Side Trips

The lovely Brabant countryside around Brussels offers scenic beauty, as well as several sightseeing attractions well worth the short trip.

Waterloo

10km (6 miles) S of Brussels

Europe's Gettysburg, the battle that ended Napoleon's empire was fought on rolling farmland near the town of Waterloo, just south of Brussels. On June 18, 1815, 72,000 British, Dutch, Belgian, and German troops, aided before the day's end by around 40,000 Prussians, defeated the mighty Napoleon Bonaparte and his 76,000 French, leaving 40,000 dead and wounded on the field. Napoleon survived, but his attempt to rebuild his empire was crushed; he was exiled to the island of St. Helena, where he died 6 years later.

The battlefield remains much as it was on that June day. A stretch of rolling farmland dotted with stoutly built manor-farmhouses several miles to the south of Waterloo, it seems like an absurdly small stretch of real estate to have been the stage on which an empire was lost and Europe's destiny for a century ahead was decided. Not too much has changed here since French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte came to call and found England's duke of Wellington drawn up to receive him on a range of slight hills.

From Brussels, bus W departs twice hourly for Waterloo from Gare du Midi (Métro: Gare du Midi). The 18km (11-mile) ride takes 50 minutes and costs 3€ ($3.75). The bus stops at both the Wellington Museum in Waterloo itself, and at the battlefield visitor center south of the town. By car from Brussels, go south on the ring road (R0) to exit 27 for Waterloo, and N5 south to the battlefield; follow the signs for Butte du Lion.

Before touring the battlefield, you should stop by the Centre Visiteur (Visitor Center), route du Lion 252-254 (tel. 02/385-19-12; www.waterloo1815.be), where an audiovisual presentation on the tactical background, plus an extract from Sergei Bondarchuk's epic movie Waterloo, will afford you some idea of the battle's titanic scale. You'll find "rations" at a nearby cluster of traditional cafes and restaurants, which have names like Le Hussard, Bivouac de l'Empereur, and Les Alliés -- the victors Wellington and Blücher don't get much of a look in. There are also souvenir stores selling everything from Napoleonic corkscrews to hand-painted model soldiers.

The 360-degree, panoramic view of the theater of war from the top of the great Butte du Lion (Lion Mound), a conical hill surmounted by a bronze lion, next to the Visitor Center, is worth the 226-step climb, though it takes an active imagination to fill the peaceful farmland with slashing cavalry charges, thundering artillery, and 200,000 colorfully uniformed, struggling soldiers.

Across the road from the Visitor Center is the Musée des Cires (Waxworks Museum), where Napoleon, Wellington, Blücher, and other key participants appear as rather tatty wax figures. Also next to the center is the Panorama de la Bataille (Battlefield Panorama), featuring a painted cyclorama of the massive French cavalry charge led by Marshal Ney. One of the few remaining 19th-century cycloramas in the world, it was a sensation in the precinema era.

These three sites are open daily April to September from 9:30am to 6:30pm and October to March from 10am to 5pm; closed January 1 and December 25. Admission to the Visitor Center is free; the audiovisual presentation is 5€ ($6.25) for adults, 4.20€ ($5.25) for seniors and students, and 3.35€ ($4.20) for children ages 6 to 12; admission to the Lion Mound is 1€ ($1.25) for adults, and .50€ (65¢) for children ages 6 to 12; admission to the panorama is 2.75€ ($3.40) for adults, 2€ ($2.50) for seniors and students, and 1.50€ ($1.90) for children ages 6 to 12; a combination ticket is 7.45€ ($9.30) for adults, 6.20€ ($7.75) for seniors and students, and 4.70€ ($5) for children ages 6 to 12; in all cases, children under 6 are free.

A pathway beside the Panorama leads to a memorial to Lieutenant Augustin Demulder, a Belgian soldier who fell in Napoleon's campaign -- around this spot Marshal Ney's horsemen surged against unyielding Allied (British, Dutch, Belgian, and Hanoverian) infantry deployed in a square military formation. Farther on, a memorial records the position of British artillery that poured grapeshot into Napoleon's Old Guard during their doomed final assault. A stroll of 15 minutes more brings you to Hougoumont, a fortified farmhouse that played a key role in the fighting and still bears the scars of battle. The private owners permit visitors to wander around the grounds.

Beside the crossroads at the Brussels-Charleroi road are monuments to the Belgians and Hanoverians; to Colonel Gordon, Wellington's aide; and to General Picton, shot down at the head of his division. A little way down the Brussels-Charleroi road is La Haie-Sainte, a farmhouse that played a crucial role in Napoleon's defeat by shielding Wellington's center from direct assault.

