Top 20 Things To Do and Place To See in Belgium:-
Bruges • With its canals, museums and gorgeous medieval architecture, Bruges is without question one of Europe's most beguiling cities.
Antwerp fashion scene • Antwerp has produced a small army of internationally acclaimed fashion designers and their work is showcased at the enterprising MoMu fashion museum.
Trésor du Prieuré d'Oignies, Namur • A fabulous hoard of exquisitely crafted, jewel-encrusted metalwork dating from the early thirteenth century is displayed here in Namur.
Cycling • Pancake-flat northern Belgium is perfect for bicycling; cycle paths are legion, with some of the prettiest running alongside the poplar-lined canals near Bruges.
Grand-Place, Brussels • There are beautiful, delicately carved guildhouses in many Belgian towns, but none quite reaches the heights of those in the capital's main square.
Brussels' Art Nouveau • The capital's middle class took to this style of architecture like ducks to water; Victor Horta and Paul Hankar are the names to conjure with.
Hotel Die Swaene, Bruges • This immaculate hotel has oodles of character, from the antique lounge and reception to the infinitely comfortable bedrooms.
Ostend beach • The Channel Tunnel may have ended Ostend's days as a busy cross-Channel port, but it's busy reinventing itself as a seaside resort – and it certainly has a smashing beach.
Ghent's St Baafskathedraal • Home to Jan van Eyck's Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, quite simply one of the medieval world's most astonishing paintings.
Antwerp's Cathedral • Perhaps the most beautiful Gothic structure in Belgium and, even better, its interior is graced by four fine paintings by Rubens.
Museés Royaux des Beaux Arts, Brussels • You'd have to go an awfully long way to beat Belgium's best art museum, with superb collections ranging from Jan van Eyck, Bosch and Bruegel to Ensor and Magritte.
Bouillon • Nestling among wooded hills and set beneath the craggy remains of its castle, Bouillon is one of the prettiest resorts in the Ardennes, busy in summer with campers, walkers and kayakers.
Place du Jeu de Balle, Brussels • Fleamarket-mania overtakes Brussels on a Sunday morning and this is the place to head for, in the Marolles district.
Procession of the Holy Blood, Bruges • Once a sombre religious ceremony, these days it's as much a (rather classy) historical pageant.
Kayaking in the Ardennes • A real treat, especially around La Rochefort – you don't have to be a zealous athlete to enjoy it either.
Musée René Magritte • Magritte's disconcerting paintings have been reproduced in their millions; he was, without doubt, one of Belgium's most brilliant artists.
Het Zwin • This nature reserve on the Belgian coast offers a pristine coastal landscape of polders and dykes, marshes and salt flats, which together combine to attract a rich birdlife.
The Hautes Fagnes • A high plateau in the Ardennes region, providing some fabulous hiking amid a wild and windswept expanse of wood and moorland.
Binche Carnival • Nowhere else in Europe celebrates carnival with the vim and gusto of Belgium. For originality, the pick of the carnival crop is at Binche.
Menin Gate • World War I was decided on the plain of Flanders, a point hammered home by the interminable names on the hulking mass of the Menin Gate in Ieper.
Being such a small country (300 km as its maximum distance), you can get anywhere in a couple of hours. Public transport is fast and comfortable, and not too expensive. Between larger cities, there are frequent train connections, with buses covering smaller distances.
