Top 100 places to visit in Belgium
100 must-see places and attractions in Belgium, from famous landmarks to hidden gems, each with a map and photos.
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100 places
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1Landmark
Grand-Place
Brussels' central square, ringed by ornate guildhalls and the Gothic Town Hall; a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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2Old town & city
Historic Centre of Bruges
Medieval merchant city of canals, cobbled lanes and brick gables, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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3Landmark
Atomium
Giant steel model of an iron crystal built for Expo 58, with exhibitions and a panoramic top sphere.
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4Religious site
St Bavo's Cathedral and the Ghent Altarpiece
Gothic cathedral housing the van Eyck brothers' Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, finished in 1432.
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5Landmark
Belfry of Bruges
Thirteenth-century bell tower on the Markt with a carillon and 366 steps to the top.
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6Historic site
Menin Gate
Memorial bearing names of missing Commonwealth soldiers, where the Last Post sounds every evening.
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7Castle & palace
Gravensteen
Moated twelfth-century castle of the Counts of Flanders in the heart of Ghent.
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8Religious site
Cathedral of Our Lady
Belgium's tallest Gothic cathedral, containing four major altarpieces by Peter Paul Rubens.
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9Landmark
Manneken Pis
Small seventeenth-century bronze fountain of a urinating boy, often dressed in costumes.
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10Historic site
Battlefield of Waterloo
Site of Napoleon's 1815 defeat, with the Lion's Mound, a panorama and the Memorial 1815 museum.
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11Landmark
Antwerp Central Station
Grand railway cathedral of 1905 with a vast iron-and-glass train shed and marble hall.
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12Neighbourhood & street
Graslei and Korenlei
Twin quaysides along the River Leie lined with medieval guild houses and waterside terraces.
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13Museum & gallery
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
Major art collection spanning Flemish Primitives, Bruegel, Rubens and Belgian modernists.
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14Historic site
Tyne Cot Cemetery
Largest Commonwealth war cemetery in the world, with nearly 12,000 First World War graves.
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15Museum & gallery
In Flanders Fields Museum
First World War museum in the rebuilt Cloth Hall, telling the story of the Ypres Salient.
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16Historic site
Citadel of Dinant
Clifftop fortress above the Meuse, reached by cable car, overlooking the onion-domed collegiate church.
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17Museum & gallery
Magritte Museum
Museum devoted to the Surrealist René Magritte, holding the world's largest collection of his work.
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18Museum & gallery
Plantin-Moretus Museum
Renaissance printing house and workshop with the world's oldest surviving printing presses; UNESCO-listed.
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19Nature & national park
Caves of Han-sur-Lesse
Vast limestone cave system carved by the River Lesse, paired with a wildlife park.
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20Market & shopping
Royal Galleries of Saint-Hubert
Elegant glass-roofed shopping arcades of 1847 housing chocolatiers, cafés and boutiques.
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21Historic site
Citadel of Namur
One of Europe's largest fortresses, on a spur where the Sambre and Meuse rivers meet.
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22Museum & gallery
Groeninge Museum
Collection of Flemish Primitive paintings including works by Jan van Eyck and Hans Memling.
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23Museum & gallery
Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA)
Restored fine arts museum ranging from Flemish masters to James Ensor and René Magritte.
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24Museum & gallery
MAS – Museum aan de Stroom
Red stone tower museum on the docks exploring Antwerp's port and world history, with a free rooftop view.
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25Landmark
Leuven Town Hall
Flamboyant Gothic town hall of the fifteenth century, covered in more than 200 statues.
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26Nature & national park
Hallerbos
Beech forest famous for its carpet of bluebells that turns the woodland floor violet each spring.
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27Religious site
Beguinage of Bruges
Tranquil walled enclosure of whitewashed houses founded in 1245, now home to Benedictine nuns.
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28Religious site
Basilica of the Holy Blood
Romanesque and Gothic double chapel said to house a relic of the blood of Christ.
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29Religious site
Church of Our Lady, Bruges
Church with a 115-metre brick tower, housing Michelangelo's marble Madonna and Child.
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30Museum & gallery
Horta Museum
Victor Horta's own Art Nouveau house and studio, part of a UNESCO World Heritage listing.
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31Landmark
Belfry of Ghent
Fourteenth-century belfry topped by a gilded dragon, offering views over Ghent's three towers.
