The Roadtrip through Belgium
The idea arose to bundle our favorite places in Belgium and thus cross Belgium. Our selection of 16 destinations forms a 1000km road trip that will take us along the beautifull contours of Belgium in three weeks.
On the first day we can take our time to leave, because our first stop is only half an hour's drive: the picturesque YPRES. Here we stay at the camper site "Het Jeugdstadion", which is quietly located on the edge of the fortifications and within walking distance of the center. The absolute must-see in Ypres is the Last Post. This traditional tribute to the soldiers of WWI starts every evening at 8pm sharp at the Menin Gate and is still a moment that moves us and leaves a lasting impression. We like to take the bike (you can also rent one at Chez Marie at the market or Hotel Ambrosia) to explore Ypres. Finally, we always make a drive to the very impressive Tyne Cot Cemetery in Passendale. In clear weather you have a beautiful view of Ypres from there, but even in less clear weather this is a place you will not soon forget. Other favorites in bad weather are the In Flanders Fields Museum and the new Yper Museum. From Ypres we drive north for a stopover on the coast. We enjoy getting a breath of fresh air during a long walk on the beach of Westende.
The next day we move a little more inland to BRUGES. There are places that get under your skin, although you can never fully understand them. Bruges is such a special place. It has become great due to its compelling history and carries a UNESCO World Heritage label, but still remains a city on a human scale. From the centrally located Kanaaleiland camper place it is wonderful to get lost in the alleys of Bruges.
After our Bruges adventure, we will chill and enjoy the peace and quiet on the banks of the canal in Eeklo and stay at the camper place at the Marina. A welcome rest before we head to the bustling city on the Scheldt: ANTWERP. The city is largely located on the right bank of the Scheldt and has an extensive port area with international freight transport. Camperpark Vogelzang is the ideal base for a city trip in one of the largest cities in Belgium, which has a lot to offer in terms of both culture and cuisine. And if you are in Antwerp, a shopping afternoon cannot be missed.
After the hustle and bustle of the city, we like to retreat into nature. We take long walks on the sandy paths on the edge of TURNHOUT. The ideal base is the Baalse Hei camper place. It is an oasis of peace and greenery in the middle of the Antwerp Kempen, bordering a unique and extensive nature reserve with lots of fun and culture in the immediate vicinity. From Kokima camper place we map out a cycling route through the beautiful Limburg landscapes.
While preparing for this road trip, I realized that I have not visited the open-air museum BOKRIJK since primary school. Out of nostalgia I really want to go there during this trip. In 1252, “Buscurake” was first mentioned. However, it would not be until 1953 that plans to create an open-air museum became official. But the park has much more to offer in the meadow surroundings: 550 hectares of pure variety, where you can enjoy a healthy walk or bike ride in beautiful nature. Bokrijk takes many sustainable and ecological initiatives and has thus obtained the green key for several years. An example of this is the innovative cycling route Cycling through the water. This way you can cycle straight through a pond without getting wet. The Doorkijkkerkje in Borgloon and the Floating Chapel in Helsheaven are also definitely worth a visit if you are in the area. And Nibi (our dog), who rides very comfortably in a cart behind my bicycle.
The next part of our journey runs on the other side of the language border. We want to rediscover a monument from our youth: THE WATERFALLS OF COO. These waterfalls of the Amblève river, are 13m high, but not yet the highest waterfalls in Belgium (that is the Reinhardstein waterfall with 60m). The small waterfall existed before the 15th century and is a major tourist attraction for Belgium, now owned by Studio 100, as part of the Plopsa Coo amusement park.
A bit more impressive is our next stop: BÜTGENBACH in the East Cantons. A destination that I visited a lot as a teenager for mountainbiking and walking in the forests around the lake. I can highly recommend the Vennbahn. The cycle path is one of the longest railway lines converted into a cycle path in Europe (125km) and it runs through three countries: Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg. From Bütgenbach via the Vennbahn it is only 25 km to Monschau in Germany.
We continue our road trip to the well-known DURBUY, which proclaimed itself the 'Smallest city in the World'. Today, Durbuy is one of the most important places in the Ardennes and it has an undeniably grand charm. We enjoy walking and cycling in the wooded area with flowing waters, the pleasant atmosphere of the town and the many good restaurants. Durbuy has a good culinary reputation and we can confirm that. A local specialty is crayfish.
