11 Days Highlights of Belgium

Über das Reiseziel: From its breathtaking medieval centre to its 21st-century temple to Surrealism, the new Magritte Museum, Brussels offers the visitor a great deal more than just beer and chocolate and is resoundingly unlike its unfortunate staid image as the home of EU bureaucrats. Indeed, Brussels is a creative, dynamic city. Its compact city centre is clustered with bars, restaurants and museums set along cobbled streets. Inevitably, most tourists head to the Grand-Place. With its ornate Flemish guild houses, impressive Town Hall and buzzing atmosphere, it would be difficult to find a more beautiful square in the whole of Europe. It deservedly is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is the city’s crowning jewel. Wander next to the nearby Royal and Sablon districts teeming with art galleries and antique shops. Throw away your map and meander down a myriad side streets, discovering flea markets, art-deco houses and boutique stores. The Bruxellois take pride in their self-effacing, intellectual sense of humour, underpinned by a strong appreciation of the bizarre. The city has a long-running love affair with the Surrealist art movement, pioneered by René Magritte, and with classic comic strips, epitomised by Hergé's boy hero, Tintin. There's a telling irony in the fact that the city's best-known landmark is the Manneken-Pis, a tiny statuette of a urinating boy. Meanwhile, all of this sits alongside world-class collections of art, fabulous cooking including mussels, frites, waffles and whelks, some of Europe’s best and unique beers (literally, there are thousands of varieties), and master-chocolatiers. The city’s cultural calendar is packed with events for everyone from the massive, raucous Foire du Midi street fair every July teeming with stalls and fairground attractions to the legendary Christmas Market that takes centre stage in the Place Sainte Catherine with 240 stalls, a skating rink, a big wheel, and numerous rides. One of the biggest events is Art Brussels, showcasing the city’s edgier, creative side and a hub for art connoisseurs from around the globe. If you’re a Euro-loving national, check out the European Quarter, centered around Schuman and the Berlaymont. Its liveliest part is the Place du Luxembourg: all its bars fill up around 6pm on week days with some of the 20,000 diplomats, politicians and civil servants who reside in the city after Brussels became the centre of international political following WWII. Open your eyes and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by all that Brussels has to offer.

Über das Reiseziel: Bruges is Europe’s sleeping beauty. It is the best-preserved example of northern Renaissance architecture in Europe, with the beauty of its romantic canals and remarkable facades matched only by its art. Bruges is a museum pulled inside out, displayed with loving touch and subtlety that most curators can only dream of. After dark buildings and canals are beautifully illuminated and the sight is just breathtaking. The centre of town is the Markt, a gorgeous square presided by the remarkable Beffroi, a medieval bell tower and one of the city's most prominent symbols. For a beautiful panorama of the city’s circular perimeter, climb the steps of the Beffroi. The 14th century Stadhuis, the town hall, is a good example of flamboyant Gothic architecture. Many Flemish masters worked in Bruges, some of their masterpieces are housed in the excellent Groeninge Museum. The perfectly preserved medieval tower of Our Lady's Church is the highest tower in Bruges. The Church of our Lady contains Michelangelo´s soft and touching Madonna and Child, there is also a fantastically ornate wood pulpit. Located in the right-hand corner of Burg Square, the Basilica of the Holy Blood, dating from 1150, is made up of a Romanesque lower chapel and a Gothic upper chapel. Two levels are strikingly different: the Romanesque lower level is austere with little ornamentation, whereas the Gothic upper level is pulses with colourful detail. The two chapels are connected by a grand brick staircase, which climbs behind the grand facade facing the square. Today’s stairs and facade are a 19th-century reconstruction of the 1533 Renaissance versions, demolished during the French occupation following the French Revolution. The Minnewater, dubbed Lake of Love, and its lovely park is one of the first things you see in the city of Bruges, when arriving by train or coach. The lake and surrounding park offer an excellent retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city`s sights and streets. The many resident swan couples form the finishing touch to its romantic character. At the Lake of Love Bruges seems even more picturesque than usual. Charmingly medieval, Bruges is a unique place. Strolling along its alleys, picturesque canals and verdant ramparts you cannot but fall hopelessly in love with her elegant mysteriousness.

