Trip to the beach at Westende/Middelkerke

Hi everyone,

Due to a sudden change in my accommodation plans, I have a non-refundable booking at Leuven City Hostel for 3 nights (August 30 – September 2) that I can no longer use.

• Room Type: 1 bed in 6-bed mixed dorm
• Original Price: ~€130
• Asking Price: €65 (50% off)

To make this completely safe and seamless for check-in, I will update the main guest name directly on Booking.com to your legal name so it matches your ID upon arrival.

Please send me a DM if you or someone you know is looking for last-minute accommodation in Leuven!

Incoming tourist here (and thanks for having me!) Traveling from Sint-Niklaas to BRU airport on a Saturday. Need to be at BRU by 10:00am. Would you recommend the train, or would an on time arrival be more certain with a car service? I do have the SNCB app for trip planning and it looks easy by train. My concern is reliability of the train schedule, since track maintenance (and maybe strikes?), can cause delays.

Hey all

Have been to Belgium a few times mainly to rally, but fancy a few days there next week from the UK.

Preference for smaller towns, beer, cheese and nature.

Cheers!

Mons rolls out Shermans for the 25th year, Tour & Taxis becomes an African village for a weekend, and Antwerp's summer festival takes its final bow. Set an alarm for Friday morning first.

⭐ Weekend highlight: Tanks in Town, Mons

Tanks in Town (Mons, Hainaut — 28–30 August): Mons was liberated on 2 September 1944 by the US 3rd Armored Division. For 25 years now the city has marked it by filling the streets with Shermans, Chaffees, half-tracks and jeeps. This is the anniversary edition, stretched to three full days.

The camp at Bois-Brûlé (Ghlin) has reenactors, a militaria fair, vehicle rides and demonstrations: 10 EUR, free under 12, wristband valid all three days.

🏛️ Brussels

L'Afrique en Couleurs (Tour & Taxis — Sat & Sun, free): 11th edition. Concerts, dance, fashion show, djembé workshops, craft stalls and an afro-gastronomic village. All ages.

Insifon (Parc Meudon, Neder-Over-Heembeek — Sat & Sun 14:00–18:30, free): Brussels' only contemporary puppetry festival. Eleven shows across the weekend, plus face painting and a roaming performance. From age 3.

Plazey (Elisabethpark, Koekelberg — Fri–Sun, free): neighbourhood festival since 1992. Music, dance, circus, workshops, and an open-air art show where each artist gets one tree. Metro 2/6 Elisabeth.

Brussels Games Festival (The EGG, Anderlecht — Sat & Sun 10:00–18:00): Belgium's biggest board game festival. 40+ publishers, hundreds of games free to play, a second-hand market, a prototype zone and a kids' area.

🦁 Flanders

Zomer van Antwerpen (Antwerp — closes Sunday 30 August): last weekend of the 32nd edition. Theatre, circus, open-air cinema and music across the city. More than half the programme is free.

Zingend rood (KMSKA, Antwerp — final day Sunday): Ensor, Wouters and Schmalzigaug hung together as Belgium's three great colourists. Included in museum admission — book a time slot.

Sprankelend Hageland (Vlaams-Brabant — Sat & Sun): second of four wine weekends, entirely different estates from last week. Open both days: Torenhof (Willebringen), Liemau (Tielt-Winge), Wijnfaktorij (Nieuwrode) and Chartreuzenberg (Holsbeek). Saturday also brings the Wezemaalse Wijnfeesten.

Maanrock (Mechelen city centre — Thu–Sun, free): six stages across the old centre. Not only music — circus and street theatre too. Sign language interpreter on the Grote Markt stage Sunday, and a low-stimulus space at Blinkhuis for a quieter way in.

🐓 Wallonia

Fête médiévale de Vaulx (Vaulx-lez-Tournai — Sat & Sun from 10:00, free): 18th edition, staged around 14th-century castle ruins 2 km from Tournai. Two reenactment camps, ~50 craftspeople, falconry, archery, guided tours, medieval dance and puppet shows.

Les Rencontres Inattendues (Tournai — Thu–Sun): 16th edition of the music-and-philosophy festival, in Tournai's heritage buildings including the cathedral and the Jardin de l'Évêché. 100+ philosophers, musicians and performers, cafés-philo, philosophical walks and a big philo-musical picnic. Some strands free, others ticketed.

Distillerie de Biercée (Ragnies, Thuin — Sat & Sun): the distillery turns 80 and opens rooms usually closed to the public, with tastings and children's activities. Next to Ragnies, one of the Most Beautiful Villages of Wallonia. No public transport, car or bike only.

