Explore Belgium: Liège province is an exhilarating mix of vibrant cities, industrial heritage, nature and a German-speaking world

Wallonia’s largest province, Liège, offers everything from cosmopolitan, ultra-modern cities to back-to-the-past tranquil villages and wild fenland. Featuring four key destinations - Liège, Spa, Huy and Verviers, the region also includes the top carnival towns of Malmedy and Stavelot as well as Belgium’s often forgotten German-speaking municipalities.

Liège

Naturally the province’s capital, Belgium’s third largest city – nicknamed ‘ardent’ for its fiery, independent spirit, is a mecca for art, architecture, shopping and signature Belgian food. Start your trip by marvelling at Santiago Calatrava’s gigantesque white sci-fi Guillemins train station (main image) before exploring the town.

On the way to the centre – bustling, brash Place Saint-Lambert dominated by the imposing Prince- Bishop’s Palace (home to the city's falous Christmas market), or charming Place du Marché, do not miss the charming, haven of peace that is Liège Botanical Garden (pictured) with some 400 tree varieties and classified Victorian greenhouses. From there, it’s an easy walk to pleasant Parc Avroy with its alternative ‘outsider’ art Trink Hall Museum. A Sunday morning must is the Batte quayside flea market.

An alternative route to the heart of the city is to cross beautiful Belle Liègeoise footbridge and cycle path to the world-class Louvre-linked La Boverie (pictured). This fine and contemporary art museum in the majestic 1905-built former Palais des Beaux Arts is set in stunning parkland. Only minutes away is ultra-modern Mediacité. Welcoming 8m people a year, this shoppers’ paradise in its arresting Ron Arad-built complex with 400-metre red and transparent wave glass roof, comes complete with an ice-skating rink open all year long.

For smaller-scale shopping, Liège’s charming maze of streets around Place de la Cathédrale are amass with bijou boutique stores selling anything from designer and vintage clothes to plants and painted glass jewellery.

Fancy a walk? The river Brussels sadly lacks is omnipresent here – the wide, fast-flowing Meuse. From the Mediacité and nearby Maison de la Metallurgie – a museum celebrating Liège’s industrial heritage, a walk along its banks will reveal Romanian genius Idel Ianchelevici’s ‘Le Plongeur’ sculpture near the 1950s Modernist Palais des Congrès. As well as towering 1950s and 1960s Expo-58 style flats and a must-see Modernist 1930s school (Lycée Léonie de Waha), older gems include the enormous red-brick late 19th century-built Aquarium and Science Museum.

Visitors can also enjoy the folk culture-filled Musée de la Vie Wallonne and, in the Outre-Meuse district where Maigret’s creator Georges Simenon lived, the Musée Tchantchès (Liège’s famous puppet). Or why not ride an old tram at the extensive Musée des Transports en commun de Wallonie or marvel at the décor and history at the Grand Curtius (pictured). The Musée d’Ansembourg is currently closed for renovation).

The Cité Miroir’s permanent exhibition ‘Plus jamais ça’ on Nazi Germany and fascinating socially-conscious temporary shows are set in a wonderfully Modernist former 1940s swimming pool de la Sauvenière. Opening in 1942 under Nazi occupation, many Liège residents learnt to swim there. Last but not least, light up your day with quirky Musée Liegois du Luminaire – all you ever wanted to know about lighting but were afraid to ask.

Liege’s magic is particularly felt in the oldest part of the city. This features the Perron/fountain, symbolising the city’s freedoms; Saint-Barthélemy church’s brass baptismal fonts – one of Belgium’s seven wonders of the world; and the exhilaration of walking up the Montagne de Bueren’s 460 steps to see Liege’s industrial and natural beauty stretching before you at the top. After your exertions, treat yourself to at least one Liège speciality – a salade Liègeoise, meatballs (boulets), café Liègoise or simple but delicious waffle. Just do not wash them down with too many Pekets...

Spa

No prizes for guessing why people flock to this scenic city and gateway to the Hautes-Fagnes national park. But green and hilly Spa is more than its mineral springs and albeit amazing Thermes de Spa establishment set high up a hill and reached by a 1958-dating cable car. The town hosts July’s Francofolies festival, the Francorchamps circuit (the motor museum is in nearby Stavelot) and a SkyDive centre. Its Belle Epoque tourist centre features a permanent Miro collection as well as myriad Spa water bottles, while nearby Parc de Sept Heures is perfect for afternoon walks. Finally do not miss its delightfully different museums on water, horses and, my favourite, doing the laundry. Yes, the Musée de la lessive oozes information on all things washing from antiquity to the present day.

