As the renowned Belgium festival gets ready to play host as one of the biggest music events in Europe, Tomorrowland welcomes over 600,000 guests each year. And for those travelling just for the special occasion, we’ve put together the best towns to visit after the festival fun!
Boom, Antwerp
Held in Boom, the Tomorrowland Festival is the town’s main attraction commencing on the last two weekends in July. However, with a great range of landmarks to explore in endless nature reserves, Boom in Antwerp is a perfect place to explore the hidden gems of Belgium after a jam-packed weekend.
The De Schorre is 900m of green space, with 7 sensory trolls along the way. A great way to enjoy Boom’s great outdoors at any age, the maintained trail, small pond and hill showcases the quieter side of the town.
The 7 unique constructed figures were created to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Tomorrowland festival and are four and eighteen metres high. Placed around the trail, it’s a great opportunity to get a picture!
Mechelen, Antwerp
Located between Brussels and Antwerp, the beautiful city of Mechelen comprises a concentration of heritage buildings. Iconic landmarks including St Rumbolds Cathedral, Haverwerf and Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-over-de-Dijlekerk, the Grote Markt with a selection of endless restaurants, cafés and shops and Dyle Path as a must do for couples – the city has something for everyone.
If you fancy learning the history as you wind down, St Rumbolds Cathedral is a perfect choice. Built in the thirteenth century, the astonishing landmark was the only cathedral that withstood the Second World War bombing and extreme fire in 1972. Now, the building is open for visitors to tour the iconic stain class windows and variety of paintings created by Anthony van Dyck's, Michel Coxcie and Gaspard de Crayer throughout the centuries.
Continuing to take in the history of Mechelen, the three standout homes referred to as Haverwerf, are a collection of buildings still standing from the 1600s. Het Paradijske, De Duiveljes and Sint-Jozef have an abundance of stories behind each, with the middle building translated to The Little Devils due to its wooden eery front door.
For those wanting to experience the local atmosphere, Grote Markt is the beating heart of the city centre. As a square focal point surrounding by ancient buildings, its host to an activities both day and night with its offerings of pubs, restaurants, music and shops. Don’t forget to take a picture with the Haagse Harry statue being a popular Dutch character in Belgium’s renowned comic book.
Temse, East Flanders
The municipality – a small town with its own local government – is placed on the left side of the River Scheldt and is home to the Church of Our Lady and TemseBrug. Great for a walk along the river, the TemseBrug, known as Temse Bridge crosses Schedlt, where visitors can look out onto beautiful sun sets in the water reflection. A perfect spot for a cycle too, the bridge was actually designed by Gustave Eiffel - the architect of The Eiffel Tower.
Starting from Skratch? Here are some links to help you get started:
https://www.livetheworld.com/post/where-to-chill-after-tomorrowland-spots-to-unwind-belgium
https://visit.mechelen.be/haverwerf-9
https://www.visitflanders.com/en/flemish-destinations/mechelen
