Castles Guides

14 guides

Gravensteen puts a medieval castle of the Counts a short stroll from Ghent's Korenmarkt and Belfry, which makes the city the easiest place in Belgium to fold a fortress into an ordinary day of sightseeing. Away from that central keep, the character shifts: Ooidonk near Deinze is a moated Hispano-Flemish Renaissance house on a bend of the Leie, while the castles around Bruges are forest and polder country houses rather than grand châteaux, and the 3 Castles Walking Route links Tillegem, Tudor and Beisbroek in a single outing.

In the Ardennes the scale grows. Bouillon spreads across three rocky peaks above the Semois, and half a day covers ramparts, the Austrian Tower and underground passages; near Dinant, Vêves is a lived-in medieval castle with pointed turrets and child-sized knight costumes, while Walzin is a private landmark best appreciated from the valley floor rather than inside. What trips visitors up is expecting interiors everywhere: several houses are private or viewed from outside, and guided tours run to set times and rates. Check ticket bands and tour schedules before setting out.