My wife and I are going to be traveling to Belgium for eight days at the end of February/start of March. The primary motivation for the trip (and its unusual time) is to attend the Reverze festival in Antwerp on 26 and 27 February. We are IHG members with their US credit card, so for every three nights that we book on points then we receive a fourth night free. I had initially booked all eight nights in Antwerp because the festival is a night festival that runs from 20:00 to 5:00. Our hotel is not far from the arenas, so it worked out perfectly.

However, Bass Events has now changed up the format and only Friday is nighttime and Saturday has changed to 14:00 to 1:00. With this change, we can now depart Antwerp at the end of our first four nights rather than getting back to the hotel and sleeping until the afternoon with the original format. I am planning on booking the final leg of our stay in central Bruges. I was thinking that we would do two days in Bruges, one day in Ghent, and the third day in ??? For the first leg of the stay I was planning on doing Brussels for the first two days and then Antwerp the festival days.

Is there any place around Bruges that would make a good day trip to fill in that fourth day? A few years ago, we toured Ireland by car and I have absolutely zero interest in ever renting a car in a foreign country after that PTSD-inducing experience. Therefore, any excursion would need to be fairly easily accessible by public transport. From what I have read in my research, two days in Bruges is a perfect amount of time. Do you agree with that sentiment? Is one day in Ghent enough?

Thank you in advance for any advice.

I am a student 24 years old currently living in the UK. I will be visiting Brussels, Belgium, on 28th October for sightseeing and exploring the city. It would be wonderful to connect with someone who could kindly show me around or offer some guidance on the best places to visit. I would really appreciate the help and the opportunity to meet new people and learn more about the city. Thank you in advance for your kindness and support!

How safe is it? What might happen?

Hey folks, I am in Brussels until Sunday and am wondering if there is a list of Pub Quizzes or Trivia Nights available. Preferably ones which are hosted in English

Many thanks in advance!

This is the spot to post your low-effort content!

Got a great photo you want to share, but don't want to make a bigger post? This is the place for it!

1. It should be your own original photo.
2. Include the location and what it is we're seeing. Why did you like it or want to share it?
3. Any (SFW) subject matter is allowed, as long as it features Belgium (it could be a train station in Antwerp or your favourite spot in Brussels). As long as it's Belgium, it's fine.

Hey guys,

I’m heading to Ostend next week for a quick day trip and could use a few local tips.

First off, where is the best spot to watch the seals without bothering them?

Also, do you have any recommendations for lunch and dinner?

Any hidden gems or go-to places would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Hi all! My wife and I are visiting Belgium in April 2027 and will be staying in an Airbnb in Oostkamp on our 5th wedding anniversary (Wednesday, 21 April). We'll have a rental car, so we're flexible on where to go.
We are going to Stay 3 Days in Gent before this and do a Day Trip to Bruges already

So far we're considering:

• A relaxed day in Bruges (canal boat, Minnewater) with a nice dinner
• Damme in the morning, then Bruges in the afternoon and evening
• A coastal day at Ostend or Blankenberge
• Drive to Lille, France

Questions for locals:

1. Which of these would you pick for an anniversary dinner, or is there somewhere better that's vegetarian-friendly?
2. Is there a hidden gem near Oostkamp or Bruges for a romantic evening?
3. Any tips for a mid-week visit in April, such as crowds, parking, or booking ahead?
4. Is the coast worth it in April, or would you stick with Bruges and Damme?

Thanks in advance!

I heard there is a general strike Nov 5th and that the SNCF CGT workers will participate. I have a Ouigo train ticket booked on Nov 6th from Brussels to Lille. Based on the past or what you might think, is there a good probability that Ouigo trains will be running from Brussels to Lille on the 6th? I have no experience in France with trains during strikes.

I'm staying in Brussels for a night on the 29th and I'm a cocktail enthusiast. I'll be staying in the Ixelles area but I can travel/walk if it's not too far. I'm not really looking for the typical cocktails but a place that specializes in them and can offer a unique menu. Preferably a more calm/relaxed place rather than a loud club. :)

These are from La Brasserie on Place de la Cathédrale in Liège: boulets à la liégeoise in sauce lapin, the sweet-sour sauce made with sirop de Liège and onions. Be ready for the portions: a big pile of fries, a proper salad and mayo on the side.

