The Atlas Obscura Guide To Belgium

194 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Belgium

Updated November 12, 2024

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Unusual Attractions in Belgium

Blue Forest

Halle, Belgium

The Blue Forest

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

Laeken Greenhouses illuminated. (luc_viatour/Flickr)

Brussels, Belgium

Royal Greenhouses of Laeken

Lavish royal estate punctuated with heated greenhouses.

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.

Reading Between The Lines

Borgloon, Belgium

Reading Between The Lines

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

Comic Strip Route

Brussels, Belgium

Comic Strip Route

This collection of over 50 murals celebrates Brussels' rich history as the self-proclaimed home of the "comic strip."

Gravensteen

Ghent, Belgium

Gravensteen

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

The Lucifernum

Bruges, Belgium

The Lucifernum

This former Masonic lodge has been transformed into part museum, part bar, all awesome.

See All 194 Things To Do in Belgium

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Belgium

Brussels, Belgium

Le Cercueil (The Coffin)

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

Two giant cones of pommes frites greet visitors.

Bruges, Belgium

Frietmuseum

Potato-peeling mannequins, Inca art, and a dangling tuber mobile help trace the history of fries at this Belgian museum.

Brussels, Belgium

Théâtre Royal de Toone

Drink among marionettes at this pub inside a historic puppet theater.

Potato vending machine.

Heuvelland, Belgium

Potato Vending Machine

Because sometimes you need to make a batch of frites even when the stores are all closed.

See all 12 Places to Eat in Belgium

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Architecture 28

Museums 26

Statues 24

Art 23

Architectural Oddities 15

Sculptures 15

History & Culture 14

Military 12

Collections 11

Monuments 10

Sacred Spaces 9

Plants 9

Unique Restaurants & Bars 6

Places To Stay 3

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Stories About Belgium

Podcast: Sourdough Library

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

by The Podcast Team

October 12, 2021

Numbers and arrows help point cyclists on their way.

How Flanders Made Navigating a Cycling Paradise as Easy as Memorizing a Phone Number

To map out routes through stunning landscapes, riders rely on numerical "nodes."

by Daniela De Lorenzo

Podcast: Sourdough Library

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

by The Podcast Team

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.

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