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What is unique about Belgium?
- Belgium is one of the most densely populated and smallest European countries.
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What is Belgium known for?
- Located in Western Europe, Belgium is known for its magnificent medieval towns and well-preserved Renaissance architecture.
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What are some of Belgium’s most famous features?
- The country is famous for its excellent beer and for being the headquarters of NATO and the European Union.
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1. Antwerp
Antwerp is a spectacularly beautiful medieval city on the River Scheldt. The second largest city in Belgium, it has the largest port in the world. In Antwerp, history, art, the diamond trade, architecture, fashion, and centuries-old trades weave an intricate web that make for a memorable visit. Start your trip by exploring the centuries-old Diamond District, then visit old Grote Markt, a beautiful Renaissance square in the Old Town. Don’t miss Rubens House, a 17th-century building housing some of the most precious paintings by Antwerp’s favorite painter son. Stroll through the massive riverside fortress and feel the power at the Cathedral of Our Lady. Enjoy the narrow cobblestoned medieval streets lined up with fashionable boutiques or quaint sidewalk cafes. Take the kids to the Antwerp Zoo, Comic Station, and the petting farm De Schranshoeve, while you taste famous Belgian beers at the Antwerp Brewery.
2. Arlon
Close to the borders of France and Luxembourg, Arlon grew on the crossroads of many invaders in history – there were Gaulish, Celtic, and Roman settlements in the area at different times, and all left fascinating traces of their cultures, making a visit to Arlon a trip to ancient times. The best place to learn more about the city’s history is at the Archaeological Museum of Arlon. The city center is densely populated and full of tourists exploring the narrow cobblestoned streets and quaint small shops, while the beautiful St Donatus’ church, one of many in Arlon, offers the possibility to climb its tower and see the surrounding lush green fields and dense forests. Visit Marche Bio market to see what grows in the area and treat yourself to local gourmet delights such as pâté gaumais and maitrank.
3. Beguinage
Starting in 13th-century Western Europe, women who wanted to dedicate their entire lives to God without completely withdrawing from the world founded the béguinages, which were communities created to meet their physical and spiritual needs. They themselves were called the Béguines. The Flemish béguinages are fascinating architectural complexes that consist of churches, houses, ancillary buildings, gardens, and green spaces. There are 13 Flemish béguinages, enclosed by tall walls or surrounded by protective ditches, but with gates that are open to the outside world during the day. One of the most famous is Princely Beguinage Ten Wijngaerde in Bruges, which has fascinating architecture, famous gardens, and small museum that tells the story of this interesting movement.
4. Bruges
Bruges is a fairytale-like ancient city crisscrossed by canals lined with colorful centuries-old buildings and narrow cobblestoned streets, with a sky pierced by dozens of church spires. Start your visit at the Burg Square in the city’s ancient center, with its magnificent 14th-century city hall, the 16th-century Basilica of the Holy Blood, and a 13th-century belfry including an 83-meter-tall tower that will give you incomparable panoramic views of the city. If you come in the spring, you will be enchanted by a sea of yellow daffodils in the gardens of the ancient Princely Beguinage Ten Wijngaerde sanctuary. If you are travelling with kids, take them to the Boudewijn Seapark to see the dolphins and to the Choco-Story, a chocolate museum where they can not only learn all about famous Belgian chocolates but taste some as well.
5. Brussels
Stretched along the River Senne, Brussels is the capital of both Belgium and of Europe. Thus, it offers a fascinating mix of a modern European political and diplomatic center and a medieval city famous for its grand 17th-century buildings and beautiful, colorful, and fragrant flower markets. The heart of the city is Brussels Old Town, lined with incredible architecture, including the early 15th-century Hôtel de Ville and the elegant 17th-century Gildehuizen, with their intricate gables, ornate stonework, pilasters, balustrades, and gold decoration. Don’t miss the city landmark, the sculpture of the little boy known the Manneken Pis. The Atomium, also known as “Brussels’ Eiffel Tower,” offers great views of the city. Enjoy the majesty of the Saint-Michel Cathedral and take the kids to see the very different side of Brussels at the Belgian Comic Strip Center.