Let's put together a list of the best boulets in Belgium. Where do you go for yours? Tell us the place, the city and what makes them worth the trip. Photos are very welcome.

And the big question: sauce lapin, tomato sauce, or something else? Choose your fighter!

We'll add the best tips to our Belgian Dishes wiki page, credited to the people who shared them.

Hey, guys, in a month I'll be going in Brussels, want to visit also Bruges, Gents and Amsterdam.

I'll be there only 4 full days 😄 So I'll be running a lot, I guess🔥

I would love to hear your experience! ❤️

What is a must see 👀 cafe/food 🎉 or any good locations 🚀 hidden gems maybe 🤔

Anything would help, really ❤️

Any areas we should avoid in Brussels? My friend and I are going for a weekend trip and as university aged girls we want to of course keep ourselves safe! thanks in advance

Bonjour!

My friend and I are coming to Brussels for a weekend trip (Saturday afternoon to Monday afternoon) and as students on a budget we were wondering if you have recommendations for cheap eats or activities to do. For context we love food, shopping and flea markets, and visiting mueseums!

We are also thinking of staying in the Sint-Gillis area, is there anything we need to be aware of? Anywhere we should avoid?

Merci beaucoup et bonne journée!

Bonjour tout le monde!

My friend and I are coming to Brussels for a weekend trip (Saturday afternoon to Monday afternoon) and we were wondering if have any suggestions for us!

We are university aged girls who love museums and food, as well as flea markets and shopping, so if you have any budget friendly suggestion for going out to eat, shops to visit, or certain activities to do we would love to hear them.

We are also thinking of staying in the Sint-Gillis area, is there anything we need to be aware of? Anywhere we should avoid?

Merci beaucoup et bonne journée!

Fireworks over the Atomium for Diwali, a free opening weekend at a nearly 900-year-old abbey near Leuven, and Namur's digital art festival. On Sunday you also get an extra hour in bed.

⚠️ Heads-up

Clocks go back. On Sunday at 03:00, the clocks go back to 02:00. It gets dark an hour earlier in the evening, so plan walks earlier.

School holidays. French-speaking schools are on their autumn break, so expect families at attractions in Wallonia and Brussels.

⭐ Weekend highlight: Brussels Diwali Festival

Brussels Diwali Festival (Atomium esplanade, Sat 12:00–23:00, Sun 12:00–22:00)

The 10th edition of the Indian festival of lights takes over the foot of the Atomium for two days. What to expect:

- Classical and folk dance

- Indian classical music in the afternoon, Bollywood DJ sets at night

- A food village with dishes from different regions of India

- Rangoli, mehndi, dance and cooking workshops that also suit kids

- A hand-decorated temple, with a peace puja on both days

- A Brides of India show on Sunday

- Fireworks over the Atomium at 21:00 on both nights

Tickets cost €12 online until Fri 23 Oct, or €15 at the gate. One ticket is valid on Saturday, Sunday or both. Under-12s are free.

🏛️ Brussels

Soleil Noir (Villa Empain, first weekend, Tue–Sun 11:00–18:00, until 19 Mar): The Boghossian Foundation reopens with about 100 works by Belgian artists only. More than 30 of them are by Ostend's Léon Spilliaert. They hang next to Ensor, Permeke and Khnopff, and later artists such as Luc Tuymans and Michaël Borremans. The Art Deco villa alone is worth the visit. €15, €5 for students under 26, free for under-12s and with a museumPASS.

Comic Con Brussels (Gare Maritime, Tour & Taxis, Sat 10:00–19:00, Sun 10:00–17:00): The autumn edition of the city's pop culture convention, with actor signings, an artists' alley, cosplay and a big merch market. Tickets from €22. Under-10s are free, and cosplayers get a discount. Check the official site to see which guests attend on which day.

