The anachronistic images of ‘boring Belgium’ have been well and truly banished over the last decade as the country promotes its key destinations, along with a string of new attractions. Belgium always had a lot more going for it than the faceless political and bureaucratic buildings that litter its capital, Brussels, with a string of engaging cities in Bruges, Ghent, Liège - and Brussels itself - that offer impressive architecture, lively nightlife, first-rate cuisine and numerous other attractions for visitors. Then there is reinvented Antwerp, now a hotbed of fashion and modern
design, and the more bucolic charms of the chocolate box beauty of the mountainous Ardennes region to the east, as well as the sweeping sand of the coastline resorts of the western seaboard.
BrusselsBrussels is home to the European Union and NATO, amongst many other institutions, but beyond their facelessness, the city’s architecture is a smorgasbord, with the gothic Grand Place the undoubted highlight. Other key sights in Brussels include St Michael and St Gudule’s Cathedral and the Mont des Arts park, which links the upper and lower parts of the city. Then there is the elegant Place Royale, built between 1774 and 1780 in the style of Louis XVI, the Museum of Ancient Art and the Museum of Modern Art. The Manneken-Pis, and his less heralded sister the Janneken Pis, are statues that hint at the exuberance and irreverence of the ‘Bruxellois’, a spirit that reaches its zenith in the city’s numerous bars which, along with the 1000 types of Belgian beer, are not to be missed. Among other areas worth exploring are the Îlot Sacré, the picturesque area of narrow streets to the northeast of the Grand-Place; the fashionable boulevard de Waterloo; the administrative quarter, a completely symmetrical park area commanding a splendid view of the surrounding streets; the Grand Sablon, the area containing both the flamboyant Gothic structure of the Church of Our Lady of Sablon and the Sunday antique market and, lastly, the Petit Sablon, a square surrounded by Gothic columns, which support 48 small bronze statues commemorating medieval Brussels guilds. A more modern attraction is the bizarre Atomium, a futuristic, atom-shaped aluminum tower built for the 1958 World Fair. One important out-of-town attraction is the Battle of Waterloo site, 18km (11 miles) to the south of Brussels, commemorating the battle that shaped the future of both Belgium and modern Europe, of which Brussels is now such a crucial hub. The
Brussels Card now gives the visitor free access to 30-plus museums and also the use of public transport throughout the Brussels-Capital region, within a 72-hour period. This ‘culture pass’ is available at all participating museums - at the six sales offices of the Brussels Public Transport Company (STIB), at certain hotels and at the Brussels International Tourism Office (see
General Info section), costing just &Euro;30.
FlandersAntwerpAlthough still Europe’s second-largest port, the city of Antwerp has moved on from its purely industrial past. Today, the inhabitants, or
Sinjoors as they are known, are at the cutting edge of fashion and design with countless boutiques and shopping outlets across the city. This energy also surfaces in the trendy bars and hip nightclubs that have now joined the more traditional charms of the beer and gin bars that still pull in the more reserved drinkers. Beyond modern Antwerp the more traditional attractions complement the new, with the impressive Grote Markt, containing the Town Hall and the Brabo Fountain, which commemorates the legend of the city’s origin and also the 18th-century Groenplaats, with its Rubens statue. The work of local artistic luminary Peter Paul Rubens surfaces all over Antwerp, most notably at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, home to what is arguably the world’s finest collection of his work. The Rubens’ House, the magnificent 17th-century house where the painter lived and worked, contains works by the painter and his associates as do many other museums and churches. Antwerp’s maritime heritage can be explored on tours of the port and also at the Steen, a 12th-century fortress now housing the National Maritime Museum, that overlooks the buzzing new city of today.
BrugesBruges is a pure picture postcard with a perfectly preserved ‘medieval heart’ that can be explored from the comfort of a canal boat ride, which takes tourists around the myriad of waterways that lead to the city often being referred to as the ‘Venice of the North’. Bruges offers a variety of attractions such as the Lake of Love, which in the Middle Ages was the city’s internal port, the 14th-century Town Hall featuring a façade decorated with bas-reliefs and statues of a Biblical nature; the Cathedral of the Holy Saviour, a fine example of 13th-century Gothic architecture and home to many treasures; and the Grote Markt which was formerly the commercial hub of the city. Bruges boasts several good museums, including the Groeninge Museum which houses a comprehensive and fascinating collection of six centuries of Flemish paintings, from Jan van Eyck to Marcel Broodthaers. The Memling Museum, housed in the medieval Saint John’s Hospital, is dedicated to the painter Hans Memling. The city is close to some excellent beaches and the fertile Polder region, dotted with abbeys and parks. The year 2002 was a big one for Bruges as its lively cultural and artistic scene was recognized with the award of
European City of Culture.
