Country guide
Belgium covers 30,689 km² and holds more than 11.8 million people, a density of 383 per km² that ranks sixth in Europe. It is divided three ways — Flanders in...
Photograph · Naval S from Berlin · CC BY 2.0
Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor
Belgium covers 30,689 km² and holds more than 11.8 million people, a density of 383 per km² that ranks sixth in Europe.
It is divided three ways — Flanders in the north, Wallonia in the south, the Brussels-Capital Region in the middle — and the language divides with it: Dutch for about 60 per cent of the population, French for about 40, German for the one per cent in the East Cantons. The choice for a visitor is largely between Brussels, which carries the seats of the European Commission and Council and the headquarters of NATO, and the Flemish cities: Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, Leuven.
Checked 2026-08-25
Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.
Photograph · Ank Kumar · CC BY-SA 4.0
Seasonal closures come from recorded opening hours.
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
100 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
Train World is Belgium’s national railway museum, housed at the historic Schaerbeek railway station northeast of central Brussels. The museum presents Belgian railway history through locomotives, carriages, railway technology, and the station environment itself.
Maison d'Erasme - Erasmushuis
The Erasmus House, known locally as Maison d'Erasme or Erasmushuis, is a historic museum dedicated to the life and work of Desiderius Erasmus, the renowned Renaissance humanist, theologian, and scholar.
Rouge Cloître - Rood Klooster
Arts center of Red Cloister is a cultural venue at Rouge Cloître, also called Rood Klooster, in the Sonian Forest area of Brussels. The setting brings together the atmosphere of a former Cistercian priory and present-day artistic activity.
Château de Laeken - Kasteel Van Laken
The Royal Castle of Laeken serves as the official residence of the Belgian royal family. Located in the Laeken district north of central Brussels, this neoclassical palace complex stands within extensive private grounds.
Église Notre-Dame de Laeken - Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk van Laken
Church of Our Lady of Laeken is an active Catholic church and a prominent landmark in Brussels' Laeken district.
Square du Petit Sablon, called Kleine Zavelsquare in Dutch, is a compact formal garden in Brussels' Sablon district.
Van Buuren Museum & Gardens is a Brussels cultural attraction that combines a museum interior with designed outdoor grounds.
Musée de la Porte de Hal - Hallepoort Museum
Halle Gate Museum is Brussels’ surviving medieval city gate, known in French as Musée de la Porte de Hal and in Dutch as Hallepoort Museum.
Archief en Museum voor het Vlaams Leven te Brussel
The Archief en Museum voor het Vlaams Leven te Brussel is an archive and museum dedicated to Flemish life in Brussels. It preserves and presents materials related to the Flemish community's history, culture, and presence in the bilingual Belgian capital.
Musée Art & Histoire - Museum Kunst & Geschiedenis
Art & History Museum, also called Musée Art & Histoire and Museum Kunst & Geschiedenis, is a major Brussels museum in Cinquantenaire Park. The monumental complex presents the city with an encyclopedic journey through art, archaeology, and material culture.
Art & marges musée - Art & marges museum
Art)&(marges Museum is a Brussels museum dedicated to art brut and outsider art. It gives institutional space to self-taught artists and creative practices developed outside established academic and gallery systems.
Musée Belge de la Franc-Maçonnerie - Belgisch Museum van de Vrijmetselarij
The Belgian Museum of Freemasonry occupies a historic building in Brussels dedicated to preserving and presenting the heritage of Belgian freemasonry.
Musée Belge de la Radiologie - Belgisch Museum voor Radiologie
Belgisch Museum voor Radiologie, also known as Musée Belge de la Radiologie, is a Brussels museum devoted to the history of radiology and medical imaging.
Musée de la ville de Bruxelles - Museum van de Stad Brussel
Brussels City Museum, also called Musée de la ville de Bruxelles and Museum van de Stad Brussel, introduces the history and culture of Belgium’s capital.
Brussels Comics Figurines Museum is a Brussels attraction devoted to comic-book figurines and related collectibles. It brings Belgian and Franco-Belgian comic culture into a three-dimensional setting, giving visitors a chance to focus on character design, sculpture and collecting.
Musée Bruxellois de la Gueuze - Brussels Museum van de Geuze
Brussels Museum van de Geuze, also known as Musée Bruxellois de la Gueuze, explores geuze and the brewing culture surrounding this distinctive Belgian beer. The museum places spontaneous fermentation and lambic traditions within Brussels’ wider food and industrial heritage.
Musée bruxellois du Moulin et de l'Alimentation - Brussels Museum van de Molen en de Voeding
Brussels Museum van de Molen en de Voeding, or Musée bruxellois du Moulin et de l’Alimentation, brings together the history of milling and the wider story of food.
Musée du Tram - Trammuseum
The Brussels Urban Transport Museum, locally called Musée du Tram or Trammuseum, preserves the history of public transport in Belgium’s capital. Its central subject is the tram: the vehicles, infrastructure and working world that carried people through Brussels over time.
Musée Camille Lemonnier - Camille Lemonnier Museum
Camille Lemonnier Museum is a literary museum in Brussels devoted to Belgian writer Camille Lemonnier. It presents his life and work in a historic setting connected with his legacy.
Musée Charlier - Charliermuseum
Charlier Museum, or Musée Charlier, is a Brussels house museum set inside a historic townhouse.
Musée de Chine des Missionnaires de Scheut - Chinamuseum
Chinamuseum, also known as the Musée de Chine des Missionnaires de Scheut, is a Brussels museum devoted to Chinese art and culture. Its collections grew from the work of the Scheut missionaries and their long historical connection with China.
Musée Mode & Dentelle - Mode & Kant Museum
The Fashion & Lace Museum, known locally as Musée Mode & Dentelle or Mode & Kant Museum, is a Brussels institution dedicated to textile heritage.
Musée Fin de siècle - Fin de siècle Museum
Fin-de-Siècle Museum, also called Musée Fin de siècle, explores Belgian art from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It is a specialist Brussels destination for travelers drawn to the period’s changing artistic language, social atmosphere, and decorative richness.
KBR museum
The KBR Museum is a cultural institution in Brussels associated with the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR/Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België). It presents exhibitions drawn from the library's extensive collections, which span manuscripts, rare books, prints, and historical documents.
La Fonderie
La Fonderie, the Brussels Museum of Industry and Labour, presents the industrial history of Brussels and its surrounding region. The museum occupies a former industrial site, making the setting part of the subject.
Five to seven days covers Brussels plus two or three rail-linked cities such as Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, Leuven or Liège. Staying in one or two bases avoids losing time to repeated hotel changes in this compact network.
Belgium’s foreign-affairs service publishes visa and short-stay requirements. Check the rule for the passport being used and the full Schengen itinerary, especially when Belgium is not the first external border crossed.
Brussels Airport connects directly with Belgium’s national rail network, and intercity trains link the principal cities without compulsory reservations. Local buses, trams and metros belong to separate regional operators, so one urban ticket is not automatically valid nationwide.
April through June offers long sightseeing days, while September usually retains workable conditions with fewer peak-summer pressures. Belgian weather remains changeable, making a waterproof layer useful in any of these months.
The euro (EUR) is Belgium’s currency. Card and cash acceptance can differ between a station machine, a market stall and a small business, so retain a second payment method rather than assuming one card will work everywhere.
Belgium uses 112 for emergencies and Type C or E plugs at 230 V. The recorded national guidance says mains tap water is safe.
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