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Statue of Marvin Gaye
Soul superstar Marvin Gaye wrote his last hit Sexual Healing in 1981 while living in Ostend. His residency is marked by a wildly tacky statue of the singer playing a golden piano. To see it, peep inside the convention centre of Ostend’s bold 1950s landmark, the Kursaal, which also
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Recyclart
This graffitied ‘arts laboratory’ in the old Chapelle station along Rue des Ursulines revitalised what was once an industrial wasteland. It now hosts art installations and theatre productions, cutting-edge gigs and parties with DJs, and has a daytime cafe; above is a skate park. It
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Musée du Cacao et du Chocolat
Exhibits at Brussels’ museum of cocoa and chocolate give you a quick rundown of chocolate’s history in Europe, along with chocolate’s anti-aging and antidepressant properties. A couple of small treats along the way include a tasting at the praline-making demonstration. Better yet a
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Beffroi de Thuin
Thuins historical centrepiece is its Unesco-listed belfry, a 1639 stone bell tower topped with five slate spires and numerous gilded baubles. Apart from the (loud!) bells and old/new clock mechanisms, the tower is empty, and one climbs (with audioguide) up metal steps and steep lad
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Musée David et Alice van Buuren
In a 1928 art-deco showpiece house you’ll find this exquisite museum, where five rooms are crammed with sublime furnishings, stained glass and top-quality paintings covering five centuries of art. Also notable are more than 30 works by van Buuren’s talented symbolist protégé, van d
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Archéoscope Godefroid de Bouillon
On the eastern riverbank – enter via the tourist office – in a 17th-century former convent building, Bouillon’s flashiest attraction is designed to bring Godefroid’s story to life. Visits start every 35 minutes with a multilingual film, after which you walk through the screen into
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EU Parliament
Inside this decidedly dated blue-glass building (completed only just over a decade ago) political junkies can sit in on a parliamentary session in the huge debating chamber known as the hemicycle, or tour it when parliament’s not sitting. Tours (using multilingual headphones) start
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Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée
This centre offers a definitive overview of the country’s vibrant comic-strip culture. Even if you’re not excited by the ‘ninth art’, do peep inside the impressive 1906 art-nouveau building, a Victor Horta classic with wrought-iron superstructure and a glass roof. You don’t have to
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Scheldt Riverbank
A raised southern promenade links Het Steen to St-Jansvliet, a tree-shaded square where a lift descends to the 572m-long Sint-Annatunnel . This 1930s tunnel allows pedestrians and cyclists to cross beneath the river to the Linkeroever (Left Bank) – worth it for the beautiful origin
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Musée Wellington
Opposite the church and tourist office on the main road in Waterloo itself, this former inn is where Wellington stayed before the battle. The museum, accessible on the combined Memorial 1815 ticket, is old-fashioned but well put together and has a decent summary of the battle as we
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Kazerne Dossin
The 18th-century Dossin Barracks were used by the Nazis as a WWII deportation centre, and 25,500 Jews and 352 Roma were sent to Auschwitz concentration camp from here in 28 convoys. Only 1400 returned. The complex has been preserved as a memorial and, across the road, there is a ne
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Hof Arents
Behind the Arentshuis, Hof Arents is a charming little park where a hump-backed pedestrian bridge, St-Bonifaciusbrug , crosses the canal for idyllic views. Generally nicknamed Lovers’ Bridge, it’s where many a Bruges citizen steals their first kiss. Privileged guests staying at the
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Tongerlo Refuge
In medieval times, abbots from wealthy monasteries would often travel to Mechelen to consult the primate (archbishop) and thus required city residences. Known as ‘refuges’, some such residences often became grand affairs. One such is the beautiful, brick-spired 1484 Tongerlo Refuge
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Malagne
On the third Sunday of July, this Gallo-Roman archaeological site comes to life with a whole series of period demonstrations. At other times, the attractive rural ruins are less dynamic and youll probably value the €3 audio guide to make sense of the excavations, reconstructed mill
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Mardasson American War Memorial
A gentle hill is topped by a large memorial shaped as a circle within a five-pointed star. Its sombre grey pillars are inscribed with the names of the American states and a narrative of the battle. A cave-like chapel-crypt beneath features Protestant-, Catholic- and Jewish-themed m
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Centre Touristique de la Laine et de la Mode
Within an 1803 former wool-processing mill, this audio-guided visit details the rise and fall of Verviers’ cloth industry and explains the well-preserved industrial equipment, from old wool combs to mechanical spinners to local technological inventions. Youll find other large piece
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Château de Lavaux
The photogenic Château Lavaux-Sainte-Anne is a moated 1450 fortress that was converted into a lordly mansion in 1634. The four towers come with machicolations and bell-shaped domes, while rooms are relevantly furnished and display various exhibits from local crafts to hunting troph
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Musée Communal
A tiny alley beside the attractive 1766 town hall leads into cobbled Place Verte, where you’ll find sharp-spired Église St-Mengold and the 16th-century Maison Nokin. Mysterious Rue des Frères Mineurs continues east between high, ancient walls, emerging beside the town’s main museum
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Golf de Falnuée
A 13th-century stone tower 1km south of Mazy forms part of the delightful Golf de Falnuée, whose golf course spreads like emerald-green baize towards unspoilt wooded ridges. The scene is idyllic viewed from the complexs restaurant-café in vaulted former castle stables above which a
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Château de Jehay
In the golden glow of late afternoon, Château de Jehay is undoubtedly one of Wallonia’s most photogenic sights. Like a gingerbread fantasy, this turret-spiked 1550 castle is a fabulous confection of alternating brick and stone rising from an extensive tree-ringed moat. The less-spe
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