Belgium's biggest single-day spectacle meets the Ardennes' most photogenic weekend. Ascension Day on Thursday is a public holiday, and most of the country bridges Friday for a four-day break, which means there's an unusual amount happening outside the big cities. If you've been waiting for a reason to explore Wallonia, this is it.

⚠️ Practical PSA

Thursday 14 May is Ascension Day (Hemelvaartsdag / Ascension) — a public holiday. Most shops, banks, and public offices will be closed on Thursday. Many Belgians bridge Friday 15 May, so expect long-weekend crowds at popular destinations, especially the coast and the Ardennes. Train services usually run to a Sunday/holiday schedule on Thursday, with normal service resuming Friday — always double-check your journey at belgiantrain.be. If you're heading to Bruges, read the highlight below and plan around major road closures in the city centre from 08:00 onwards.

⭐ Weekend highlight: Procession of the Holy Blood — Bruges (Thursday 14 May)

Once a year on Ascension Day, over 1,800 costumed participants parade through the historic centre of Bruges carrying a relic believed to contain the blood of Christ. The Heilig Bloedprocessie has taken place since 1304 and earned UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status in 2009. It's part medieval pageant, part living theatre — biblical scenes from the Old and New Testament are performed by singers, dancers, and actors in Burgundian-era style, followed by the relic itself carried by the Noble Brotherhood of the Holy Blood.

What to know:

- The procession starts at 14:30 at the Dijver and takes about 90 minutes to pass any given point along the route. It finishes at the Burg around 17:30.

- Watching from the street is free. The route runs through Wollestraat, Steenstraat, Zuidzandstraat, 't Zand, Noordzandstraat, Markt, and Burg — pick your spot early.

- Grandstand tickets are available (€12.50 adults / €4.50 children under 16) through In&Uit Brugge.

- Traffic warning: Vehicle access to the city centre is prohibited from 08:00 on most inner streets, and from 13:00 on the full procession route. Arrive by train (Bruges station is a 15-minute walk from the centre) or park outside the ring road.

Whether or not you're religious, this is one of Belgium's most visually spectacular cultural events and an extraordinary reason to visit Bruges on a weekday.

🏛️ Brussels

A quieter weekend in the capital while the rest of the country heads out — but still a few things worth your time.

- Conversation Poem (Hôtel des Douanes, Tour & Taxis, opens 14 May — until 24 July): The Proximus Art Collection marks its 30th anniversary with a free exhibition at the historic customs house on the Tour & Taxis site.

🦁 Flanders

- Procession of the Holy Blood (Bruges, Thursday 14 May — see highlight above)

- Japanese Garden (Hasselt, open Tue–Sun 10:00–17:00, public holidays 13:00–17:00): Mid-May is wisteria season in Europe's largest Japanese garden. The famous purple wisteria vines drape over the event square's picnic area, and the garden's 2.5 hectares of ponds, bridges, and tea house are at their most lush. €7 entry. Hasselt is ~80 minutes by train from Brussels. Combine with the Jenevermuseum in town for a full day out.

🐓 Wallonia

This is Wallonia's weekend to shine. Three very different events, all worth the trip.

- Han-Vol et Vous! — Montgolfiades (Han-sur-Lesse, Thu 14 – Sun 17 May): Forty hot-air balloons from across Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and Switzerland descend on the Domaine des Grottes de Han for four days of flights over the Famenne countryside. Balloons launch at sunrise (~07:00) and again in the evening (~19:00) — the evening flights are the most spectacular. On the ground: a kids' village with bouncy castles, an artisan market with 80+ exhibitors, a "Moonlight Show" with fire jugglers and pyrotechnics, a trail run through the famous caves, and a vintage car exhibition. Access to the take-off plain and ground events is free. Balloon rides can be booked in advance (~50 min, check the official site). This is the event's comeback after a hiatus in 2024 — the first edition in the new annual format.