Über das Reiseziel: Antwerp is located on the eastern bank of the river Scheldt, which is linked to the North Sea by the Westerschelde estuary. The city has one of the largest seaports in Europe. Antwerp has long been an important city in the Low Countries, both economically and culturally. Antwerp’s appeal derives from its unique mix of styles and peoples. First there’s the no-nonsense part of town around Centraal Statio; the shipping, diamond, and garment industries are headquartered here. Then there’s the art and culture that wealth has bought throughout the centuries. Flemish Old Masters, particularly native son Rubens, are well-represented here. Finally, there is the immense port with its own smoky trees. There is more to see and do in Antwerp than in any other Belgian city. Start with a walk through the oude stad, old town, beginning at Grote Markt, where the Stadhuis, town hall, stands as a magnificent example of Renaissance architecture. The nearby Cathedral of Our Lady has a spectacular Gothic tower. Its interior is richly decorated with stained glass and it houses some of Rubens' most famous paintings. Close by there is the Steen, a beautiful story-book fortress which dates from the 12th century. The Plantin Moretus Museum is a delightful must. Plantin turned printing into an art during the 16th century, and most of his tools and presses are here on display. The picturesque courtyard and Rubens paintings also make the visit worthwhile. Save time to visit Rubenshuis, one of the best museums of its kind in the world. Rubens lived and worked for nearly 30 years in this sumptuous house. His garret is exquisitely furnished and richly stocked with art treasures. Few tourists get to Cogels-Osylei, an avenue with an uninterrupted procession of art nouveau mansions, each one seeming to outdo the one before it in architectural fantasy. Antwerp is a very cultural and vivid city. Discover for yourself this effervescent trading, artistic and cultural centre with its typical atmosphere of a port for the ships of the world: cosmopolitan, slightly exotic and at the same time so hospitable.

Über das Reiseziel: Das lebhafte Leuven (Louvain auf Französisch) ist eine alte Hauptstadt, ein prominentes Brauereizentrum und die älteste Universitätsstadt Flanderns. Während des Semesters und sogar in den Ferien verleihen etwa 25.000 Studenten der Stadt eine optimistische, kreative Atmosphäre. Der malerische Kern ist klein genug, dass man die Sehenswürdigkeiten problemlos bei einem kurzen Tagesausflug besichtigen könnte, aber charaktervolle Kneipen und gutes, preiswertes Essen könnten Sie hier wochenlang halten.

Über das Reiseziel: Lüttich ist die größte Stadt Walloniens und die drittgrößte Gemeinde in Belgien nach Brüssel und Antwerpen. Die Stadt liegt am Zusammenfluss der Maas und der Ourthe. Als bedeutender Flusshafen und wirtschaftliche sowie kommerzielle Metropole in der Nähe Deutschlands ist Lüttich der Sitz wirtschaftlicher Institutionen in Wallonien. Seine ruhmreiche Vergangenheit hat ein reiches Erbe an Kirchen und Museen hinterlassen. Lüttich ist auch eine Universitätsstadt mit einer sehr lebendigen Atmosphäre. Der Place Saint-Lambert ist das Herz von Lüttich. Heutzutage ist er ein weitläufiger, modern gestalteter Raum. Um den Platz herum befinden sich das Einkaufszentrum Galeries Saint Lambert, der Palast der Fürstbischöfe von Lüttich und der Place du Marché, wo das Rathaus und der Perron stehen, eine Säule, die die städtischen Freiheiten symbolisiert. Der Place Saint-Lambert ist der zentrale Knotenpunkt von Lüttich. Es ist ein äußerst belebter Ort, der von Menschen überfüllt ist. Die Kathedrale Saint Paul ist die Hauptkathedrale von Lüttich. Sie wurde im 10. Jahrhundert erbaut, aber seitdem viele Male restauriert. Vor der Kirche befindet sich der Platz Place de la Cathédrale, der wunderschön mit Blumen geschmückt ist. Der Platz bietet mehrere Restaurants und ist der perfekte Ort, um sich hinzusetzen und eine Mahlzeit zu genießen oder eine Tasse Kaffee zu trinken. Lüttich verfügt über eine Reihe sehr interessanter Museen, wie das Waffenmuseum, in dem Sie viel über die Geschichte der Waffenherstellung erfahren können, das Curtius-Museum mit dekorativen Künsten, Siegeln, Münzen und Medaillen, und das Museum für Wallonische Kunst, wo Sie die Sammlung von Gemälden und Artefakten sehen können. Lüttich hat unzählige Reichtümer zu bieten, die darauf warten, entdeckt zu werden. Skurril und lebhaft verfügt es über eine große Anzahl von Restaurants und Bars, die Einheimische und Touristen gleichermaßen unterhalten. Sein dynamisches kulturelles und künstlerisches Leben und ein beachtliches architektonisches Erbe machen Lüttich zu einem unverzichtbaren Teil jeder Reise nach Belgien.