Namur
Celebrated local artist Félicien Rops (1833–98), born a few streets away at Rue du Président 33, had a penchant for illustrating erotic lifestyles and…
Must-see attractions in Wallonia
The Ardennes
In a glass-sided display building, Le Belge is a 1980 recreation of Belgium's first steam locomotive (1835). It's beautifully made but nobody seems quite…
Musée des Beaux-Arts et de la Céramique
The Ardennes
If you can catch it open, pop in to see this small but high-quality collection of 14th- to 19th-century paintings and remarkable ceramics. Entry is free…
Wallonia
Freÿr’s riverside Renaissance château boasts very impressive formal gardens. It's located around 6km south of Dinant.
Namur
Namur's central square has been marred by a 1980s department store yet still features the elegant stone-and-brick Palais des Congrès conference centre,…
Wallonia
Around 6km south of Thuin, the Distillerie de Biercée is a great opportunity to see inside one of Wallonia's classic fortified-farm complexes. This one is…
Liège
Across the River Meuse from the city centre is the gritty urban island of Outremeuse, whose working-class residents consider it a ‘Free Republic’. Their…
Namur
This little museum-cum-store in the Wépion area sells strawberry beer, strawberry liqueurs and strawberry jams. The five-room museum, 7km south of central…
Cathédrale Saints Pierre, Paul et Quirin
The Ardennes
Fronted by stubby twin towers, Malmédy's massive 1784 cathedral provides a dominating if slightly dour centrepiece to the town.
Liège
At night the 1719 city hall glows lugubriously in its blood-red spotlights. By day it commands Liège’s charming, if modestly sized, original main square,…
The Ardennes
Signal de Botrange, 5km north of Ovifat, is Belgium’s highest point, though at 694m that's not saying much. From the road, the only eye-catching feature…
The Ardennes
Selling the waters of Spa remains big buiness, with millions of bottles filled annually at this industrial-scale plant. A self-guided visit to the…
The Ardennes
Parc à Gibier is typical of several Ardennes animal parks that are designed to introduce children to local wildlife, notably deer, wolves and wild boars…
The Ardennes
The restored, octagonal-fronted stone building hosting the tourist office was the site of Spa’s original springs. It was renamed for Russian tsar Peter…
Wallonia
On the third Sunday of July, this Gallo-Roman archaeological site comes to life with a whole series of period demonstrations. At other times, the…
Namur
This vast Italianate neoclassical cathedral, finished in 1767, has an undeniably impressive exterior but a rather remote, mausoleum-like off-white…
Abbaye Notre-Dame de Scourmont
Wallonia
Chimay’s world-famous Trappist beers are brewed in this austere 1850 abbey 9km south of Chimay. The brewery doesn’t allow visitors, but you can enter the…
Namur
Housed in the photogenic Halle al'Chair, this small two-level museum houses a collection of artifacts spanning more than 2500 years. Highlights include…
Wallonia
There are some impressive pieces in the treasury in the heart of Tournai's cathedral, including a fabulous 'Last Judgement' châsse (casket), a striking…
The Ardennes
Learn about La Roche’s two main cottage industries in an imaginative hour-long audio-guided tour. Press-and-sniff buttons add some fun as you're…
Wallonia
This 1.4km-long slope, or 'sliding lock', at Ronquières is a curious 1968 contraption that lowers boats down a steepish gradient in a giant bathtub. It’s…
Former Palace of the Prince-Bishops
Liège
Behind an Italian Renaissance facade, this former palace is reputedly one of the largest secular Gothic buildings anywhere in the world. Prior to 1789 it…
Namur
In a very fine 1753 former abbot’s house are displays of decorative arts in 23 beautifully furnished rooms around a formal courtyard garden. Don’t miss…
The Ardennes
At the heart of Durbuy is this fairly modest riverside castle that dates from 1756, the medieval original having been destroyed by the ravages of Louis…
Wallonia
The small church treasury displays Ste-Waudru’s shrouds and, in a reliquary, a sword-slashed skull – supposedly of sainted Merovingian king Dagobert II…
Wallonia
Built by the Count of Vianden, this impressive 13th-century castle is a photographer's wonderland, with impressive stone towers, a majestic chapel and an…
Liège
Less a museum than a magnificently furnished 1755 Regency mansion with original stucco ceilings and some gilded leather ‘wallpaper’. Its highlights…
Liège
Beside the St-Lambert bus stops is this cartoonesque figure piloting a little metal aeroplane: Liège’s mascot and oldest ‘citizen’, the big-nosed wooden…
Wallonia
This is a lovable and sizeable warren of fascinating city-relevant relics and ethnographic artefacts. It's all in French, but many of the cameo scenes are…
Namur
Formerly the meat market, this 16th-century riverside building is one of few venerable structures to have survived Namur’s history of continual wartime…
The Ardennes
Since 2013 the parliament for Belgium's German-speaking region has occupied a heavily refurbished former sanatorium building, originally dating from 1918…
Wallonia
At Ligny, against Blücher's Prussians, Napoleon won his last victory. Battle fans can visit the memorabilia-filled Musée de la Bataille, with two floors…
The Ardennes
This lovably off-beat little museum fills the banal classrooms of a 1960s former primary school with a hotchpotch of old flat irons, linens, washing…
The Ardennes
It's worth checking the exhibition schedule to see what's showing at this forward-thinking little museum of contemporary art. It's tucked incongruously…
Wallonia
In the stream valley steeply below the village center is the picturesque Château de Crupet, a moated 13th-century tower-house. It's private but photogenic…
Wallonia
One of two towers preserved from the original 1202 city wall, this is a surprising sight at the end of a nondescript lane.
Wallonia
Included in admission to the Memorial 1815 visitor centre is the charmingly old-fashioned 1912 Panorama de la Bataille, a circular action-packed painting…
Namur
In the centre of town lies the Unesco-listed Beffroi, a medieval stone fortress tower on which a clock spire was plonked in 1733. It houses a youth…
Wallonia
The village of Sombreffe's castle has a particularly fine quiver of variously shaped towers. If the gate's open, you can wander in to have a peek at the…