Huy 

With a delightfully unspoilt pedestrianised cobbled street city centre and lively café-full Grand Place, this Meuse-side city also features a newly renovated retro cable car taking travellers to the citadel to rival Namur’s. Other highlights are the imposing Gothic, 1311-dating Collégiale, stately 18th century town hall and 13th century convent, now the city museum. On the entertainment front, the imposing Art Deco theatre and cultural centre’s varied programme ranges from a popular street art festival to world music; and just a few kilometres away lies enchanting Mont Mosan animal and attraction park with playgrounds galore.

Verviers

Sadly hitting the history books because of the 2021 floods, Verviers, steeped in textile heritage, boasts an impressive wool and fashion centre as well as a water museum and old-style Beaux Arts museum. This town with a charming park, riverside walks and flagship 2023-renovated 1920s Théâtre du Peigné, also features the delicious Darcis chocolate museum and factory and a bang-up-to-date vibrant street art walk.

Eupen

Fancy practising some German? Eupen, rich in industrial history detailed in its fascinating city museum, is a perfect place to exercise your language skills. Only a two-hour train ride from Brussels, this green and pleasant town, with its imposing 18th century Marktplatz and Saint-Nicholas church features myriad Baroque and Patrician buildings, including the city archives, blue stone Freitreppe Haus Auf’m Rain and (the only German newspaper in Belgium) Grenz-Echo building. In contrast, IKOB is a startlingly modern contemporary art space. Moreover, hiking possibilities abound in the Hertogenwald, cyclists will love the Vennbahn – one of Europe’s longest railway cycle paths and there is a special skiing centre.

Elsewhere in the province

Do not miss charming towns like Comblain-au-Pont, Esneux or Aywaille – all rolling hills, streams and little town squares. For folklore, culture and carnival combined, Malmedy – with its fascinating folk museum, the monastery-housed Malmundarium (pictured), and an impressive town-and-park trail and Stavelot – that boasts an ancient abbey/museum complex and a museum dedicated to French poet Guillaume Apollinaire, are perfect.

On the carnival front, Stavelot’s Blanc-Moussis and Malmedy’s Gilles in its four-day world heritage-recognised ‘Cwarme’ festival attract people from all over Europe. The towns’ German-style, Glühwein-abundant Christmas markets are another big draw and younger visitors will love Plopsa Coo attraction park.

If you want to relax, where better than the sumptuous spa and thermal baths of scenic Chaudfontaine? The town boasts, unsurprisingly, not only a water museum, but also Wild West cowboy extravaganza Western City. Not far away lies Robertville Lake and the enchanting Wégimont domain offering canoeing, crazy golf, pétanque and a swimming pool complex. Animal lovers have the delightful Forestia park at Theux to explore, with the wild-spirited well catered for at Aywaille’s Monde Sauvage. This “real African safari park” is complete with some 1,000 animals including giraffes, hippopotamuses, rhinos and zebras.

Many people make a beeline for East Belgium’s skiing opportunities around Malmedy and Waimes. Walkers can head to the 694-metre high Signal de Botrange, taking in stunning wild landscapes of Belgium’s oldest nature reserve – Hautes Fagnes, which even offers railbike (draisines) trail rides.

Castle lovers are spoilt for choice with Reinhardstein, Jehay, Franchimont, Modave and Moha to enjoy. If caves are your cup of tea, options include Comblain and Remouchamps. Finally, this is Belgium after all, for something completely different, throw spears and/or turn your family into a tribe at Flémalle’s Préhistomuseum or simply stare at stones in Sprimont’s Stone Interpretation Centre.

Photos: (main image) WBT Henning Angerer-Gare de liège; WBT Jardin botanique; La Boverie; WBT Olivier Bourgi, Musée du Grand Curtius; WBT - V. Ferooz, La Cité Miroir; WBT JP Remy-Liège waffles; CGT Arnaud Siquet Spa town centre; Ville de Huy cable car; Bhushavali-Darcis Chocolatier in Verviers; FTPL-FTL vélo points nœuds; Malmedy Malmundarium Denis Dosquet; WBT V. Ferooz Pixel Komando Forestia; WBT Maxime Collin  Hautes Fagnes