20 trips around Brussels

Are you in Brussels and want to explore the region for a day? Here are the 20 rides around Brussels that we recommend!

One hour train from Paris and we pass from one capital to another. Brussels seems quieter and laid, with the countryside nearby. His Grand Place, his Manneken Pis and its Parc du Fiftynaire offer what to enjoy the time of a weekend.

The chance of the Bruxellois or on-site holidaymakers is that you can escape from the city quite quickly and that it is possible to make multiple excursions on a day.

Here are the twenty rides around Brussels that Wanderlix has selected for you!

1. Jardin botanique de Meise

Those who love botany will be delighted by this stroll around Brussels. Located close to the capital, it is one of the world’s largest plant gardens (92 hectares!).

Between exotic plants, tropical greenhouses and flowers of the region, we are bent by the beauty of places where time is not seen. Since 1938, the garden is located on the estate of Bouchout Castle, which one can visit.

2. Hiking in Soignes forest

Rare are the UNESCO World Heritage Forests. However, this is the case of a part of this beautiful forest located close to the capital. Its main feature is to be composed of 80% beech, huge trees up to 35 meters!

A day in the forest is a beautiful escape from the urban tumult, a place where you like to lose track and picnic. Those who have good legs can walk 14km to Waterloo, to be entitled to Napoleon's salvation!

3. Hal Wood

Are you dreaming of a moment of escape? So this stroll around Brussels is for you. If Hal’s wood is not a huge forest, it nevertheless offers very beautiful hikes.

The best time to stroll around is in the spring, when wild jacinths bloom.

4. Louvain

Beautiful walk around Brussels, Louvain offers a condensed of everything that Flemish cities can offer. First of all, you can enjoy an old town dominated by a Grand-Place with its beautiful Gothic buildings, including its city hotel.

Then we walk from alleys to the discovery of hidden treasures. We then fall on the crushes, small in the North and large in the South, religious testimonies of the city. The M-Museum was taught at the meeting of Flemish artists. Finally, we get drunk with moderation during the visit of the world-known beer brewery Stella Artois!

5. Means

Just 10 minutes by train, we're transported to Melines! This city is a classic of Flemish cities whose charm is not tired. Its Grand Place where every house is unique, its crushing and its large cathedral form the heart of the old city.

It is also possible to climb up to the top of the tower of the cathedral from which the view is superb. Finally, beer enthusiasts can visit the Het Anker brewery, which produces the famous Carolus.

6. Wallonia Beer Route

Belgium is the paradise for lovers of little foam! There are a hundred breweries throughout the country and it is impossible to make a route as tastes and colors differ with regard to beer.

Here are some famous breweries located around Liège (Leffe House in Dinant, Achouffe House for Chouffe) but the choice is wide... and if you add the Flanders, you can spend the week!

7. Antwerp

The large port of Belgium is a good walk around Brussels. If you arrive by train, the first visit is made on arrival. The station is indeed one of the most beautiful in the world and the interior reminds the Musée d’Orsay . If you're with your children, don't miss the zoo right behind the station.

Antwerp also has its Grand Place, a beautiful cathedral and an old town. This is where we find the whole range of local gastronomy: beer, fries and waffles! All with moderation of course.

Finally, more cultural visits take you to the House of Rubens, the famous painter, and to the Het Steen ("the rock") in Dutch, a castle dominated by an amazing statue!

8. Pairi Daiza

The most visited Zoo of Belgium, Pairi Daiza is an idea of strolling around Brussels if you travel with children. We go there for the discovery of animal and aquatic species, and for the beautiful setting of the park.

9. Ghent

Often abandoned for the benefit of Bruges or Antwerp, Ghent is nevertheless an excellent idea of strolling around Brussels. Of course, its old town is typical of Flemish cities with a belfry , a Grand Place and beautiful buildings.

Another visit to do, the castle of the Counts ( Gravensteen ), known by his collection of torture instruments. Go to Patershol district for its picturesque streets and trendy bars. Finally, if the weather is with you, the ride along the Graslei and Korenlei docks is worth it.

10. Namur

Another traditional stroll around Brussels, Namur almost reminds of a seaside coastal town with its unique architecture. This is due to the passage of the Meuse, on which one can make a cruise.