- Namur en Mai (Namur, Thu 14 – Sat 16 May): For 30 years, this street arts and fairground festival has transformed Namur's old town into an open-air stage. Over 70 performances across three days — circus, cabaret, storytelling, acrobatics, parades — with many free shows on the streets and squares. Ticketed "invited company" shows in courtyards and indoor venues are available via day and 3-day passes. It's the kind of event where you turn a corner and find acrobats hanging from a building or a fire-eater in a medieval courtyard. Programme and tickets

- Fondation Folon — "Prenez l'Air" (La Hulpe, Thursday 14 May, 11:00–17:00): Every two years on Ascension Day, the Folon museum hosts a poetic outdoor festival in the grounds of the Solvay Park: kite-building workshops, watercolour walks through the park, origami demonstrations, taiko drumming, and guided tours of the museum. The current temporary exhibition, Kengo Kuma: Architecture in Dialogue, celebrating 160 years of Belgium–Japan friendship, is also open. La Hulpe is 20 minutes from Brussels by train. The 227-hectare Solvay Park is free to walk through year-round.

- Beer Lovers' Marathon (Liège, Sunday 17 May, 09:30–16:30): A full 42.195 km marathon through Liège where costumes are encouraged and 16 of the aid stations serve a different Belgian beer alongside fries, waffles, and black pudding. It's the 10th edition, themed "world travel." You don't have to run to enjoy this — the route passes through Liège's most scenic spots and the atmosphere along the course is pure carnival. Registration is €150 and fills up, but spectating is free and highly entertaining. A free "Beer Lovers' Village" at the Palais des Congrès offers 32 beers and food trucks.

🌿 Nature tip: Sonian Forest in late spring

Skip the coast this long weekend (everyone else is heading there). Instead, try the Sonian Forest (Forêt de Soignes / Zoniënwoud), the ancient beech forest stretching across the southern edge of Brussels into Walloon Brabant. In mid-May the canopy is fully leafed out — the light filtering through the cathedral-like beech columns is extraordinary. The forest is accessible from several train stations (Groenendaal, Boitsfort, La Hulpe) and connects easily to a Fondation Folon visit if you're doing "Prenez l'Air" on Thursday. Entry is free and it's never crowded on weekdays. Our wiki has more tips: Getting Around Belgium.

📸 Guess the location by the photo, our traditional weekend challenge!

Four days, three regions, zero excuses. Whether you're chasing hot-air balloons in the Ardennes, watching a 700-year-old procession in Bruges, or stumbling into street theatre in Namur, tell us what you got up to this weekend. And if we missed something, drop it in the comments!

This Saturday was Europe Day across Brussels, and most visitors instinctively queued for the Parliament or Berlaymont, both had long lines all day. We popped into the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the Committee of the Regions (CoR) instead, which share the Jacques Delors building on Rue Belliard, and walked straight in with no line, even at midday.

If you've never heard of these two institutions, you're not alone, they're the EU's advisory bodies. Europe Day is genuinely one of the best days to discover what they actually do.

What was on inside:

- Sit in the plenary chamber where members debate. You can take any numbered seat with headphones and microphone

- Attend a special Europe Day session and put your hand up to ask a question

- Wander between dozens of regional stalls run by local governments and cultural associations from across the EU (Castilla y León, Maramureș, Comunitat Valenciana, and many more)

The regional stalls were quite the highlight. Almost like a free tour across Europe in one afternoon: Romanian painted eggs and embroidered blouses, Spanish wines, hand-painted Trypillia ceramics, traditional crafts demos, friendly people happy to talk for half an hour about their region. Excellent way to scout your next holiday while talking to the regional representatives.

Tips for next year (Europe Day is always 9 May):

- Skip the Schuman crowd and start at the Jacques Delors building (Rue Belliard 99-101, next to Leopold Park). Free entry, no booking

- Doors typically open 10:00–18:00; midday is heaviest at the bigger institutions, so this is also a great rest stop if you're doing a full institution-hopping day

Quietly one of the best stops of the day. Did anyone else make it out this weekend? Curious how Parliament and the Council looked from the inside, so share the pictures

Belgium's most exclusive beer tour happens once every two years — and this is the weekend. Add Brussels celebrating its birthday with a massive free street party, the last chance to catch Ghent's four-yearly flower show, and you've got one of the most packed weekends of the spring.