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32Religious site
Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula
Gothic cathedral of Brussels with twin towers, used for royal weddings and state funerals.
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33Park & garden
Parc du Cinquantenaire
Park built for Belgium's 50th anniversary, centred on a monumental triumphal arch.
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34Castle & palace
Royal Palace of Brussels
Official palace of the Belgian king, with state rooms open to visitors in summer.
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35Castle & palace
Castle of Bouillon
Ruined medieval fortress of Godfrey of Bouillon, set on a rocky ridge above the River Semois.
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36Theme park & attraction
Pairi Daiza
Large zoo and botanical garden set in themed worlds around a former Cistercian abbey.
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37Religious site
Mechelen St Rumbold's Cathedral
Gothic cathedral whose 97-metre tower has a skywalk and two carillons.
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38Old town & city
Durbuy
Tiny medieval Ardennes town of stone lanes beside the River Ourthe, with a topiary park.
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39Nature & national park
High Fens
Upland moorland and peat bog plateau crossed by boardwalks, including Belgium's highest point.
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40Landmark
Liège-Guillemins Station
Santiago Calatrava's sweeping white steel-and-glass railway station, opened in 2009.
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41Museum & gallery
AfricaMuseum
Royal Museum for Central Africa, reworked to examine colonial history, in a grand palace and park.
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42Historic site
Abbey of Villers-la-Ville
Extensive romantic ruins of a Cistercian abbey founded in the twelfth century.
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43Religious site
Orval Abbey
Trappist monastery with medieval ruins beside its modern abbey, known for its beer and cheese.
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44Museum & gallery
Bastogne War Museum
Museum on the Battle of the Bulge beside the star-shaped Mardasson Memorial.
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45Nature & national park
Hoge Kempen National Park
Belgium's first national park, with heathland, pine forest and restored mining landscapes.
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46Religious site
Tournai Cathedral
Romanesque and Gothic Cathedral of Our Lady with five bell towers, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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47Museum & gallery
Belgian Comic Strip Center
Museum of Belgian comics from Tintin to the Smurfs, housed in a Horta Art Nouveau building.
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48Museum & gallery
Bokrijk Open-Air Museum
Open-air museum of reassembled historic Flemish farms, villages and workshops in woodland.
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49Religious site
Basilica of the Sacred Heart
Vast Art Deco basilica on Koekelberg hill with a panoramic gallery below its green dome.
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50Nature & national park
Het Zwin Nature Park
Tidal salt marsh and bird reserve on the Dutch border, noted for storks and migrating birds.
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51Neighbourhood & street
Place du Grand Sablon
Upmarket square of antique dealers and chocolatiers beside the Gothic Notre-Dame du Sablon church.
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52Landmark
Mons Belfry and Grand-Place
UNESCO-listed Baroque belfry above a lively square with the Gothic town hall.
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53Landmark
Strépy-Thieu Boat Lift
One of the world's tallest boat lifts, raising vessels 73 metres on the Canal du Centre.
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54Castle & palace
Castle of Gaasbeek
Romantic hilltop castle museum surrounded by a landscaped park and a baroque garden.
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55Historic site
Grand Béguinage of Leuven
Well-preserved seventeenth-century beguine quarter of brick houses, now university housing.
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56
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57Museum & gallery
Musical Instruments Museum
Collection of over 1,000 instruments displayed in the Art Nouveau Old England building.
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58
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59Nature & national park
Coo Waterfall
Belgium's highest waterfall, formed by a medieval diversion of the River Amblève.
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60Castle & palace
Château de Beloeil
Princely residence of the de Ligne family with lavish interiors and formal French gardens.
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61Park & garden
Royal Greenhouses of Laeken
Art Nouveau glass and iron greenhouse complex, open to the public for a few weeks each spring.
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62Historic site
Fort Breendonk
Former Nazi prison camp in a Belgian army fort, preserved as a national memorial.
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63Museum & gallery
Kazerne Dossin
Holocaust and human rights museum at the former transit camp for deportations from Belgium.
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64Historic site
Grand-Hornu
Nineteenth-century industrial coal mining complex, UNESCO-listed and home to a contemporary art museum.
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65Coast & beach
Ostend Seafront
Long beach and promenade of the 'Queen of the Belgian coast', with fish market and royal galleries.
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66Old town & city
Damme
Small medieval town linked to Bruges by a tree-lined canal, with a Gothic town hall.
