Weird and wonderful: Our pick of Wallonia's offbeat tourist attractions

There’s nothing dull about tourism in Wallonia. The region is full of eyebrow-raising, jaw-dropping, breathtakingly quirky events, sights and accommodation. So it’s no surprise that the 2018 theme of the Belgian Tourist Office Wallonia is Wallonie Insolite (Amazing Wallonia).

If you're looking for a half-term activity for the kids, take them to BattleKart Eurométropole in Mouscron, the world’s first karting-gaming centre. You drive a kart on a virtual track that’s projected on a giant screen, as if you’re in a video game.

What about unusual places to visit? There’s no shortage of those. Liège province packages seven of them up in the Route de Feu, a tour that includes the coalmine in Blegny (a Unesco World Heritage Site), the crystal glass factory of Val Saint Lambert, and the Prehistomuseum in Ramioul. Then there’s the Canal du Centre that runs through Hainaut with its four extraordinary hydraulic boat lifts from the early 19th century. And don’t forget the sloping lock at Ronquières. Here, boats are moved up a 68m incline in what is best described as a giant bathtub on wheels.

More futuristic is the Euro Space Center in Transinne. Spend some time in the simulator and you’ll come away humming the Police song after experiencing what walking on the moon feels like. Also to be enjoyed there is the multimedia exhibition, the five-dimensional cinema and the outdoor tablet-based Space Hero game. Coming back (almost) down to earth, the Adventure Valley Durbuy boasts a treetop trail for those with a head for heights, a 1km zip wire, and a wooden children’s play area the size of a small village.

When it comes to accommodation, Wallonia’s got curiosities up its sleeve to suit all tastes. Have you ever dreamed of sleeping in a 19th-century Gothic chapel? You can at the Dream Hotel in Mons. If your ideal for an overnight is something environmentally friendly, try the low-energy, all-wooden Sleepwood Hotel in Eupen with its ethically sourced breakfasts.

If you prefer to cater for yourself, unique gîtes abound in the region. Le Moulin du Ya in Houdeng-Aimeries is a 19th-century windmill, while at Le Pommier Rustique campsite in Durnal you can spend the night under the stars in a shelter made of spruce wood. The Au Plaisir bed & breakfast in Hastière is based on the game of Cluedo (Clue for North American readers), and includes the possibility to play a human-sized game of Cluedo. Murder, thankfully, is definitely not among the house rules.

Consult the website for more surprising activities, places to stay and a year-long calendar of events.

This article first appeared in WAB (Wallonia and Brussels) magazine