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Offered languages
- English
- English
Baarle is Europe’s most peculiar border town, where national boundaries form a mind-bending patchwork of territories. On this self-guided walking tour, you’ll explore a place where shop floors are divided by nationality, and where you can stand with one foot in the Netherlands and the other in Belgium – all while barely moving.
Starting at the Visit Baarle tourist office, you’ll learn how this town evolved into a jigsaw puzzle of 22 Belgian enclaves inside the Netherlands, plus Dutch enclaves inside Belgian enclaves. You’ll weave through streets where borders marked by white crosses slice through doorways and shops. Along the way, you’ll find out how two countries with different laws, customs, and quirks have learned to coexist.
You’ll hear stories about smugglers who exploited the porous boundaries, a building with a Belgian apartment floating above Dutch territory, and a woman who moved her front door to remain Belgian. This 90-minute audio tour ends at De Grenspaal, a border post.
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
This self-guided audio tour starts at the two benches outside Visit Baarle. Before arrival, please install the mobile app and use the code provided on your confirmation ticket. Detailed starting point instructions are available after downloading.
Itinerary
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(Pass by)
This GPS guided audio tour starts in front of Visit Baarle. You'll pass the Visit Baarle tourist office where you can pick up tips on cycle routes in the region. There's a small exhibition centre that explains how Baarle evolved over 800 years to become the world capital of enclaves.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
You'll explore the peaceful Dutch town of Baarle-Nassau with its cobbled streets and warm cafes. And you'll step over borders marked with white crosses to enter quirky Belgian enclaves.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
You'll discover the quirky history of Baarle-Hertog, a Belgian town inside the Netherlands. Stepping over borders marked with white crosses, you'll discover some of the 22 enclaves that make up Baarle-Hertog.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
You'll see a house where the Dutch-Belgian border runs through the front door. You can stand here with one foot in Belgium and the other in the Netherlands.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
You'll see Oma's Snoepwinkel, or Grandma's Sweet Shop. This is an old-fashioned store that sells Dutch sweets in paper bags. But the shop is only open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I guess Oma needs her rest.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
On this self-guided tour, you'll pass Zeeman Baarle-Nassau. The shop where the border divides the floor, and, during COVID, one half was forced to close.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
You'll pass a restaurant called Bistro La Frontière. On the opposite side, there's Pizza Grens, or Frontier Pizza. So you can guess there's a border coming up. And there it is, marked on the pavement with a line of crosses, just beyond the Maes beer sign.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
You'll cross over a park. This was once the heart of a village called Loveren.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
You'll see a hotel called Baolse Herberg. The hotel was originally called Den Bonten Os. It had a bar popular with young locals where Dutch and Belgian pop bands played in the 1960s.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
On this tour you'll see and hear about the Foundation Cultural Center Baarle.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
On this tour, you'll learn and take in the Gemeente Baarle-Hertog, the city's town hall.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
You'll end the tour at the friendly Dutch café Den Engel. While located on Dutch soil, there's one table that sits right on the border, so you can sit with a friend, one of you in the Netherlands, the other in Belgium.
Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Tags
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
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Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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