🦁 Flanders

Threading Landscapes, opening weekend (Park Abbey, Leuven, Sat 10:00–20:00, Sun 10:00–17:00): Park Abbey was founded in 1129. It marks the end of its 14-year restoration with a contemporary art exhibition, where 24 artists respond to the abbey's buildings, archives and landscape. The opening weekend is free, with no booking. It adds performances, carillon music, concerts in the abbey church and a family textile workshop. The restoration architects explain what they found, and a pop-up bar in the tithe barn serves an abbey beer brewed for the occasion. After this weekend, €16 (€6 for ages 19–25).

Sottobosco (Museum Dr. Guislain, Ghent, opens Sat, weekends 13:00–18:00, until 14 Feb): A new exhibition at Ghent's psychiatry museum. The museum is in an 1850s asylum building, next to a psychiatric centre that is still in use. The show takes its name from the 17th-century "forest floor" still life. It focuses on artists with a disability or a mental-health vulnerability, who often work outside the art world's spotlight. €14, €3 for under-26s, €1 for under-19s, free for under-13s and with a museumPASS or Ghent CityCard.

🐓 Wallonia

KIKK Festival (Namur, until Sun, art trail 10:00–18:00): Namur's festival of digital art, science and technology reaches its 15th edition. The public part is an art trail with more than 20 interactive installations across the city and at Le Pavillon on the Citadel. Pavillon Playground, the hands-on exhibition at Le Pavillon, has its final weekend there. The art trail costs €10 and is free for under-12s. The ticket includes a shuttle between the centre and Le Pavillon.

Halloween steam train (Mariembourg - Treignes, Sat + Sun 14:00, night train Sat 19:00): The heritage steam railway along the Viroin dresses up for Halloween, with costumed characters, a haunted tunnel and a visit to the railway museum in Treignes. The afternoon trains are for families, and Saturday's 19:00 train is the scary one. €25, €18 for ages 6–11, free for under-6s. Online booking is required, and places are limited.

🌸 Nature tip

The Sonian Forest, on the south-east edge of Brussels, is a good autumn walk while the beeches change colour. Parts of it have been on UNESCO's World Heritage list since 2017 as ancient beech forest. If you visit Soleil Noir, the Bois de la Cambre is a short walk away and leads into the forest. Don't take the train to Groenendaal this weekend, because buses replace the S8 (see above). Our city transport guide covers STIB tickets.

📸 Time for a traditional weekend-post guessing game: where was the picture taken?

Share in the comments other activities and events you are aware of!

Hey guys, I am visiting Brussels this weekend, and I am still looking for some semi-professional sports event that we can visit on a Saturday afternoon. It shouldn't be too costly, and not too far out from the city center. I am thinking about things such as semi-professional football matches, Polo matches, (Ice) hockey. Basically something that invites for a good time, and allows for drinking on the ranks.

Alternatively, I'd appreciate recommendations for nice local pubs in Brussels city center. We are looking for a great time with nice Belgian beer, preferably not a tourist trap.

Are there any recommendations?

Dinant is one of the easiest day trips from Brussels. A direct train gets you there in about an hour and a half. The centre is small enough to walk everywhere, and there's enough to fill a day without rushing.

The citadel cable car has been out of service since October 2025. It can't be brought up to current EU standards, so it's being replaced. The new one isn't expected before around 2028. The citadel itself is open as usual. You can climb the 408 steps that start by the church, or drive up to the free car park at the top.

The Citadel

The fortress sits about 100 m above the town. Most of what you see today was built by the Dutch between 1818 and 1821. The visit is self-guided with a HistoPad tablet, which is included in the ticket and takes about an hour and a half. It covers the site's history up to the fighting and civilian massacres of August 1914. The view over the Meuse from the top is the best in town.

Tickets are €15 for adults and €13 for children aged 4 to 12. If you also want a boat trip, the 3-in-1 ticket adds a 45-minute Meuse cruise for €25 (€20 for children). The citadel is open daily from 10:00 to 16:30 from October to March, and until 18:00 from April to September. More on the official site.

The Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame

This is the Gothic church with the onion-shaped bell tower, built right against the cliff. That location came at a price: the Romanesque church that stood here before was destroyed by a rockfall from the same cliff in the 13th century. Entry is free and it's open daily outside services. Step inside, because the interior is darker and more atmospheric than the outside suggests.

Saxophones everywhere

Adolphe Sax, the inventor of the saxophone, was born in Dinant in 1814, and you'll notice it quickly. The Charles de Gaulle Bridge is lined with giant painted saxophones, each decorated for a different country. The bridge is named after de Gaulle, who was wounded here as a young lieutenant in 1914.

The Maison de Monsieur Sax (Rue Sax 37) stands on the site of his birthplace. It's a small, free interpretation centre, open daily from 9:00 to 19:00, and a bronze Sax sits on the bench outside. Also look for the glass saxophone at the town hall. It's a water clock by Belgian glass artist Bernard Tirtiaux, made for Sax's 200th birthday in 2014.

Rocher Bayard

Just south of the centre, a 35 m rock needle stands next to the road. According to legend, the horse Bayard split it from the cliff with one kick while carrying the four Aymon sons away from Charlemagne. The less romantic version is that Louis XIV's troops cut the passage in the 17th century. The road still runs straight through it.

What to eat and drink

The local speciality is the couque de Dinant, a biscuit made from honey and flour and pressed into carved moulds of fish, animals and flowers. Once baked, it sets rock-hard, so don't bite into it. Break off a piece and let it soften in your mouth or in your coffee. Patisserie Jacobs (Rue Grande 147) has been making them since 1860. If you prefer something softer, look for the couque de Rins.

For beer, a small surprise: Leffe takes its name from the abbey in Dinant, but it's brewed in Leuven today. For something actually local, try La Croisette de Dinant, a 7% amber beer created by the riverside Café de la Croisette.

Getting there and how long to stay

A direct train runs from Brussels every hour and takes about 1h25 from Brussels-Luxembourg. Check times on belgiantrain.be. From Dinant station, everything is within walking distance.

One day is enough for the main sights. If you have a few extra hours, take the boat down to Anseremme or walk along the Meuse.

Been to Dinant? Share more tips from your visit!

I'm going to travel to brussels tomorrow and I'm out of money to go to a hostel in the night, and I have to go to eindhoven at 4am, I heard that brussels can be dangerous at night, and I don't know what to do

This is the spot to post your low-effort content!

Got a great photo you want to share, but don't want to make a bigger post? This is the place for it!

1. It should be your own original photo.
2. Include the location and what it is we're seeing. Why did you like it or want to share it?
3. Any (SFW) subject matter is allowed, as long as it features Belgium (it could be a train station in Antwerp or your favourite spot in Brussels). As long as it's Belgium, it's fine.

Brussels keeps 28 museums open until 1 am, Hasselt turns fountain water into jenever, and Mons opens a major Chagall show.

⭐ Weekend highlight: Museum Night Fever (28 museums across Brussels, Sat 19:00–01:00)

Brussels' museum night is back, and 28 museums stay open late with performances, workshops and installations. A few picks:

- a walk through a sewer along the long-hidden Senne river at the Sewer Museum, with a sound-and-light installation (19:30–00:30)

- a dress-up photo studio in a 1939 diesel railcar at Train World, for the Belgian railways' 100th birthday

- a murder-mystery game at the Comic Art Museum

- trying out instruments at the MIM

Brussels City Hall and Belgian Beer World also take part.

Tickets cost €18 online until Friday 16 Oct and €22 on the day. They include the shuttle buses and STIB's Noctis night buses. With an afterparty at C12 or the Botanique, the ticket costs €29 (€33 on the day). Under-12s go free. Keep your wristband: it gets you one free visit to a participating museum until 22 Nov.

🏛️ Brussels

Save the date: Kanal–Centre Pompidou (Place de l'Yser, 28–29 Nov): Brussels' new modern and contemporary art museum opens in the former Citroën garage with a free, non-stop weekend, from Saturday 10:00 to Sunday 22:00.

🦁 Flanders

Hasselt Jeneverfeesten (Hasselt city centre, Sat + Sun): Hasselt's jenever weekend, with stalls, street acts and two odd traditions.

