Belgium Off The Beaten Path

  Grootseminarie Brugge,Brugge,West...
by Greggor58
 
  • Grootseminarie Brugge,Brugge,West Flanders,Belgium
      Grootseminarie Brugge,Brugge,West...
    by Greggor58
  •   Quiet Streets and Areas.
    by Poznick
  • Schellemolen windmill near Damme
      Schellemolen windmill near Damme
    by Dabs
  • Stadhius
      Stadhius
    by Dabs
  • The Minnewater is the perfect first view of Bruges
      The Minnewater is the perfect first view...
    by richiecdisc
 

Most Viewed Off The Beaten Path in Belgium

176.

Tours & Walks   Brussels

Tours & Walks, Brussels

 71 Reviews  A meeting with a Brussels Greeter is a free of charge opportunity to get a unique and personal insight into the city. Your Greeter will take you to unusual and often hidden places that are off the... 

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177.

Pedestrian tunnel   Antwerp

Pedestrian tunnel, Antwerp

 13 Reviews  This is worth mentioning as well. There are two flights of escalators to reach the tunnel. Though they are still steep and very long. No wonder the escalator system were built to descent the height... 

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178.

Nearby Towns or Villages.   Brugge

Nearby Towns or Villages., Brugge

 22 Reviews  In Brugge, I rented a bike and followed an easy route to the Netherlands. The path was next to the tree-lined Damme canal with the occasional windmill and small town on the side - there was even a pub... 

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179.

Down on the Beach   Oostende

Down on the Beach, Oostende

 7 Reviews  When a grain of sand enters an oyster shell, the oyster covers it with nacre, a substance the oyster also uses to coat the inside of its shell. Layer upon layer of nacre is deposited on the grain of... 

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180.

WW I related   Ieper

WW I related, Ieper

 17 Reviews  We visited the British "Canada Farm cemetery" in Elverdinghe, between Ypres and Poperinge. It's just one of multiple small army cemeteries in the region. It's not really a special attraction, but... 

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181.

Markets & Flea Markets   Brussels

Markets & Flea Markets, Brussels

 11 Reviews  Go to the MAROLLEN (quarter in BRUSSELS) and walk around and I am sure that you will find beautifully coloured nice clothing and lots of fine gifts.......POTTERY e.g.. and....when the shops don't... 

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182.

Along the river, right and left bank   Antwerp

Along the river, right and left bank, Antwerp

 19 Reviews  Our favourite hang out was Cafe Beveren. Located on the riverbank in the centre of the city it is a `locals` bar in something of a timewarp. It seems to have stepped out of the 1960s and has at its... 

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183.

Quiet Streets and Areas.   Brugge

Quiet Streets and Areas., Brugge

 46 Reviews  Spend half a day making the walk from the north east corner of Brugge, along Damse Vaart Zuid, to the small town of Damme (about 5km distance each way). The entire walk is along a serene, tree-lined... 

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184.

Mercator   Oostende

Mercator, Oostende

 4 Reviews  MERCATOR MARINE. You cannot miss it arriving at Ostend. The Mercator Yacht Harbour,the three masted sailing ship 'Mercator',it also contains many yachts. It is nice to take a walk among the pride of... 

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185.

Outside Ieper   Ieper

Outside Ieper, Ieper

 14 Reviews  Grab yourself a bicycle at the train station in Ieper...The surrounding countryside is beautiful and perfect for a ride exploring War Memorials or just to change up your pace of life for a day or... 

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186.

Chinese & Japanese Towers   Brussels

Chinese & Japanese Towers, Brussels

 14 Reviews  These were commisioned to a French architect by king Leopold II. They are located on the northern corner of the Royal Park in Laeken area. I couldn't see much inside the Japanese Tower, because only... 

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187.

Antwerp-around Central Station   Antwerp

Antwerp-around Central Station, Antwerp

 13 Reviews  As we were exiting Centraal Station, no doubt reading a map in one of our guidebooks, a local came up and suggested that if we liked architecture that we should visit the Antwerp Zoo, right next door... 

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188.

Belgian Windmills   Brugge

Belgian Windmills, Brugge

 18 Reviews  There are four windmills along the canal that circles the old town section of Brugge. It seems as though most people do not bother to venture out to them, so, there are no bothersome crowds. I... 

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189.