6. De Haan
De Haan is a lovely seaside village in northern Belgium known for its 11-kilometer-long beach lined with a popular promenade full of restaurants, cafes, and bars. When you get tired of enjoying the sun on the fine white sand, take a stroll through the streets of the Concessie district to see the city’s other face, with its magnificent and elegant Belle Époque buildings. The grand town hall is located in one of these, a former luxury hotel. Visit Villa Savoyarde, the home of Albert Einstein for several months in 1933. Just outside the town are massive sand dunes crossed by numerous hiking and biking trails. On top of one of the highest dune is Spioenkop, a tiny white pavilion with a red roof that offers spectacular views of the whole area. The kids will love the two very popular amusement parks of La Potinière and the Astridpark. Visit the massive De Grote Schamele Weecke 14th-century barn to learn about the traditional way of life in this area.
7. Genk
Once a grimy, insignificant, coal-mining backwater, Genk is today a surprisingly green city featuring a garden-city design, quiet park-filled suburbs, and marshland nature reserves, with Hoge Kempen National Park nearby. While the last coal mine closed in 1988, the miners and their families from all over Europe remained, making both Genk and its gastronomic offerings very diverse indeed. Learn about the city’s past at the Bokrijk indoor-outdoor museum with some fascinating 18th-century buildings, churches, and farms. Learn about coal mining in Genk first-hand by visiting one of the old coal mines such as André Dumont. Take a hike or a bike ride through beautiful Hoge Kempen National Park. Explore the unique outdoor museum of sundials, the only one of the kind in the world, at the Genk Sundial Park.
8. Ghent
Ghent is a medieval river port city in northwest Belgium. Once an important, affluent city-state at the confluence of the rivers Scheldt and Leie, today Ghent is a lively university town and cultural center with beautifully preserved medieval architecture at its center. The most famous is the 12th-century castle Gravensteen and the row of intricate guildhalls in the Leie river harbor. Visit the magnificent Catedral de San Bavón (Sint-Baafskathedraal), stroll over St Michael's Bridge, which offers expansive views of the surrounding Graslei and Korenlei neighborhoods, and explore the old Fish Market, the Castle of the Counts, and St Michael’s Church. Just 15 minutes by bus is Bourgoyen-Ossemeersen Nature Reserve, a completely different world full of peace and quiet, a heaven for birds and hikers.
9. High Fens - Eifel Nature Park
High Fens – Eifel Nature Park is a 959-square-mile park shared between Germany and Belgium that is pretty much left to nature. The natural landscape is home to an incredible diversity of flora and fauna, upland moor, reservoirs, deep valleys, forested mountainsides, and 1,000-year-old caves. The park has been restored and re-colonized by rare species of plants and animals that originally lived in the habitat. Visitors might be able to see the starling-sized dipper, roe deer, fox, wildcats and, in the spring, the rare violet copper butterfly, which lives in the daffodil-filled glades by the river. The park is intersected by many trails and the staff offer guided tours.
10. Hoge Kempen National Park
Hoge Kempen National Park, the only one in Belgium, is located between Genk and the Meuse River Valley. The park covers over 5,000 acres and is the largest nature and woodland reserve in Flanders. It consists of large pine woods, purple flowering heathland, and big lakes that formed when water filled former sand and gravel pits. The highest spot in the park is 100 meters high, offering breathtaking views of the otherwise flat landscape. The park is home to many rare animals such as roe deer, the swallowtail butterfly, the slippery snake, the European beewolf, which is actually a wasp, and the antlion. There are large boulders and stones that were scattered about by the last ice age, creating a wild atmosphere.
Plan Your Trip
Table of Contents:
- 1. Antwerp
- 2. Arlon
- 3. Beguinage
- 4. Bruges
- 5. Brussels
- 6. De Haan
- 7. Genk
- 8. Ghent
- 9. High Fens - Eifel Nature Park
- 10. Hoge Kempen National Park