352 Best Sights in Belgium

Koksijde's stretch of the Belgian coast is another expanse of white sand, popular with families. There are orientation poles here at regular intervals, each with a different brightly colored figure on top, designed to be easily recognizable wayfinders for lost children. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); toilets; water sports. Best for: sunset; swimming; walking; windsurfing.

The city's main square is fringed with gabled buildings, cafés, and shops; it's also the site of one of the city's busiest tram stops. Adjoining the square, along Korte Munt, is the Groentenmarkt, the former vegetable market and site of the city's pillory, where criminals were put in the stocks and exposed to public abuse, back in the Middle Ages.

In some ways, this is the museum of museums. The Artotheque is a former chapel that once belonged to Ursuline nuns; now it is home to the overflow collections of museums across the city. In essence, it's a would-be storage facility that has been opened to the public, with a series of exhibitions built around items from an array of art and cultural institutions that would otherwise just lie in a basement. It also delves into the art and science of museum work. It does have some eccentric opening hours, so plan your visit well. 

Located at the Spa Monopole bottling plant, which produces the famous Spa brand mineral water, this interactive exhibit details the water's long underground journey of purification. There are also viewing points where you can watch the clattering bottling lines in full flow, and a small museum with exhibits of old bottles and crates.

In 1975, a 9-meter-long Celtic-type barge, a canoe, and a mass of pottery were discovered at the Gallo-Roman dig in Pommerœul. Dating back to the 2nd century, the now-restored barge is one of the oldest examples of its kind in existence and, together with the rest of the findings, forms the centerpiece of a museum that is more family-focused than history buffs might like. The third floor hosts temporary historical exhibitions (not always in English, so check beforehand). 

Almost all the big names of modern and contemporary are represented in this collection of 700-odd French and Belgian paintings dating from the 1850s on. Some of the stars are Emile Claus’ Le Vieux Jardinier (The Old Gardener) and Paul Gauguin’s Le Sorcier de Hiva-Oa (The Sorcerer of Hiva-Oa). The museum stands in the attractive Parc de la Boverie, about 3 km (2 miles) southeast of the town center, favored by the Liègeois for a stroll far away from the traffic. You can walk partway along the riverfront to get there.

A church is likely to have stood here since the 10th century, though the oldest surviving part of the current building is the chancel, which dates from some 300 years later. Like many churches in the region, it is finished in a number of styles, as additions were made over the centuries. The nave is more in the late-Hainaut Gothic design, while the Germanic-looking bell tower was rebuilt in the 18th century with an onion dome and hosts a 26-bell carillon. Look out for the mausoleum of Charles de Croÿ, first prince of Chimay, which is adorned with an alabaster figure of the recumbent royal.

Art Nouveau architect Paul Cauchie built this house for himself in 1905, using the facade as a virtual shop window for his sgraffito expertise. Sgraffito work begins with a light-color base layer; a darker color is added on top, and then, while the paint is still wet, it is etched with a design that allows the lighter color underneath to show through. Here, Cauchie covered the front with graceful, curving images of women playing lyres. The home’s interior, only open to the public on guided tours on specific Saturdays and Sundays (see website), is a wonderful example of the Art Nouveau aesthetic.

Parts of the surrounding area can only be visited with a guide, particularly the peat bogs and the feeding areas of the capercaillies (large and very rare woodland grouse—the park’s symbol). At the park's nature and visitor center, you can book an individual guide, and you can rent bikes and e-bikes. Inside the center itself, the Fania exhibition is an immersive introduction to the local flora, fauna, and landscapes. Part of the visit takes you through a "sensory tunnel" in which you can listen to birdsong, peek into a fox's den, and walk barefoot over leaves and tree bark.

This historic building only reopened to the public in 2023, but the clincher is that it is one of architect Victor Horta's more dazzling creations, in a city littered with them. A UNESCO-listed early-20th-century town house, it now holds four exhibition spaces that delve into the history and impact of the Art Nouveau movement. Self-guided visits are available on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

About 3 km (2 miles) north of the village lies the artificial lake of Virelles. It's developed into an important reserve, and each year welcomes the arrival of the only white storks in Wallonia. Its waters are wrapped in hides and nature trails, though early-morning canoe paddles with guides (€30) can yield the best sightings. These tours are run by Aquascope, who also offer guided walks and rent bicycles for exploring the area. 

