Belgium may be compact, but it offers a surprising variety of camping experiences, from woodland retreats in the Ardennes to family-friendly parks near historic towns and cities. Its central location also makes it a popular stop for European touring holidays.
Browse Belgium campsites Korenmarkt, Ghent Photo by Jorge Fernández Salas on UnsplashCamping in Belgium developed alongside the growth of domestic and cross-border tourism throughout the 20th century. The Ardennes became particularly popular for outdoor recreation, attracting campers, hikers, and cyclists seeking forested landscapes and river valleys. Today, Belgium's campsites are known for their accessibility, family-friendly atmosphere, and convenient connections to neighbouring European destinations.
Rising dramatically in the centre of Ghent, Gravensteen Castle is one of Belgium's most recognisable medieval landmarks. Built in the late 12th century by Count Philip of Alsace, the fortress was designed to demonstrate the power of the Counts of Flanders and protect their authority over one of medieval Europe's wealthiest cities.
Perched dramatically above the Semois River, Bouillon Castle is one of Belgium's greatest medieval fortresses. Its origins date back over 1,000 years, and it became famous as the stronghold of Godfrey of Bouillon, one of the leaders of the First Crusade.
Château de Laeken is Belgium's royal residence and one of the country's most important modern castles. Built in the late 18th century for the Austrian Netherlands' rulers, it later became home to Belgium's royal family after independence.
The Battle of Waterloo is one of the most famous military events in European history. Fought on 18 June 1815, it marked the final defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte and ended his attempt to regain power after returning from exile.
The Battle of Ramillies was one of the greatest victories of the Duke of Marlborough during the War of the Spanish Succession. Fought in 1706, it saw Allied forces defeat the French army and gain control over much of the Spanish Netherlands.
The Battle of the Golden Spurs, fought in 1302 near Kortrijk, is one of the most important medieval battles in Belgian history. Flemish militia forces defeated the heavily equipped French knights, becoming a symbol of Flemish independence and regional identity.
The Grand Place is Belgium's most famous historic square and one of Europe's greatest examples of medieval and Baroque architecture. Originally the centre of Brussels' commercial life, the square developed into a symbol of the city's wealth and influence.
Bruges is one of Europe's best-preserved medieval cities and often described as a living museum. During the Middle Ages, it was one of the world's most important trading centres, connected to international markets through its canals and waterways.
Ghent combines medieval architecture, university life and a lively cultural atmosphere. Once one of Europe's richest cities, it became a powerful centre of textile production and trade during the Middle Ages.
Tongeren is Belgium's oldest city and one of the most important Roman archaeological sites in the country. Founded as Atuatuca Tungrorum, it became a major administrative and trading centre in the Roman province of Germania Inferior.
The Gallo-Roman Museum is Belgium's premier archaeological museum and one of Europe's best places to understand ancient life in the region.
Velzeke was an important Roman settlement located along ancient roads connecting northern Gaul with the rest of the empire. The site reveals how Roman infrastructure transformed the Belgian landscape.
This line cuts through the Meuse valley and into the wooded hills of the Ardennes, with the stretch past Namur and on to Libramont particularly scenic in autumn.
A rolling route through the eastern Ardennes and Hautes Fagnes plateau, useful as an Interrail link between Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany.
Follows the Lesse and Semois valleys through deep Ardennes forest and limestone cliffs, one of Belgium's more dramatic regional lines.
Not a train but the world's longest tram line, running the full length of Belgium's coast from De Panne to Knokke — handy for reaching coastal campsites without a car.
Crosses the Ardennes through forest and river valleys; the Belgian stretch links towns like La Roche-en-Ardenne and Bouillon.
A loop through the high moorland and peat bogs of the Hautes Fagnes nature reserve, Belgium's wildest and wettest landscape.
Passes through Brussels and the Senne valley before heading south, mixing city walking with quiet countryside.
Former railway lines converted to flat, well-marked paths through valleys and forest, popular for shorter family walks.
Europe's longest cross-border rail-trail, running from Aachen (Germany) through the Belgian Eifel and Hautes Fagnes to Troisvierges (Luxembourg), with a gentle gradient throughout.
Traffic-free cycle path following the Meuse river through Namur, Dinant and Huy, passing riverside cliffs and citadels.
Runs the length of the Belgian coast from De Panne to Knokke-Heist, linking dunes, seaside towns and coastal campsites.
Quiet former railway path through the Lesse valley near Han-sur-Lesse, popular for combining cycling with caving or canoeing stops.
Dramatic riverside town on the Meuse dominated by a clifftop citadel, birthplace of the saxophone and a good base for the Ardennes.
Often billed as the 'smallest town in the world', with narrow cobbled streets set in a loop of the Ourthe river.
Small Ardennes town built around a medieval castle overlooking the Semois river, close to good hiking country.
A popular Ardennes base for kayaking and hiking, with a ruined castle above the town and forest trails all around.
The original spa town, known for its mineral springs, thermal baths and nearby Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps racetrack.
A classic Ardennes activity between Houyet and Anseremme, drifting past limestone cliffs and through Han-sur-Lesse.
One of Europe's largest show caves, with underground boat trips through vast limestone chambers.
Museums, memorials and preserved foxholes mark this WWII battlefield in the Ardennes forests.
Boardwalk trails cross Belgium's highest and boggiest moorland, a striking landscape unlike anywhere else in the country.
Belgium is home to several of the world's few genuine Trappist breweries (including Orval and Chimay), many with visitor centres near the abbeys.
Belgian food is hearty and regionally varied: expect frites served with mayonnaise from roadside friteries, mussels (moules-frites) especially along the coast, and Ardennes ham and pâté from the wooded south. Beer culture runs deep, from Trappist ales like Orval and Chimay to sour lambics and geuze from the Brussels region. Waffles differ by town — the crisp rectangular Brussels waffle versus the smaller, denser Liège waffle with pearl sugar — and Belgian chocolate is taken seriously, sold in dedicated chocolatiers everywhere. Other regional dishes worth seeking out include carbonade flamande (beef stewed in beer), stoemp (mashed potato and vegetables), and speculoos biscuits.
A collective listing of civic bell towers across Belgian towns including Bruges, Ghent, Tournai and Mons, symbols of medieval urban independence.
Near Mons, one of the largest and oldest prehistoric flint-mining complexes known in Europe.
The ornate guildhall square at the heart of Brussels, rebuilt after the 1695 bombardment.
Four Art Nouveau townhouses designed by Horta, considered pioneering works of the style.
Late-19th-century hydraulic boat lifts near La Louvière, remarkable examples of industrial engineering still partly in use.
Belgium's only officially designated national park, in Limburg, with heathland, forest and former mining sites now reclaimed by nature.
A large cross-border reserve of high moorland and peat bog straddling Belgium and Germany, home to rare flora and cold-climate wildlife.
The 2008 black comedy is practically a love letter to Bruges, with the Markt square, the Belfry tower and the city's canals all appearing throughout as the two hitmen wait out their assignment.
UNESCO-recognised carnival held in February or March, famous for the costumed 'Gilles' who parade wearing wax masks and ostrich-feather hats.
A ten-day open-air festival of music, theatre and street performance filling Ghent's historic centre each July.
One of the world's largest electronic music festivals, held over two weekends in July in Boom, near Antwerp.
A giant carpet of begonias laid out on the Grand-Place, held every two years in August.
A major open-air rock and pop festival held over four days each summer (June/July) in Werchter, near Leuven.