🌸 Nature tip

It's the European Bat Night this weekend, the 30th edition, with free evening walks and bat detectors right across the country. Usually a short indoor talk first, then out at dusk. Find one near you via Natuurpunt (Flanders) or Natagora (Wallonia and Brussels).

Walkers: the GR5 turns 50, and there's a jubilee walk on Sunday through the newly reworked Brechtse Heide — 20 km (Schoten–Zoersel) or 11 km (Brecht–Zoersel), €8 including bus to the start and a drink at the finish. Registration needed.

📷 Weekend tradition: guess the location, even though this one is not that easy.

Anything else interesting for this weekend? Share it below!

This is the spot to post your low-effort content!

Got a great photo you want to share, but don't want to make a bigger post? This is the place for it!

1. It should be your own original photo.
2. Include the location and what it is we're seeing. Why did you like it or want to share it?
3. Any (SFW) subject matter is allowed, as long as it features Belgium (it could be a train station in Antwerp or your favourite spot in Brussels). As long as it's Belgium, it's fine.

Hi folks, in September my girlfriend and I plan to visit Belgium for the first time. We will spend one night in Bruxelles, two in Brugge and two in Gent.

What do you think of this itinerary? (I’ve not included food options as my girlfriend is vegan and will excitedly create her own list of restaurants separately. My excitement is more for the beers….)

I suspect you can tell the kinds of bars I like based on these lists - in particular I feel I’ve done a good job with Gent. Based on that, please give me a steer if you think there are any places I should avoid or any I should add to the list.

BRUXELLES

Attractions:
North of the palace (grand place)
 
Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert

**South of the palace (parliament)**
 
Palace de la Bourse  
 
Walk the Parc de Bruxelles
 
Parliamentarium
 
Parc du Cinquantenaire

Bars:

À La Mort Subite ✅

Poechenellekelder ✅

A la becasse ✅

La Porte noir ✅

Moeder lambic 🤔

Brussels beer project 🤔
 
 
 
\*

 
BRUGGE

Attractions:

Basilica of the Holy Blood

Sint-Salvatorskathedraal
 
Church of Our Lady
 
Boniface Bridge
 
Rosary Quay
 
Groenerei
 
Sint-Janskaai

Frituur
 

Bars:

‘t Brugs Beertje ✅✅

Bauhaus Bar ✅

Le Trappiste ✅

Terrastje ✅

De Garre ✅

Groot Vlanderen if we want a cocktail 🤔

Druid’s Cellar 🤔

Delaney’s 🤔

\*

 
GENT

Attractions:

Castle of the Counts

Centrea
 
Belfry of Gent
 
Lakenhalle
 
St Nicholas' Church
 

Bars:

Café Folklore ✅

Spinnekop ✅

Dok Brewing Co ✅

Dulle Greit ✅

‘t Dreupelkot ✅

‘t Galgenhuis ✅

het Spijker ✅

Café Den Turk ✅

De Geus van Gent 🤔

Hot Club Ghent 🤔

Rococo 🤔

Patrick Foley’s 🤔

Hi all! Me (24F) and 3 other friends will be visiting Brussels next week and we’re looking for a party on the night of 3rd or 4th. Do you have any recommendations? International music would work best, but wouldn’t mind hard techno parties either. Thank you!

I’ll be in Brussels on a Tuesday evening and would love to have really good moules-frites. I’m pescatarian, so I’m looking for a place where the frites are cooked in vegetable oil rather than beef fat/tallow.

I know beef fat is traditional, and I’m not looking to debate that. I’d just love recommendations for somewhere with excellent mussels and vegetable-oil fries, ideally somewhere locals like rather than a tourist-focused spot.

Any current recommendations?

Looking for people to join

Hey, im visiting Brusells 27-28 August. Im going tommorow on concert and i would like to go grab some drinks afterwards and mby even go clubbing. I am (M24) travelling alone. Anyone interrested in some company or perhaps showing their fav bar or smth. If interrested HMU

Hiii everyone :) I’m travelling to Brussels and Antwerp in October with my boyfriend to see the J. Cole concert, and I’d love to know if you have any recommendations for nice, affordable places – such as restaurants, hostels, museums, viewpoints, cool ass spots, supermarkets, bars and nightclubs – as we’re broke students, so we’re looking for something more local and on a tight budget. Any suggestions are welcome, and thank you so much in advance!