Museums   Oostende

Museums, Oostende

 2 Reviews  A visit to Oostende is not complete without a visit to the Provincial Domain of Raversijde. One moment you will find yourself in the Middle Ages, the next shivers will run down your spine in the... 

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190.

Inside Ieper   Ieper

Inside Ieper, Ieper

 7 Reviews  This building on the Grote Markt caught my eye. It is reconstructed, of course, but its Renaissance-style frontage is fascinating. There was once a Medieval house here, called 'Der Wulf', then a... 

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191.

Jeanneken Pis   Brussels

Jeanneken Pis, Brussels

 10 Reviews  Where? Go to the dead-end in Impasse de la Fidelite, which is off the Rue des Bouchers What? Jaenneke Pis is a much more recent addition, dating back only to 1985. The statue shows a little girl... 

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192.

Surroundings-Zurenborg (Berchem)   Antwerp

Surroundings-Zurenborg (Berchem), Antwerp

 13 Reviews  This area is situated between the Dageraadplaats and the Berchem Train Station ... for more info about the history of the Cogels Osylei and its surroundings, i.e. Zurenborg quarter, go to my... 

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193.

Churches / Museums / Parks   Brugge

Churches / Museums / Parks, Brugge

 23 Reviews  Where? In Potterierei, just under a mile from the old city centre What? A quirky museum of all things medieval: sculpture, books and manuscripts, religious articles, paintings, furniture - pretty... 

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194.

Statues / Monuments   Oostende

Statues / Monuments, Oostende

 2 Reviews  Napoleon built this fort as defence against a possible invasion from the English. A British invasion never came and the fort was completed only upon the fall of Napoleon During worldwar I and II this... 

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195.

Parcs & Gardens   Brussels

Parcs & Gardens, Brussels

 36 Reviews  And suddenly we found ourselves in Spain. The statue of D. Quixote and Sancho Pança that I knew in Madrid was in front of us. Well, it is not Spain, but Spain square, wisely ornamented with a replica... 

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196.

Antwerp-South   Antwerp

Antwerp-South, Antwerp

 8 Reviews  .. and a cultural center Off beat track regarding the evolution in the design: from hydraulic power plant to "cultural power plant". Also, off beat path considering its current activities and... 

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197.

Breweries / Cafes.   Brugge

Breweries / Cafes., Brugge

 16 Reviews  This is a great spot ....quiet at the time that I visited with the few people that participated in a bike tour with Quasimondo Bike Tours...we stopped in to have a refreshment...we discovered a GREAT... 

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198.

St Petrus & Paulus Church   Oostende

St Petrus & Paulus Church, Oostende

 1 Review  Since the church looms above the cityscape when you exit the train station, you can't really call the Saint Peter and Paul Church "off the beaten path", and yet somehow it is. It's easy to disregard... 

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199.

Waterloo   Brussels

Waterloo, Brussels

 8 Reviews  Who never heard of Waterloo? The village itself might be small but the place of interest is outside the village. Here historici can dream of the big battlefield between Napoleon against big names as... 

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200.

Church: Saint Pauls church   Antwerp

Church: Saint Pauls church, Antwerp

 16 Reviews  Inside the church gate, the Mount Calvary is situated, surround by houses from beginning 16th century. It's a peculiar, spectacular open-air theatre of statues, built between 1700-1734. It depicts... 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Mechelen

by Paul2001

Mechelen is a great town to visit. It easily reachable from both Antwerp and Brussels as it is about just a half hour from both cities. I visited it on a daytrip from Antwerp. It does not receive the hordes of tourist that other Belgium cites receive in the vicinity. This is probably because there are really no big ticket attractions in town. Still there Mechelen is home to a one of the finest cathedrals in Belgium, several smaller and nice churches, a stunning Hotel de Ville and a very beautiful market square, pictured here.

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Mus?e d' Arts d?coratifs Fran?ois Duesberg (Mons)

by Norali

My visit to the Museum of decorative arts dates back to 1996, during my first visit of the city. I still remember watching those bronze and gold (?) clocks, really amazed... sometimes with ivory pieces. This was part of an outstanding collection of exceptional French guilt bronzes, exotic subjects. While visiting it, you may be put off by the tons of gold, richness on the artworks... like I said to myself "This is too much". Yet, I respect the works, the research behind those pieces displayed there. Still, the style was not my cup of tea. And still, I recommend seeing it, it will be a real running off and surprisingly rich. Also, I saw many porcelain dishware from the Mons area, goldsmithery, silver works and unusual rare objects. A friend specialized in clocks told me this was the largest collection of Pendules aux Negres (Clocks with exotic motives as Negro statuettes, ivory elements)...

