’, when you have crossed the square you will quickly arrive at #6 Parels. This circular shop is a ‘treasury’ from thrift store Vindingrijk and is creatively equipped with regained material. Not only do you visit the store to buy some gems from the past, but it is also a place to meet people and an inspirational source for people who want to commit to sustainability and circular Breda.
• When leaving the Houtmarkt, you will stumble upon parking lot Achter de Lange Stallen. At first sight it does not look like an inspiring place, until you discover all the street art that adorns the backside of the stores. These wall paintings are part of #7 Blind Walls Gallery, Breda’s open-air museum. Throughout the whole city there are over a hundred paintings, made by (inter)national artists that tell the stories of the specific location in Breda. You will probably come across more of these beautiful paintings as you continue the route.
• Follow the murals up to the end of the parking lot and turn right, you will enter the Stallingstraat.
• TIP! At the end of the Stallingstraat you will find the newest attractions from Breda: ONSTAGE Experience, the first visitor attraction where you, together with your friends, can experience the feeling of being a world-famous DJ. It is not a coincidence that Breda has the scoop as it is the home of DJ Tiësto and DJ Hardwell.
• TIP! Looking for a snack or drink in a special setting, turn left from Stallingstraat into Ginnekenstraat. At the end of the street, cross Van Coothplein towards Streetfood Club. This ‘Theater of Flavour’ opened its doors in 2022 and established itself in the former Grand Theatre. You can choose street food from all corners of the world, from Mexico to Bangkok. The interior of the Streetfood Club is also an experience in itself. Walk back to Stallingstraat and continue the route.
• If you didn't deviate from the route, take a right and enter the Ginnekenstraat, at No. 61 you will find #8 Algorithmic Perfumery. A place where creativity and technology come together. By answering several questions about your personality, they can compose a perfume that will fit you perfectly. When you walk outside you continue following the Ginnekenstraat
• TIP! If you take a left at the traffic lights and walk straight ahead towards Markendaalseweg 44, you will discover a new hotspot, The Office. This is a rooftop bar where you can admire Breda from above, with a beautiful view of the Grote Kerk. Here you can enjoy a delicious lunch, sip on an alcoholic beverage or taste a unique dinner. The Office often organises club nights with live music or DJ’s. Is the weather not as lovely as you had hoped? No problem! The Office also has an indoor area where you can savour the unique menu. It is also a nice location to work remote or to have your meetings. Fun fact, The Office is located in an actual office building.
• When you did not deviate from the route, cross the road at the traffic lights near the Ginnekenstraat and turn left after approximately 150 meters, entering the Nieuwstraat. Did you know that a lot of cities have a street named 'Nieuwstraat' even though they often are one of the oldest streets within the city. This also applies for the Nieuwstraat you just entered. A part of the street (then, with a different name) has been here since 1303!
• TIP! Lattes and Literature at No. 18 is an original English bookstore, with specialization in boardgames and… delicious coffee!
• At the end of the Nieuwstraat you turn left to the Tolbrugstraat and then right to the Harbour. Here you can also decide to discover Breda from the water. By supping, using a pedalo, boat, cruise, or canoe. You may be surprised to see how green our city is!
• When you decide to go on the water, do not forget to stop at #9 BAAI, a place where there always seems to be a holiday atmosphere. Here you can moor your boat, enjoy music, games, and good food. Every season the owners creatively transform BAAI in a ‘seasonal hotspot’. If you briefly deviate from the route, it is also accessible by foot.
• Follow the harbour up until the Hoge Brug. This bridge is also called the lock bridge and is designed by artist Eloi Koreman.
• At the same height of the Bridge, go right (Vismarktstraat) and a little bit further down the road left entering the Reigerstraat. During this small walk you pass through the nightlife area of Breda.
• At #10 Brandpunt all sorts of creative talents display their jewellery, original utensils, and decorations. They also sell products that are being made by their laser-cnc-machine. A great place if you need to find an original gift!
• Keep on walking and go left towards Kasteelplein, at the end you turn right to Park Valkenberg. If you cross the park diagonally you will end up at the starting point of the route, T-Huis.
• Do you still have time and energy left? Get ready for a 15-minute stroll to Havenkwartier, the part of Breda where creativity and industrial heritage come together. You can, of course, come back another time to Explore this part of the route.
