Guides
Day trips from Tilburg by car: 7 easy ideas
Looking for day trips from Tilburg by car? Within half an hour you can be at the fairy-tale theme park in Kaatsheuvel, among the giraffes at the safari park in Hilvarenbeek or out on the sand dunes, and in about an hour you reach the edge of Antwerp. Below are seven ideas, each with the driving time, a parking tip and roughly what you’ll spend on petrol in a Toyota Aygo.
In short
- Close by (up to about 25 minutes): the safari park in Hilvarenbeek, the fairy-tale theme park in Kaatsheuvel, the Oisterwijk fens (Oisterwijkse Vennen) and the Loonse en Drunense Duinen dunes.
- A city day out (30–35 minutes): ’s-Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch) and Breda. Park at a park-and-ride or in a multi-storey car park.
- Across the border (about 55 minutes): Antwerp. Only the blue 2010 Aygo and the white 2014 Aygo may go abroad.
- Kilometres: every trip fits easily within the 200 or 300 free kilometres per day.
- Petrol: for most trips you’ll spend just a few euros there and back.
At a glance: distance, driving time and costs
| Trip | One way | Driving time* | Petrol, return** | Parking*** |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safari park in Hilvarenbeek | approx. 7 km | 10–15 min | approx. €1.50 | €9.50 exit ticket |
| Fairy-tale theme park in Kaatsheuvel | 14–16 km | approx. 20 min | approx. €3.50 | €15 per day |
| Loonse en Drunense Duinen | 15–18 km | 20–25 min | approx. €4 | free |
| Oisterwijk fens | 10–16 km | approx. 20 min | approx. €3 | at the visitor centre |
| ’s-Hertogenbosch (P+R) | 24–28 km | 30–35 min | approx. €6 | €5 per day, bus included |
| Breda (car park) | 29–32 km | approx. 30 min | approx. €7 | max. €14 per 24 hours |
| Antwerp (P+R Merksem) | 68–71 km | approx. 55 min | approx. €17 | €1 per 24 hours |
* From Tilburg railway station, calculated with two route planners, without traffic. Allow extra time at rush hour or on busy days.
** There and back, at roughly 21 km per litre (Antwerp: 20 km per litre), the consumption we quote for our Aygos, and an average Euro95 pump price of €2.45 per litre (CBS, 21 September 2026).
*** Rates as published by the venue or municipality, as of September 2026.
Fairy-tale theme park in Kaatsheuvel: from Tilburg by car
The fairy-tale theme park in Kaatsheuvel is the classic day out from Tilburg. Take the N261 towards Waalwijk and exit at Kaatsheuvel. From the station it takes about 20 minutes.
- Parking: €15 per day. You can buy a parking ticket online or at the park (according to the park’s website, as of September 2026).
- Make a day of it: on the Kaatsheuvel side of the Loonse en Drunense Duinen you can park for free at the Roestelberg. Handy for a walk after the park.
Safari park in Hilvarenbeek: parking and the car safari
The safari park in Hilvarenbeek is the closest trip: about 7 kilometres from Tilburg station. The highlight: besides the bus, boat and walking safaris, you can do the car safari in the car you arrive in.
- Parking: a parking token (exit ticket) costs €9.50 per car. You can also buy it online in advance (according to the park’s website, as of September 2026).
- Car safari rules (according to the park regulations): stay in the car, keep to 20 km/h and follow the one-way route. No open roofs, bike racks or trailers. Windows and doors stay closed, with at most 5 cm open for ventilation.
- Tip for hot days: because the windows must stay shut, pick an Aygo with working air conditioning. The air conditioning in the white 2014 Aygo currently doesn’t work.
Loonse en Drunense Duinen: free parking
De Loonse en Drunense Duinen National Park still has around 270 hectares of drifting sand.
- From Tilburg: a handy starting point is the Bosch en Duin estate on Schoorstraat in Udenhout, a 20 to 25-minute drive. A paved path leads to a viewpoint over the open drift sand.
- Parking: free at Bosch en Duin, at an inn in Drunen and at other spots including the Roestelberg in Kaatsheuvel (as of September 2026).
Oisterwijk fens: start at the visitor centre
The Oisterwijk woods and fens (Oisterwijkse Bossen en Vennen) lie just east of Tilburg. The easiest starting point is the Oisterwijk visitor centre at Van Tienhovenlaan 4, which has a car park.
- Visitor centre opening hours: April to October, Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–17:00; November to March, Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–16:00. Closed on Mondays, except Easter Monday, Whit Monday and Boxing Day (as of September 2026).
