Wallonia

Wallonia (La Wallonie), Belgium's mostly French-speaking southern half, includes many a pretty rustic village in rolling green countryside, interspersed by a handful of postindustrial cities. The heavily wooded Ardennes is a major area for outdoors activities, a plateau land cut by rivers for kayaking, honeycombed with fabulous cave systems and offering just the tiniest hope of skiing in midwinter. Centuries of history are evident in the attractive cities of Mons and Tournai, in the unforgettable carnivals of Binche, Stavelot and Malmédy, and in a plentiful scattering of medieval castle ruins and grand châteaux. Sniffing out Liège's deep historical pedigree takes a little more delving beneath its rather disfigured surface. And then there's Waterloo, where Napoleon met his ABBA song. In many ways Wallonia feels like a different country from Flanders. Finding English speakers can't be so easily taken for granted and to reach the more rural highlights you’ll appreciate having your own wheels.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Wallonia.

  • Zoo

    Pairi Daiza

    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.

  • Fortress

    Citadelle de Namur

    Dominating the town, Namur's mighty fortress covers a whole hilltop with ramparts, tunnels and grey walls. What you see now is more 19th and 20th century than medieval, but is still compelling, great for strolling and offers terrific views. The best are from a section known as Château des Comtes and the café Le Panorama, by the curious art deco sportsground Stade des Jeux. Most open areas, including the rampart footpaths, are accessible at any time.

  • Museum

    Musée Hergé

    The inventive and touchingly nostalgic Hergé Museum celebrates the multitalented creator of comic-strip hero Tintin with an engaging, inventive and extensive display. Highlights include numerous models, pictures and source materials assembled by the artist to ensure the accuracy of his sketches. There's an entertaining audioguide. Note the original triptych portrait of Hergé by Andy Warhol, for whom Tintin was a cited influence. The gift shop is worth a peek too.

  • Cathedral

    Cathédrale Notre Dame

    Dominating Tournai’s skyline are the five spires of its remarkable cathedral, which survived WWII bombs only for a freak 1999 tornado to compromise its stability. It'll remain a vast building site for another decade; though work on the five towers was completed in 2018. Despite the scaffolding, the interior remains a fascinating example of evolving architectural styles, from the magnificent Romanesque nave through a curious bridging transept into an early-Gothic choir whose soaring pillars bend disconcertingly.

  • Historic Site

    Hôpital Notre-Dame à la Rose

    Founded in 1242, this is Belgium’s only medieval convent-farm-hospital complex to have survived reasonably intact. Laboriously restored, it demonstrates the development of medieval medicine from a beautiful herb garden via different eras of hospice to a collection of historical medical implements. Don't miss the bird-beaked plague doctor in his leather cape. The collection of religious art includes a curious 16th-century painting showing Jesus with a female breast. There's a decent restaurant here, so you can lunch before your visit (open noon onwards).

  • Museum

    Memorial 1815

    Inaugurated for the 2015 bicentenary, this showpiece underground museum and visitor centre at the battlefield gives some detail on the background to Napoleon's rise, fills in information on key incidents, then describes the make-up of each side's forces. There's a detailed audioguide and some enjoyable technological effects. The climax is an impressive 3D film that sticks you right into the middle of the cavalry charges. Includes admission to Panorama de la Bataille, Butte du Lion and Hougoumont.

  • Square

    Grand Place

    Tournai’s gorgeous triangular main square is ringed with cafes in fine gable-fronted guildhouses merrily flying guild banners. Kids play in ‘dare-you’ fountains beneath an axe-wielding statue of Princess d'Espinoy, the doomed heroine who led Tournai's eventually futile defence against a 1581 Spanish siege.

  • Castle

    Château de Bouillon

    Slouching like a great grey dragon high on Bouillon's central rocky ridge, Belgium’s finest feudal castle-ruin harks back to AD 988, but it's especially associated with Crusader knight Godefroid de Bouillon, the first 'Belgian' ruler of Jerusalem. The super-atmospheric site has everything you might wish for in a castle: dank dripping tunnel passages, musty half-lit cell rooms, falconry displays, rough-hewn stairwells and many an eerie nook and cranny to discover. Plus there are off-beat surprises like maturing cheeses and a caligraphy mini-museum.

  • Church

    Collégiale Ste-Gertrude

    This 11th-century church was part of one of Europe’s foremost abbeys, founded in 648. It's 102m long with a soaring multilevel western facade topped with a squat octagonal tower flanked by turrets. The interior’s enormous Romanesque arches are unadorned, but notice the 15th-century chariot that’s still used to carry Ste-Gertrude’s silver châsse during Nivelles’ principal procession. Fascinating and detailed 90-minute guided tours in French get you access to the crypt, the tower gallery and the pretty cloister for photogenic views.