101 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Belgium - Atlas Obscura

Unusual
Attractions
in Belgium

The Blue Forest

Each spring, a dreamlike carpet of bluebells overtakes the forest floor of this Belgian woods.

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Borgloon, Belgium

Reading Between The Lines

Part modern art project, part traditional chapel, this see-through church is only substantial from the right angle.

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Brussels, Belgium

Royal Greenhouses of Laeken

Lavish royal estate punctuated with heated greenhouses.

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Beveren, Belgium

The Doomed City of Doel

Ghost town in Belgium will lose its street art when it ceases to exist.

Laetitia Petruzzella

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Brussels, Belgium

Le Cercueil (The Coffin)

The Devil’s own choice when he needs a drink in Brussels.

Brussels, Belgium

The Atomium

Climb inside an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times its normal size.

Dylan

Gravensteen

This fairytale castle was built as a show of power but was nearly torn down thanks to its history of torture.

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Brussels, Belgium

Délirium Café

Cozy basement bar sports an inventory of over 2,000 beers.

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Unique
Food & Drink
in Belgium

Cuberdons

Gastro Obscura

Cuberdons

The Belgian candy that sparked an epic vendor battle.

Gastro Obscura

Faith Roswell

Added by Faith Roswell

Yule Log Cake

Gastro Obscura

Yule Log Cake

These holiday cakes link Christmas to the Norse god of lightning.

Gastro Obscura

Anne Ewbank

Added by Anne Ewbank

Gruit Ale

Gastro Obscura

Gruit Ale

Brewers are replacing hops with sweet, aromatic herbs to resurrect this extinct beer.

Gastro Obscura

jwalker

Added by jwalker

Antwerp Chocolate Hands

Gastro Obscura

Antwerp Chocolate Hands

These sweet hands come with stories of triumph and brutality.

Gastro Obscura

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See all 10 things to eat in Belgium See all 10 things to eat in Belgium

Explore Belgium

Launch Map

Recent Belgium Activity

liscole has been to Manneken Pis

liscole wants to go to Zinneke Pis

alexiannino has been to Caves of Remouchamps

TheFlyingKiwi wants to go to The Blue Forest

alexiannino has been to The Atomium

Stories
About Belgium

Father Karel Stautemas raises a glass.

These Belgian Monks Are Reopening a Medieval Microbrewery

The operation has been dormant for more than 220 years.

by Matthew Taub

French fries in France, with a choice of dip.

The Global Diversity of French Fry Dips Is a Window Into the Way We Eat Today

Ketchup and mayo are just the beginning.

by Dan Nosowitz

This library wasn't meant to be so empty.

Inside the Belgian Library That Tore Itself Apart

In the 1960s, a conflict between Dutch-speaking and French-speaking students divided a historic collection.

by Matthew Taub

February 14, 2019

A Visit to the World's Only Sourdough Library

Step inside Karl De Smedt's singular collection of starters.

by Lizzie Philip

October 11, 2018

A contemporary Tour of Flanders rider zooms through a green landscape.

What Footage From 1980s Bike Races Can Teach Us About Climate Change

Ignore the Lycra—look at the flowers.

Unlike books, the starters need to be fed regularly.

Inside the World's Only Sourdough Library

The collection holds 105 starters and counting.

Every half hour, the fisherman and horse return to the shore to rest and sort through the catch.

The Dying Art of Fishing for Shrimp on Horseback

In Oostduinkerke, Belgium, horses plow the ocean instead of the fields.

by Natasha Frost

Omelette.

Despite Europe's Egg Scare, a Belgian Town Unites Over a Giant Omelette

Kudos, Knights of the Giant Omelette.

by Natasha Frost

August 16, 2017