After Durbuy we drive to one of my absolute favorite places in the Ardennes: ROCHEHAUT! Rochehaut looks down over two valleys. In one valley, a loop of the Semois surrounds the village of Frahan with its chapel, houses with slate roofs and tobacco drying places. Rochehaut is known as an artists' village with numerous exhibitions of paintings, sculptures, engravings and other arts and crafts. There is also the "Entre Ferme & Forêt" animal park or the Agri-Musée agricultural museum. The most beautiful views are less known and only accessible via hiking trails: Des Echelles, Des Corbeaux and Les Crêtes de Frahan. We are close to home at Le Palis camper site. Le Palis is run by the friendly Nancy and Patrick, always willing to help where necessary. A camper place ideally located on the edge of Rochehaut and within walking distance of the village, restaurants and walking routes. My favorite is walk 43: Les Échelles de Rochehaut or “the ladder walk”. It is one of the most spectacular walks in Belgium. In principle, the direction in which you walk the loop does not matter much, but the view of the Semois valley is much more beautiful when you descend, so I recommend walking clockwise. The walk is barely 5km, but it will take you about three hours with breaks. During the steep descent to the Semois, you will be treated to beautiful panoramas. And then comes the best part: climbing back up the rock wall via the well-known ladders. There are some very steep sections where you have to shimmy along a cliff, but if a bit of adventure and height doesn't put you off, it's definitely worth it. If you stand on top of the rocks, you get a beautiful view over the Semois valley: an ideal place for a picnic.
Our road trip then continues via DINANT to Chimay. Dinant is located along both banks of the Meuse and is known for the Citadel, which towers high above the city! But of course we can't forget the saxophone. This musical instrument can be found everywhere in the streets and provides us with nice stops.
CHIMAY is a nice city in the Ardennes and mainly known for their Trappist beer. During a walk through the city you will see references to the Chimay everywhere. The residents are proud to live here. The smaller municipalities, including Virelles and Lompret, are among the most beautiful villages in Wallonia and we should definitely visit them. Finally, we can recommend the Boucherie Lange: this beautiful butcher shop sells delicious sandwiches at very reasonable prices.
On the way back we plan to make a stop at the famous LAC DE L'EAU D'HEURE. The Eau d'Heure lake area offers various activities and infrastructures for everyone who likes to combine nature and the outdoors. We stay with the camper at Parking Froidchapelle, a lawn right next to the parking lot of the Landal holiday home. It is a quiet and free place close to the lake and therefore an ideal base for walking and cycling. You can get sandwiches in the Landal supermarket 100m away.
The last stop before we drove back into Flanders was at the RONQUIÈRES inclined plane next to the tour boat office, at the foot of the inclined plane. There is little to do here besides the ship lift and this stop only served as an overnight stay. The next day we continued to our last overnight stay for this trip in the Geraardsbergen region.
GERAARDSBERGEN is known for its bikingrace (the "Wall") and is ideally located to explore the Flemish Ardennes, the walking paradise. Since this was our last stop, we decided to spend a few more days here and fully enjoy the extensive walking network along the many forests and nature reserves in the Flemish Ardennes.
Our Belgian road trip turned out to be a bull's eye, we enjoyed a variety of regions and beautiful nature. 1000km suddenly turned out not to be that far after all.
Visited campersites (all accessable with bigger campers):
- Jeugdstadion Ieper in de Westhoek
- Camperpark Westende aan de Belgische kust
- Camperplaats Kanaaleiland in Brugge die scone
- Camperpark Vogelzang in Antwerpen Stad
- Camperplaats Baalse Hei in de Antwerpse Kempen
- Parking Petit Coo aan de watervallen
- Camping Worriken Bütgenbach in de Oostkantons
- Camperpark Le Palis in het wandelparadijs Rochehaut
- Parking La Citadelle de Dinant
- Parking Communal de Chimay op wandelafstand van het centrum
- Parking Froidchapelle aan de oevers van de Lac de l’Eau d’Heure
- Camperplaats Ronquières aan het hellend vlak van Ronquières
- Camping de Gavers in Geraardsbergen
Do you also have a travel story that you would like to share? Feel free to send an email to lisa@vanomobil.be
