11 must-see museums in Wallonia
1. Hergé Museum in Louvain-la-Neuve
Explore the magnificent Hergé Museum and relive the adventures of Tintin and Snowy, the masterpiece of Wallonia’s most famous artist. Discover a treasure trove of original art, documents, and sketches by one of the 20th century’s greatest artists.
How to get there: Rue du Labrador 26, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve. 450 m from Louvain-la-Neuve station.
2. La Boverie, Liège
La Boverie is set in a park on the banks of the Meuse. This imposing neoclassical building dates from 1905 and houses the Museum of Fine Arts, the art collection of the City of Liège, from the Renaissance to the present. Admire masterpieces by Gauguin, Chagall, Delvaux and others. The top floor of the museum is dedicated to large temporary exhibitions, some of which are organised in collaboration with the Louvre.
How to get there: Parc de la Boverie, 4000 Liège. 1 km from Liège-Guillemins station.
3. Félicien Rops Museum in Namur
This museum is housed in a mansion in the old city centre of Namur and is dedicated to the city’s most famous artist. Its paintings, engravings, drawings and letters perfectly reflect the rebellious, irreverent, self-mocking spirit of this 19th century artist. Rops’ famous Pornocrates (Lady with Pig) is one perfect instance. As well as the permanent collection of work by Félicien Rops, the museum also organises temporary exhibitions on various themes.
How to get there: Rue Fumal 12, 5000 Namur. 1.3 km from Namur station.
4. BAM (Beaux-Arts Mons) in Mons
This Museum of Fine Arts is located in the centre of Mons. Each year, several exhibitions are organised there. You can become acquainted with modern and contemporary works by individual artists, movements, or on a specific theme, out of the more than 15,000 works in the museum’s collection.
How to get there: Rue Neuve 8, 7000 Mons. 1 km from Mons station.
5. Museum of Fine Arts (Musée des Beaux-Arts) in Tournai
The Museum of Fine Arts is housed in a unique building, specially designed by Victor Horta for the collection of Brussels art lover Henri van Cutsem, who left it to the museum in his will. The collection supplies an overview of the history of painting from the 15th century to the present. It includes two spectacular masterpieces by impressionist Edouard Manet, the only works by the artist to be exhibited in Belgium. Other impressionist works by Monet, Seurat and Van Gogh also hang there, as well as masterpieces by the Flemish Primitives, Rubens, Jordaens, etc.
How to get there: Rue de l’Enclos St. Martin 3, 7500 Tournai. 1.5 km from Tournai station.
6. Museum of Fine Arts (Musée des Beaux-Arts) in Charleroi
The Charleroi Museum of Fine Arts houses an extensive collection of over 3,000 items, including paintings, sculptures, installations, etchings, drawings, photographs and ceramics by old, modern and contemporary masters. To name a few: James Ensor, Rik Wouters, Anna Boch, Constatin Meunier,…
How to get there: Boulevard Mayence 73, 6000 Charleroi. 1.6 km from Charleroi-Central station.
7. Photography Museum, Charleroi
The Photography Museum in Charleroi is one of the most important photography museums in Europe. Its collection numbers over 100,000 photographs, of which 800 are displayed in the permanent exhibition, as well as over 3 million negatives.
How to get there: Avenue Paul Pastur 11, 6032 Charleroi. A 1.9-km walk from Charleroi-Central station. You can also take TEC bus 70,71 or 170 (stop: Place des Essarts in Mont-sur-Marchienne) from the railway station.
8. The MACS, Le Grand Hornu, Mons
The MACS is a unique museum of contemporary art located at the Le Grand Hornu archaeological site. A former colliery built in the early years of the 19th century by Henri De Gorge, it is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Besides the MACS, the site also comprises a design museum and an innovation centre. The MACS’ collection includes about 450 works by contemporary artists such as Tony Oursler, Christian Boltanski, and others.
Location: rue Sainte-Louise 82, 7301 Hornu. 2.3 km from Saint-Ghislain station.
9. BPS22, Charleroi
The BPS22 is the museum of fine arts of the province of Hainaut and one of Wallonia’s largest art museums. It is housed in a glass-and-steel industrial building. The province’s rich collection includes over 7,000 artworks from the 19th to the 21st century such as paintings, videos, tapestries... The museum also exhibits works by contemporary artists.
How to get there: Boulevard Solvay 22, 6000 Charleroi. 1.7 km from Charleroi-Central station.
10. Grand Curtius Museum in Liège
The red-brick Curtius Palace stands at the heart of Liège, on the banks of the Meuse. Explore over 500,000 years of history via its unique collections from various museums. Archaeology, religious and Mosan art, exceptional glass collections from the Val-St-Lambert glassworks and others, and a prestigious weapon collection.
How to get there: Féronstrée 136, 4000 Liège. 1 km from Liège-Saint-Lambert station.
11. Wellington Museum, Waterloo
The Wellington Museum is entirely dedicated to the famous Battle of Waterloo of 1815, at which Napoleon was finally defeated. Its several rooms bring the story of the battle to life with scale models, authentic artefacts, weapons and contemporary engravings. Temporary exhibitions are also regularly organised.
How to get there: Chaussée de Bruxelles 147, 1410 Waterloo. 1.6 km from Waterloo station.