⚠️ Practical PSA

Saturday 9 May is Europe Day. All major EU institutions in Brussels open their doors to the public for free from 10:00 to 18:00 — European Parliament, Commission, Council, and more. Expect the European Quarter to be busy. Sunday 10 May is a Koopzondag (shopping Sunday) and Mother's Day

— two solid reasons shops will be open in city centres.

⭐ Weekend highlight: Toer de Geuze — the lambic pilgrimage

Every two years, the traditional lambic breweries and blenderies of the Pajottenland and Zenne Valley open their doors to the public for a weekend. This is the 15th edition, and admission is free everywhere.

Fourteen producers are participating: Boon, De Cam, De Troch, Den Herberg, Eylenbosch, Hanssens, Kestemont, Lambiek Fabriek, Lindemans, Mort Subite (Sunday only), Oud Beersel, Sako, Tilquin, and Timmermans. You can visit at your own pace by car or bike, or book a seat on a HORAL bus (€20/person, departing from Halle and Denderleeuw stations).

Expect free tours, tastings of exclusive and seasonal lambics, food stalls, and the chance to grab bottles of the limited-edition HORAL Megablend 2026 — a blend of lambics from all 14 producers.

Hours: Saturday 11:00–19:00+ / Sunday 10:00–18:00+ (some producers keep longer hours). No reservation needed.

Official site: toerdegeuze.be

If you're into Belgian beer culture, this is quite simply unmissable. It only happens every two years and draws around 20,000 visitors. Check our Beer Culture wiki page for more background on lambic and geuze.

🏛️ Brussels

- Iris Festival / Europe Day (city-wide, Saturday): Brussels celebrates the 37th anniversary of the Brussels-Capital Region. During the day, EU institutions in the European Quarter open to the public (10:00–18:00, free) with interactive exhibits, debates, and family activities. Free.

- Rock Around The Atomium (Square de l'Atomium, Sat–Sun): Free rock & roll festival with a vintage market set against the iconic Atomium. Good excuse to combine with a visit to the Atomium itself or Mini-Europe next door. Details on the Facebook page

🦁 Flanders

- Floraliën Gent — LAST DAY (Citadelpark & arts quarter, Ghent, Sunday): This is your final chance to catch Ghent's legendary four-yearly flower show. Over 70,000 visitors have passed through since opening on 1 May — Sunday 10 May is the last day, closing at 17:00 (last entry 16:30). Tickets: €20–22 online, €27 at the door. Ages 19–25: €10. Under 6: free. While you're in Ghent, the Unforgettable: Women Artists exhibition at the MSK is outstanding — the first major retrospective of women artists from the Low Countries (1600–1750), featuring works by 40+ artists. Runs until 31 May.

🐓 Wallonia

- Cléopâtre Superstar (La Boverie, Liège, until 5 July): A major exhibition exploring the enduring mythology of Cleopatra through art, cinema, and pop culture. Liège's La Boverie museum sits in a beautiful park along the Meuse — pair it with a stroll along the river or a Sunday morning trip to the legendary Batte market (every Sunday, 3.6 km of stalls along the quays).

- L'esprit carcéral (Mons, until 11 May): Last weekend for this exhibition exploring the history and culture of incarceration. If you're in Hainaut, this is your final chance.

🌿 Nature tip

Mid-May is peak wildflower season across Belgium. The Zwin Nature Park near Knokke-Heist is at its best right now for spring bird migration — avocets, spoonbills, and storks are nesting, and the salt marshes are in bloom. A boardwalk trail makes the park very accessible, and there's a visitor centre with observation hides. Entry: €12 adults, €6 children. More info

📸 Time for a little weekend challenge, guess the location!

