Brussels
There is a museum in this step-gabled house where Pieter Bruegel the Elder lived and died, but it’s only open by reservation; phone ahead or check with…
Must-see attractions in Belgium
Antwerp
Presiding over Groenplaats, with Antwerp's cathedral rising splendidly behind it, this 1840s bronze Rubens statue was sculpted by Borgerhout-born…
Namur
The elegant stone-and-brick Palais des Congrès conference centre was rebuilt in the 1930s with war reparations from Germany (the German army having…
Namur
The tall, red baroque frontage of this church is a notable landmark in the centre of town. Long-term restoration of St-Joseph began in 2017, and the…
Brussels
The dressmakers' guildhall is now a particularly splendid grand café whose upper-storey rooms (when open) offer fine views across the square.
Bruges
It's believed that the world's first stock exchange began in and around this 13th-century house. It's not open to the public, but the space is used for…
Brussels
Old maps, architectural relics and paintings give a historical overview of the city. Don’t miss Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s 1567 Cortège de Noces (Wedding…
Brussels
Six 1698 houses sit behind this single palatial facade, reworked in 1882. Had the imperial governor had his way after 1695, the whole square would have…
Antwerp
Piled with symbols in a refreshing fountain spray, this baroque sculpture's uppermost figure depicts Brabo, hero of Antwerp’s giant-killing, hand-throwing…
Brussels
A 1902 statue of city hero Everard ’t Serclaes depicts his reclining corpse. A fairly contemporary ‘tradition’ claims that rubbing the statue will bring…
Bruges
The statue of Hans Memling was erected in 1874. The Flemish Primitive artist is buried in St Gilliskerk, a few blocks further north.
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…
Antwerp
If you're strolling Zurenborg looking for art nouveau gems, don't miss house numbers 11 and 30 on this street, which have mosaic work commemorating the…
Antwerp
This private, commercial space for contemporary art moved in 2012 to impressively large premises in a former milk-processing factory on an unlikely…
Antwerp
A raised southern promenade links Het Steen to St-Jansvliet, a tree-shaded square where a lift descends to the Sint-Annatunnel.
Ypres
This excellent visitors centre should be your first port of call if you're a Commonwealth citizen looking for information about a family member who died…
Ghent
This statue of the creators of Ghent's world-renowned Adoration of the Mystic Lamb was unveiled here for the 1913 World Expo.
Brussels
This 1901 former food market is a great example of glass and wrought-iron industrial architecture. It's been restored as a cultural centre and performance…
Brussels
Founded way back in 1991, this gallery has broadened from its original remit to represent photographers. It's a striking glass-roofed white-walled space.
Namur
This tiny stone seat is where the Roi des Menteurs (King of the Liars) is crowned during September's amusingly drunken Fêtes de Wallonie festivities.
Brussels
Built in 1725, this chateau is a residence of the Belgian royal family and has been used to house visiting dignitaries. It is not open to the public.
Ypres
This decent little gallery is set in a three-storey 1555 almshouse complex. Exhibitions change regularly but usually feature 19th-century paintings.
Brussels
Located in the brutalist Galerie Rivoli, a '70s former shopping centre, Hopstreet works with young and emerging Europe-based artists.
Godshuis St-Jozef & De Meulenaere
Bruges
The Godshuis St-Jozef and De Meulenaere almshouses offer one of the city's most spacious oases of calm; enter via the green door.
Belgium
Volunteer-run museum with some lovely old trams, which you can clamber onto. Pay a little extra for a ride on a historic vehicle.
Brussels
The bakers' guildhall is now the cafe Le Roy d’Espagne. The gilded bronze bust above the door is bakers’ patron St-Aubert.
Ostend
This educational operation has a little one-room collection of seashells and sand that you can examine under the microscope.
Bruges
Stand atop the 20th-century stone Bonifacius bridge, itself amply photogenic, for lovely vistas of the canal and surrounds.
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
Freÿr’s riverside Renaissance château boasts very impressive formal gardens. It's located around 6km south of Dinant.
Brussels
This medieval church was badly damaged in the 1695 bombardment of Brussels, and features some lovely 1950s stained glass.
Brussels
Victor Horta's first civic commission, the charming Jardin d’Enfants in the Marolles still functions as a schoolhouse.
Ypres
This grand-scale high-adrenaline amusement park is the perfect place to give the kids a break from the histories of war.
Brussels
This mural very effectively depicts a life-sized figure teetering towards a trompe l’œil window.
Belgium
The distinctive 1930 art-deco Palais du Centenaire features a pyramid of terraced tiers capped by statues.
Brussels
There's a white space upstairs with a polished concrete floor, while downstairs sits a small art bookshop.
Bruges
The church of St Anne features a plain Gothic exterior which belies its flamboyant baroque interior.
Ypres
A single small chapel room featuring some unexpectedly high-quality medieval art, mostly religious.
