315 Best Sights in Belgium

This pretty château lies 6 km (4 miles) southeast of Ath. It was built in 1752 by François-Philippe Franeau d’Hyon atop the ruins of an older castle and possesses all the neoclassical ambitions of that era, with a fleet of Rococo-style rooms. In the late 18th century, its grounds were popular with hunting parties, and the remains of an artificial "mound" (known as the Rocher) used for sighting deer survives. The surrounding parkland makes for a pleasant stroll. 

Beside the river, around 6 km (4 miles) south from Dinant, this impressive Renaissance building has beautiful interiors decorated with 17th-century woodwork and furniture, including a restored children’s coach. Louis XIV visited here during the siege of Dinant in 1675. Its park has been laid out in accordance with the design principles of Le Nôtre, the French landscape architect.

Looming large on a hill above the the town are the ruins of the 11th-century feudal castle. A tiny cobblestone alley from place du Marché takes you there. Throughout the year, occasional medieval-themed events are held here, such as displays of archery or falconry. In summer, the ghost of Berthe, a woman of local legend, supposedly appears at sunset.

Around 10 km (6 miles) northeast of La Louvière, this neoclassical estate offers an elegant escape from the gray pragmatism of industrial Wallonia. Its construction dates back to the 1760s, when it was built as the home of a wealthy entrepreneur, Julian Depestre. Since then, it's had a checkered past, having been requisitioned during World War II by the Nazi military governor of Belgium, then left to ruin. It was later rescued by the state, and these days the grounds alone are worth a visit. 

Choco-Story may deviate from the historical quaintness found everywhere else in Bruges, but it makes for a diverting bookend if you've been trawling the delightful chocolate shops in town. This collection traces the history of the cocoa bean, from its origins in the Americas to its popularity in Europe. There are also chocolate-making demonstrations and a chance to taste. It is certainly the best of a linked trio of disparately themed museums.

The Citadelle is on the cliff top, towering directly over Dinant’s city center. You can reach it by cable car, or by climbing the 408 steps that were cut into the rock face in the 16th century. The fortress is not as old as you might suspect—the ancient fortification was razed in 1818 by the Dutch, who replaced it with the current structure before being ousted. The view is splendid, and there is an arms museum with cannons and cannonballs.

For a great view of the town and the surrounding countryside, take the short but steep walk uphill from the Meuse to the cliff-top Citadelle—also known as Fort de Huy—part of the defenses built by the Dutch in the early 19th century. During World War II, the Germans used it as a prison for resistance members and hostages. It now contains an exhibition about the the living conditions of the more than 7,000 prisoners held captive here, and of the general Belgian population during the four years of Nazi occupation.

The highlight of a visit to this complex east of Liège is a trip down the former Blegny Coal Mine, which produced 1,000 tons of coal a day at its peak. Liège’s wealth was based on coal, which was mined from the Middle Ages until 1980. An audiovisual presentation illustrates this history, and former miners lead tours of the surface and underground facilities. Make an appointment to take the tour in English. A coal mine tour takes two hours, though you can spend at least half a day here with the kids because there’s also a museum, playground, restaurant, and café.

Belgium's first museum dedicated to the evolution of IT takes you on a journey through time, from the earliest abacuses through to the current age of smartphones and beyond, with special emphasis given to Belgians who have been pioneers in the field. You can also watch the exhibits shrink, as they develop from huge electromechanical calculating devices, via bulky mainframes, to tiny microchips.

In a clever example of urban renewal, what was formerly a slum is now a beautifully restored residential square with a small-village feel. The facade of the red house at the north end of the square resembles a church and is connected by a small channel to a pyramidlike structure replicating Tikal, a Mayan ruin in Guatemala.

De Groote Witte Arend, in a secret courtyard near the Jordaens house, is in a former convent. The background music tends to be Vivaldi or Telemann, the atmosphere is genteel without being snobbish, and there's a good selection of draft beers and tasty sandwiches.

Despite its relatively diminutive size, De Haan lays claim to having Belgium's largest beach: an expanse of white sand stretching around 12 km (7½ miles) from end to end. This size means that even in high summer it never gets overly crowded. At the western end is the Belgian coast's only officially designated nudist beach. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (free); toilets; water sports. Best for: nudists; sunset; swimming; walking; windsurfing.

This working brewery may not be the only one in Bruges anymore, but it's still rather special. It produces the Bruges Zot and Straffe Hendrik brands that you'll see in many bars around town, and if you want to see the brewery in action, daily 45-minute tours include a glass of the house blond beer in its unfiltered form. You'll also find out how a 3-km (2-mile) length of pipeline was laid under the city's medieval streets to allow for enough beer to fill 12,000 bottles an hour to flow beneath the cobbles to a plant outside the city limits. True beer lovers can opt for the extended tour, which descends into the cellars for a more in-depth tasting session and hopped-up tales.

This kid-friendly natural-history museum exhibits cover geology, the evolution of life, human biology and reproduction, and a diorama room of indigenous birds. There is also a garden site a short bus ride from Sint-Pietersplein (No. 5; get off at Tolhuislaan) with more than 1,000 plant species, a bee colony, and live tarantulas.

The RAVeL network is made up of old rail lines and canal towpaths that have been turned into countryside cycling and walking routes. The first 33 km (20½ miles) stage of the W1 route technically starts in Flanders, but you can just as easily pick it up in Lessines before threading a scenic trail to Ath and following the Blaton-Ath Canal to Beloeil Castle. It's a beautiful route and a day trip that includes some of the best sights in the area. See the RAVel Wallonie website for maps and details. 

