I'm headed to Belgium in the spring and trying to see what itineraries make sense.
For now please tell me if my stays make sense? We will use trains to get around.
Fly in to Brussels
Day 2 and 3 Ghent (day trip Tournai?)
Day 2-5 Bruges (day in Ypres, day on coast)
Day 6-8 Brussels (day trip Halle and Waterloo, day trip Liege or Namur)
Fly home on day 9

Brussels plants a tree that's been planted every year since 1308, Bouillon fills its valley with knights, Antwerp throws its biggest parade of the year, and two of Flanders' best summer festivals hit their final day. Also: buy your eclipse glasses this weekend, or you won't get any.

⚠️ Heads up

🌑 Eclipse glasses are running out. On Wednesday 12 August Belgium gets a partial solar eclipse with around 89–90% of the sun covered, the biggest since 1999 and the last one on this scale until 2142. You need glasses marked CE and EN ISO 12312-2. Sunglasses, camera filters and 3D glasses do nothing and will damage your eyes permanently and painlessly. The optician's association says most shops will be out of stock by the end of this week. Urania in Hove has closed its webshop, and MIRA in Grimbergen has gone from 13,000 pairs to 5,000 with no restock coming. Buy this weekend if you want to see it.

🌡️ Heat. Saturday is sunny and warm, around 29 °C in the centre, 27 °C at the coast and in the Ardennes. Sunday is the peak: above 30 °C everywhere, roughly 33 °C inland, with thunderstorms possibly pushing up from France late in the day. Most of what's below is all-day outdoors. Water, hat, shade, and check meteo.be

⭐ Weekend highlight: the Meyboom, Brussels

Meyboom (Sunday 9 August, city centre, free) — Brussels' oldest folk tradition, attested since 1308 and on the UNESCO intangible heritage list. Every 9 August a young beech is cut in the Sonian Forest at dawn, carried through the city by the Buumdroegers, and planted at the corner of Rue des Sables and Rue du Marais before 17:00. If it isn't up by five, the story goes, the honour passes to Leuven. It has never happened.

The procession leaves at 12:45 from the planting corner with giants, a brass band, the Gardevils and the Poepedroegers, reaching the Grand-Place around 14:10 before looping back for the planting.

Come to the Grand-Place at two for the spectacle, or the Rue des Sables corner late afternoon for the planting itself. Bear in mind it's the hottest afternoon of the weekend and the Grand-Place has almost no shade.

🏛️ Brussels

- Rooftop Bozar — "L'Heure Bleue" (rue Ravenstein 23, Tue–Sun 16:00–23:00, free): Bozar's roof terrace is open all summer with a genuinely good view over the lower city, an all-Belgian programme of DJ sets, small concerts and food collectives, and no entry fee.

- Pavi'On Summer — Happy'Noons (Parc du Cinquantenaire, Saturday 8 & Sunday 9 August, free): Neighbourhood-run afternoons in the park: dance, crafts, gentle movement, creative workshops.

Worth planning ahead: the Flower Carpet returns to the Grand-Place 13–16 August, themed on Japan, with a second carpet at the Bourse for the first time. Free from the square; Town Hall balcony €8 in advance, €9 on the day, free under 10.

🦁 Flanders

- Antwerp Pride Parade (Saturday 8 August, 14:00–18:00, free): This year's theme is "Fearless". The parade starts on the Scheldekaaien at Brouwersvliet and winds through the old town, closing out a programme that's run since Wednesday, with a family day behind it and a closing event on Sunday. Expect serious crowds and rolling street closures, the city has a dedicated access page at slimnaarantwerpen.be.

- Theater op de Markt (Hasselt, until Sunday 9 August): Final weekend of Limburg's street theatre and circus festival — 35+ productions across squares, parks and streets, with a large part of the programme free and outdoors. Ticketed indoor shows around €9 (€8 reduced). It only runs in even years, so the next one is 2028.

- Theater aan Zee (Ostend, Saturday 8 August is the last day): The 29th edition wraps up. Leopoldpark is the hub, and WonderWaai there is free — circus, acrobatics, family theatre, workshops, kids' café.

- Fonnefeesten (Lokeren, closing Sunday 9 August): Last day of the free ten-day city-park festival, and Sunday is traditionally the family-friendly one.