- Walking: one of the routes from the visitor centre is the 2.6 km Aderven walk.
- Parking: as of September 2026, Oisterwijk isn’t on the list of sites where the conservation body asks for a parking charge. The list is growing, so check the signs on site.
’s-Hertogenbosch: park and ride into town
Den Bosch is half an hour’s drive away. Park at P+R Transferium Pettelaarpark: it costs €5 per day, including the free bus or loan bikes into the centre for up to four people (2026 parking rates, ’s-Hertogenbosch, in Dutch). That’s exactly a full Aygo. The shuttle bus runs Monday to Saturday and on shopping Sundays, but not on public holidays.
Rather park in town? The municipal car parks in and around the centre, such as Wolvenhoek and Sint Jan, charge at most €20 per day (2026 rates, in Dutch).
Breda: park in a municipal car park
Breda is about half an hour away via the A58 motorway. The five municipal car parks all charge the same: €2.36 per hour and at most €14 per 24 hours. In the evening, between 18:00 and 09:00, you pay no more than €5.50 (Municipality of Breda, as of September 2026, in Dutch). Chassé Parking on Coulissen is one of the five.
Antwerp: across the border with two of our Aygos
Antwerp is the furthest idea on the list: about 70 kilometres to the park-and-ride on the north side of the city.
- Which car: only the blue Aygo (2010) and the white Aygo (2014) may be driven abroad. Choose international cover when you book, or you won’t be insured abroad (SnappCar, in Dutch). European roadside assistance costs €6.50 per day instead of €2 (SnappCar prices, as of September 2026).
- Low emission zone (LEZ): petrol cars meeting Euro 2 or higher may enter Antwerp’s LEZ. Cars with Dutch number plates don’t need to register: the city retrieves their details automatically from the Dutch vehicle register, the RDW (Slim naar Antwerpen, as of September 2026). Still, run the number plate through the city’s check tool before you set off.
- Parking: P+R Merksem is right off the E19 (exit 5, Kleine Bareel) and costs €1 per 24 hours. From there, take the tram to the centre (Astrid stop). All of Antwerp’s park-and-rides are outside the LEZ. A ticket in the Antwerp public transport app costs €3 and is valid for one hour. For a limited time, the app also sells a €6 combined ticket covering parking plus a return trip (Slim naar Antwerpen, as of September 2026).
Which Aygo should you choose for a day trip?
- Staying in the Netherlands? Then 200 km a day is more than enough. The 2015 and 2017 Aygos have Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, air conditioning and keyless entry. The white 2017 Aygo has the lowest rate for extra kilometres: €0.15 per km.
- Heading to Belgium? Take the blue Aygo (air conditioning; Jorge hands you the key in person) or the white 2014 (keyless, but no working air conditioning).
- Keyless pick-up: from 30 minutes before the start you check in via the app and unlock the car. You’ll need to be 21 or older, have held your licence for at least 12 months and live in the Netherlands or Germany; the details are on how it works.
You’ll find every car with photos and prices on the our cars page.
What does a day out with a rental car cost?
An example of renting a car for a day trip to the fairy-tale theme park in Kaatsheuvel, with four people:
- Rental: the day price is €35 to €36. With SnappCar’s costs (service fee, insurance and roadside assistance) that comes to roughly €48 to €65 per day, depending on your profile.
- Petrol: approx. €3.50 there and back.
- Parking: €15.
That’s about €67 to €83 in total, or around €17 to €21 per person, excluding admission tickets. SnappCar shows you the exact rental price before you pay.
Frequently asked questions
Are the free kilometres enough?
Yes. Every trip within the Netherlands stays well under 100 km there and back. Antwerp is about 140 km return and fits within the 300 km per day of the two Aygos that may go abroad. If you do drive more, you pay €0.15 or €0.25 per extra kilometre, plus a 10% SnappCar commission.
Can I drive a petrol Aygo into a low emission zone?
In the Netherlands, yes: cars running on anything other than diesel may enter every low emission zone (milieuzones.nl). In Antwerp the LEZ rules above apply, and a petrol Aygo on Dutch plates meets them.
Do I have to fill up the tank?
Return the car with the same fuel level as when you picked it up. For a trip nearby, that’s usually just a few litres.
What if I’m back later than planned?
Extend your rental in the app before the end time. Returning late without an extension costs €20 per hour (up to €250), and after the end time you’re no longer insured. More answers are in the FAQ.
