Things to do in Belgium

Every year, tens of thousands of tourists head to Belgium to soak up its beautiful scenic surroundings, long traditions in food and drink, the amazing culture or even the Golden Palace La Roulette nightlife. With Belgium being so close to the UK and offering some of the best nightlife Europe has to offer, it’s not surprising that many more tourists are expected to visit year on year. In fact there are so many things to see and do in any one of Belgium’s fine cities that we’ve written a small guide on what to do when you visit Belgium:

Be Inspired by Art

Many of the cities in Belgium are capitals of European culture in their own right; a lot of them have been the inspiration for famous artists throughout the centuries and two of the most famous Belgian artists provide the first two ‘must-see’ attractions.

For the connoisseur with old masters in mind, not much could be better than a trip to the world-famous Rubens’ house in Antwerp. Widely-regarded as one of the best painters of his time, Rubens built this stunning house and filled it with works from some of his favourite painters and sculptors. It houses loads of Rubens’ work too which could usually be found hanging on the walls of prestigious galleries around the world.

Though if your tastes are a little more modern and surreal another house may be more up your street; that of Magritte. Magritte was a master surrealist and many of his adoring fans have lovingly transformed this rather non-descript house into a shrine to the great artist. With plenty of his work on display, a trip to Magritte’s house is well-worth it to see for yourself the places and works that most inspired him.

Eat and Drink

If the thought of high-calories is more appealing to you than the thought of high art, Belgium is a world-beater when it comes to eating and drinking. The fame of their wide variety of beer is richly deserved as it is some of the best in the world. With hundreds of quality lagers, ales and other specialty brews to sample, Belgium will not disappoint even the fussiest of drinkers!

The country is also famed for its sweet tooth. Waffles and chocolate are the largest confectionary exports and are sure to delight those with a mild chocolate addiction. Cafes, waffle houses and chocolate factories abound in Belgium so there’s never any danger finding a sugar rush
Tower over Europe

Brussels is home to the EU Commission and site of many world-changing political and economic decisions. It’s in such a spirit of European endeavour that the Belgians built ‘Mini-Europe’, a park that can shrink a trans-European vacation into a trip of just a few hours. Great for the younger and smaller members of the family, the park is both fun and educational. There’s interactive model-making for the kids (and bigger kids!) to enjoy whilst touring a scaled-down Europe gives everyone a whistle-stop tour of European culture and architecture.