Mons is constantly evolving. Back in the Middle Ages, the river Trouille ran through this part of the city, which was known as the fisherman's quarter. By the mid-1800s, the then badly polluted river was diverted away from the city and sewers were installed. At the same time, a slaughterhouse was built here, designed in the Lombard style with a roomy courtyard. Even the streets took on their new theme, and nearby you can walk down Rue de la Grande Triperie (Street of Large Tripe). The slaughterhouse is long since gone, and in 2006 it was turned into an arts center for crafts and textiles. This is home to a permanent gallery and another with temporary exhibitions. 

Lying just north of town, this brewery has an enviable heritage. Liefmans has been going since 1679, and its dark beers are a staple of local bars. Outside of Oudenaarde, it's perhaps best known for its commercial fruit beers. Visits must be booked online, but make sure you get a peek at the magnificent Baudelot hall no matter what. Several beers are made here, including the dark Oud Bruin, the Goudenband, and the very sweet Kriek (cherry) and Frambozen (raspberry) beers.

This permanent sculpture on Place Roosevelt is the work of the 3D imaging artist David Mesguish, whose daughter is the focus of a piece ruminating on childhood innocence. The mirrored surface offers stark contrast with the grand Collégiale Sainte-Waudru de Mons church building behind it.    

Take the N92 to Yvoir and go east on N971 for about 10 km (6 miles) to reach this abbey, built in the late 19th century as a cloister for a small order. A school, library, fromagerie, brewery, ceramics studio, and farm were eventually added. Now the sprawling complex dominates the hill, but it remains an idyllic spot for picnics, meditative walks, or evening vespers. The visitor center has exhibitions about the abbey, a snack bar serving the abbey’s famous beers and cheeses, and a gift shop selling the ceramics and other products that are made by the monks in residence. There is also a small cheese museum, where you can learn about the cheese-making process.

The Arsenal is perhaps the best-preserved work of French architect Sébastien Vauban in all of Europe. Originally built under orders from Louis XIV in 1692 as a munitions depot, the building was restored in the early 1980s and now houses a student center for Namur’s university.

An art gallery that focuses on Leuven and Flemish Brabant artists from the Middle Ages until the 19th century. Its permanent collection includes the work of sculptor Jef Lambreaux, whose mildly erotic Temple of Human Passions caused such a scandal when it opened in Brussels in 1886, and George Minne, a leading figure from the Latem School of Impressionists who set up their base in the villages south of Ghent. Temporary exhibitions ranging from the Old Masters to more contemporary art mix things up a bit.

The chapel and entrance gateway of the Maagdenhuis (Maidens' House), a foundling hospital for girls of the poor, was constructed from 1564 to 1568 and closed in 1882, when more modern institutions became available. Normally it houses a museum that reflects its former role, but for the next several years (until at least 2027), the building has has a new temporary role—it's being used to exhibit 60 or so paintings on loan from the nearby Museum Mayer van den Bergh, while that gallery undergoes its own essential restoration and renovation work.

The first house designed in Brussels by the architect Victor Horta (he'd done others in Ghent by this time) was built in 1893 for a friend, Eugene Autrique. It was to have "not a single luxury," and became the first manor house built by Horta, marking his early explorations in Art Nouveau. At the time, Schaerbeek was mostly agrarian, best known for the small, sour cherries used to brew kriek beers—a state almost unimaginable given its current urban sprawl. Having undergone extensive renovation to return it to its original state, the house is now a museum on Horta's early days, and holds the odd exhibition.

Set within Parc Léopold, this modern museum tackles the political upheavals that shaped Europe. It's essentially a conscience in museum form, lest anyone forget the mistakes of the past. Permanent exhibitions chart the rise of industrialization, the authoritarianism and wars of the early 1900s that saw Europe's crumbling empires and global ambitions stretched to breaking point, and how a fragmented continent slowly drew itself back together.

This small interpretation center dedicated to the life and work of Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone, occupies a building on the very spot where the great man was born in 1814, and contains some of his original creations. Holding sway over the scene, a life-size statue of Sax himself relaxes on a bench directly outside.

