Turnhout

Turnhout is a town in the province of Antwerp, counting 43,000 inhabitants. It is the largest town in the eastern part of the province. The town is located 40 km east of Antwerp, 30 km from Dutch cities Breda, Tilburg and 40 km from Eindhoven, the largest city in the southern part of the Netherlands.

Understand

Turnhout is known for its playing card industry. The head office of the world's largest playing card producer is housed here.

• 1 Tourist Office, Grote Markt 44, ☏ +32 14 44 33 55, toerisme@turnhout.be. M-F 09:00-16:30, Sa 09:30-14:00, Su closed. (updated Jan 2018)

Get in

By train

The 1 Turnhout Railway Station is in the centre of the city, close to all sights.

• Direct connections from Antwerp (55 minutes) and Lier (37 minutes).
• There is no direct rail connection from the Netherlands.

By bus

The Flemish national bus company, De Lijn, has lines to Turnhout from Antwerp, Aarschot, Herentals and other neighbouring towns. For more information regarding different timetables (only available in Dutch): https://www.delijn.be.

Bus #450 connects Turnhout with the Dutch city of Tilburg.

By car

The easiest way to reach Turnhout from places like Antwerp or Eindhoven is by the motorway E34. Get off at exit 24 called Turnhout-Centrum. From here it is only a few minutes until you reach the town center.

Get around

The historical part of Turnhout which is interesting to visitors is very compact and best explored on foot.

See

• 1 Castle of the Dukes of Brabant. This castle dates back to the 12th century. The castle houses a court.  
• 2 Beguinage.  
• 3 Church of St. Peter (Sint-Pieterskerk), Grote Markt. The main church of Turnhout.  
• 4 Taxandria Museum, Begijnenstraat 28, ☏ +32 14 43 63 35. This museum displays the history of the town of Turnhout and the Turnhout region. 
• 5 National Museum of the Playing Card, Druivenstraat 18, ☏ +32 14 41 56 21. M closed. This museum is of particular interest in Turnhout. It is in an old factory building in the center of the town and also shows a beautifully restored steam engine. 
• 6 Water tower (Watertoren), Warandestraat. 

Eat

• 1 Frituur Denise, Koningin Elisabethlei 90, ☏ +32 14 41 48 52. Typical Belgian fries and other fast food. (updated Jan 2018)

Drink

• 1 Café Dépôt, Grote Markt 6, ☏ +32 14 89 18 72. (updated Jan 2018)
• 2 The Harrington Irish Pub, Grote Markt 4, ☏ +32 474 02 49 28. (updated Jan 2018)

Sleep

• 1 Best Western Turnhout City Hotel, Stationstraat 5, ☏ +32 14 82 02 02, info@turnhoutcity-hotel.be. In a historical railway building in the heart of Turnhout. It should be no surprise that is right next to the railway station. (updated Jan 2018)
• 2 Bon-Bon jour / nuit, Victoriestraat 10, ☏ +32 494 78 88 37. Centrally located small bed and breakfast. (updated Jan 2018)
• 3 Ter Driezen, Herentalsstraat 18, ☏ +32 14 41 87 57. (updated Jan 2018)

Go next

Supervisor's residence, Wortel kolonie

• Baarle — a border village in partially in Belgium and the Netherlands, with the border making very interesting ways through homes and shops.
• 7 Wortel Kolonie (some 10 km NW of Turnhout, near the Dutch border). Listed as a world heritage site in 2021 together with two other colonies in Drenthe, these agricultural colonies were set up in the 18th century to house and give work to poor people in the countryside. Today they don't function as such (though part of the Wortel colony functions as a prison), but the architecture remains. (updated Aug 2021)