If you want a happy respite from the intense summer heat this year then head to Belgium. Or better still, hop on a plane to Brussels and enjoy the blooming Spring season in this beautiful European city.
Here’s what is there to discover in Brussels:
Meise Botanical Garden
If you love cutesy baby pictures and have a one year old, head to the Meise Botanical Gardens. Get the baby clicked on a giant lily pad and make a tremendous memory of it. The Botanical Garden is just outside the Belgian capital. Built in and around a castle, it is a green paradise of plants. There are 18,000 variety of flora on display here. In the Spring, the flowers in the Botanical Garden provide a colorful spectacle. Stroll through this green world with your family or hold hands with your partner for a romantic escapade. Walk through rainforests, stroll past desert flora or marvel at the Mediterranean plants. Giant water lilies, banana trees and Venus fly traps are just some of the things you get to see there – all in one place.
The Meise Botanical Garden is 7.5 miles (12 km) from Brussels.
Travel Tip: combine your trip with a visit to the nearby Atomium.
Royal Greenhouses of Laeken
Probably the most beautiful gardens in Brussels, you can find it hidden behind the Royal Palace. Every spring, the Royal Family opens its greenhouses to the public. Commissioned by King Leopold II, the glass complex is an architectural gem designed by Alphonse Balat, whose apprentice was Art Nouveau pioneer Victor Horta. The shiny domes, monumental pavilions, and long galleries of this enormous greenhouse contain some of the rarest plants and trees in the world. Prepare your senses for an enchanting feast of fragrances and colors. Plan on that vacation quickly because, the greenhouse can be visited from 21 April – 11 May 2018.
Tervuren Park
Teuvuren Park is very beautiful in Autumn, but, the stately avenues dotted with ponds, flower beds and artworks that forms the green carpet to Tervuren Park – also known as Warande – is lush and wonderful in the Spring too. Take a nap near the pretty ponds or spread out your picnic blanket on lush, well-tended lawns. Make sure you pay a visit to the Royal Museum for Central Africa. This beautiful neo-classical building houses many fascinating exhibits and looks out over the park. Renovation is currently on to give the ethnographic collection from Central Africa a new look, the museum reopens at the end of 2018. But, you can walk around the park and breathe in fresh air as much as you like.
Hallerbos
Hallerbos means bluebells in Belgian. Ever imagined wading through a mystical forest on horseback? Then, this is the place for you. Something magical happens here every spring: thousands of bluebells (hyacinths) come into bloom displaying their deep purple and blue flowers and forming a beautiful, colorful carpet. The blue forest has become a genuine crowd favorite and attracts tourists from near and far every year. Best time to visit are mid-April to mid-May when the bluebells are in bloom.
Floralia Brussels
Imagine, a 12th century castle surrounded by a million budding flowers. That’s what happens each year at Groot-Bijgaarden Castle’s colorful flower show, Floralia. Immerse yourself in the colorful tulips, daffodils and grape hyacinths. You can climb up to the roof terrace of the castle tower and if you look closely, you can count the nine globes of the Atomium in the distance. The fifteenth edition of the Floralia runs from 6 April to 6 May 2018.
Flower Carpet Brussels
If you are in Brussels at this time, don’t dare skip the flower carpet on the Grand Pace. It is on display for an entire weekend, every two years. Expect 600,000 beautiful begonias covering the entire square. The floral wonder really comes into its own in this delightful Gothic setting. End your day with a spectacular light and sound concert in the Grand Place that takes place each evening.
Tip: You can admire this unique view from the Town Hall terrace? It’s the ideal place to get the perfect photo of this magical event.