This page provides a list of the main things to see in Belgium and the Netherlands (Holland). "++"
identifies the top attractions.
Belgium
Bruxelles/ Brussels
- +Grand Place (townhall from 1455)
- Hotel de Ville in the Grand Place
- Maison du Roi (1873) in the Grand Place
- Galerie Royale
- Joseph Hoffman's Palais Stoclet (1911)
- Hotel Ravenstein (15th c)
- +Palais de Justice (1883)
- Porte de Hal
- Art nouveau buildings: Old England, Hotel Metropole, Maison Saint Cyr, Van Eetvelde's house
- Cathedral Sts Michel et Gudule
- European Parliament
- Bruparck: Mini-Europe and Atomium
- Basilique de Sacre Coeur
- Musee Royal de l'Afrique Centrale
- Albert von Huffell's Church of the Sacred Heart (1922)
Brugge/ Bruges
- Markt
- Groeninge Museum
- Memling Museum
- ++ Belfry (15th c)
- Halles
- +City hall
- Chapel of the Holy Blood (1150)
- ++Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk/ Basilica of Our Lady (13th c)
- Hospital of St John (12th c)
- Begijnhof
- Minnewater (13th c)
- Northeast Bruges's canals
- Jerusalemkerk
- Kruispoort
Gand/ Ghent :
- +Cathedral Sint Baafs (1559)
- +Town Hall (17th c)
- +Het Gravensteen (13th c)
- House of Free Boatmen (1531)
- Abbey of St Bavon
- +Castle
- Dendermonde (20 kms from Ghent): Vleeshuis
- Graslei
- Sint Niklaaskerk
- Sint-Martens-Latem: Juliaan Lampens's Van Wassenhove House (1974)
Antwerp
- +Town Hall (1561) in Grote Markt
- Onze Lieve Vrouwe kathedral (16th c)
- Handelsbeurs
- +Vleeshuis (1504)
- Sint Jacobskerk (16th c)
- Sint Pauluskerk (17th c)
- +Steen (1521)
- National Maritime Museum
- Rubenshuis
Louvain/Leuven
- Town Hall (1463)
- St Peter (16th c)
- St Michael (1656)
- Groot Begijnhof
- Bokrijk: Openluchtmuseum
Liege: St Jacques (1538)
Tournai: ++Cathedral (1213) with four-storey nave
Nivelles: +St Gertrude
Oudenaarde: +Town Hall (1537)
Orval: Abbey
Veurne: Grote Markt
Ypres: +Lakenhall (1200)
De Panne: Westerpunt observation point by Studio MOTO
Netherlands
Amsterdam:
- ++Van Gogh Museum
- +Rijksmuseum
- ++Stedelijk Museum
- Palace (17th c)
- Munttoren
- +Waag
- +Canals
- +Oude Kerk
- Piet Kramer's De Dageraad's building (1923)
- Hendrik Petrus Berlage's Stock Exchange at Beursplein 5 (1903)
- JM Van der Meij's Scheepvaarthuis (1912)
- Oost Indisch Huis
- Schreierstoren
- Begijnhof
- Koninklijk Palace
- Nieuwe Kerk
- Sint-Nicolaaskerk
- Bartolotti House
- Felix Meritis House
- Canal: 239 Singel, 289 Singel, 319 Keizersgracht, 365 Keizersgracht, 399 Keizersgracht, 409 Keiz., 345a Keiz., 387 Keiz., 403 Keiz.,
- Canal: 493 Herengracht, 543 Her., 493 H., 497 H., 37/39/57/59/63 Reguliersgracht, 1059/1061 Prinsengracht, etc
- American Hotel
- Warehouses of Entrepotdok
- Gemeentearchief
- De Dageraad
- Rafael Vinoly's Mahler 4 Office Tower in the Zuidas district
Den Haag (Haugue)
- Binnenhof
- Ridderzaal
- Mauritshuis
- Vredespaleis
- Berlage's Gemeentemuseum/ Municipal museum
Rotterdam
- Museum Boymans-Van Beuningen
- Euromast (185 m high)
- Cubic Houses
Maastricht
- +St Servaaskerk (11th c), oldest church in the Netherlands with Keizerzaal
- Onze Lieve Vrouwebasilick/ Church of Our Lady (11th c)
- Stadhuis
- Cemetery
- Generalshuis
- +Bonnefantenmuseum
- Helpoort
- Peter Vink tower
Delft: Oude Kerk, Stadhuis,
Gouda: St Janskerk (16th c)
Hoofddorp: Bus station at Spaarne Ziekenhuis
Gouda: Grote Kerk
Haarlem: Meat Market (1603), Grote Kerk, Vleeshal, Waterfront, Amsterdamse Poort
Hertogenbosch: +Sint Jan Kathedraal (16th c), +Binnen-Dieze, Moriaan, Stadhuis
Kampen: Town Hall (1543)
Middelburg: Town Hall (16th c), Abbey (16th c)
Roermond: Munsterkerk
Utrecht: +St Michael (1517), Domtoren
Haar (near Utrecht): +Castle (1892)
Amersfoort: Koppelpoort (15th c)
Hilversum: Dudok's Bavink School (1921), Raadhuis/ Town Hall (1931)
Sneek Gateway of the Friesland (1613)
Noordwijk: Aldo van Eyck's European Space Centre ESTEC
Venlo: Town Hall
Hoensbrock: Kasteel
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Notes (2022)
In 2022 Belgium and Holland were almost completely cash-less. It was hard to pay with euros. Only credit cards accepted in most places. Ironically, 10-15 years ago I was cursing that it was so difficult to pay with credit cards in Europe, and many Europeans were lecturing me about the evil of credit cards.
To visit Gand, get off the train at Gand and then take tram line 1 to downtown
Amsterdam is overcrowded like Hong Kong and Mumbai
Schiphol airport is just 15 minutes away from downtown Amsterdam (6 euros) and the train station is right under the airport
No single building in Amsterdam is truly worth a visit. It's the atmosphere.
Pictures
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