Which events are you hitting this weekend? If you're doing the Toer de Geuze, tell us your favourite brewery, we'll compile the best tips for next time in our wiki. And don't forget to add any events we've missed in the comments!

If you'll be in Brussels on Saturday, 9 May, this is one of the better free things you can do all year: the EU institutions throw open their doors for Europe Day, and you can wander into buildings that are otherwise sealed behind security badges 364 days a year.

The basics:

- 📅 Saturday 9 May 2026, 10:00–18:00

- 📍 European Quarter (metro Schuman, Maelbeek, or Trône)

- 💶 Free, no tickets needed

- 🪪 Bring photo ID, security checks apply at most institutions

What's open: the European Commission (Berlaymont), the European Parliament, the Council, the EEAS, the EESC, and the Committee of the Regions.

What you'll actually do inside: way more interactive than the buildings suggest. Past years have had guided tours of normally off-limits chambers, VR stations, Kahoot quizzes, photo booths, post-it walls, kids' activities, and a "pedal your own smoothie" bike where you generate the electricity to blend it. Every EU member state sets up a stall at the Committee of the Regions with regional food, crafts, and giveaways, basically Europe in one building. Free natural gelato, snacks, and swag materialise throughout the day.

Tips from past years:

- The Berlaymont and the Parliament draw the biggest queues, go there first if they're on your list, or save them for late afternoon when crowds thin.

- Go hungry. The food stalls at the Committee of the Regions are where the day really pays for itself.

- Family-friendly throughout, plenty for kids.

- Manneken-Pis gets dressed up in a Europe Day costume that morning, small but charming detour if you're already in town.

Full programme and interactive map: europeday.europa.eu

Photos below are from a previous years: the queue at the Berlaymont, free gelato somewhere inside, a peek into one of the Council meeting rooms, and one of the interactive stands handing out books, badges, and post-its.

Has anyone here been before? If so, visiting which institutions did you enjoy the most?

Hey r/belgium, I help mod r/BelgiumTravel, and after watching the same questions appear in week after week, we put together a proper transport guide.

Posting the highlights here because some of you have probably had to explain this stuff to visiting friends or family at some point, feel free to forward this whenever someone asks.

Corrections and additions very welcome.

The 30-second answer for someone visiting Belgium for a week

1. Download the NMBS/SNCB app, buy a Train+ subscription. Use it for every intercity train.

2. In Brussels, Ghent, Antwerp, just tap a contactless bank card on the validators. Don't bother with paper tickets or apps.

3. In Bruges, walk. The old centre is 2×3 km, you don't need public transport.

4. In Wallonia, buy your TEC ticket in the app or at a vending machine before boarding (contactless on board isn't live yet).

5. Don't buy Interrail for Belgium-only travel. It's not worth it.

6. Brussels Airport (Zaventem) ≠ Brussels South Charleroi Airport. They're 50 km apart.

Trains

NMBS changed its system n late 2025. The old products (Youth Ticket, 10-journey passes, Standard Multi) no longer exist. Everything is now distance-based per kilometre, and long journeys are noticeably cheaper than under the old system. There was a small 2.14% indexation on 1 February 2026, but the structure is the same.

Discounts that apply automatically:

- Weekend/holiday discount: 30% off, no action needed

- Under 26: 40% off any ticket, any time, any route — automatic, no Train+ required

- Children under 12: free with an adult (max 4 per adult)

Train+ is the subscription that stacks on top of the base fare. The price was held flat for 2026:

Train+ Youth (under 26 or seniors 65+) — €4/month, €32/year

- Caps any single 2nd-class journey at €5.50

- Extra 40% off during off-peak hours and weekends, on top of the cap

Train+ Adult (26–64) — €6/month, €48/year

- Caps any single 2nd-class journey at €14

- Same extra 40% off-peak/weekend bonus

Off-peak hours = Monday to Friday: before 6 h 01, between 9 h and 16 h, and from 18 h onward. All day on weekends and public holidays.

