
Admittedly, I don’t think I really went to the “off-the-beaten track” destinations in Belgium, but maybe I did compared to the average tourist? I’d love to go back and explore more of the countryside – my train rides to Dinant and Durbuy were absolutely beautiful. And I did do some unusual and unique things (read below!!).




Both Bruges and Ghent are located in the Flanders region of Belgium, where the official language is Dutch. Brussels is in the Brussels-Capital Region and it’s bilingual in French and Dutch. Dinant and Durbuy are both in the Wallonia region, where most people know French.
However, it’s not too hard to find someone who knows how to speak at least a little English, especially in the larger cities like Brussels and Ghent. It would be polite to learn at least a little in French and/or Dutch, depending on which region you’ll be spending the most time in.
THE BEST CITIES TO EXPLORE IN BELGIUM
BRUSSELS (AND I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE SPROUTS)


However, I’d highly recommend doing a free walking tour here – I really enjoyed ours, and it’s pretty easy to see all the things on the tour. The guides also gave great tips (especially food-wise) about where to go that was actually authentic and not just shitty tourist food.
For instance, our guide told us where to get the best chocolates (at three different price points), the best frites, and the best waffles! He also gave great suggestions on non-touristy and free things to do. They also do a beer tour, which sounded really cool, but I was on a budget so I opted against it.

Okay, I’ll be honest – I really don’t get the hype about Manneken Pis (the peeing boy statue) or Jeanneke Pis (the peeing girl). They’re literally just statues of peeing kids?

At night, The Grand Place also gets lit up – however, I didn’t go to see this since I was by myself and didn’t want to venture out alone in the dark. I probably could have made friends if I wanted to but since it was my last week, I just decided to be my introvert self!
And, it’s free – so you can’t go wrong! It’s also pretty damn unique – I’ve never seen anything like it.
I also really enjoyed Delirium Café – it has the largest selection of beers in the world (3,162 according to the website). I tried a cherry beer, because I am a baby and am still just getting into actual beer. It was delicious, though!


Mont des Arts Gardens (first picture in this post) is also a really beautiful overlook! It’s in the same plaza as a few different museums, so you can get your learn on after basking in the beautiful views.
St. Nicolas Cathedral was also stunning! Overall, I liked Brussels, but don’t know if I’m necessarily dying to go back. I definitely preferred the other places I went in Belgium!
BRUGES IS DISGUSTINGLY PERFECT




As for what you should do in Bruges, walk around. Do the free walking tour, like I said, it’s really interesting and gives you a good overview of the city.
There are a ton of museums, which I didn’t go into, but you can find almost anything from art to chocolate to fries.
You can go up into the Belfry and get really great views (wish I’d done this).
Check out De Halve Man Brewery and chill out (such a nice way to end the day!).
Get chocolate from Chocolaterie de Burg – sooooo good! It was recommended by our tour guide, and although I’m sure there was some sort of business partnership going on there, it was damn good. Other good places I’ve read about are Dumon Chocolatier and The Chocolate Line, but I’m sure there are more because Bruges has about 2852930 chocolate shops.


GHENT IS BRUSSELS’ COOL YOUNGER SISTER

It’s more of a university town, so it feels very hip and modern and fun. It’s one of those places I think I’d fall in love with if I lived there, but not one I would go for a day trip again.
Like, Bruges is a place I would visit but NOT live in; Ghent I could totally see myself living in. Ya feel me?


Other than that, I pretty much just wandered around the city center and surrounding neighborhoods aimlessly.


DINANT ROCKS (GET IT??)

It’s located along the River Meuse, so along with pretty city views, you can stare at the river, too! And even take a cool boat ride between April and October.


Afterward, I decided to check out the Citadelle de Dinant (Citadel of Dinant) and ended up spending the majority of my day there. There are a TON of steps to get up to the top, but the views are amazing (see above)!
If steps aren’t really your thing, you can also take a cable car to the top, instead.
Once you make it up there, it’s an actual museum! Very cool. It’s all about the citadel itself and its roles in various wars, including both WW1 and 2.

When I was there, there was also a random exhibit of life-size Disney characters made of sand in the citadel. It looks like it’s still going on, but double-check before you go if that’s something you really want to see!

It’s worth going to just for the train ride, honestly – it’s so pretty!
Lol do you see a theme here? I end up just wandering aimlessly in most cities at least part of the day, mainly because it’s free 🙂
DURBUY, AKA THE SMALLEST CITY IN THE WORLD


I wanted to get all the exploring I could out of it at the cheapest rate, so I tried to walk. Partway I realized it just wasn’t going to happen and decided to try and hitchhike. That did not work at all (I just got a lot of weird looks; one couple stopped to apologize that their car was too full, and one other guy didn’t speak English), and I gave up after about 20 minutes. I bit the bullet and paid for the shuttle (which really isn’t even that expensive, I just wanted to try hitchhiking again after doing it with my friends in Ireland).


There are quite a few restaurants and a cool tiki bar.
There are also some other shops – I can’t remember the name of the one I went to, but it had all local Wallonian products (the region that Durbuy falls in).


The Topiary Gardens are supposed to be another unusual attraction, but I didn’t visit because, to be honest, I didn’t really care. I looked at pictures and decided I’d rather spend my time exploring the city.
However, if you’re a fan of topiary, it’s supposed to be great! It’s also supposed to offer great views of the castle, but I thought the ones I got were good enough.
I’d love to go back to Belgium and explore more of the lesser known towns! And really get outdoors there, as it’s soooo pretty.
WHAT I MISSED (BELGIUM, I’M COMING BACK):
– If I went back at a different time of year, I would’ve loved to have visited Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (natural history museums are my jam!!).
– Hallerbos (The Blue Forest) looks beautiful – in April, the forest floor gets covered with bluebells!!! If you do choose to visit, please be respectful and practice LNT (Leave No Trace) principles. The forest is becoming quite popular and some people have been trampling the flowers. Let’s work to preserve this unique place!
– All the other cities: Leuven (pretty university town), Mechelen (beautiful architecture and one of the oldest-operating breweries), and Ypres (history of the world wars). I’m sure there are so many more, but those are the ones I was choosing between!
– Belgium also has some amazing parks and natural scenery – I would love to come back and explore more, especially in the fall!

I really enjoyed your Insight on Belgium and special cities to visit. Dinant is my desired destination (yes, I am a saxophonist and have to get that photo op on the bench next to AdolphecSax), as well as some notable chocolateries. So…a tour of chocolate and saxophones!
I have not found a tour that includes Dinant…or even close enough with time for a side trip. I don’t consider myself a savvy traveler so would want to be part of a group tour.
Any suggestions? Thank you!
Hi Carol, happy you enjoyed the post! Definitely makes sense why you’d love to visit Dinant! Totally get that. If you’re interested in visiting Luxembourg too, this group tour starts in Brussels and goes to both Luxembourg and Dinant: https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g188644-d11446832-Luxembourg_and_Dinant_Day_Trip_from_Brussels-Brussels.html
Or, if you feel comfortable getting to Dinant on your own, there’s this walking tour: https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g1081539-d21034666-The_best_of_Dinant_walking_tour-Wepion_Namur_The_Ardennes_Wallonia.html
It’s a little pricey, though!
Here’s a list of private Dinant tours, those are also a little more on the expensive side: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g188662-Activities-c42-t139-Dinant_The_Ardennes_Wallonia.html
I hope that helps, and that you’re able to get everything you want out of your visit to Dinant!