Why Belgium
Small enough to cross in a couple of hours by train, Belgium packs in UNESCO squares, fairy-tale canals, world-class art and the best chips, chocolate and beer you will ever taste. Here are the experiences worth planning a trip around.
Grand-Place, Brussels
The ornate guildhalls and Gothic Town Hall of the Grand-Place form one of Europe's most beautiful squares, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Come at night when the facades are lit, then walk a few minutes to the small Manneken-Pis statue nearby.
The canals of Bruges
Bruges is the postcard of Belgium: cobbled lanes, step-gabled houses and quiet canals. Climb the 366 steps of the Belfry for rooftop views (about 14 euros), then take a boat tour from one of the bridges.
Ghent's medieval heart
Less touristy than Bruges, Ghent centres on the Gravensteen castle and the riverside Graslei quay. The Ghent Altarpiece by the Van Eyck brothers sits in St Bavo's Cathedral.
Antwerp: fashion and diamonds
Antwerp mixes Rubens masterpieces, a stunning MAS museum rooftop and the cathedral-like Central Station. The Diamond District handles most of the world's rough diamonds.
Battlefields of Flanders
Near Ypres (Ieper), the In Flanders Fields Museum and the daily Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate (8 pm) commemorate World War I.
Dinant and the Ardennes
In the green, hilly Ardennes, the riverside town of Dinant sits beneath a clifftop citadel. It is the birthplace of Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone.
Belgian food and beer
- Eat frites from a friterie, served with mayonnaise in a paper cone
- Try moules-frites, waffles and pralines from a chocolatier
- Sample Trappist beers like Westvleteren, Chimay or Orval
Atomium and Mini-Europe
Built for the 1958 World's Fair, the gleaming Atomium in Brussels offers panoramic views, with the Mini-Europe model park alongside.
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