The cap is what matters, even Brussels-Liège or Antwerp-Namur is capped, so a single longer trip already justifies the monthly fee. Worst case you lose €4–6. Train+ never makes a ticket more expensive.

There's an official calculator at simulator.belgiantrain.be if anyone wants to check their actual route.

A somewhat confusing part: the peak/off-peak price difference only applies if you have Train+. Without Train+, a standard ticket is valid all day at the full per-km rate.

City transport

🚋 STIB/MIVB (Brussels)

- €2.40 per ride contactless

- Daily cap of €8.50: after ~4 rides, the rest of the day is free

- 60-minute free transfers when you tap the same card again

- One card per person, no group tapping

- You still have to tap at metro stations even when there are no physical gates. Inspectors will fine you.

- Special Airport2City fare of €7.90 if you tap on the airport bus from Zaventem

🚌 De Lijn (Flanders: Ghent, Antwerp, Leuven, etc.)

- €3 per ride contactless

- 60-minute free transfers

- One card can tap for up to 5 people (unlike STIB), useful for families

- No cash on board.

🚌 TEC (Wallonia: Liège, Namur, Charleroi, Dinant, etc.)

- TEC overhauled its fare system on 1 February 2026: the old zone-based tickets are gone, replaced by a single Classic ticket at €2.80, valid 90 minutes on the entire network. Express lines are a separate fare (€5.50).

- Contactless tap-on-board isn't live yet, that's planned for 2027. For now, buy via the TEC app, the SELF vending machines, or POINTS TEC (newsstands, petrol stations, etc.) before boarding.

- If you board without a ticket, the driver will sell you an "emergency ticket" in cash, but at a higher price, and that's not available on the Charleroi metro/light rail, Liège tram, or BUSWAY lines.

- The Classic fare does not cover the Charleroi Airport line, that needs a separate airport ticket.

The Charleroi Airport situation

"Brussels South Charleroi Airport" is not in Brussels. It's 50 km south, near Charleroi. There is no train. Options:

- Flibco shuttle from Brussels-Midi: from ~€14 if booked very early online (limited early-bird seats), around €19 standard, more last-minute. ~55–60 min direct. Generally reliable per community feedback, but seats fill up — show up early.

- TEC bus + train combo: cheaper but slower, and needs the separate Charleroi Airport TEC fare.

- Taxi/Uber/Bolt: expensive (~€100+).

If you're booking flights, the difference matters a lot. Ryanair flies Charleroi, almost everyone else flies Zaventem.

A few extras worth knowing

- Bikes on trains: €3 during off-peak/weekends, folding bikes always free.

- Strikes: Reduced timetables get published the day before (around 16 h) on belgiantrain.be. Usually 50%+ of trains still run.

- Luggage storage at Brussels-Central, Brussels-Midi, Antwerp-Central, Ghent-Sint-Pieters and Bruges. Useful if you arrive early or have a long layover.

- CFL app (Luxembourg's rail) is sometimes more reliable than NMBS for cross-border trains to Luxembourg.

The full version with everything, international connections, station-by-station luggage info, the full operator breakdown, lives on the r/BelgiumTravel wiki: reddit.com/r/BelgiumTravel/wiki/getting-around-belgium/

If you spot anything wrong or have a tip we missed, either drop it in the comments here or send it our way.

Hope it's helpful!

Ghent just became the flower capital of Europe. Every four years, the city transforms its arts district into a 10-day botanical spectacle, and this Friday is opening day. Whether you're in Belgium for the long weekend or planning a spontaneous day trip, this one alone is worth the train ticket.

⚠️ Practical PSA

Friday 1 May is Labour Day — a public holiday in Belgium. Most shops, supermarkets, and some smaller museums will be closed. Restaurants and major attractions generally stay open, but check ahead. Sunday 3 May is a Koopzondag (shopping Sunday), so shops in city centres will be open — unusual for a Sunday in Belgium.