Most visitors to Ath come just to see the famous Ducasse (festival) on the fourth weekend of August. If you can't make it then, this museum is the next best thing. Set in an 18th-century mansion, it unravels just how, why, and who takes part, looking at similar festivals around the world and the story of David and Goliath (Gouyasse), whose battle crowns Sunday's events, after the "Giants Parade." The building was undergoing renovation at the time of writing but is due to reopen at the end of 2022 along with its new Brasserie des Légendes tavern and a newly revamped tourism office. 

Having opened its doors in 2023, this elegant town house was built in 1902 by Jules Brunfaut and remains a jewel of the era, mixing beaux arts and Art Nouveau styles. Exhibitions explore the art movements of the fin de siècle era, with a permanent exhibit on the Belgian Art Nouveau period. Look out for the themed guided tours on the first Thursday of the month.

Before he was a penniless painter, Dutchman Vincent van Gogh trained, like his father, in the clergy. By 1879, he was hired as an evangelist in the village of Wasmes. At the time, this was a tough working-class area. Van Gogh's poor rhetorical skills found little traction with locals. His contract wasn't renewed, and his worried parents advised him to find a profession better suited to his skills. Van Gogh instead doubled down: he cut off contact, and with financial assistance from his brother, Theo, managed to live in nearby Cuesmes and preach for free. His sketches from this time were formative, though a far cry from his later euphoric work. 

Built to incorporate the ruins of a Gallo-Roman villa, the 1,240-acre Malagne has nature trails, regional exhibits, historical re-enactments, and an abundance of events specifically for kids. See website for a schedule of events.

Located in a former Benedictine abbey, the Malmundarium is part cultural center, part museum. The latter often focuses on changing temporary exhibitions, but also includes permanent displays on local history, the paper-making and leather industries, and the Cwarmê, Malmedy's colorful local Lent carnival. Adjoining the Malmandarium, the former abbey church became Cathédrale Saint Pierre in the 1920s.

Everyone knows the Manneken Pis. It's Brussels's famous peeing cherub, or is it? The modern version standing in the capital is actually a replica of a statue made by Jérôme Duquesnoy in 1619 to replace the original 15th-century fountain (then known as "Petit Julian") made in 1450. Around the same time, in 1452, Geraardsbergen was in the process of being destroyed by Ghentish forces. In rebuilding the city, they ordered a new lattoenen mannekin ("man in brass") from the Brussels fountain master Jan Van Der Schelden. By 1459, the peeing putto (cherub) was in place, and while a replica now stands in the square, the original can still be seen in a new visitor center beside the town hall. So, while Brussels's statue was made first, it is long since gone, and Geraardsbergen's is the older surviving example. If you arrive on the first Sunday of June, it gets even more curious, with the traditional "throwing" of a golden Manneken Pis from the steps of the Town Hall. And it gets stranger still: inside the visitor center, you can also see a selection of 300 special outfits gifted to the statue.

Jacob van Maerlant’s statue stands tall and poetic in the center of Damme's market square. On the facade of the Gothic Stadhuis (Town Hall) you can see Charles, the noble duke, presenting the wedding ring to his fiancée Margaret, plus other stone effigies of Flemish counts set in niches between the high windows. The step-gabled building’s interior moldings and clock tower are especially outstanding. Note the Huyse de Grote Sterre, a 15th-century patrician’s residence that was also home to the Spanish military governor in the 17th century; it’s now the tourist office and a literary museum.

Standing solemnly beside the Bastogne War Museum, this huge star-shape memorial honors the Americans lost in the Battle of the Bulge. The names of all U.S. Army units and the history of the battle are inscribed on the wall, along with a simple phrase in Latin: “The Belgian people remember their American liberators.” Mosaics by Fernand Léger decorate the crypt’s Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish chapels. From the top of the memorial you have a magnificent view of the former battlegrounds. The memorial is open all year.

This handsome three-masted training ship of the Belgian merchant marine, which sailed from the 1930s to the 1960s, is now moored close to the city center, ready to sail if needed. Decks, fittings, and the spartan quarters have been kept intact, and there’s a museum of mementos brought home from the ship’s exotic voyages; during one they hauled back mysterious statues from Easter Island.