Perhaps you thought you knew everything about Belgium: Gothic Bruges, the effervescence of Brussels, mussels and fries and character beers ... But this small country conceals many other treasures, from the elegant seaside resorts on the banks of the the North Sea to the deep forests of the Semois valley, passing through the great industrial wastelands of Liège, the playground of urban explorers. Jean-Bernard Carillet, columnist in Et si on partait? on Europe 1 and editor at Lonely Planet , takes you off the beaten track.
The rural charm of the Semois valley
At the southern end of Wallonia, the Semois valley - The Semois is a tributary of the Meuse - has some of the most beautiful landscapes in Belgium. The river twists in many meanders through the forests of the Ardennes. The landscape is soft, curvy, the river flows casually in the middle of deep green forests. There are no big cities, but many charming little towns.
Not to be missed: Orval Abbey, famous for its Trappist beer. The people of Lorraine go there to do their shopping. About fifteen monks still live there. But also the magnificent town of Bouillon, which emerges like an apparition at the bend of a loop of the Semois, with its fortified castle on the ridge, a building more than 1,000 years old, which dominates the entire valley. Falconry shows are offered in summer.
The surrounding forests are full of game, you are almost sure to see wild boars, stags or deer. If you go there in autumn, during Indian summer, the blaze of colors is remarkable.
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Enjoy the North Sea
There are some very beautiful beaches on the shores of the North Sea, with superb resorts along a 66 kilometer coastline. Our preference goes to De Haan - "Le Coq" - 15km east of Ostend, one of the most elegant and discreet resorts on the Belgian coast. Here, no building bars that massacre the seafront.
It is a seaside resort on a human scale, with its imposing villas with Art Deco facades, and other more rustic half-timbered with turrets, small balconies like Anglo-Norman style mansions, typical of the Belle Époque. . De Haan is a kind of Belgian Deauville, chic but more family-friendly than Knokke, it's a great base for those who want to rub shoulders with this beautiful Belgian coast.
Discover Urbex in Liège
Do you know the Urbex? It is an urban exploration which consists in visiting places built and abandoned by man. A more or less clandestine activity. However, in the suburbs of Liège, on the banks of the Meuse, is one of the largest Urbex sites in Europe after Chernobyl, it is the HFB - blast furnace B - and its annexes.
The HFB, near Liège, has been at a standstill since 2011. It has become a gigantic field of exploration for "urbanites". © Wikipedia
This 100-meter-high monster, which seems straight out of a scene in Blade Runner , consists of a gigantic tangle of rusty pipes, conveyor belts gradually overgrown with vegetation. This iron and steel site has been shut down for almost ten years, pending a possible conversion. It is very popular with "urbanites" from all over Europe, and many photographs of the place circulate on social networks. You can also admire this industrial cathedral from afar.
A crush in Brussels
For comic book fans, there is a comic strip-themed walk in Brussels. Huge frescoes cover some facades, paying homage to Lucky Luke, Blake and Mortimer, Ric Hochet. It's a good way to discover the city while plunging back into childhood.
The Belgian Comic Strip Center is housed in a magnificent Art Nouveau building. © EMMANUEL DUNAND / AFP
Fans will make a detour to the Belgian Comic Strip Center, housed in a beautiful Art Nouveau building. The entire history of comics is traced there through its most eminent Belgian representatives: Hergé, Franquin, Rob-Vel or even Peyo.