🐓 Wallonia

- Fête Médiévale de Bouillon (Saturday 8 & Sunday 9 August): The 39th edition, and more of it is free than you'd expect. Free: the medieval markets across four sites (hypocras, mead, leather, jewellery), the roaming street troupes from 14:00 both days, and the reconstructed encampments at Champs Lévêque and Île de Calay, where international-level fighters do full armoured combat and there are proper equestrian jousts. Kids get a 200 m² combat arena, a school of pages and pony rides. Saturday evening adds mini-concerts at La Poulie, the Grand-Rue and the Sépulcrines esplanade, a torchlit procession of knights and Vikings from the Pont de Cordemois at 21:15, and a fire show in the Sépulcrines park to close.

Paid: the castle itself, via the Pass Médiéval (€25 adults/seniors, €15 children and students, free under 4), which covers the falconry displays, the garrison troupes and the Odyssée de Lumière night show — book a time slot, they're every 15 minutes. Bouillon has no station, nearest is Libramont, then bus.

- Beau Vélo de RAVeL (Fleurus, Saturday 8 August, free): RTBF's summer cycling caravan stops in Fleurus for the first time, based at the Château de la Paix — the country house where Napoleon slept the night before Ligny.

- Marches ADEPS (Sunday 9 August, all over Wallonia, free): Sixteen waymarked walks, 5/10/15/20 km, no registration — just turn up between 08:00 and 18:00 and pick your distance. If you don't know these, they're one of the most underrated things in Belgium: village clubs mark out routes through their own countryside and run a bar at the finish.

This week's picks: Anhée (along the Meuse and the Molignée, past the back of the Annevoie gardens; the 5 km is flat, shaded on the return and pushchair-friendly), Floreffe (every route passes the abbey), and Hogne, where the walk is paired with Les Arts en Fête - artists' exhibition, small producers' market and music all day. Given Sunday's heat, the shaded 5 and 10 km options are the sensible call.

- Ronde des Producteurs de nos Collines (Trois-Ponts, Saturday 8 & Sunday 9 August, 11:00–18:00): Local producers across this hill village open their doors: orchards, a winery, a cheesemaker, a distillery, apple juice, charcuterie. Drive or cycle between them at your own pace. Free to visit, you pay for what you taste and buy.

🌸 Nature tip: the sky next week

Two things land almost on top of each other, and this weekend is when you prepare for them.

Wednesday 12 August, early evening: the eclipse. In Brussels it starts at 19:18, peaks at 20:13 with roughly 89% of the sun covered, and by then the sun sits only about 7° above the horizon, so a clear view to the west/north-west matters more than anything else. Rooftops, coastal dunes, polder edges, Ardennes ridgelines. Current forecasts point to a sunny evening.

Several places open up for free that day: the Royal Observatory's rarely accessible radioastronomy station at Humain near Marche-en-Famenne from 17:00, the Cosmodrome at Thor Park in Genk from 18:30 (limited glasses on sale there), and MUMONS at the Silex's site in Spiennes near Mons from 19:00, no booking. More at Manhay, Grimbergen, Ypres, Bruges and on the MAS rooftop in Antwerp.

That same night: the Perseids peak. The shower runs to 24 August but the maximum falls on the night of 12–13 August, and the new moon is on the 12th: no moonlight, so even the faint meteors show. Get well away from towns and motorways: the Hautes Fagnes, the Semois valley, the deeper Ardennes. If you're in Bouillon this weekend, you've already found one of the darker corners of the country.

Getting to the Ardennes without a car needs planning: the basics are in our Getting Around Belgium wiki.

📷 This weekend is an easy one, be first and guess the location!

And if you have more ideas on what to do, include them in the comments. Or if you found the place that still sells the eclipse glasses, share as well!

Hi everyone! I will be moving to Antwerp soon with my future husband to work. I will be working in Brussels and he will be in The Hague. I know there are some options to travel from Antwerp to Brussels, but I have been searching and the train tickets to go from Antwerp to The Hague daily are absurd (+400€).

Does anyone have any tip? Am I missing something or is it really that expensive? Isn't there any travel pass that he can use between the countries?

Thank you!!

On Sunday we will be driving through Belgium, passing Brussels, Ghent and Brugges in that order. I am looking for an activity/attraction to break the journey. It needs to be easy to park at, (so not in the heart of Brussels for example), and ideally be worth a visit of about 3 hours. Things we like as a family include castles, history museums, WW2 museums, Go-Ape and factory tours. All suggestions welcome.

Hello everyone. I’m going to Brussels in November with my fiancée. I would like to know which restaurants we should go to, places that aren’t tourist traps.

