Belgium

Places in Belgium

• Aalst

  Aalst is a medium-sized Belgian town between Ghent and Brussels, known for its UNESCO-listed belfry, vibrant carnival, and local specialty Aalsterse vlaai. It offers a mix of history, culture, and shopping in a compact walkable center.

  Atlas entry

• Antwerp

  Antwerp pairs Gothic church architecture with Rubens paintings and museums. The Cathedral of Our Lady and the UNESCO-listed Plantin Moretus Museum anchor an art-focused visit.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$125

  Best months

  May–Sep

• Arlon

  Arlon makes sense as an overnight or stopover if you're crossing between Belgium and Luxembourg, or exploring the Ardennes region. The town has one of the finest archeological museums in Belgium, with an exceptional Gallo-Roman collection and one of the world's best displays of Merovingian funerary art.

  Atlas entry

• Ath

  Ath is a French-speaking town of about 30,000 inhabitants in the centre of western Hainaut, situated mid-way between Brussels and Lille. Famous for the annual Ducasse festival, this typically Belgian small town features architecture from different eras, including a 16th-century Maison espagnole, 18th-century houses from French rule, and a 1919 Art Nouveau building called Le Palace.

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• Bastogne

  Bastogne is a small Belgian town in the Luxembourg province of Wallonia, best known for its pivotal role in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. The town draws visitors interested in WWII history, with multiple museums and monuments dedicated to the American forces who defended this critical crossroads.

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• Berlare

  Berlare is a calm municipality in East Flanders, best known for Lake Donk—Flanders' largest lake. It's ideal for a relaxed half-day visit: eel restaurants along the north shore, rowing boats for hire, and walking trails around the quieter southern shores.

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• Beveren

  Beveren is a practical cycling base for exploring the Scheldt river landscape between Antwerp and Ghent. The municipality of 48,000 spans eight towns including Doel, Melsele, and Kallo, each with their own character.

  Atlas entry

• Bruges

  Bruges has a well-preserved medieval centre threaded by canals. Its UNESCO-listed belfry gives historic walks a prominent landmark.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$132

  Best months

  May–Sep

• Brussels

  Brussels mixes medieval Flemish heritage with grand urban architecture and international institutions. Museums, chocolate and beer give visitors plenty to explore between its neighbourhoods.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$138

  Best months

  May–Sep

• Charleroi

  Charleroi is a former mining town with a bad reputation, but it offers unique attractions like the internationally-acclaimed Museum of Photography, a strong comic strip culture, and a modern dance festival. It is also the location of low-cost Brussels South-Charleroi Airport, making it a convenient transit hub.

  Atlas entry

• De Haan

  De Haan is a rare find on the Belgian coast: a town that has retained its 1930s charm through strict real estate policies that prevent buildings higher than five floors. Unlike other Belgian seaside resorts cluttered with postwar apartment blocks, De Haan rewards visitors with white villas, belle époque architecture, and a relaxed atmosphere.

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• Deinze

  Deinze is a small Belgian town of around 30,000 residents in East Flanders, positioned between the larger cities of Ghent and Kortrijk. The town offers a slower pace than its bigger neighbors, with a riverside setting along the Leie (Lys) river, historic churches, and access to cycling paths through green polder landscapes.

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• Dendermonde

  Dendermonde is a small but historically rich city in East Flanders with two UNESCO World Heritage sites—the belfry and the St. Alexius Beguinage—packed into a walkable historic centre.

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• Diest

  Diest is a small historic town of 23,000 in northeastern Flemish Brabant, Belgium, best known for its beautifully restored UNESCO-listed beguinage and intact medieval ramparts. The compact city center is walkable in about 20 minutes, making it ideal for a relaxed day trip or overnight stop.

  Atlas entry

• Eeklo

  Eeklo is a small Flemish town of about 21,000 inhabitants in northwestern East Flanders, situated roughly 20 km north of Ghent. The town itself lacks extensive historical heritage as most buildings were demolished and replaced with modern structures.

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• Eupen

  Eupen is the administrative capital of Belgium's German-speaking community, making it a unique cultural crossroads where French and German influences meet. The town sits surrounded by forests and the Hautes Fagnes wetlands, offering easy access to nature.