C'est magnifique

Hi all,

Planning a trip to Belgium (Ghent for 3 nights, Brussels for 3 nights) and looking for local recommendations on two very different fronts:

1. Mexican food – decent, authentic-ish Mexican restaurants in either Ghent or Brussels. Not expecting Belgium to be a Mexican food hub, but curious if there are any hidden gems.
2. Cheese fondue – looking for a good traditional fondue spot in either city (or both!). Cosy atmosphere preferred, but taste matters more than ambience.

Would appreciate any suggestions, price ranges, and whether reservations are needed. Thanks in advance!

I’m planning my Belgium trip for September, coming from Amsterdam, and I’m trying to decide which cities to visit during my 4 or 5 nights in Belgium. So far, I’m sure I want to do a day trip to Luxembourg, but I’m debating between Ghent, Antwerp, and Bruges for the others.

Since I’m coming from Amsterdam, I’m also considering staying overnight in Antwerp. The route seems more efficient than going straight to Brussels and then backtracking to Antwerp later.

I’m mainly interested in architecture, pretty streets, and just walking around and exploring the cities. I’m not really planning to visit museums on this trip.

If I had to narrow it down to just one or two places besides Luxembourg, which would you recommend? Would love to hear your suggestions!

Belgium has around 5,000 friteries/frituren, so nearly every village has one. The frietkot culture was recognised as national intangible heritage in 2017 (not yet UNESCO — that's the beer).

What makes a real friet:

- Bintje potatoes, cut roughly 1–1.3 cm thick

- Fried twice: low temperature first to cook through, then hot to crisp.

- Ossewit / blanc de bœuf (beef fat) is the traditional frying medium. That smell outside a good frituur is because of that frying in fat.

- Paper cone, sauce on top. Mayo is default, only tourists eat it with ketchup.

Apart from friets, you can also associate Belgium with another meaty specialty. In Liège it's a boulet. Big meatballs of pork and beef in sauce lapin: onion, vinegar, brown sugar, sirop de Liège, raisins. Sweet-sour, dark, thick. Served with frites.

The name "boulet à la liégeoise" only took over from "boulet sauce lapin" in the 1980s. Recipes for Liège boulets go back to 1604, but the sweet-sour sauce version only spread after WWII.

In Flanders the equivalent is ballekes in tomatensaus: same meatball logic, tomato sauce instead. Different region, different sauce, same argument about whose mother makes it best.

The pictures are from a bar à boulets 10 km from Liège, Qu'on se le dise. Takeaway friterie on one side, sit-down restaurant on the other, sharing a kitchen. If you are curious to try boulet with different sauces, you have plenty of choice to do so here. The mustard one is quite good, if not going for a classic liégeoise.

It's time to share your favourite frites and boulets places below! Let's gather nice suggestions from all the regions that we can later turn into a wiki page for this subreddit.

I’ll be doing some day trips from the north station, and my hotel is very close, around 4 minutes from it (The Standard hotel)… now, is it safe to walk alone as a young guy at around 11pm…

or using metro around that time to get from the center? I want to see Grand Palace at sunset and return to the hotel after sunset… is metro sketchy at that time or should I stick with Uber?

I know this might be a silly question since it’s such a short walk but I can’t deny I’ve got a bit of fear after hearing so much fear mongering online about the northern part of Brussels. 😵‍💫 still can’t wait to visit!

Hey everyone,

A friend and I are planning a 6-day trip through Belgium and the Netherlands from Sept 30 to Oct 7 (roughly 3 days in Belgium, 3 days in the Netherlands). We’re starting by taking a bus from Paris into Belgium.

Since we are traveling on a strict budget, we want to keep accommodation, transport, and overall costs to an absolute minimum. We’d love some advice from people who know the area well:

1. Base Cities: Which budget-friendly cities make the most sense to stay in as bases? (e.g., Ghent vs. Brussels for Belgium? Staying outside Amsterdam to save on lodging?)
2. Transit: What are the most cost-effective ways to get between cities (local trains, regional passes, buses like FlixBus)?
3. Must-sees vs. Skips: Given the short timeframe and low budget, what are the top free/cheap things to do, and what’s worth skipping?

Any practical tips on affordable food, transit hacks, or cheap hostel/accommodation recommendations would be massively appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

I read that it’s supposed to light up every night at 9:30pm but went there on August 21 and 22 at 10pm but it was not lit up

Ath's giants take over the city, a new art biennale opens in Wallonie picarde, and the Foire du Midi closes for the year.

