10 things you need to do in Belgium: chocolate, comics, castles and more

24.05.2024 - 19:47 / lonelyplanet.com

The land of golden beers, decadent chocolates and fluffy waffles, Belgium tempts you with its culinary delights. And its charm extends far beyond mere gastronomy. 

The country has more castles per square kilometer than anywhere in the world, a rich and tormented history, and quirky attractions like peeing statues and dinosaur skeletons.

Among all these options, we’ve whittled down this list of the very best things to see, to do and – crucially – to taste in Belgium.

It’s a small country, yes – but Belgium boasts a staggering 417 active breweries, crafting everything from monk-produced Trappist beers to spontaneously fermented sours like gueuze. 

Since your first taste of Belgian beer will likely come at a bar, you can’t go wrong starting at the world-famous Délirium Café in Brussels, which offers over 2000 different beers for you to choose from. 

You can enjoy a more intimate, more local taste of the country's drinking culture at Le Coq, the Brussels version of a Flemish “brown café,” a genre of watering hole defined by a cozy atmosphere and dark-wood paneling (hence the name).

There’s nothing fancy here: just a long list of classic beers and an ever-changing addition of craft brews. Find a seat – preferably at the counter – among the locals, and you’ll start a conversation in no time. 

Consuming dark chocolate is scientifically proven to help against depression. Luckily, Belgians have perfected the science of chocolate making to an art.

In Antwerp, Dominique Persoone’s Chocolate Line will, to put it in technical terms, blow your socks off. Persoone didn’t earn his nickname of “punk chocolatier” for nothing: his skull-shaped Deadly Delicious pralines (cream or mousse-filled bonbons) mix forest fruits with hazelnut praline and violet feuillantine, while his homage to the British culture, Peas and Mint, is a dark chocolate shell filled with chocolate ganache and sourdough infused with mint, then decorated with…peas. 

Local tip: You don’t need to buy a whole box: just ask for a selection of chocolates by the piece.

No roundup of Belgian gastronomy would be complete without waffles, of which there are two varieties. Round and heavy and made with caramelized sugar, the Liège waffle is commonly sold at snack stands or from food trucks, and come with no toppings. 

Rectangular, light and airy but slightly crunchy on the outside, the Brussels waffle has deep pockets that are perfect for toppings such as powdered sugar, whipped cream, chocolate sauce or pieces of fruit. 

In Brussels, Le Funambule is the place to go for Liège waffles. In the seaside town of Blankenberge, t’Koethuis makes some of the best Brussels waffles in the country, with a slightly caramelized outside and intense vanilla taste. Paired with thick