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All Belgium

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Belgium

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

Updated September 20, 2023

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Cities

Top Cities
Laeken Greenhouses illuminated. (luc_viatour/Flickr)
Brussels
Wooden escalators, can't slide down the middle.
Antwerp
The Lucifernum
Bruges
Fonske.
Leuven
Gravensteen
Ghent
Trenches at Sanctuary Wood.
Ypres
All Cities
  1. Antwerp
  2. Baarle Hertog
  3. Bassenge
  4. Beveren
  5. Bruges
  6. Brussels
  7. Charleroi
  8. Dinant
  9. Genk
  10. Ghent
  11. Heuvelland
  12. Leuven
  13. Liège
  14. Lo Reninge
  15. Mons
  16. Ostend
  17. Tervuren
  18. Ypres
Attractions
Food & Drink
Map
Leaderboards
Stories

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.
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.

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.
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.
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."
The Lucifernum

Bruges, Belgium

The Lucifernum

This former Masonic lodge has been transformed into part museum, part bar, all awesome.
See All 167 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 10 Places to Eat in Belgium
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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Explore Belgium

Statues 22
Art 21
Architectural Oddities 14
Sculptures 13
Military 12
History & Culture 11
Collections 11
Museums And Collections 10
Plants 9
Sacred Spaces 9
Military History 8
Churches 7
Unique Restaurants & Bars 6
Places To Stay 3

Belgium Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. Avatar image for Fred Cherrygarden
    Fred Cherrygarden
    11
  2. Avatar image for CoolCrab
    CoolCrab
    11
  3. Avatar image for ahvenas
    ahvenas
    8
  4. Avatar image for Dr Alan P Newman
    Dr Alan P Newman
    5
  5. S
    Sylvester
    4

Places Edited

  1. Avatar image for Collector of Experiences
    Collector of Experiences
    22
  2. Avatar image for hrnick
    hrnick
    22
  3. Avatar image for CoolCrab
    CoolCrab
    21
  4. G
    goldylocks
    20
  5. Avatar image for philoursmars
    philoursmars
    17

Places Visited

  1. A
    alxndr
    76
  2. S
    stevechaloner
    71
  3. Avatar image for belgianbingo
    belgianbingo
    70
  4. Avatar image for Grave with a view Marjolein
    Grave with a view Marjolein
    68
  5. Avatar image for Koen De Vos
    Koen De Vos
    65

Recent Belgium Activity

  • Avatar image for tntula

    tntula

    has been to Black Tower

  • Avatar image for tntula

    tntula

    has been to Commemoration of Peter the Great's Vomit

  • Avatar image for tntula

    tntula

    has been to Smallest Gothic Window in Bruges

  • Avatar image for tntula

    tntula

    has been to Secret Garden of Bruges

  • Avatar image for tntula

    tntula

    has been to Smedenpoort Skull

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
May 14, 2021

Podcast: Sourdough Library

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team
May 5, 2021
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
May 22, 2019
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
April 11, 2019
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.
by Cara Giaimo
July 9, 2018

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