• Leave T-Huis behind on your right side, walk to exit the park towards the Willemsbrug. The lighthouse you see on your left, standing in the singel is an artwork from an Italian artist/archaeologist, Aldo Rossi. Cross the bridge to the Willemstraat. Take a look at the ground here, you will notice the artwork BredAnts by Florentijn Hofman. Eight hundred red ants are ‘swarming’ from station to Valkenberg Park. They depict the crowds that walk back and forth between the station and city centre every day. Merel van der Linden from Beeldschoon Breda added a temporary intervention to BredAnts. Scan the QR code on the sign on the right side of Willemstraat and see how the ants come to live. They get bigger and bigger and move in all sorts of directions. Walk towards Central Station Breda that was opened in 2016. Architect Koen van Velsen used a whopping 2,2 million bricks to build the station. With use of 84 different kinds of stones the brickwork shows the history of the design. There where Van Velsen adjusted the design you can see diverging colours. An enormous job for the masons!
• Enter the station via the stairs, walk straight ahead and leave the station at the ‘Belcrumside’.
• For hotspot #11 Brouwerij Frontaal you must deviate a little from the route. When exiting the station take a right on Stationslaan and take a left towards Liniestraat. There you see the building of the former FAAM liquorice factory. To the right of the municipal bicycle depot, you will find the brewery. The team at Frontaal is always coming up with new, surprising flavour combinations. You will find these in their shop or can taste them in their brewing pub. Don’t forget to check their opening hours! From Frontaal you walk back the same way towards the station as you came from and continue the route as indicated below. 
• At the station you walk up to street level via the left side, cross the stationslaan and some grass to turn left into Speelhuislaan. 
• Early 19th century Speelhuislaan got a railway to access the new industrial area around Belcrum harbour. The benches that you see along the avenue were designed by artist Anouk Vogel and each of them have a different bronze base. The shapes of these bases look like branches or antlers and refer to the former hunting grounds.
• TIP! Do yo love playing games? At Speelhuislaan N0. 68b you find De Spellenwinkel. This shop is specialised in all kinds of board- and card games, brain teasers and puzzles. Are you looking for a (old-school) game? Then you are definitely in the right place at De Spellenwinkel!
• You may have noticed that the surroundings are slowly developing, where former industry turns into a new, often creative destination.
• TIP! At No. 153 you will find the culture hotspot within the Belcrum: Podium Bloos. A creative breeding ground for theatre makers. A spot where talents get developed and where support and coaching combine with the professional workplace. Keep an eye out for the agenda of Podium Bloos as there are a lot of entertaining events, theatre performances and movie nights at Belcrum Bios!
• Look at the traffic lights, cross the road and go left. You will pass Electron. This old control cabinet factory is converted into a creative breeding ground, where more than sixty artists, designers, and sculptures have found their workplace. On a regular basis there are perfromances or exhibitions in Electron and the corresponding MotMot Gallery.
• Just passed Electron you take a right towards the Veilingkade. After approximately 150 meters you go left and enter the grounds of #12 STEK. Speaking about a creative breeding ground! This is the hotspot for new ideas, sustainable initiatives, working with your hands and especially expressing passion. A hotspot where you, as a starting entrepreneur can set up a business, without thinking about the laundry list of rules and permits. All of this makes STEK a unique place. The terrain counts around 25 ‘Stekkers’. Toures and STEKmarktes are being held on a regular basis, and for the kids, there is a lot to explore and play with.
• As you walk towards the end of the terrain you take a right, and see #13 Pier15, a paradise for skateboarders. This place has grown into one of the most beautiful skateparks of Europe. The skateboard culture stands for keep on challenging and developing yourself this is why Pier15 gives starting bands and artist the opportunity to present themselves. “We feel the uncontrollable need to make Breda more exciting, more fun, attractive and most importantly a little bit crazier.” 
• Can you see if the walkway next to Pier15 is open? If so, walk over it to reach the final destination from this route: #14 BRACK. If the walkway is closed, then unfortunately Brack is also closed. This means that you have reached the end of the route. Don’t forget to return another time to see this unique hotspot. We assume that the walkway is open, and you have crossed it to reach BRACK. Which has established itself into the factory halls of the former Machine factory Breda v/h Backer en Rueb. A unique hotspot located next to water, originated from a collaboration between breweries Ramses, Bliksem and Bredase bomen. This last company creates street furniture and playground equipment made from trees around Breda and replant them frequently in the surrounding area of their former standing place. Next to delicious beers BRACk has a menu filled with honest and fresh food. A beautiful and inspirational hotpsot that completes this creative route through Breda.