Instant weekend ... Antwerp
A survey of travel writers recently named Antwerp one of the top 10 must-visit destinations for 2009 - and with good reason. It is a focal point of Europe's art and fashion scene, with bars,...
View ArticleValentine's present: A romantic weekend in Bruges
The romance of Valentine's Day can be soured by the passion-killing practice of florists, hoteliers and restaurateurs hiking their prices through the roof come 14 February. So a three-night Valentine's...
View ArticleFlying visit: Bruges
Why now? For the Snow & Ice Sculpture Festival (Nov 21-Jan 11, 11 adults, 7 children, icesculpture.be) when 300,000kg of ice and 400 tons of snow will be shipped in to the square in front of Bruges...
View ArticleHops and chocs
If springtime is the season to visit Paris, summer's not a bad time to be in Brussels. Often overlooked, Brussels is a gem of a city with a fabulous antiques market on Saturdays, great designer stores,...
View ArticleSean Dodson uses the internet to arrange a rideshare to Ghent in Belgium
Imagine someone clever creating an internet version of hitchhiking. One that is organised, safe and doesn't involve hanging around at the side of the road. You might be surprised to learn that such a...
View ArticleAlexandra Topping joins festival-goers on a bus to Belgium
Alexandra Topping joins festivalgoers on their way to Belgium on a specially chartered bus Continue reading...
View ArticleBeside the Seine-side: the 'beach' in Paris and Brussels
Paris recovered its cool this week with the reopening of the floating Piscine Josephine Baker, which was forced to close only days after its original opening on July 6 when tiles started to come loose...
View ArticleAnother view: Dawn Page on In Bruges
It's fascinating to see a Tarantino-style action film set in the least likely location imaginable. You just don't expect to see a couple of Irish hitmen wandering around peaceful Bruges. It makes a...
View ArticleSix great biking adventures
From Costa Rica to Laos: the best cycling tripsThis two-week cycling tour of Laos is specifically designed for families, and is fully supported so you don't have to carry your kit. There are plenty of...
View ArticleRediscover René: Magritte museum opens in Brussels
Take a look inside the Musée Magritte, a major new art gallery in Brussels dedicated to Belgium's famous surrealist son, René Magritte. This wealth of photographs, home movies and paintings many of...
View ArticleWilliam Ham Bevan takes a city break in Mechelen, Belgium
A spate of hip new hotels, bars and boutiques means the Flanders city is stealing a march on its more famous neighbours, Antwerp and BrusselsIt is Friday evening in Mechelen, and De Gouden Vis - The...
View ArticleCharleroi: wish you were here?
A local artist has set up an anarchic 'urban safari' of the grim sites of the Belgian city dubbed the planet's ugliestBelgium. It's not the most obvious tourist destination at the best of times, its...
View ArticleTen architectural gems in Brussels
To mark the start of the Biennial Art Nouveau Event in Brussels, we take in some of the city's most impressive buildingsBrussels is rightly famed for its Art Nouveau architecture - this was the home of...
View ArticleMy travels: Bart van Poll on recruiting Europe's best bloggers
The co-founder of Spotted by Locals discovered lots of great places and the odd drunk during his Europe-wide search for bloggers. To read some of the Spotters' tips, click hereBeing the son of an...
View ArticleGlory be to Gossaert
He may not be a household name, and his life is shrouded in mystery but Jan Gossaert's paintings are among the most extraordinary creations of the northern Renaissance. Maev Kennedy travels to Flanders...
View ArticleMAS appeal: regenerating Antwerp
Antwerp's new MAS museum, which has its own Michelin-starred restaurant, is set to transform a downtrodden dockside area into the city's hottest arts districtFrom the air, the Museum aan de Stroom in...
View ArticleMy travels: Dave Gorman in Bruges
The comedian recalls a train trip to Bruges where no one had a gun and no one got shot, and great fun was had by allThe first time I sat on a Eurostar train it didn't go anywhere. It wasn't because of...
View ArticleBrusselicious 2012: the top 10 events at the Brussels food festival
Brussels' year-long food festival is as ambitious and wacky as the name Brusselicious suggests, with events taking place everywhere from a gourmet tram to a restaurant suspended above the city, not to...
View ArticledEUS's Tom Barman: 'I was fed up with singing about myself'
Following our history of Belgian pop and guide to the country's music scene, we talk to Tom Barman of Antwerp's dEUS about his band's noirish new direction and Belgium's cultural dividedEUS were formed...
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