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Musée du Tram Bruxellois (Woluwé-St-Pierre)

by Norali

My commune, Woluwé-St-Pierre (a borough South East of Brussels region) , has two quite OTBP museums. This Musée du tram (Tram Museum of Brussels) is the second I wanted to talk about, the first being the Book Binding museum in Bibliotheca Wittockiana.The tram museum is a working museum with not only old trams but also old busses. Open from 1.30pm to 7pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from the first weekend of April until the first weekend of October.For more, see hereafter website http://www.mtub.be/When in, choose your language (English included).Also, check hereafter website to see images of those old models of trams and busses. When in, you can see other pics (click on thumbnails on the left). http://users.skynet.be/mtub/Fr/GalerietramshistoFr.html It's a shame that I live 5 minutes from the museums (both Wittockiana and Musée du tram) but never visited them. The museums in...

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DIEST

by lmkluque

Diest is not exactly in the center of things. However, it is not too far from Brussels and a day trip to Diest broadened my view of Belgium, for that reason I suggest it here.This is a photo of me standing on one of several steets in the Begijnhoff--.Beginnhoff is a word that has been hard for me to understand the meaning of and it doesn't help that depending which area of Belgium it's, in the words are different. Beguinage—Begijnhof—Beguines—The Beguinage (Begijnhof) I don't know which word is Dutch, French or even English. So, please forgive me and feel free to correct any misusage of these words.In Diest, outside the town area, is the Begijnhoff--I'm sure of the usage here as I copied the word off the sign at the site--and Saint Catherine's Church which I had the opportunity to visit...to be continued

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VISIT THE SWEET LITTLE PLACE CALLED: DAMME.

by eden_teuling

This is such a lovely place and I have the sweetest of sweet memories ...... imagine me, shivering with cold, blood in my skates, frozen snow in my hair entering a warm place here, open to all skaters.....offering hot drinks and PEA SOUP........DAMME is situated at the canal that is situated between SLUIS in The Netherlands and BRUGGE in Belgium.In winter we love skating these 35 km. for fun and also for the medal......it really is a tour, sometimes easy but most of the time quite tough.....In summer it is a place where you can go by boat from BRUGGE v.v. through the same canal......Don't forget that this SMALL VILLAGE has an enormous AMOUNT OF BOOK-SHOPS......extraordinarily many and special ones...........Reasons galore to visit DAMME....

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Belgian Brasseries

by Chiliweenie

France has wine, Belgium has beer, and lots of it. Just about every town you visit will have its special brew, usually found in any local bar or brasserie.Whats the difference between a bar and a brasserie? A bar serves beer, a brasserie makes it. Some of the best brasseries are open all year long. In all of Belgium, there are over 350 beers, each with their own special glass. Its a real beer culture. Most of the beers contain 8-13 % alcohol and range in color from light yellow to black. Fruit beers, such as Kreik, are actually firmented fruit, however not too sweet. A dry Morte Sorbit Kriek on a summer day will put a smile on your face.

Interesting link: murder on the web

by chanzey

Feel like exploring Belgium without leaving your home? Try this link and explore the historical site of the beguinage of Lier, a small Flemish town. Special feature of this site: Be an amateur detective and find out who's behind a mysterious recent murder!

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Leuven university library as war memorial

by Norali

Both Leuven city and the University paid huge tolls of wars. However, Leuven resisted and Allied countries paid homage to her for that. Hence, the (re-)building of its University Library as a monument and War Memorial.The style of the building is Flemish Neo-Renaissance. But, adornments include elements that commemorate three major themes.First, busts of Cardinal Mercier (it is a Catholic University, remember?) and Belgian King Albert and Queen Elisabeth to celebrate Belgian patriotism.Second, elements on its facades would remind of Allied victory. Also, I spotted the helmeted Madonna piercing the head of the Prussian eagle with her sword (on the facade). If that is not a sign of victory, what else would be? Oooh! by the way, it is Our Lady of Victory.Third, the adornments also include the American Eagle... I hadn't seen the 63 bells whose first 48 epitomized the then 48 states of the...