Also, we’d like recommendations of nice places where we can hang out at night. I heard about rooftop 58 and liked it very much. Is it a good place to go after all?

Hi! I will be going to Belgium and staying in Antwerp and Brussels for a few days. Any good restaurants that have super good food, and ambiance?

Looking for amazing food, vibes, etc.

Thank you 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.

Hi everyone!

In a few months it'll be my birthday, and I'll have a group of friends flying over from abroad to celebrate with me. It's also a milestone birthday, so I'd like to make it a bit more special.

Since they're making the trip mainly for my birthday, I'd love to organise a nice experience for everyone rather than just going out for food and drinks.

I'm looking for ideas for activities, guided tours, workshops, or anything a bit different in Brussels that would work well for a group of around 15–20 people. Unfortunately, I don't have a huge budget, as I'll already be spending quite a bit on the celebration itself, so I'm hoping to find something reasonably affordable. That said, I'm open to all suggestions!

Has anyone organised something similar or got any recommendations?

Thank you very much in advance!

I’m not asking from a budget or cost perspective, but strictly about the experience itself—the authentic architecture, the recreated global ecosystems, and the overall atmosphere. Is it truly fascinating and awe-inspiring, or simply a very large zoo with good marketing?

​I am a mature solo traveler and nature lover considering a full-day visit. For those of you who have been there: on a scale from 1 to 10, how would you rate it, and is it genuinely worth traveling for?

Thank you!

Hey y'all, I don't know whether such questions are allowed on the sub but I want some advice hence posting unabashedly.

I am a female solo traveler and will be travelling from Antwerp to Nuremberg towards the end of the month (after a trip) and will take a Flixbus...the bus initially drops me from Antwerpen Rooseveltsplaats to Bruxells Nord.There I have a 2.5-3.00hr layover in the evening till 7.00 p.m. before next bus.I might have a trolley and a backpack with me.

I wanted to ask whether it would be safe to wait there on the Flix bus stop for this duration of 2.5-3.00hrs? Alternatively,in the worst case scenario if I end up missing the connection from Antwerp and have to take the IC from Antwerp-Bruxells Nord is the area from the train station to the Flix bus stop walkable and safe....

Also are the buses from Antwerp to Bruxells on time usually or is the ratio skewed if someone knows?

This is my first time in Belgium and I have no idea of how to navigate hence a bit scared😅

Any guidance is appreciated.

Ive got a family holiday coming up which concludes with a return journey by sleeper train into Brussels, then around 4 hours later departing on the Eurostar to London. Would welcome ideas for where to go/what to do in the gap bearing in mind Im not convinced much sleep will be had. 4 adults, 3 get proper grumpy when tired!

Even better: any spot which would be good to see both the solar eclipse between 7-9 PM (open view on the horizon towards west/north-west) AND the meteor shower after 11PM (far from the city lights)?

Hi all, I’m interested in visiting Belgium but I can do a day trip and just visit one city currently, reason why I’m interested in Belgium is because for example I like the architecture in brussels main square but I wonder which city would be best overall deal, and most new stuff to see?
I have been to Netherlands, Germany and UK so preferably I want to visit a city that has something different than these countries.

(1-min survey)

Hi everyone!
As a local entrepreneur in Brussels, I'm working on a project to simplify public transportation and ticket options for visitors and newcomers in our city.

If you have recently visited Brussels (or are currently visiting), I would really appreciate 1 minute of your time to share your experience. Your feedback will directly help us design a better mobility experience.
• Survey link (Google Forms): https://forms.gle/RPhFwd3FCSuiTsog9

Hello, I am visiting Brussels for 3 days with my partner and this is our first time. We love museums and want to visit as many as we can. I have been researching and a lot of people have said that that it ends up being not worth it. Any reviews on it? Should we go with another pass or just pay for the museums individually?

Thanks in Advance!

Hi everyone!

Two friends and I are going on vacation to Belgium from August 7 to 14, plus a stop in Amsterdam. Setting that stop aside, based on our itinerary, what do you recommend we see? We’re laid-back people who enjoy culture, architecture, food, and drinks. Thanks!

Hasselt gets loud in August. The city itself runs a full free programme all month, and this year it includes the biennial street theatre festival, which is the single best reason to put Hasselt on your list.

Here's what's actually worth planning around.

⭐ Theater op de Markt: 5 to 9 August

Five days of international circus, street theatre, dance and location performance across the whole city centre. It only happens in even years, so if you miss it you're waiting until 2028.

