Belgian Coast
Incorporating the Scharpoord Gallery, Knokke's excellent Culture Centre hosts a diverse year-round range of visiting exhibitions and events, many of them…
Must-see attractions in West Flanders
West Flanders
The imposing Sint-Janskerk’s ‘miraculous’ little Virgin-and-Child statuette reputedly brought a stillborn child to life in 1479.
Bruges
Stand atop the 20th-century stone Bonifacius bridge, itself amply photogenic, for lovely vistas of the canal and surrounds.
Ypres
This grand-scale high-adrenaline amusement park is the perfect place to give the kids a break from the histories of war.
Bruges
The church of St Anne features a plain Gothic exterior which belies its flamboyant baroque interior.
Bruges
This 17th-century Roman Catholic church was built by the Jesuits in the baroque style.
Bruges
This highly absorbing chocolate museum traces the cocoa bean back to its role as an Aztec currency. Learn about choco history, watch a video on cocoa…
Bruges
Known in English as the 'Lake of Love', the Minnewater harks back to Bruges' medieval heyday. This waterway was once a dock; ships from as far afield as…
Bruges
In the 1990s, when excavating for the foundations of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, workers literally hit a wall. This wall, it turned out, belonged to the 10th…
Bruges
The museum takes its name from the flower-and-herb mixture (gruut) that used to flavour beer before the cultivation of hops. The romantic heraldic…
Ostend
One might expect this museum, occupying a house that hosted Napoleon in 1798 and Belgian royals from 1834–1850, to be a little more grandiose and exciting…
Ypres
This unexpectedly fascinating museum celebrates the ribbon-making industry, Comines’ economic mainstay since 1719. On weekends, passionate, knowledgeable…
Belgian Coast
Fringed by a weathered tangle of knotted sand dunes, this seemingly endless stretch of white sand is actually only 4km-long, including a popular nudist…
West Flanders
Founded in 1946, this brewery in Watou can be visited on guided tours (phone or email ahead, minimum 15 people). Sample its wares in the brasserie. You…
West Flanders
The Texture museum is located in an 1902 flax factory and focuses on the town's flax and linen industry; you'll also see a lovely collection of damasks…
Belgian Coast
Belgium's only officially sanctioned nudist beach draws up to 1000 bathers on a summer's day. Be sure to stay within the designated nudist zone, as police…
West Flanders
The enduring image of poppies as a symbol of wartime sacrifice comes from the famous poem In Flanders Fields. It was written by Canadian doctor John…
Ostend
Evolving since 2001, architect Takashi Sawano has faithfully reproduced a Japanese garden just blocks from Ostend's seashore. Come to wander through its…
West Flanders
This interactive, mildly interesting cheese museum compares old and new cheesemaking techniques while a gratuitously naked Cleopatra figure takes a bath…
Bruges
Follows the history of the potato from ancient Inca grave sites to the Belgian fryer. The entry fee includes a discount token for the basement frituur …
West Flanders
This museum recounts the stories of Uilenspiegel, a villain in German folklore but a jester and freedom fighter in Flemish literature. It's in the same…
Belgian Coast
Halfway between the village and coast, you'll find this extraordinary 1956 church whose bulky pale-brick tower has an almost medieval look, except for the…
Ostend
Mu.Zee, Ostend’s foremost gallery, features predominantly local artists. There’s a significant collection by symbolist painter Léon Spilliaert (1881–1946)…
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…
Bruges
The statue of Hans Memling was erected in 1874. The Flemish Primitive artist is buried in St Gilliskerk, a few blocks further north.
West Flanders
Behind the Grote Markt’s southeast corner, St-Niklaaskerk has a bulky 13th-century tower that you can climb for good summer views, plus a small exhibit on…
West Flanders
The 15th-century Spaans Paviljoen (Spanish Pavilion) was Veurne’s town hall before being commandeered as a garrison for Spanish officers during Habsburg…
Ypres
This decent little gallery is set in a three-storey 1555 almshouse complex. Exhibitions change regularly but usually feature 19th-century paintings.
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.
Belgian Coast
The Seafront's main attractions are a parked Russian submarine and a lightship (sister to one in Antwerp).
Ypres
A single small chapel room featuring some unexpectedly high-quality medieval art, mostly religious.
Messines Ridge (New Zealand) Memorial
West Flanders
Located within the Messines Ridge British Cemetary is this tribute to New Zealand's war dead.
