11 Days Highlights of Belgium

About the destination: 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.

About the destination: 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.

About the destination: 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.

Informazioni sulla destinazione: Vivace Lovanio (Louvain in francese) è un'antica capitale, un importante centro di produzione della birra e la più antica città universitaria delle Fiandre. Nel periodo di tempo, e anche durante le vacanze, circa 25.000 studenti danno alla città un'aria ottimista e creativa. Il nucleo pittoresco è abbastanza piccolo da poter facilmente vedere le attrazioni turistiche in una breve gita di un giorno, ma pub caratteristici e ristoranti di buon valore potrebbero tenerti qui per settimane.

Informazioni sulla destinazione: Liegi è la città più grande della Vallonia e il terzo comune più grande del Belgio dopo Bruxelles e Anversa. La città si trova sulla confluenza dei fiumi Mosa e Ourthe. Grande porto fluviale e metropoli economica e commerciale vicino alla Germania, Liegi è la sede delle istituzioni economiche della Vallonia. Il suo glorioso passato ha lasciato un ricco patrimonio nelle chiese e nei musei. Liegi è anche una città universitaria con un'atmosfera molto vivace. Place Saint-Lambert è il cuore di Liegi. Oggi è un ampio spazio aperto nel design moderno. Intorno alla piazza si trovano il centro commerciale Galeries Saint Lambert, il palazzo del Principe Vescovo di Liegi e Place du Marche, dove si trovano il municipio e il Perron, una colonna che simboleggia le libertà municipali. Place Saint Lambert è il fulcro centrale di Liegi. È un posto estremamente affollato e pieno di gente. La Cattedrale di Saint Paul è la cattedrale principale di Liegi. Fu costruito nel X secolo, ma da allora subì numerosi restauri. Di fronte alla chiesa si trova la piazza chiamata Place de la Cathédrale, che è splendidamente decorata con fiori. La piazza vanta numerosi ristoranti ed è il luogo perfetto per sedersi e mangiare o gustare una tazza di caffè. Liegi ha un numero di musei molto interessanti come il Museo delle armi, dove puoi trovare molto sulla storia della fabbricazione delle armi, Il Museo Curtius, con arti decorative, sigilli, monete e medaglie, e Il Museo di Wallon Art, dove tu può vedere la collezione di dipinti e manufatti. Liegi ha innumerevoli ricchezze in serbo per essere scoperte. Eccentrico e vivace ha un gran numero di ristoranti e bar per intrattenere gente del posto e turisti. La sua vigorosa vita culturale e artistica e un notevole patrimonio architettonico fanno di Liegi una parte essenziale di qualsiasi viaggio in Belgio.