Mechelen is a charming city in Flanders, Belgium, that has been the capital of three European countries and has a lot to offer visitors without the overwhelming crowds
The enchanting city of Mechelen – a hidden gem in Flanders – is brimming with renaissance palaces, medieval churches and a brewery. Despite its rich history and an array of great bars, top-notch restaurants – including one with a Michelin star – and fascinating museums, it remains largely untouched by the tourist masses.
Just a 30-minute train ride from Brussels Gare du Midi, which is itself only two hours from London St Pancras via Eurostar, this city is surprisingly accessible. Mechelen was once the capital of most of the Low Countries – Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg – during the 16th century.
It’s a city that railway enthusiasts might already be familiar with, as Mechelen’s original 1835 train station served as the terminus of continental Europe’s first railway.
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Currently undergoing a transformation, the station is part construction site, part futuristic travel hub. From here, it’s just a 15-minute stroll through narrow cobbled streets to reach the heart of the historic town centre.
The Unesco world heritage bell tower of Saint Rumbold’s Cathedral serves as a landmark, and if you’re up for the challenge, climbing the 538 stairs to the belfry rewards you with breathtaking views of this captivating city from an open-air walkway at the top of the tower.
The Hof van Buseyden museum, a redbrick palace encircled by ornate Renaissance gardens, offers a glimpse into the city’s golden age.
Once a meeting place for princes, emperors and notable figures like Erasmus and Sir Thomas More, it now houses a museum dedicated to the city’s history, boasting priceless tapestries, baroque sculptures and works from Flemish old masters such as Peter Paul Rubens and David Vinckboons.
Kazerne Dossin is a Holocaust museum that pays tribute to Mechelen’s transit camp used for deporting Jews, Gypsies and homosexuals to Nazi concentration camps.
The austere concrete pentagon building spans four floors, each dedicated to the victims of wartime antisemitism in Belgium, alongside temporary exhibitions highlighting contemporary human rights abuses worldwide.
The city’s public library, repurposed from a 17th-century monastery, always has a wealth of free cultural activities on offer, reports the Express.
Another iconic structure in Mechelen is the Grand Beguinage, a medieval Flemish mini-town initially established as a sanctuary for lay religious women. Now a Unesco world heritage site, it’s a maze of narrow lanes and quaint cottages.
You’ll also discover Het Anker, a family-run brewery and distillery established in 1471. A tour includes beer and whisky tastings, and its cosy brasserie is renowned for local specialities like beef carbonnade, a hearty stew slow-cooked in their signature Gouden Carolus beer, or Mechelen’s famous koekouek (cuckoo chicken), served with fresh local asparagus.
Gourmet lovers will relish the Michelin-starred dining room of Tinelle which offers a €53 (£45) three-course lunch by Flemish chef Ken Verschueren, along with à la carte dishes such as North Sea crab, smoked eel and pigeon.
If you’re spending a weekend in Mechelen, Saturday is market day in Grote Markt, the city’s main square, surrounded by ancient mansions, guild houses and its grandiose 16th-century town hall, reminiscent of Brussels. This is the spot to purchase local cheeses, smoked sausages, shrimps and oysters, and enjoy chilled Belgian bubbly or beer.