This is highly worthwhile, especially if you are interested in history / the battle itself…read more I try to do appreciable advance research relating to our trips. However, there are sometimes levels of detail that are not evident until you experience things first hand. So as an introduction to this site, I'll first discuss travel logistics. Assuming that you are staying in Brussels without a car, you'll need to take a train / bus combo to visit this site. Trains from Brussels Central or Noord run fairly frequently to Braine-l'Alleud. You can probably get one within 30 minutes or so of walking up, but you may want to consult a schedule. The out there takes around 30 -35 minutes, I think. You purchase this ticket from a machine via a credit card (I'm not sure if there is a way to purchase with cash other than finding a human-staffed desk at a large station). I think the fare was in the neighborhood of 10 Euros. Once you reach Braine-l'Alleud, you walk directly from the platform across a small parking lot to a street. Across the street is the stop for the 'W' bus, which will take you to the battlefield. The stop is between a Chinese restaurant and a motorcycle dealer (when we went). The bus runs roughly every 30 minutes and there is a schedule posted at the stop. It varies between weekdays and weekends. There is also an app you can get (my daughter found it) that lets you track the buses in real time. We saw a bus pull away just as we exited the station, so coordinating the schedules would have saved us a few minutes. The crucial detail that we missed was that bus far is cash only - no credit cards. It was our last full day and we had tried to spend our Euros so as not to have too many left. Hence, we could not ride this bus! We got off and found an ATM across the train tracks. We obtained 25 Euros to have some buffer. The bus fare one-way to the battlefield is less than 3 Euros per person. We got back and waited for the next bus, which we then rode to the battlefield. The total route on the bus is probably about 1.5 miles and there are sidewalks the whole way. Later, we noted tha the return bus was delayed by 30 minutes, so we ended up walking back to the train station from the battlefield. It wasn't a bad walk. As to the battlefield and museum itself, here are the highlights: * I bought tickets in advance, but it didn't seem like that was necessary on the day we went. These were not timed, but were good for the entire day. It doesn't hurt to have them, though. The museum is built underground, perhaps so as not to disturb the views of what the battlefield looks like. There were references to audio tours and some app that you could have downloaded to help with the visit but we didn't see these until we were well into the exhibits. You may want to ask when you arrive. The layout of the museum first a short high-level timeline of how the battle came about - monarchies, the French Revolution, and the rise of Napoleon. This is covered in 2 - 3 intiial rooms. You then move into a long hallway that slopes slighly up as you go. Along each side behind glass are manikins dressed as representatives of the states engaged in the battle. Some are mounted on horses. The timeline here is more dense, showing the maneuverings in the days leading up to the battle itself. You can then view a 10 - 15 minute 3-D film about the battle, which gives you even more of a feel for it. If you have the audio tour, you may get translations for the French / German bits also. After the film, you can check out some details about the aftermath of the battle, as well as an animated bird's eye view of the engagement. * The Panorama - This is a huge painting that wraps around to 360-degrees and attempts to tell the story of the battle. This is housed in a large round stone building adjacent to the museum. Apparently, this type of painting was popular in the late 1800s (pre-movies) and traveled to various cities. There is also one related to the U.S. Civil Ware in Atlanta, GA. I think there is one at the Gettysburg battlefield in Pennsylvania as well. Having seen the one in Atlanta a few times, this was neat to compare. * The Lion Mound - a memorial to one of the fallen nobles/military leaders. This is about 130 feet high with over 200 steps leading up. It was a workout, but has nice views at the top. * Hougoumount Farm - this place figured prominently in the battle, and is preserved as a separate site. It is about a mile from the museum and can be reached by a wide paved path. They have a regular shuttle cart (think of the type that cover huge parking lots in places like Disney World in the U.S.) that runs at ~ 25 minute intervals. We walked out to the site and took the tram back. The site has some exhibits and is worth the short side trip if you have time. They also have a café and table-service restaurant on-site. Go early (before 12:30 p.m.) for the best chance of service. There are few other walkable eateries

Of course, Waterloo. With a country so rich in history you can't ignore such historic places…read more There are several things you can do here, most of which have a fee tacked on-- from climbing up to the lion, to exploring the museum, to checking out the panorama. It's your grade 1 class field trip all over again. However, it does have a bit of tech involved. While I personally am more a fan of climbing up to see the view the museum was very interactive. Moving paintings, puzzles, and questions. Lots to mess with and see. At first I thought oh, this will be rather kiddie, but for an adult it was pretty entertaining too. It had a good equilibrium of those science museums for kids and what would usually be dry history. At the end there was a 3D movie. Probably not something I'd want to go on again, but for the first time it was neat. The most outdated thing there was probably the panorama. It looked like it's been around for awhile in terms of panorama x museum life. We could include the Lion.. but he was remarkable as ever. Very educational.

