Casino

The Ardennes

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Spa had the 'world’s first’ casino in 1763, and the 19th-century incarnation here now forms part of a grand central trio of neoclassical buildings, along with the 1862 bathhouse (not currently in use) and the 1908 Exhibition Halls.

Entry is free to gamble or simply to admire the casino’s muralled ceilings, but you’ll need to be over 21 years of age and have your passport handy. The most elegant upstairs rooms are rarely in use but when they are, access is via a stairway passing a 1939 antique fruit machine.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

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    Aachener Dom

    21.79 MILES

    It’s impossible to overestimate the significance of Aachen’s magnificent cathedral. The burial place of Charlemagne, it’s where more than 30 German kings…

  • St Servaasbasiliek

    St Servaasbasiliek

    25.94 MILES

    Built above and around the shrine of St Servaas (Servatius), the first bishop of Maastricht, the basilica presents an architectural pastiche whose…

  • Blégny Mine

    Blégny Mine

    14.87 MILES

    For one of the best industrial-experience tours you'll find anywhere, don a hard hat, jump in the cage lift and descend through a pitch-black moment into…

  • La Chocolaterie Darcis

    La Chocolaterie Darcis

    6.9 MILES

    Playing a 21st-century Willy Wonka, one of Belgium’s foremost chocolatiers has turned his modern factory into a superb interactive museum experience. Walk…

  • Grand Curtius

    Grand Curtius

    16.43 MILES

    Splendid Grand Curtius unites four disparate museum collections in the former mansion-warehouse of a 16th-century Liège arms dealer. The building's red…

  • Domschatzkammer

    Domschatzkammer

    21.79 MILES

    Aachen's cathedral treasury is a veritable mother lode of gold, silver and jewels. Of particular importance are the silver-and-gold bust of Charlemagne…

  • Église St-Jacques

    Église St-Jacques

    16.45 MILES

    Arguably Liège's most fascinating church, this architectural hotchpotch was founded in 1015 and retains a heavily patched-up 1170 west end whose…

  • Liège-Guillemins Train Station

    Liège-Guillemins Train Station

    16.06 MILES

    Liège's main train station, around 2km south of the centre, is an incredible 2009 icon designed by Santiago Calatrava. Great for semi-abstract landscape…

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Nearby The Ardennes attractions

1. Pouhon Pierre-le-Grand

0.07 MILES

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…

2. Parc de Sept Heures

0.19 MILES

With a picturesque Léopold II–era pavilion and a wrought-iron marketplace hosting Sunday morning flea markets, this charming park also features minigolf,…

3. Spa Story

0.36 MILES

In a 1862 Napoleon III–style building 300m west of Spa's casino, the small but engaging Spa Story museum charts the town's history while looking at the…

4. Musée de la Lessive

0.37 MILES

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…

5. Spa Monopole

0.47 MILES

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…

6. La Chocolaterie Darcis

6.9 MILES

Playing a 21st-century Willy Wonka, one of Belgium’s foremost chocolatiers has turned his modern factory into a superb interactive museum experience. Walk…

7. Place du Marché

7.02 MILES

Vervier's most attractive square is dominated by a stately town hall, with cobbled Mont du Moulin descending photogenically past ivy-draped and half…