Some 85% of the world's uncut diamonds pass through Antwerp, and the diamond trade has its own quarter, where the skills of cutting and polishing the gems have been handed down for generations by a tightly knit community. Twenty-five million carats are cut and traded here every year, more than anywhere else in the world. The district occupies a few nondescript city blocks west of Centraal Station. A large part of the community is Jewish, so you'll see shop signs in Hebrew and Hasidic men with traditional dark clothing and side curls, though many of the businesses are now Indian-owned. Below the elevated railway tracks, a long row of stalls and shops gleams with jewelry and gems. Diamond cutting began in Bruges but moved to Antwerp in the late 15th century, and the industry now employs some 8,000 workers. Many shops close for the Saturday sabbath.

The city's diamond trading and smithing past gets a gloriously theatrical presentation in this interactive museum. Visitors are guided through six rooms by their audio "butler" Jerome, gawking at some rampant abuses of wealth, from a diamond-encrusted gold tennis racket to a king's ransom of jewels, silverware, and chinoiserie. Ensconced in all this glitz, however, is a serious history lesson in how a city was built on its ability to turn rough stones into polished jewels, as well as the fads that accompanied the industry, such as the "Egyptmania," fanned by Napoléon's campaigns in the late 18th century, or Japan's opening up to the West in the mid-1800s, enabling its aesthetic to influence everything from Art Nouveau to a sudden bourgeois craze for kimonos.

Twenty-five kilometers (16 miles) north of Ypres, close to Diksmuide---a town, which, like Ypres, was completely flattened during World War I---you can visit the so-called Dodengang (Trench of Death), a network of trenches on the banks of the IJzer river where Belgian troops faced and held off their German adversaries for four years. Make sure to dress warmly on a cold day, as the wind tends to add some extra drama by howling across the plain. The Dodengang is only a mile or so from the Museum aan de IJzer, making it easy to combine a visit to both.

This forest adventure park has plenty of tree climbing, as well as two of the largest ziplines in Belgium, tree houses, escape rooms, geocaching sites, and a subterranean world to explore. Outdoor fun for kids. 

The first stone of the Gothic Eglise Collégiale de Notre-Dame (Collegiate Church of Our Lady) was laid in 1311, although the site was first consecrated in 1066. One of Belgium's finest medieval churches, it has a rose window, the so-called Rondia, 30 feet in diameter. Its treasury contains several magnificent reliquaries, two of them attributed to Godefroid de Huy, who followed in the footsteps of Renier, also a native of Huy and a master of the Mosan style.

The town’s keystone is its Gothic main church, which dominates the riverfront below the Citadelle. Parts of it date from the 13th century; its distinctive gray onion-dome bell tower, a 16th-century addition following a fire, was originally designed to grace roof of the town hall. The interior is particularly noteworthy for its impressive stained-glass windows, the largest of which was created by the 20th-century artist Gustave Ladon.

This church is a pleasing melange of eras and influences, with flashes of its original 12th-century Romanesque brickwork visible in the "three ages" tower, which was adapted all the way up to the 17th century. In 1408, the Lobbes chapter came to Binche with some holy relics and chalices that can be seen in the treasury. The church has been looking rather shabby in recent years, and at the time of writing it was undergoing a much-needed renovation. 

When the French took over Charleroi in 1667, Louis XIV ordered the construction of a chapel, which eventually became the parish church. Inside, a star-covered dome is particularly elaborate, with guided group tours (only) able to climb up to its covered walkways. But most eye-catching of all is the beautiful nave created in 1957, which takes up an entire wall of the church. This has been smothered in gold leaf and color-glass mosaics depicting dramatic scenes including the sacrificial lamb, dragons, the Antichrist, and the Virgin Mary. There's nothing else quite like it in Belgium.   

This site has held numerous iterations of religious buildings: first a primitive chapel, then an 11th-century Romanesque church, parts of which you can still see in the great nave and tower, before this was replaced at the end of the 12th century by its current Gothic facade. It was heavily bombed in World War II, and items rescued from the fires of 1940 by the congregation can still be seen in the lobby, along with an interesting exhibition on the church's history.  

This is one of the oldest churches in Liège; its outer walls once formed part of the city’s defenses. It has a handsome reredos portraying the suffering of Christ.

The grimy exterior of this mini-cathedral a few blocks southwest of Liège’s center, near the place St-Jacques, belies a wonderful interior. Marble, stained glass, and polished wood achieve an outstanding visual harmony. The glory of the church is the Gothic vault, decorated in intricate patterns of vivid blue and gold and containing myriad sculpted figures.

Designed by Brother Pierre Huyssens and built in the late 16th century by the Jesuits, this formidable building, now used as a cultural center, is considered part of Wallonia’s “Grand Heritage.” The marble for the impressive black-and-red columns was quarried from the Ardennes, and the limestone for the carved ceiling is from Maastricht.

Stavelot’s main square is named for St. Remacle, who founded a local abbey in 647. His reliquary, now in the Eglise St-Sébastien, is one of the wonders of Art Mosan. Dating from the 13th century, it is 6½ feet long and decorated with statuettes, of the apostles on the sides and of Christ and the Virgin on the ends.

The European Union was born in the embers of World War II, as an antidote to the nationalism that had swept Europe and caused such chaos. Its parliament shifts monthly between Strasbourg (France) and Brussels, where it occupies the Paul-Henri Spaak building (rue Wiertz 43). Hour-long audio-guide tours of Parliament and the Hemicycle, the debating chamber where plenary sessions are held, are available on weekdays (book online).  The nearby Parliamentarium visitor center is more accessible and attempts to break down just how the EU works.