GhentBruges’ perennial poor cousin has plenty to offer visitors today, with the lack of tourist crowds an attraction in itself. This old cloth center was once the largest medieval city in Europe after Paris. The medieval heart of Ghent boasts many historic buildings, including three abbeys. Key attractions include St Bavo’s Cathedral, place of Charles V’s baptism and home to The Adoration of the Mystical Lamb, the Van Eyck brothers’ masterpiece; the Town Hall, where the Treaty of Ghent was signed in 1576; the Castle of the Counts, a medieval castle surrounded by the Lieve canal; the 15th-century Cloth Hall; the medieval town center with its old guild houses; the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Museum of Industrial Archaeology.
The Coast and West FlandersThe Belgian coastline is a largely sandy affair that stretches for 67km (42 miles) from Knokke near the Dutch border to De Panne on the French border ,with over a dozen resorts. Bathing in the sea is free on all beaches and there are facilities for sailing, sand yachting, riding, fishing, rowing, golf and tennis. Some of the best resorts are Bredene, De Haan, De Panne, Lombardsijde, Nieuwpoort, Wenduine, Westende and the town of Ostend, where Queen Victoria once took to the waters. Knokke, Middelkerke and Ostend are the liveliest resorts. Visiting the World War I battlefields is an increasingly popular activity, with a number of sites open with varying degrees of facilities. The killing fields of Ypres are the most accessible with a war museum, monuments, military cemeteries and the battlefields themselves all located around the town.
WalloniaLiègeLiège opens up the other half of Belgian culture as it is a major city of Wallonia, the French-speaking portion of Belgium. A popular tourist destination, situated on the banks of the Meuse, with many reminders of a colorful and affluent past, Liège was independent for much of its history, ruled over by prince-bishops for 800 years. The view from the Citadel covers the old town, the most impressive part of the city. Liège boasts many fine museums with the highlights being The Museum of Wallonian Life, showcasing the unique culture of Wallonia; the Museum of Wallonian Art; the Museum of Modern Art, displaying the works of Corot, Monet, Picasso, Gauguin and Chagall, to name but a few, and the Curtius Museum, housing a large collection of coins, Liège furniture and porcelain. Liège’s most notable buildings are the Church of St James, an old abbey church of mixed architecture, including an example of the Meuse Romanesque style, with fine Renaissance stained glass and the 18th-century Town Hall.
TournaiThe second-oldest city in Belgium dates back to the days of the Romans. World War II damaged much of the old town, but the Cathedral of Our Lady (12th century), boasts an impressive Belfry, which is the oldest in Belgium. The Museum of Fine Arts is one of the finest in Belgium, with works by Rubens and Bruegel, while the Natural History Museum is also worth visiting.
The ArdennesThis mountainous area is famous for its cuisine, forests, lakes, streams and grottoes. The River Meuse makes its way through many important tourist centers. The town of Dinant, in the Meuse valley, boasts a medieval castle, while its most famous landmark is the Gothic church of Notre-Dame. Annevoie has a castle and some beautiful water gardens, while Yvoir Godinne and Profondeville are well known for watersports. The old university town of Namur, with cobbled streets in its center, has a cathedral, castle and many museums. Houyet offers kayaking and other assorted outdoor activities. The River Semois passes through Arlon and Florenville; nearby are the ruins of Orval Abbey, Bouillon and its castle, Botassart, Rochehaut and Bohan. The Amblève Valley is one of the wildest in the Ardennes and the grottoes in the Fond de Quarreux are one of the great attractions of the region. Among these is the Merveilleuse grotto at Dinant and the cavern at Remouchamps. There are prehistoric caverns at Spy, Rochefort, Hotton and Han-sur-Lesse.
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