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State of the world in Antwerp's graffitti area

by Norali

Graffitti is ART and also a means of expression. More than ever, our current "state of the world" inflects on graffitti artists.Whilst in June (first time I saw the graffitti walls), they seemed to be in a "sexy" and even kinky mood, in Oct.-Nov.2003, "violence" seemed having a grip on them. I clearly saw the difference between the June series and the November series. The latter tended to be darker and darker, in tune with our war, instable period. More guns.. yet the light-hearted twist given by the girls was still there. That stroke me a lot during this second visit to the graffitti walls. So accurate and so sad.Wanna have a look at what I am talking about? YesThis is amongst non-touristic places in Antwerp city. Yet, locals use to go there, to see the rotation in the works. Seems some wedding ceremony included some photo sessions in this St-Andries kwartier. It is nice to see themes...

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Our-Lady-of-the-Sablon Church in Brussels

by Paul2001

The Our-Lady-of-the-Sablon Church is one of the loveliest churches in Brussels. Unfortunately it does not receive many tourists who seem to not venture far from the Grand Place. However there is much more to Brussels than than that famous square.The Our-Lady-of-the-Sablon Church was initially a simple chapel but during the 15th century it was reconstructed into this magnificant church. The church was designed in The Brabantine gothic style. This is a much less elaborate gothic still that is common in Belgium. The Our-Lady-of-the-Sablon Church is especially famous for its fine stain-glass windows. Sadly during my visit, the exterior of the church was covered with scaffolding.

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Off The Beaten Path: Cities in Belgium
  1. Brussels Off The Beaten Path
  2. Antwerp Off The Beaten Path
  3. Brugge Off The Beaten Path
  4. Gent Off The Beaten Path
  5. Oostende Off The Beaten Path
  6. Ieper Off The Beaten Path
  7. Leuven Off The Beaten Path
  8. Liège Off The Beaten Path
  9. Mons Off The Beaten Path
  10. Charleroi Off The Beaten Path
  11. Hasselt Off The Beaten Path
  12. Mechelen Off The Beaten Path
  13. Kortrijk Off The Beaten Path
  14. Namur Off The Beaten Path
  15. Bastogne Off The Beaten Path
  16. Dinant Off The Beaten Path
  17. Lier Off The Beaten Path
  18. Tournai Off The Beaten Path
  19. Zeebrugge Off The Beaten Path
  20. Aalst Off The Beaten Path
  21. De Panne Off The Beaten Path
  22. Knokke-Heist Off The Beaten Path
  23. Turnhout Off The Beaten Path
  24. Blankenberge Off The Beaten Path
  25. Tervuren Off The Beaten Path
  26. Roeselare Off The Beaten Path
  27. Tongeren Off The Beaten Path
  28. De Haan Off The Beaten Path
  29. Waterloo Off The Beaten Path
  30. Durbuy Off The Beaten Path
  31. Spa Off The Beaten Path
  32. Knokke Off The Beaten Path
  33. Louvain-la-Neuve Off The Beaten Path
  34. La Roche-en-Ardenne Off The Beaten Path
  35. Mortsel Off The Beaten Path
  36. Damme Off The Beaten Path
  37. Poperinge Off The Beaten Path
  38. Etterbeek Off The Beaten Path
  39. La Hulpe Off The Beaten Path
  40. Ardennes Off The Beaten Path
  41. Boom Off The Beaten Path
  42. Bouillon Off The Beaten Path

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Provincie West-Vlaanderen Off The Beaten Path  Région de Bruxelles-Capitale Off The Beaten Path  Provincie Antwerpen Off The Beaten Path  Provincie Oost-Vlaanderen Off The Beaten Path  Provincie Vlaams-Brabant Off The Beaten Path  Province de Hainaut Off The Beaten Path  Province de Liège Off The Beaten Path  Provincie Limburg Off The Beaten Path  Province de Luxembourg Off The Beaten Path  Province de Namur Off The Beaten Path  Province de Brabant Wallon Off The Beaten Path 

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Questions and Answers

Mongy profile photo

Q:  Dear all, Does anyone knows whether it is possible to get a phone sim card in Belgium for use during a short term/traveller stay... 

KShezz profile photo

A: The best deal with have seen re ently is with the bis supermarket chain called carrefour http://www.carrefour.eu/mobile/product_0221.cfm you basically get the sim... 

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