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• Ghent

  Ghent pairs canalside guild houses and a medieval castle with an active university scene. Its historic centre rewards wandering between quays, churches and cafés.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$138

  Best months

  May–Sep

• Grimbergen

  Grimbergen is a historic Flemish town of 37,000 residents just north of Brussels, offering a peaceful escape from the capital. The town is renowned for its 17th-century Saint Servatius Basilica with its carillon, medieval castle ruins, and the famous Grimbergen beer that originated at the local abbey.

  Atlas entry

• Halen

  Halen is a small Belgian municipality in Limburg province, known for its role in the Battle of the Silver Helmets in 1914 when locals defeated German forces. The area features stunning sunken roads in Loksbergen and Zelk, forests in Zelem, and a historic watermill on the Gete river.

  Atlas entry

• Hasselt

  Hasselt is the capital of Belgian Limburg and earned the title "most sociable city of Flanders" in 2004, later adding "Capital of Good Taste" to its accolades. The compact, mostly car-free town centre combines historic architecture with modern shopping complexes, making it a pleasant base for exploring northeastern Belgium.

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• Koksijde

  Koksijde is a Belgian North Sea resort in West Flanders combining coastal promenade pleasures with surprisingly rich cultural offerings. The town holds two noteworthy museums dedicated to Belgian artists Paul Delvaux and the Abbey of the Dunes, plus the unique NAVIGO Fisheries Museum featuring a sperm whale skeleton.

  Atlas entry

• Kortrijk

  Kortrijk has a compact centre with traffic-free shopping streets. The Leie runs through town, with the Broeltorens towers marking the riverside.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$123

  Best months

  May–Sep

• Kraainem

  Kraainem is a residential municipality on Brussels's northeastern edge, historically a rural village that urbanized rapidly in the 20th century. Today it's popular with Eurocrats and expats, offering a quieter alternative to central Brussels while retaining historic character: 12th-century Saint Pancras Church, Jourdain Castle park, and a Salesian monastery built between 1928-1930 with distinctive polychrome brick architecture.

  Atlas entry

• Leuven

  Leuven's walkable centre links the station with the Grand Place along shopping streets. City Hall and Saint Peter's Church mark the heart of the route.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$108

  Best months

  May–Sep

• Liège

  Liège sits on the Meuse at the foot of the Ardennes. Wide boulevards meet hilly green outskirts, combining urban walks with a leafy backdrop.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$119

  Best months

  May–Sep

• Lier

  Lier is a city of about 36,000 inhabitants in Antwerp province, Belgium, often overlooked by international tourists. It offers a compact historic center with a medieval belfry, a UNESCO-listed beguinage, and the quirky Zimmertoren with its astronomical dials.

  Atlas entry

• Louvain-la-Neuve

  Louvain-la-Neuve is a uniquely modern town built in 1969 to host French-speaking faculties of the Catholic University of Louvain after they split from Leuven. It offers a fascinating case study in urban planning—motorized traffic runs entirely underground while pedestrians and cyclists dominate the surface.

  Atlas entry

• Maasmechelen

  Maasmechelen is a former mining town in Belgian Limburg, sitting right on the Dutch border. After the mines closed in 1987, several historic mining buildings were renovated and repurposed, creating an unexpected heritage tourism angle.

  Atlas entry

• Mechelen

  Mechelen is a compact city between Antwerp and Brussels. Its walkable scale suits a relaxed urban stop.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$126

  Best months

  May–Sep

• Mons

  Mons (Dutch: Bergen) is the capital of Hainaut province in Belgium's French-speaking Wallonia region. It served as European Capital of Culture in 2015 alongside Plzeň in the Czech Republic, which spurred extensive restoration of its historic core.

  Atlas entry

• Namur

  Namur is the capital of Wallonia, the French-speaking southern region of Belgium, sitting at the head of the Ardennes at the confluence of the Meuse and Sambre rivers. The city's most prominent sight is the Citadel of Namur, a fortress dating to Roman foundations in 937 that now hosts museums, gardens, and panoramic views open to the public.

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• Nieuwpoort

  Nieuwpoort is a beach resort and medieval port on Belgium's West Flanders coast, offering two distinct experiences: the old medieval centre (Nieuwpoort-Stad) with cobblestone streets and small houses, and the coastal centre (Nieuwpoort-Bad) with sandy beaches and apartments. The town features a UNESCO-listed belfry and played a pivotal role in World War I when the opening of lock gates flooded the polders, halting German troops.

