Officially referred to as the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Western Europe. This gem of Europe is the home to many spectacular places, a proportionate fusion of old antique charm and modern cultural trends, from vintage castles, churches, museums to modern-day architectural pieces, swanky nightlife, shopping arcades, and wonderful places for amusement. This small yet mesmerizing country has much to offer to vacationers. It is also very famous for its beers, chocolates, fries, and waffles. Belgium is the no.1 country in the world when it comes to beers, as the country will offer you to taste a wide variety of craft beers and the chocolate here is divine as the country produces 220,000 tons of chocolate every year.
Here you can experience a huge chunk of European legacy in a bite-sized piece of land. The prominent places here will add a zest of fun and excitement to your journey. Check out the list of top things to do in Belgium given below and make your journey a memorable affair:
Explore the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken
This is indeed one of the major tourist attractions in the capital city of Belgium. This is a vast complex in the park of Royal Palace of Laeken made of the monumental heated greenhouse. This is the most amazing and impressive creations of Leopold. It has 30 pavilions connected to the splendid winter gardens within the complex. The beauty of the glass dome is very impressive and it shines royally. Along with the beautiful tropical plants, many other standouts of the collection cover up the major portion of the garden.
Enjoy in the Blue Forest in Halle
In every spring the floors of the forest of this Belgium woods are covered by a dreamlike carpet of bluebells hence naming it the Blue Forest of Halle. The forest floor is covered with millions of bluebells between April and May, giving it a dreamy look. You will not be able to take your eyes off this blue carpet of flowers, so we recommend you to plan your trip such that you can witness this blue carpet of nature.
Take a Tour of the Atomium
Designed by Andre Waterkeyn, the Atomium is a 335-foot tall giant iron crystal recreated in shiny steel. The design of the Atomium consists of nine giant spheres arranged in the shape of iron atoms. It was originally constructed for Expo 58, in the year 1958 Brussels World Fair. Later Belgians decided to keep this giant structure forever on their landscape thereby making it one of the best things to do in Belgium in your itinerary.
Discover and enjoy in Mini Europe
This is a theme park in the capital city of Brussels showcasing the 1:25 scale models of famous monuments in the whole of Europe. This lies near to the famous Atomium thereby making it part of one of the fun things to do in Belgium. This theme park consists of 350 model monuments and live-action models, some of the famous models include the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Big Ben, and an erupting Mount Vesuvius. Although the monuments exhibited here are small in size but a lot of attention has been paid to the tiniest of details.
Visit the Grand Palace in Brussels
The Grand Place in Brussels is encircled with preserved guide halls and other buildings that showcase the vernacular architecture of Belgium. UNESCO has named the Grand Palace as a world heritage site as it represents the architectural style of the late 17th century. The place is covered with tourists at all times of the year, mostly when the area is filled with 24-meter flower carpet.
Experience the canal cruise in Bruges
The most famous activity and one of the unique things to do in Bruges Belgium is to enjoy a canal ride. Here in this tour, you will be able to see the whole of the city on the water within the 30-minute canal cruise tour. Boats are departing every 20 minutes of each operator which is usually a branch of one or two companies regulated within the city. So definitely explore the city of Bruges on the boat ride on your trip to Belgium.
Taste a wide variety of beers
Belgian beers are absolutely no.1. If you are a person who loves beers then tasting one of the finest beers on your trip will be a treat for you. Every region of the country has numerous beer bars. We recommend you to go and try some of the best craft beers in the world. It will be better if you let the host decide or suggest you beers, be careful while drinking as some of them has high alcohol content and may even knock you off your feet. Some of the top beers are- the St. Bernardus Abt 12, the Leffe Brown, and the Westmalle Tripel.
Enjoy Belgian waffle
Brussels is home to some delicious lip-smacking waffles, so what’s better than starting your day with a yummy waffle before resuming your tour in the city. You can have them either in the waffle stands or in a café along with a cup of coffee as it is one of the top things to do in Brussels Belgium. A Belgian waffle is usually thicker than a normal waffle and has toppings like whipped cream, icing sugar, or strawberries.
Eat delicious Belgium chocolate
Belgium produces around 220,000 tons of chocolate every year. Every village in the country has numerous chocolate shops where recipes have been handed down from one generation to another. Hence their process of making and perfecting chocolate is appreciated all over the world, making Belgian chocolate the most delicious and mouth-watering chocolate worldwide.
Ghent’s Gravensteen and Old Town
This is a huge and highly impressive fort that was once home to the counts of Flanders. It has strong, thick, and huge walls which soar up from the river waters, in the middle of the old town of Ghent, and its mesmerizing huge walls rising above the rooftops of the surrounding streets. The inside view of the fort will exhibit life during medieval times. The architecture of the castle is the real showstopper as it will blow your mind.
Visit the Pis landmark
This place has indeed one of the most famous and strangest bronze sculptures in the whole world. It has the recreation of pissing babies (a boy and a girl) named the Manneken Piss and Jeanneke piss respectively and a dog named Zinneke Pis that is found forever lifting his leg and peeing onto the Brussels street pole. Unlike the statue of the babies, the statue of the dog is just a bronze sculpture standing in the leg lifting position and not a pissing fountain.
What’s next?
All in all, Belgium is a must-visit place for tourists as it offers something to people of all generations. So go through the list of Belgium things to do above and plan your itinerary accordingly for a truly cherishable trip to Belgium.
No wonder Belgium is a small country but it’s fully packed with adventure. Some sights in the capital city of Brussels are acclaimed by UNESCO and is also very famous for their nightlife and shopping. Each city of Belgium is famous for a different reason like Bruges is famous for palaces and canals, Ghent is famous for art and serenity, Antwerp is also known as the food capital of the country, Ardennes is famous for adventure, hills, and forest, Dinant is famous for caves and wildlife, De Haan is famous for its picturesque beaches, and lot more. Now you know what to do in Belgium, you can plan your journey with total enthusiasm.
About Author: Ayushi Malhotra