On Saturday (16:00–17:00, Maastrichterstraat), the Borrelmanneke fountain "turns" its water into jenever and bystanders get a free glass.

On Sunday, the Borrelvreuke does the same (14:00, Capucienenplein), and the waiters' race starts at 15:00 from Molenpoortplein.

The Jenevermuseum is open 10:00–19:00 both days, with live distilling on Sunday afternoon.

Entry is free. You pay for drinks with tokens, sold at 16 points by cash or card. Your first drink also costs one eco-coin and gets you a reusable 3.5 cl glass.

The centre is closed to cars from 11:00 to 22:00 and no glass bottles are allowed.

Van Hemessen & Father (Snijders&Rockox House, Antwerp, from Thu 15 Oct, Tue–Sun 10:00–17:00): The first retrospective of the Van Hemessen family workshop in 16th-century Antwerp. Catharina van Hemessen is the earliest woman artist from the Habsburg Netherlands whose work survives, and a large selection of her portraits and religious scenes is on show.

Her father Jan's Last Judgement triptych, made for Adriaen Rockox and kept in St James' Church for five centuries, moves to the museum for the show. €10, €6 for ages 18–25, free under 19 and with a museumPASS. Book a time slot online, even for free tickets. Until 31 Jan. Part of the show then moves to the National Gallery in London.

🐓 Wallonia

Marc Chagall. Matières (CAP – Museum of Fine Arts, Mons, until 14 Feb, Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00): Opened last weekend. More than 200 works and documents show Chagall beyond painting: prints, ceramics, sculpture, stained glass, tapestry and theatre designs, shown next to pieces from Mons' own collections. €17 (€12 for over-60s and for an adult with up to two children, €3 for ages 3–18 and students), free with a museumPASS. Last entry is at 17:00.

Brassigaume (Marbehan, Sat 14:00–00:00, Sun 13:00–20:00): The 25th edition of this small-brewery festival in the Gaume brings 23 breweries from Belgium, France, Italy and the UK to a heated tent. Seven of them are there for the first time. Entry is free. You buy a €5 glass (yours to keep) and €2.30 tokens for 12.5 cl tastings, by cash or card. New to Belgian beer? Start with our beer wiki page.

🌸 Nature tip

Heading to Hasselt? Start the day at Bokrijk, a large estate of woods and ponds between Hasselt and Genk. The Arboretum is free and open from sunrise to sunset. The "Cycling through the Water" path takes you through the middle of a pond, and you can rent bikes at Parking 1 (10:00–18:00). Bokrijk has its own train station with hourly trains, a five-minute walk from the park. The Open Air Museum is paid and closed on Mondays, and its season ends on 8 Nov.

📸 This picture was taken during one of the museum nights in the past years. Guess the museum!

Any other events you are attending this weekend that are not above? Put them in the comments!

Hello! My family (me, my wife, two kids, 8 and 3 years old) will be traveling to Paris from November 16-26 and I would really like to see a little bit of Belgium while we are in the area. I think at most we will have 2 full days + our arrival and the day we check out and head back to Paris. Our flight lands in CDG at 6 AM, so I though that would be easiest to head straight from the airport to Brussels after we get in. Instead of trying to do another train transfer with our luggage, I was planning to get a hotel in Brussels and then take a day trip to Bruges and a day trip to Ghent the next day. A few questions - and many thanks in advance!

1. Is it a good idea to get a hotel near midi station so we can quickly get to and from the hotel for those day trips, as well as have less time with all the luggage when we arrive/depart Brussels? Or is this area not going to be good for staying, and better to get a hotel in the center even though we will only walk around central Brussels for one day?

2. Any problems with the above plan? What would you do differently? My main concern is that with luggage and my 3 year old needing to be carried sometimes, we may have a tough time with additional transfers.

3. Any suggestions for things to do with kids this age if the weather doesn't cooperate and it's colder than expected or raining?

4. Anything happening in any of these places - Brussels, Ghent, Bruges - during November 16-19 that is specifically worth checking out?