Things are different below the rivers: the provinces of Noord Brabant and Limburg have a character that's more Catholic, more relaxed, and in the case of southern Limburg, hillier than elsewhere in the Netherlands. Among the obvious southern influences are a preference for good beer and food, as embodied in the concept Bourgondisch: eating and drinking with a verve worthy of the epicurean inhabitants of France's Burgundy.
Wedged between Zeeland and Limburg, the Netherlands' largest province shares a long border with Belgium, and is culturally linked to its southern neighbour. Don't be surprised to encounter Catholic shrines at crossroads and some of the Netherlands' more interesting villages.
Jutting a long finger south, the Limburg 'appendix' was created as a geopolitical quirk in 1839 to link the major historical city of Maastricht to the rest of the Netherlands.
These are the top experiences and sights in Noord-Brabant & Limburg, according to Lonely Planet.
