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Netherlands & Belgium | Places Worth the Detour
10
items Local Netherlands and Belgium recommendations for memorable city breaks, cafés, chocolate shops, restaurants, museums and landmarks worth the detour. Explore Maastricht, Valkenburg, The Hague, Bruges, Dinant and Spa with honest expat tips, scenic sto...
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Sections
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Netherlands City Breaks
Belgium Cities & Scenic Escapes
Netherlands City Breaks
Historic cities, scenic towns and easy Dutch escapes beyond the standard Amsterdam checklist. These are the places to wander, stop for coffee and experience a different side of the Netherlands.
Maastricht feels completely different from the Netherlands most international visitors expect. It has beautiful old streets, lively café terraces and the kind of squares that encourage you to abandon the schedule and order something unnecessary. It i...
Maastricht
Valkenburg has castle ruins above the town, caves beneath it and enough hillside scenery to prove the Netherlands is not entirely flat. It is especially atmospheric during the Christmas season, but the old streets, terraces and surrounding landscape ...
Valkenburg
The Hague combines elegant architecture, museums, good shopping and the North Sea in one very manageable city break. Spend time in the historic centre, then head to Scheveningen for the beach and a completely different atmosphere. It is polished with...
The Hague
An extraordinary bookshop inside a centuries-old Dominican church, with soaring Gothic architecture and a Coffeelovers café in the former chancel. Come for the building, stay for the books and cappuccino, then accept that an ordinary shop will feel a...
Book Store Dominicanen
Small enough to enjoy without turning the day into a museum marathon, but packed with Dutch and Flemish masters including Vermeer and Rembrandt. Book a time slot, go slowly and let Girl with a Pearl Earring judge everyone in peace.
Mauritshuis
Belgium Cities & Scenic Escapes
Storybook streets, dramatic river views and slower Belgian escapes with proper atmosphere. Ideal for travellers who appreciate beautiful architecture, good food and destinations that do not require military-level planning.
Bruges is popular for a reason. The canals, cobbled streets and historic buildings really are that beautiful, even if half the world occasionally appears to have arrived at the same time. Visit early in the morning or stay into the evening when the b...
Bruges
Dinant is small, dramatic and ridiculously photogenic, with the River Meuse running beneath steep cliffs and the citadel overlooking the town. It works beautifully as a relaxed day trip because the main sights are close together. Take the trip up for...
Dinant
Spa is the place to choose when the holiday needs to calm down for a minute. Famous for its thermal-water heritage, the town is surrounded by wooded scenery and has a slower, more restorative atmosphere than Belgium's busier cities. Come for the rela...
Spa
The Chocolate Line is chocolate with a little drama, in the best possible way. Dominique Persoone’s Bruges shop lets you see the tree-to-bar process while browsing pralines and flavour combinations far more adventurous than the usual souvenir box. Go...
The Chocolate Line
Bistro Het Rand is a warm, unpretentious spot in central Bruges serving Belgian classics such as Flemish beef stew, mussels and proper fries. The relaxed setting makes it a good choice when you want local comfort food without turning dinner into a fo...
Bistro Het Rand