  Atlas entry

• Ostend

  Ostend is a seaside city of 70,000 in West Flanders, Belgium, with North Sea beaches that have drawn tourists since the 19th century when it was fashionable for royalty and aristocracy. While post-war development replaced much of its original charm with concrete apartment blocks, relics of its grand past remain - including the Venetian-style Royal Galleries and the majestic Thermae Palace Hotel.

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• Oudenaarde

  Oudenaarde is a small Flemish city renowned for its tapestry heritage that flourished from the 16th to 18th centuries. Its flamboyant Gothic Town Hall and belfry are UNESCO-listed, part of the Belfries of Belgium and France designation (1999).

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• Poperinge

  Poperinge is a small Belgian town of 20,000 inhabitants in southwest West Flanders, close to the French border. The town is known for its World War I heritage sites, centuries-old hop-growing tradition, and craft beer culture.

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• Roeselare

  Roeselare is an industrialised town in West Flanders, Belgium, best known for its Rodenbach brewery and the KOERS Cycling Museum. The town centre features a UNESCO-listed belfry, and the surrounding region offers access to World War I sites.

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• Sint-Niklaas

  Sint-Niklaas is a medium-sized Belgian city of around 82,000 people in East Flanders, positioned between Antwerp and Ghent. It boasts one of Europe's largest market squares and serves as the capital of the Waasland region, surrounded by the river Scheldt on three sides.

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• Spa

  Spa is the original spa town that gave its name to the word 'spa' worldwide. This small Belgian town in Liège province is one of 11 "Great Spa Towns of Europe", a UNESCO World Heritage site celebrating centuries of wellness culture centered on mineral springs.

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• St. Vith

  St. Vith (Sankt Vith in German) is a small town of about 10,000 inhabitants in Belgium's German-speaking community.

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• Tervuren

  Tervuren is a quiet, affluent suburb southwest of Brussels, best known for the Royal Museum for Central Africa housed in the former summer palace of Belgian kings. The Warande park surrounding the museum offers a peaceful retreat with formal gardens, statues, and the Palace of the Colonies architecture.

  Atlas entry

• Thuin

  Thuin is a picturesque small town perched on a hill above the Sambre River, consisting of a lower town (ville basse) and upper town (ville-haute) connected by steep streets. The town preserves a 17th-century belfry designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, offering panoramic views from its top.

  Atlas entry

• Tongeren

  Tongeren stakes a credible claim as Belgium's oldest town, with Roman walls dating to the 2nd century and Gallo-Roman archaeological finds that rival any in Flanders. The real crowd-pleaser is Western Europe's largest Sunday antique and flea market, drawing up to 350 vendors and visitors from across the region every weekend.

  Atlas entry

• Tournai

  Tournai is Belgium's oldest city, founded by the Romans around 50 AD, making it older than Brussels, Bruges, or Antwerp. It holds the distinction of being the only Belgian city ever controlled by the English Crown when it was pawned as security for a dowry in 1214.

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• Verviers

  Verviers is a charming city of 55,000 in Belgium's Wallonia region, sitting at the foot of the Ardennes. Once a major industrial centre powered by water and renowned for textile and wool production, it now preserves that heritage in a beautifully hilly landscape dotted with elegant 19th-century buildings.

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• Vilvoorde

  Vilvoorde functions as a Brussels suburb with regional importance through its schools and hospitals, offering a quieter alternative to the capital. The town is increasingly known for medical tourism at AZ Jan Portaels Hospital, attracting international patients.

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• Ypres

  Ypres is a friendly town of 35,000 inhabitants in Flanders endowed with wonderful architecture and a troubled past. The town is best known as the site of three major battles of the First World War, the most famous being the Battle of Passchendaele from July to November 1917.

  Atlas entry

• Zottegem

  Zottegem is a vibrant market town in the southeastern corner of East Flanders, considered one of the gateways to the hills of the Flemish Ardennes. The town is renowned for its historical ties to Lamoral, Count of Egmont, a 16th-century nobleman beheaded by the Spanish king, and for hosting sections of the famous springtime Flanders cycling classic races.

  Atlas entry