⭐ Weekend highlight: Floraliën Gent — 37th edition

This is a once-every-four-years event you genuinely can't catch next weekend (well, you can — it runs until May 10, but opening weekend has a special energy). Floraliën Gent transforms the Kuipke velodrome, Floraliënhal, and Botanical Garden in Ghent's Citadelpark into a massive floral showcase. National and international florists, ornamental growers, and garden architects present their best work under this year's theme: "Connection."

Practical info: Open daily 8:00–18:00 (last admission 17:30). Tickets: €20–22 online (depending on time slot), €27 at the door. Ages 19–25: €10. Under 6: free.

Entrance via the Kuipke, Eugène Felixdreef, Gent. Buy tickets here

Nocturne evenings start Saturday 2 May at 19:00 for a different atmosphere with music and light effects. Tip: the early morning slot (8:00–10:00) is cheaper and quieter.

🔗 We're building our Ghent city guide right now — if you visit this weekend, come back and tell us your tips!

🏛️ Brussels

- Back to Pompeii (Tour & Taxis, Sat–Sun): A 1,500 m² reconstruction of Pompeii's streets, homes, and public squares by Brussels studio Tempora. Not a digital show — these are physical, walkable reconstructions with real and replica artefacts. Open 10:00–18:00, closed Mondays. Tickets online

- The Last Days of Pompeii (Brussels Expo/Terminal 1, Fri–Sun): Yes, Brussels has two Pompeii exhibitions right now. This one is the immersive digital version — 360° projections, VR, and a metaverse experience across 3,000 m². Extended until 17 May, so this is the second-to-last full weekend. Duration: ~90 min. Opposite the Heysel metro station.

- Jules Verne 200 — The Immersive Journey (Horta Gallery, Rue du Marché aux Herbes 116): Closing 10 May. A celebration of 200 years of Jules Verne through immersive installations. Last chance territory — worth combining with a walk through the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert nearby.

🦁 Flanders

- Floraliën Gent (Citadelpark, Ghent, Fri–Sun): See highlight above. If you're visiting Ghent for the first time, the Floraliën route through Citadelpark connects naturally with the arts quarter — from there it's a short walk to the Graslei and the city centre. Check our wiki's getting around by train guide for planning your trip.

- Koopzondag in Flanders (Sunday 3 May): The first Sunday of each month is a shopping Sunday in Belgian cities. Antwerp's Meir, Bruges' Steenstraat, and Ghent's Veldstraat will all have shops open — a rarity on Sundays. Combine with sightseeing if you're already in town for the Floraliën.

🐓 Wallonia

- Le Musée Imaginaire de Tintin (Pouhon Pierre-le-Grand, Spa, Fri–Sun): A 3D recreation of the legendary objects from Tintin's adventures — from the Arumbaya fetish to Rascar Capac. Open on public holidays 10:00–17:30. Entry: just €1. Combine with a walk through the town — Spa is a UNESCO World Heritage site and the place that gave its name to, well, spas. Available in four languages.

- Jardins d'Annevoie (Annevoie-Rouillon, near Namur): The 18th-century water gardens are in full spring mode — twenty ornamental pools, fifty water jets, and cascading fountains, all powered by natural water pressure (no pumps, no electricity). A gorgeous long-weekend day trip. Open daily, €12 adults / €8 children. Parking €3.

🌿 Nature tip

Early May is peak time for wild garlic (daslook / ail des ours) in Belgium's forests. The Sonian Forest south of Brussels, the Meerdaal Forest near Leuven, and woods around the Ourthe valley in the Ardennes are all carpeted in white flowers right now, with that unmistakable garlic scent. Pack a picnic and wander — just don't pick (it's protected in many areas). Check our Getting Around Belgium wiki for train connections to trailheads.

📸 Here we go for a weekend challenge, g****uess the location on the photo.

Which of these are you hitting this weekend? And if you have other weekend suggestions, feel free to mention them!