Namur is dominated by its citadel, built on a rocky piton. From above, we discover a superb panorama and the amazing sculpture Searching for Utopia! Below, you can walk in the old town, visit the TreM.a, museum dedicated to ancient arts, and enjoy a peket, an aromatic liqueur and speciality of the city!

11. Huy

City of arrival of the Flèche Wallonne, cycling enthusiasts fear this name. Famous for his very pentuated "wall". The city is also known for its strong dating from 1818. If some do not have the faith of cyclists, you can go there by cable car!

Huy is also a pleasant city to stroll around, take a glass on the terrace and discover a Flemish architecture in a less crowded city than Bruges or Brussels.

12. Château de Beloeil

This 14th century castle offers a walk around Brussels for those who want to combine nature and architecture. The estate of the castle is indeed immense to make beautiful walks and the castle is worth a look (the game of words was simple!).

13. Courtrai

A real start, this visit around Brussels allows you to discover a little-known city, Courtrai. Its city center, with its Grand Place and its belfry, is superb as all Flemish cities and its beguinage ( Begijnhof ) that reminds the beautiful Bruges.

The main attractions of Courtrai are its two twin towers, the towers of Broel ( Broeltorens ). Vestiges of medieval fortifications, they were built in 1385 and 1415. A beautiful testimony of the medieval past of the city and a very photogenic place.

14. Ostend

Want to sting a head (if this is the season of course...)? Let's take a little walk by the North Sea! In fact, Ostend is renowned for its sandy beach as it is few in the area.

In the summer, the Sand Sculptures festival allows to admire magnificent achievements, so some are truly impressive realism.

At the top of the Dunes d’Ostende, you can visit Fort Napoleon, built between 1811 and 1814 and became a military museum since its restoration in the late 1990s.

15. Bruges

We no longer present the Northern Venice, a classic ride around Brussels. Bruges is a city that gives us an inner joy in the daytime.

Our pleasure? Lost in the alleys of downtown, around the Grand-Place and its belfry. Each street has its charm, its fetish building and its traditional boutiques. It is possible to visit all by bike.

In Bruges, you can also sail on the canals, stroll on the dock of the Rosary or enjoy a waffle or a beer. In short, you'll bring back a lot of memories in your head!

16. Baerle-Nassau / Baerle-Duc

Get us to Netherlands or in Belgium? Both at the same time! Located after passing the Dutch border, this village with two names is the most original ride around Brussels. Indeed, no less than thirty enclaves mark the territory of the two communes!

A situation from history, one passes from the Netherlands to Belgium by crossing a street, between the tables of a restaurant or even inside a store! A curiosity worth the detour and attracts the world.

17. Regional Natural Park Scarpe-Escaut

Here is a walk around Brussels for those who love hiking. Located just after the border crossing, this natural park is indeed the right place to walk in the forest.

With its marked trails, its small stream and its buildings or remains here and there, we have to venture and discover. Know that many places allow to picnic in nature. For those who prefer a restaurant, there is also a choice.

18. Lille

Accessible in just 35 minutes by train, the northern city offers multiple treasures to be discovered without moderation. Its old town, with its Grand Place, its belfry of the city hotel, its old scholarship and alleys, is one of the most beautiful in the region.

In Lille, we also enchant at the Palais des Beaux-Arts and in front of the military architecture of the citadel. I mean, we don't resist local specialties: welsh, doughnut and tarte, just that!

19. Ypres

With its Grand-Place, from which the immense Gothic building called Halles to the sheets, and its small town centre typical of the Flemish cities with its belfry, as well as its brick buildings, Ypres is a nice surprise. There is always a place, a café or a nice shop in every little alley.

The In Flanders Fields Museum , in English in tribute to Canadian author John Mc Crae, traces part of the history of the First World War.

Lighter for the spirit, the Bellewaerde amusement park is located in the east of the city, a mix between the Asterix Park And a zoo. Perfect for a family visit to Brussels!

20. The Mardasson Memorial

A ride around Brussels to remember. Honoring the American soldiers who fell during the Battle of the Ardennes in the winter of 1944/1945, the Mardasson Memorial is a place for recollection and understanding. He will delight all those who love history.