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Why you will love Flanders
Flanders is a small Belgian region where it is almost impossible to get bored. A place to discover by bike in the heart of Europe, among natural beauties, historic castles and gardens, ancient stories and innovative creations. A country famous for cycling and beer that surprises even more with its modern architecture and street art, with the revolutionary painting of James Ensor and its North Sea. It is impossible not to fall in love. Find out why you should visit Flanders (and for lots of useful information, take a look at Visit Flanders!)
Where to find Flanders
Flanders is a small region on a human scale, and is located in Belgium, in the northern part of the country. You have the Netherlands to the east, France to the west, and luckily the North Sea. The most famous cities, and the ones you may have heard of, are Antwerp, Bruges, Leuven, Mechelen and Ghent, all close together. Then there is Brussels, the capital of Belgium, famous for French fries and the irreverent Manneken-Pis, which needs little introduction.
Why Flanders is famous
When you think of Flanders, you immediately think of chocolate and beer (you must try lambic and gueuze), the famous double-fried chips, epic cycling with the monumental classics that the strongest cyclists try to win every year, the great Flemish masters and the romantic charm of Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp. But the secret to capturing the true soul of the Belgian region is to go beyond the stereotypes. Between street art and murals, modern art and visionary painters, an unusual North Sea wild, but with an artistic twist.
James Ensor, Flemish Master
James Ensor’s art was revolutionary: he belonged to the small group of European avant-garde artists who, at the end of the 19th century, liberated painting from romantic heroism, appearance and banal realism. In Flanders, his art can be discovered in three cities: : Ostend, Antwerp and Brussels. Ostend, his hometown on the North Sea coast, is the perfect place to immerse yourself in his universe. You start at the Ensor House, the building near the beach where the master spent the last 30 years of his life, and arrive at the Mu.Zee, the museum of modern and contemporary art with a section dedicated to his works. But his art is also worth a visit in Antwerp at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA), with the richest Ensor collection in the world, and in Brussels at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts Brussels (KMSKB), which exhibits interesting emblems of his work.
Street art and modern architecture
Flanders has a creative side, and Antwerp, Ghent and Bruges are three perfect destinations to discover it. Antwerp is a city in constant transformation; the port is worth a visit, with masterpieces such as Zaha Hadid’s Port House or the Felix Pakhuis, a wonderful example of urban regeneration. Also beautiful is the M HKA, a place of pure innovation with its contemporary art in the Het Zuid district. Ghent is the city of street art, but there are other places not to be missed. For example, the City Pavilion, a magnificent piece of contemporary architecture in glass and wood, or De Krook, a media library in the shape of a steel barge, and two other museums: the MSK, the Ghent Museum of Fine Arts, and the SMAK, the Ghent Museum of Contemporary Art. In Bruges, note the Art Triennial, held every three years.
Finally, if you like street art, in the province of Flemish Brabant, around the capital Brussels, there are murals dedicated to cycling, created by the Treepack collective, connected by bike paths for a route that combines art, nature and sport, in true Flemish style.
Unusual North Sea
The Flemish coast has everything you could dream of: huge beaches and an uncrowded sea. But that’s not all. There are two things that make it truly unique: the Beaufort Art Triennial and a coastal tram. The Beaufort Triennial, held every three years, brings contemporary art to the Flemish coast with sculptures made on or near the beach. But you don’t have to wait for the Triennial to enjoy Beaufort, thanks to the Beaufort Sculpture Park, where more than 40 works from previous editions have found a permanent home. Then there is the coastal tramway, the longest in the world, which runs continuously along 67 kilometers of coastline, and you can even load your bikes on it!
Visit Flanders by bike
If visiting Flanders is your next dream, check out Girolibero’s Flanders tours: bike and boat tours, bike tours with children, the Tour of Flanders for real sportsmen… There’s something for everyone!