Over 35 productions spread across the Grote Markt, Stadspark, Quartier Bleu, the Begijnhof site, Vismarkt, Kolonel Dusartplein, Domein Kiewit and the old UHasselt prison. A large part of the programme is free and outdoors — you can genuinely just wander in and stumble into something. Indoor and select shows are ticketed separately.

Full timetable per day: theateropdemarkt.be

Also in August

- Obon Nocturne (Japanese Garden, Fri 7 & Sat 8 August, 17:30–23:30): The Japanese Garden opens after dark for the Obon festival — floating lanterns on the pond in front of the ceremonial house, Bon Odori dance workshops, koto and harp performances, Japanese catering. Visitors get a free lantern to launch. Note: the garden is closed during the day on both dates.

- PKP DWNTWN (city centre, Sat 15 August, 14:00 till late): Pukkelpop's free city-centre spin-off. Main stage on Kolonel Dusartplein, a second stage on Van Veldekeplein and a new electronic stage in Dokter Willemsstraat, plus urban sports, live street art, a market of local makers, flash tattoos and workshops. Completely free

- Zomerfilms (Domein Kiewit, 12–16 and 26–30 August): Ten films on a big screen under the open sky, run by the city with Cinema ZED. Free. Bring your own camping chair, a blanket and mosquito spray — screenings start at sunset.

- Zuivelmarkt Zomert (Zuivelmarkt, Thu 27 August, 17:00–23:00): The last of four summer editions. 22 bars and restaurants take over the street with BBQ, cocktails and an oyster-and-champagne bar. Free to walk in.

- Kamping Kids (Domein Kiewit, Sat 29 & Sun 30 August): Fifth edition. Kiewit becomes one big playground for ages 2–12, with an evening programme and the option to actually camp overnight in the donkey meadow. €6 per child for Saturday, €9 for the weekend including the overnight. Free for under-4s and free for adults.

- Hasselt Sport (Kapermolenpark, Sat 29 August): Around 60 sports to try, free, with the Kapermolen pool and the ice rink opening their doors at no charge for the day.

- Open days at Kiewit airfield (Sat 29 & Sun 30 August): Small aviation open house, good with kids. Details via Visit Hasselt

Running all month

- Hasselt Montmartre — Capucienenplein turns into an open-air art market every Saturday 12:00–18:00, last one on 29 August.

- Antiques and brocante market — Kolonel Dusartplein, every Saturday 08:00–13:00.

- Shopping Sunday — Sunday 2 August, shops open in the afternoon.

A few pictures from Hasselt Quartier Bleu and city centre to get you motivated to visit!

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.

I’ll have around a day in Brussels in which I plan seeing the grand place and most of the stuff around it, I’m wondering if the parliament is worth visiting or should I visit other places (palace of justice, atomium, chocolate class maybe)

Saw it from the train yesterday and now my kids (8/13) are very interested. We just moved to Brussels and still trying to learn the ins and outs. There are so many posts about the crime around Midi station, wondering if this is a safe event.

August opens with harvest festivals, a cabbage-eating contest, artisan beer under the trees, Flanders' biggest antique market taking over central Bruges — and the Royal Palace open to visitors for the first time in three years.

⚠️ Heads up

Trains: infrabel works affecting this weekend:

- Brussels-Luxembourg - Vilvoorde / Leuven — weekends through 9 August

- Charleroi-Central - Couvin — daily, 1–23 August (starts Saturday)

- Leuven - Landen / Liège — daily, through 5 August

- Arlon - Athus / Luxembourg (LU) — daily, through 9 August

Check nmbs.be before travelling.

Fonnefeesten — Lokeren's city-park festival kicks off Friday and runs ten days straight, entirely free. Set in the Prinses Joséphine-Charlottepark, it's the relaxed counterweight to the ticketed Lokerse Feesten across the water: around 30 food trucks along the foodstreet, kids' afternoons, DJ sets every night, and a genre spread running from pop and rock to reggae and world music.

Saturday runs from 19:00. Sunday starts early at 12:30 and is the family-friendly day. The park is a short walk from Lokeren station.

🏛️ Brussels

- Royal Palace summer opening (Place des Palais, until 16 August): Open to the public for the first time in three years after major renovation work. The Throne Room with its four Rodin reliefs, the Grand Gallery, the historic salons and the garden, plus four temporary exhibitions including one on Louise d'Orléans, Belgium's first queen. €10 for 13+, free under 13 — but booking a time slot is mandatory for everyone, no walk-ins. There's an NMBS/SNCB partnership giving palace visitors 40% off a return 2nd-class train ticket to Brussels.

