Pairi Daiza

Top choice in Wallonia


Set on the grounds of a former Cistercian Abbey, this 65-hectare park is home to more than 5000 animals (including pandas, koalas, gorillas and lemurs) living in beautifully designed settings with elements from every corner of the globe. You'll find a recreated African stilt village, the red desert outback of Australia, East Asian temples (plus the largest Chinese garden in Europe) and a spooky belfry where free-flying bats glide overhead. There are ample dining and drinking spots, including a charming canal-side brasserie with good Trappist beers.

Get an early start and plan to make a full day of it, as there's much to see here including unique animal encounters – like spying falconry demonstrations, feeding the goats or watching Sumatran elephants being bathed.

On Friday and Saturday nights from July to late August, the park stays open until 11pm with eclectic world-music groups playing all around the park. Save cash by buying tickets (€2 cheaper) online. You can reach the park by train on the Mons-Ath line. Disembark at Cambron-Casteau train station, a 10-minute walk from Pairi Daiza.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Wallonia attractions

1. Espace Gallo-Romain

5.58 MILES

A fascinating place to learn about the region's Roman roots, with audiovisual displays and a collection of objects from the distant past. Among the…

2. Maison des Géants

5.68 MILES

If you miss the giants' festival, you can learn more at the Maison des Géants, in a grand old mansion opposite the castle-style tower of Église St-Julien…

3. Château de Belœil

7.32 MILES

Sitting in an artificial lake within a vast manicured park, the Château de Belœil is a regal country palace-house that's packed with classical furniture…

4. Hôpital Notre-Dame à la Rose

8.98 MILES

Founded in 1242, this is Belgium’s only medieval convent-farm-hospital complex to have survived reasonably intact. Laboriously restored, it demonstrates…

5. Archeosite

9.39 MILES

Archéosite is a recreated ‘settlement’ of ancient dwellings and workshops representing Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age and Gallo-Roman eras. It's an…

6. Musée du Doudou

9.54 MILES

Head through the Hôtel de Ville on the Grand Place to reach this museum, dedicated to Mons' riotous Doudou festival. All aspects of this curious event, as…

7. BAM

9.55 MILES

This modernist glass cube of a gallery is the product of a rebuild for the city's tenure as a European Capital of Culture in 2015. It hosts temporary…

8. Artothèque

9.57 MILES

Ever thought it was a pity that all those items sat in museum storerooms, never seeing the light of day? Well, this innovative space in a former convent…