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67Neighbourhood & street
Patershol
Maze of narrow medieval streets near the Gravensteen, packed with restaurants.
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68Museum & gallery
Autoworld
Collection of more than 250 vintage cars displayed in a hall of the Cinquantenaire complex.
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69Museum & gallery
Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History
Extensive military museum with aircraft hall and access to the Cinquantenaire arch terrace.
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70Museum & gallery
House of European History
Museum exploring twentieth-century European history, located in the European Quarter's Parc Léopold.
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71Market & shopping
Jeu de Balle Flea Market
Daily flea market in the working-class Marolles district, selling bric-a-brac and antiques.
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72Museum & gallery
Grand Curtius
Museum of art and history in a seventeenth-century merchant's mansion on the Meuse.
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73Landmark
Montagne de Bueren
Staircase of 374 steps climbing a steep hillside to Liège's former citadel.
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74Castle & palace
Palace of the Prince-Bishops
Former seat of Liège's prince-bishops with a distinctive Renaissance courtyard of carved columns.
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75Museum & gallery
Gallo-Roman Museum
Archaeology museum in Belgium's oldest town, covering prehistory to the Merovingian era.
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76Castle & palace
Alden Biesen
Former Teutonic Order commandery with a moated castle, baroque church and gardens.
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77Archaeological site
Neolithic Flint Mines of Spiennes
UNESCO-listed prehistoric flint mines with a visitor centre and underground shaft.
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78Landmark
Zimmer Tower
Medieval tower bearing an astronomical clock with 13 dials designed by Louis Zimmer.
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79Landmark
Oudenaarde Town Hall
Late Gothic town hall of the sixteenth century with a UNESCO-listed belfry and a tapestry collection.
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80Museum & gallery
Passchendaele Memorial Museum
First World War museum with reconstructed dugouts and trenches in a château park.
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81Historic site
Talbot House
Soldiers' rest club of the First World War, preserved as a museum with its chapel in the attic.
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82Landmark
IJzertoren
Tall peace memorial and museum on the Yser front, with views over the Flemish plain.
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83Theme park & attraction
Plopsaland De Panne
Family theme park based on Studio 100 characters, near the Belgian coast.
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84Theme park & attraction
Walibi Belgium
Major theme park with roller coasters and themed areas, next to the Aqualibi water park.
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85Theme park & attraction
Antwerp Zoo
One of the world's oldest zoos, founded in 1843, with historic buildings beside Central Station.
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86Theme park & attraction
Mini-Europe
Miniature park of reproduced European landmarks at the foot of the Atomium.
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87Museum & gallery
Hergé Museum
Museum dedicated to the creator of Tintin, in a striking building by Christian de Portzamparc.
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88Museum & gallery
Snijders&Rockoxhuis
Two restored patrician houses displaying Flemish Baroque art in period interiors.
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89Museum & gallery
Red Star Line Museum
Museum in former shipping line warehouses telling the story of emigration to America.
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90Park & garden
Middelheim Museum
Open-air sculpture park with works from Rodin to contemporary artists.
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91Historic site
Blegny-Mine
UNESCO-listed former coal mine with guided tours descending into underground galleries.
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92Castle & palace
Castle of Reinhardstein
Restored medieval castle perched on a rocky spur above the Warche valley.
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93Mountain & viewpoint
Tombeau du Géant
Viewpoint over a dramatic wooded meander of the River Semois in the Ardennes.
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94Old town & city
La Roche-en-Ardenne
Ardennes town in a loop of the River Ourthe, overlooked by medieval castle ruins.
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95Castle & palace
Castle of Beersel
Moated brick fortress of the fourteenth century, one of Belgium's best-preserved medieval castles.
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96Park & garden
Meise Botanic Garden
Large botanical garden around a moated castle with a glasshouse complex, the Plant Palace.
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97Nature & national park
Sonian Forest
Ancient beech forest on Brussels' southern edge, partly listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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98Nature & national park
Cycling Through the Trees
Circular cycle path rising ten metres into the treetops of a Limburg pine forest.
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99Religious site
Maredsous Abbey
Neo-Gothic Benedictine abbey in the Molignée valley, known for its beer and cheese.
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100Castle & palace
Castle of Vêves
Fairy-tale medieval castle with pointed turrets, set on a hill in the Namur countryside.
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