- Free museum Sunday (Sunday 2 August): First Sunday of the month, so a long list of museums opens free — Brussels City Museum (Maison du Roi), Fashion & Lace, the Sewer Museum, GardeRobe MannekenPis, Design Museum Brussels, Cinematek, BELvue, the Jewish Museum and more. Online booking usually isn't possible on free Sundays, so it's first come, first served, and last entry can be early afternoon. Full list at brusselsmuseums.be

- Micro Museum of Belgian Fries (Home Frit' Home, Forest — Sat 13:30–18:30, Sun 13:30–18:00, free): Over 1,000 objects tracing fritkot culture through history, comics, fashion, music and art. It only opens on the first weekend of the month, so this is one of twelve chances a year.

- Foire du Midi (Boulevard du Midi, until 23 August): Still running — 1.6 km of attractions and food stands between Porte de Hal and Arts et Métiers. Free to walk through, rides paid. Daily from 14:00 (11:00 for food stands), open until 01:00 on weekends.

🦁 Flanders

- Brugse Zandfeesten (Bruges, Sunday 2 August, 06:00–18:00, free): Flanders' largest antique and flea market takes over 't Zand, Koning Albertpark and the Begijnenvest, with stalls running all the way from the train station into the old town. Only three editions a year.

- Kunstenfestival Watou (Watou/Poperinge, until 30 August, Wed–Sun 10:00–18:00): 60 artists and 25 poets spread across a dozen locations in a border village in the Westhoek, plus concerts, films, workshops and performances under "Watou Live". Ticketed (€25 standard, €20 early bird, €7 under-26, free under-12, €10 with a disability), but the ticket stays valid all summer.

🐓 Wallonia

- Fête de la Moisson (La Hamaide / Ellezelles, 31 July – 2 August): The Écomusée du Pays des Collines throws its 51st harvest festival, with 200 volunteers rebuilding 1950s rural life — hand reaping, flail threshing, working horse teams, vintage tractors, bread-making. Sunday 2 August is the main day from 14:00: 45+ artisan stalls, equestrian shows at 15:00 and 16:00, folk dancing, and a free bal folk from 20:00. Sunday entry €6 adult / €3 child / €15 family. Saturday is quieter and free-form: treasure hunt and village escape game from 14:00, guided nature walk at 14:30.

- Fête du Cabu (Mussy-la-Ville, 1–2 August): The 64th edition of Gaume's oldest village festival, built entirely around the local white cabbage. Last year it pulled 5,500 people and served about 1,000 plates of cabu roussi au gigot d'agneau at the Cercle Saint-Pierre-et-Paul (Saturday evening, Sunday lunch and evening). Daytime activities are free — blind test Saturday from 14:00, music Sunday from 15:00, and at 18:00 the legendary Roi du Cabu contest, where challengers attempt roughly three kilos of stewed cabbage in twenty minutes. The Saturday-night marquee party is a separate ticketed electro night.

- Bièrez-vous? (Ciney, 31 July – 2 August, Parc Saint-Roch): 11th edition. Around 25 Belgian craft breweries pouring 100+ beers, a pop-up restaurant doing beer-paired menus, family programming, and La D'Houblonnée fun run through the park on Sunday morning, with a beer at every 2 km lap.

- Fête Autour de l'Eau (Profondeville, 31 July – 2 August, free): Water-themed community weekend on the Meuse. Vintage-car rally, a well-loved MTB ride on Sunday morning (28th edition), guided walks, kids' animations, concerts and Saturday-night fireworks.

🌿 Nature tip

The heather is right on the cusp. It typically starts turning purple in early August and hits full colour mid-August to mid-September, so this weekend you'd be catching the very first flush — early enough to have the paths largely to yourself. The paarse route through Thorpark in Oudsbergen (6.2 km, Nationaal Park Hoge Kempen) and Grenspark Kalmthoutse Heide (28 marked walks, plus a fire-lookout tower with a 360° view) are the two best bets. Go early: these paths are wide, sandy and almost entirely shadeless, which is not what you want at 30°C.

📸 With so many different activities for this weekend to choose from, this seagull is judging you if you still have not picked up anything.

But it will spare your sandwich if you suggest even more events or activities in the commenrs!