The floral carpet is one of those things that most visitors to Belgium see on every single…read morepostcard, but rarely get to experience live. It takes a certain degree of planning - first of all, you have to go in an even year (there was one this year, the next is in 2010), then there are the exact dates of the carpet as it only lasts for two weeks. And just when you've cracked all that, turning up to Grand Place and looking at a sea of petals from ground level isn't particularly impressive, so you need to go the final mile and pay EUR3 or so to get into the Town Hall, queue up patiently, climb the steps to the tower and view it from above on the balconies (though to be fair, you pass some excellent and interesting rooms in the Town Hall as you wait to get to a balcony). It's worth it though. The 2006 carpet had rotating flowerbeds on, and when you consider just how many thousands of flowerheads have been diligently pressed into moss, it makes Derbyshire well dressing look like child's play.

É lindo da mais !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!read more

This is worth the visit if you are have interest in history, are looking for a peaceful environment…read morefor tranquility and/or exploration, or love photography. As of 2024, the ticket for 1 adult is 10 euros.

What a wonderful experience. If you're trying to figure out some tourist things to do, This place…read moreshould be on the list. If you have a car or time on a weekend to figure out the public transportation route here, there's a train stop which you can walk to here from the train stop this place was such a great family activity. The history behind this Abbey was great to explore as well as walking around the ruins. There were plenty of places to sit and rest. You can go to the second floor of the abbey where monks used to sleep. We learned about bleeding (which was very interesting) and the timeline of this place really put the abbey and its age into perspective. This place have plenty of places to have quiet time and is a great place for a date if you're ever looking for a date spot.

This historic central square is probably one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. What an amazing…read moreplace to feel what it must have been like centuries ago, eat lunch, or people watch. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site that's pedestrian only. We've hung out and strolled through in the early morning, afternoon, late evening, and even after dark well after midnight. Every two years in August, a floral carpet is installed in the middle of the centre. It's a ginormous arrangement of breathtaking flowers. A Christmas tree and lights go up every year. The neo-gothic architecture is outstanding from the kings's house to the town hall. Such an amazing piece of history that should be on everyone's sightseeing list.

The Grand Place is absolutely stunning and lives up to its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site…read more The gold-trimmed architecture of the guildhalls and the Town Hall will leave you in awe. It's worth visiting twice--once during the day to see the intricate details, and again at night when everything is beautifully lit up. While it is usually packed with people, if you come very early in the morning, you can enjoy the square almost entirely to yourself. The surrounding area is full of shops and food, though it is very touristy, so keep that in mind. If you're lucky enough to visit during the holidays, the festive decorations are spectacular!

Another large and beautiful church we saw on our visit to Brussels…read more The church was massive and magnificent! The stained glass windows were beautiful. We came at the perfect time to see some light peeking through the glass into the pews. It was an amazing part of our journey. This is why we stop into churches and take a moment to look around.

This is a beautiful Gothic cathedral. I had the pleasure of visiting for an event called…read moreLuminescence. It had two showings at night, and it was a beautiful lightshow accompanied by music along with the retelling of its history. Truly a magical experience. A live orchestra played as the lights danced and illuminated the architecture. I would love to come back and see the stain glassed windows in all its glory in the daytime. But overall, it is obvious in its grandeur and beauty it also holds a great historical significance to Brussels.

Okay, it may not be St Bartholomews, complete with an awesome altarpiece, however it still has its…read moreown character, namely because it is basically the oldest church in Ghent. In fact I suspect it is the oldest church in Belgium or even beyond namely because it dates back to the middle ages. Like a lot of the churches on the continent (and elsewhere), you can wonder inside and have a look around, but only at certain times because it is still a functioning church and they still perform mass here (though I suspect that is the case with most of the churches around here). It particularly liked it, especially the history, but also because the guy standing at the front kindly explained a few things to me, such as why the pulpit is in the middle of the church as opposed to the front.

Absolutely stunning. By far, one of the most beautiful churches that I've toured in Europe. Well…read moreworth a visit!

Really quiet park. Great to just find some peace and quiet, I think. We wandered through here for…read moreawhile. Mostly the cut through, but ended up just kinda looking around. There were quite a few people out walking their dogs, and also I believe there are some art studios or classes/community buildings farther in that didn't seem to mind us snooping around. Otherwise, really pretty place to relax and picnic. Can get rather soggy in the rain so you could get kinda muddy when walking/running in some areas. Lots of geometrical topiary.

A beautiful place for a walk, at any time of day. A pity that there's so much graffiti in some…read moreareas. Lovely to walk in or have a little picnic. Luckily most people are quite considerate about their noise and their pets, as well as picking up after their picnics; this means the Abbaye is almost always very clean.

I love surprises. Unexpected surprises are the best. Take that back...unexpected surprises where…read moreyou don't remember what happened but keep coming back for more are really the best. Walking around Leuven one afternoon, I turned into a side street. It was a normal, quiet side street, until you turn the corner and see a few students...then more students...then you see bar stools and more students. Oude Markt is a pedestrian area that comes alive with beer, students, and more beer. After my first visit here, I knew if was not going to be my last. I'm glad I remembered how to get here the next day.

Leuven's beating heart, any day of the week. Everybody will find a bar to his liking, be it brown,…read moretrendy, dance, alternative or hippie. There is even the underground "Bierkelder": not for the faint of heart.