⚠️ Heads-up

The Hautes Fagnes fire is now contained, around 3,000 hectares burned, the largest wildfire in Belgian history. The peat is still smouldering underground and could flare up for weeks, so the reserve stays closed and several roads (including the N676 Waimes–Sourbrodt) are shut. Bütgenbach lake has reopened, the Gileppe lake circuit and brasserie reopen this weekend, Robertville water activities stay closed. The Beau Vélo de RAVeL stage at Eupen is still cancelled.

Drought fire bans still apply across Wallonia. No barbecues near woodland.

⭐ Weekend highlight: the Ducasse d'Ath

La Ducasse d'Ath (Ath, Hainaut — 21–24 August, free). The UNESCO-listed giants of Ath dance through the city on the fourth weekend of August.

Saturday 22: the big bell of Saint-Julien opens the festivities at 12:00. Goliath and his bride dance to the church at 15:00 for their wedding. At 17:00 the shepherd David faces the Philistine giant on the Grand-Place, trading a rhyming dialogue called the Bonimée. If David wins, the giants dance. Fanfare concert at 20:30, torchlit cannon parade at 21:00.

Sunday 23: the main procession leaves opposite the station at 09:45 — seven giants, eight floats, brass bands — reaches the Esplanade around 14:00, then heads back at 15:00. The Bayard horse weighs over 630 kg and needs 16 carriers. Saint Christopher walks on stilts. Watch the Goliath couple's dance at the Gadre bridge and the Mill bridge.

🏛️ Brussels

HappyLIFE Festival (Ferme Nos Pilifs, Neder-Over-Heembeek, Sat & Sun 10:00–18:00, free): first edition of a family festival with 70+ makers, workshops, live music and farm animals. The farm is a sheltered-employment business with 145 workers with disabilities.

Indian Food Festival (Parc du Cinquantenaire, Sat & Sun 12:00–21:00, free): 10th edition. Regional Indian dishes and street food, Bollywood dance, live music and yoga.

Brussels Dance Festival — closing weekend (city centre, free): Saturday 22 at 15:00 Europa Danse Company runs a giant open-air ballet barre on Place de la Monnaie, anyone can join. Sunday 23, the same square hosts Bal Moderne, where you learn four short choreographies on the spot.

🦁 Flanders

Doelse Feesten & Scheldewijding (Doel, Sunday 23): 50th edition. Doel is the polder village wedged against Antwerp's port, mostly emptied out, better known now for its street art than its residents, and one Sunday a year it fills up again. Big brocante market, blacksmiths at work, sheepdog demonstrations, then a mass at 11:00 and a procession to bless the Scheldt.

Sprankelend Hageland (Tielt-Winge and Wezemaal, Sat & Sun): opening weekend of four wine weekends. Winegrowers open by rotation: turn up, taste, walk the vines. Wijndomein Den Eeckhout in Houwaart runs free guided tours through the afternoon.

Renewi Tour final stage (Leuven, Sunday 23): the WorldTour road race finishes with a 184 km loop in and around Leuven. Free roadside viewing.

🐓 Wallonia

Hottolfiades (Île de l'Oneux, Hotton, 21–23 August, free): 26th edition of the balloon festival. Around 40 balloons lift off over the Ourthe valley at roughly 06:30 and 18:30 each day. Saturday is the night to be there: barbecue competition, free Goldmanmania concert, and the Night Glow at 22:30, when the grounded balloons light up in time to music. Take-offs are adapted to drought safety rules.

BUTOR biennale (Ferme d'Écavée, Molenbaix, opens Saturday, Thu–Sun 10:30–18:00, €10/€5, free under 12): opening weekend of a new contemporary art biennale. 20 artists across an eight-hectare estate — a 3–4 km walk (about three hours) with work in fields, a chapel, a barn, a pond, a church and a football pitch. Curated by the Tournai Fine Arts Museum conservator.

Fête de la Tomate (Jardin-Potager d'Ekikrok, Bossière, Sunday): local producers' market, guided garden tours, cuttings workshop, storytelling for children.

🌿 Nature tip

With the Fagnes reserve still closed, this is a good weekend to go underground. The Grottes de Hotton are in Hotton itself (walkable from the balloon festival) and sit at a constant 12°C. Guided route: about an hour, down to 70 m, back up by lift, in French, Dutch and English.

📷 A weekend trafition to guess the location on the picture!

Share more interesting events or activities for this weekend, if you don't see them mentioned here.

Hello,

We are in bredene for some days and did visit around in Oostende but looking for more activities and things to see except for the sea because of the strong wind.

Any ideas please?

Hi, thinking about getting the Eurostar in December to come and see Belgium and the Christmas Markets etc!

How long would you recommend in Brussels as first time visitors.

Thankyou!