We love Belgium! Despite its tiny size, the country packs a lot, and spending eight days there was barely enough to scratch the surface. Roughly the size of Maryland, Belgium has three very distinct regions: Dutch-speaking Flanders in the north, French-speaking Wallonia in the south, and the capital city of Brussels in the center of the country. Take a 20-minute train ride, and you'll think you're in a different country as people around you speak a different language.
Most people who go to Belgium tend to visit Flanders and Brussels, where the sights are awe-inspiring. Ghent, with its striking limestone medieval architecture, exquisite merchant houses, and youthful energy of a university town, perennially competes for attention with the romantic Brugge with its red brick medieval architecture, dreamy canals, and abundant chocolate shops. The port city of Antwerp boasts one of the most beautiful train stations in all of Europe, a busy port, and is loaded with history, Rubens' art, and restaurants offering delicious mussels and fries on every corner. And of course, people also drop by the capital city of Brussels to admire one of the best squares in all of Europe—Grand Place—and visit the Royal Palace and the city’s numerous museums.
Belgium’s French-speaking region, on the other hand, gets very little love and is largely overlooked by travelers. Because we like going to places off the beaten trail, we decided to give Wallonia a chance and spent two days in this undiscovered and mostly ignored corner of Europe.
Namur
Laidback and undeveloped, Wallonia feels worlds away from its busy northern neighbors of Flanders and Brussels. Life is much simpler here. People are not rushing, and life moves at the pace of snails that are in abundance on Wallonian streets after rain. People from Flanders consider Wallonia to be the backwaters of Belgium and may even look down on its people, citing the economic might of the northern lands that provide a continuous lifeline to the economically stagnant south. When we arrived at our Airbnb in Ghent and told our host that we had just arrived from Wallonia, she looked at us wide-eyed, “Oh! Why? Do you have relatives there?” We laughed, but she wasn’t kidding. She honestly couldn’t think of any reason to go to the south except for a family visit.
In two short days, we managed to visit three towns in Wallonia: Namur, Dinant, and Huy. Unlike Flanders, Wallonia is not heavy on sights and doesn't have “must-sees”. You can easily visit each town in just a few hours. The best way to experience Namur, the capital of Wallonia, is by getting lost in its streets, exploring the impenetrable citadel sitting atop cliffs, and getting familiar with French-inspired and luscious cuisine at Brasserie François. Dinant, the hometown of Adolphe Sax, the inventor of the saxophone, has a beautiful riverfront dominated by an imposing church with an elongated onion dome, and you can explore the citadel by taking a cable car up adjacent cliffs. Huy is a charming town, where you can simply sit, relax, and sip a Trappist beer brewed by monks and do nothing but people-watch or, if you still haven't gotten your citadel fix after Namur and Dinant, climb to see another one. The lack of “big” sights and a leisurely way of life is not a drawback but a strong side of Wallonia. There is something admirable in the slowness of life here, and taking a break from the otherwise high pace of modern life is an attraction in itself.
Enjoying a Trappist Beer in Huy
Another advantage that Wallonia holds over Flanders is its nature. In contrast to the flat and somewhat dull landscapes of Flanders, Wallonia is ringed by hills, mountains, and cliffs, providing perfect locations for defensive fortifications and gorgeous viewpoints. Yet, the best natural attraction in Wallonia is the Meuse River, which beautifully circles, snakes, and spirals through the region like a rhythmic gymnastics ribbon, creating incredible vistas and picturesque locations for all three towns that we visited in Wallonia.
We also surprised ourselves by preferring Wallonia’s food over Flemish cuisine. While nearly all Belgian cities offer traditional waffles, potato fries with mayo, and an unending selection of Belgian beers, Flemish cuisine is understandably tilted towards Dutch cuisine. Its classic dishes, like stoverij (beef stew), gentse waterzooi (Ghent’s fish/chicken stew), are heavy and hearty. Wallonia’s proximity to France positively reflects on its cuisine, making it more refined than the cuisine of its northern neighbor. And maybe the differences between the two cuisines are not very drastic (we spent only 2 days in Wallonia after all, and don't claim to be experts), but our favorite restaurant in all of Belgium was Brasserie François in Namur, where the food was delicious, sophisticated, and French-influenced. We enjoyed the restaurant so much that we ate there twice during our two-day stay in Wallonia.
Dinant
The architecture of Wallonia also has a distinct style. Unlike traditional Flemish architecture, inspired by Dutch architecture of skinny houses with red tile roofs, Wallonia's buildings are more austere and reserved, with grey roofs of Wallonian towns transporting you to the northern provinces of France.
All in all, Wallonia may not be high on tourists’ lists of destinations to visit, but if you have a few days to spare, the region is worth dropping by. If you plan your Belgian vacation, consider Wallonia as a place to start your trip. Dealing with jetlag and time zone adjustment is better in a slow-moving region that nevertheless provides enough sightseeing and enjoyable traveling experiences. And getting off the beaten track is always an adventure.