Though a pleasant-enough suburb of Brussels -- and the capital town of Brabant-Walloon (Walloon Brabant) province, Waterloo is not really worth going out of your way for -- remember that the "Battle of Waterloo" was not actually fought there. But there is the well-ordered Musée Wellington (Wellington Museum), chaussée de Bruxelles 147 (tel. 02/354-78-06), in an old Brabant coaching inn, where you can fill in details about the fighting. This was the duke's headquarters, and it was from here that Wellington sent his historic victory dispatch. The museum is open April to September daily from 9:30am to 6:30pm; November to March daily from 10:30am to 5pm (closed Jan 1 and Dec 25). Admission is 5€ ($6.25) for adults, 4€ ($5) for students and seniors, 1€ ($1.25) for children ages 6 to 12, and free for children under 6.

Action This Day--The next reenactment of the Battle of Waterloo, a spectacular, 5-yearly event that features thousands of uniformed participants from around the world, is due to take place on June 19, 2005 -- the Sunday nearest to the battle's June 18 anniversary. Note: The date had not been confirmed at this writing, so you should call ahead to the Visitor Center before going. The previous day, Saturday, when the "troops" are assembling, is also an interesting time to be in Waterloo and at the battlefield.

Beersel

9km (5 1/2 miles) SW of Brussels

The only local example of a still-intact fortified medieval castle is at Beersel, a little off the Mons road (watch for the signpost). The three-towered 13th-century castle is set in a wooded area and surrounded by a moat, which you cross via drawbridge. Pick up the excellent English-language guidebook at the entrance for a detailed history of the castle and its inhabitants, then wander through its rooms for a trip back through time. End your visit with a stop at the magnificent mausoleum that holds the alabaster effigies of Henry II of Witthem and his wife, Jacqueline de Glimes, who lived here during the early 1400s.

Leafy pathways through the castle grounds make this a favorite rural retreat for Brussels residents, especially during the summer months. At the entrance to the park, you find Auberge Kasteel Beersel, Lotstraat 65, Beersel (tel. 02/377-10-47), a charming rustic restaurant with a decor of dark wood, exposed brick, and accents of copper and brass. In good weather there's service on the shaded outdoor terrace. Light meals (omelets, salads, soups, and sandwiches) are available, as well as complete hot meals for both lunch and dinner. Prices are moderate. If you don't want a meal, you're welcome to stop in just for a relaxing draft of Belgian beer.

Gaasbeek

13km (8 miles) SW of Brussels

The ancestral château of the counts of Egmont is at Gaasbeek, beyond the village of Vlezenbeek. The furnishings of Kasteel van Gaasbeek, Kasteelstraat 40 (tel. 02/531-01-30; www.kasteelvangaasbeek.be), are nothing less than magnificent, as is the castle itself. All the rooms are splendid, and far from presenting a dead "museum" appearance, they create the eerie impression that the counts and their families may come walking through the door any moment. Before each guided tour, there's a slide show that will augment your appreciation of the countless works of art, silver items, religious artifacts, and priceless tapestries you see in the castle. The castle is open April to October, Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm; the park is open daily from 8am to 8pm (to 6pm Oct-Mar). Admission to the castle is 4.50€ ($5.65) for adults; 2.50€ ($3.15) for seniors, visitors with disabilities, students, and children ages 7 to 18; and free for children under 7. Admission to the park is free. To get there by car from Brussels, take the R0/E19 Brussels ring road west to exit 15A, for Vlezenbeek, and continue through this village to the castle; by public transportation, take De Lijn bus no. 142 (Gaasbeek-Leerbeek) from Brussels's Gare du Midi/Zuidstation, and get out at the Kasteel van Gaasbeek stop.

Mechelen

16km (10 miles) N of Brussels

Sited on the Dijle River and the Leuven Canal, midway between Brussels and Antwerp, Mechelen is a perfect stop when traveling between those two cities on E19. The town wears its long history well (the Gauls were here as early as 500 B.C.), and its medieval town square evokes the late 1400s and 1500s, when this was a religious, cultural, and artistic center of Europe.

The Tourist Office, in the Town Hall on the square (tel. 015/29-76-55; fax 015/29-76-53; www.mechelen.be), offers guided tours, including one to St. Rombold's Cathedral that includes a climb up the tower to see its famous carillon -- at noon, you can hear a brief recital of the bells ringing out over the city. Carillon concerts take place evenings mid-June to August. The Royal Carillon School here is the most famous in Europe and possibly in the world, attracting students from all around the globe. If you have an interest in carillons, you might want to visit the City Museum, which includes a carillon section, as well as classic and modern paintings and sculpture.

In Tivoli Park there's a Children's Farm, as well as a Bee-Keeping Museum inside the castle. Children of all ages will love the fairy-tale Toy Museum, at Nekkerspoelstraat 21. The Grote Markt reverts to its original purpose on Saturday mornings, when a street market is held there, just as it was in medieval times.

Mechelen has been an important center of tapestry weaving since medieval times, and Belgium's magnificent tapestry presented to the United Nations headquarters in New York was woven here. There's a tapestry factory, the Koninklijke Manufactuur van Wandtapijten (Royal Tapestry Manufacturer), Schoutetstraat 7 (tel. 015/20-29-05), still in operation; inquire at the tourist office for arrangements to visit and view their beautiful collection of both antique and modern tapestries.