Budel offers a range of themes to explore during a stay: smuggling history, church architecture, windmills and beer tradition. If you are looking for a hotel in Budel, you can plan your visit around these interests. Transport links are also a useful point of reference for getting there: Budel is easily accessible via the A2.

Smuggling history and getting your bearings in Budel

The visitor entrance to the Smokkel & Grens Museum Cranendonck is on Capucijnerplein in Budel. Check the latest visitor information about the entrance before your visit. The museum displays objects and photographs of smugglers and customs officers; a film and an audio guide cover smuggling in the past and present. The exhibition thus explores both the long history of goods smuggling across the Dutch-Belgian border in Budel and the surrounding region, and its present-day practice.

For tourist information, visit VVV Cranendonck in the historic Schepenhuis in the centre of Budel. You can get information there about tourism, recreation, going out and leisure activities, including walking and cycling routes. Walking and cycling route maps for the municipality of Cranendonck are available from the VVV at Markt 28. Check the VVV’s current information and the maps’ availability in advance.

Church, Schepenhuis and local heritage

The O.L.V. Visitatiekerk in Budel is a Neo-Gothic, three-aisled cruciform church designed by architect Caspar Franssen. Its features include stained-glass windows and a triptych with a shrine of the O.L.V. Visitatie on the altar. Its architectural form and these details offer a different way to explore local history than the museum’s focus on smuggling.

There may have been a building on the present site of the Schepenhuis as early as 1616, probably serving the same purpose as a council and courthouse. At the Heemkamer in Budel, visitors can learn about plots of land and their owners over a cup of coffee. It is open on the first and third Thursday of the month, except in July and August. Plan your visit accordingly and check the visitor information in advance.

Windmills and beer tradition

A small museum has been set up in the stone cap of the Janzona windmill. At Molen Nooit Gedagt, by contrast, the focus is on the traditional work of milling flour for bakers both large and small. There is also a windmill shop where visitors can buy products. If you plan to visit the shop, check the latest visitor information beforehand.

Another local tradition is the Budelse Brouwerij: the family brewery has been rooted in the heart of Budel in Brabant since 1870 and has a centuries-old tradition. A brewery tour starts at the Bierparel, its tasting room. As tour packages may change, it is a good idea to check the latest information in advance.

Routes and practical planning

For route planning in the municipality of Cranendonck, there are 85 kilometres of signposted cycling routes using the junction network and 145 kilometres of walking junction routes. These figures apply to the municipality, not Budel alone, so check local route information before planning. VVV Cranendonck offers walking and cycling route maps for this municipal area.

The “Beleef Budel met Ridder Kuno” experience route can be followed using the Beleefroutes app or with a town map and a smartphone. Before setting off, check the route page, as digital route directions may change. The options therefore vary according to your interests and plans: in the town, the focus includes history, architecture and windmills; for outdoor activity, the municipal route information provides a separate element to include in your plans.

Discover more destinations: Budel-Dorplein, Cranendonck, Gastel, Soerendonk, Maarheeze.

Return to the main travel overview: Cranendonck.