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    Mechelen

    Belgium

    Mechelen

    City

    Mechelen is halfway between Brussels and Antwerp and can be reached from both cities in about 20 minutes by train. You come for the tower of St. Rumbold's Cathedral, one of Belgium's oldest breweries, and a poignant Holocaust memorial.

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    5. Belgium
    7. Province of Antwerp
    9. Mechelen
    Mechelen is halfway between Brussels and Antwerp and can be reached from both cities in about 20 minutes by train. You come for the tower of St. Rumbold's Cathedral, one of Belgium's oldest breweries, and a poignant Holocaust memorial.In the first half of the 16th century, Mechelen was the capital of the Netherlands under Margaret of Austria. Palaces and churches date from this Burgundian golden age, and the Old Town remains manageable and largely car-free to this day.
    Mechelen, with nearly 87,000 inhabitants, lies approximately 25 kilometers from both Brussels and Antwerp. Its historic core is mostly car-free and a fifteen-minute walk from the train station. Notably, Mechelen is the City of Carillons: It hosts the Royal Carillon School Jef Denyn, training carillonneurs from around the world. Highlights include the area around Grote Markt and Cathedral, the Hof van Busleyden quarter, and the Kazerne Dossin. Families can enjoy an additional destination in the Toy Museum.

    Sights in Mechelen

    Discover the most important sights and attractions

    Attraction

    1Grote Markt

    The main square is dominated by the town hall complex, which includes the old Cloth Hall and a 14th-century belfry. Above it rises the cathedral tower.
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    Attraction

    2Sint-Romboutstoren

    The cathedral tower, built between 1452 and 1520, is 97 meters high and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Belfries. Climb 538 steps to reach the Skywalk at the top; tickets are available online.
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    Museum

    3Kazerne Dossin

    Memorial, museum and research center on the Holocaust and human rights, located in and opposite the former assembly barracks from which over 25,000 people were deported between 1942 and 1944. The new building opened in 2012. It is open daily except Wednesdays; the house remains closed on Jewish holidays; the permanent exhibition will be gradually renewed until 2030.
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    Museum

    4Museum Hof van Busleyden

    The museum in the Renaissance palace of the humanist Hieronymus van Busleyden reopened in 2018 after restoration. The permanent exhibition is dedicated to the Burgundian period and Margaret of Austria. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
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    Museum

    5Toy Museum Mechelen

    The Toy Museum is a great destination for families. Its ticket offers a discount on the Sint-Rombouts Tower climb.
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    Attraction

    6Brouwerij Het Anker

    The 1471-founded brewery in the former Beguinage quarter is one of Belgium's oldest, brewing Gouden Carolus beers. Tours, available weekly in English, start from 16 Euros; reservation is recommended. Also on site: a whisky distillery and a brasserie with Belgian food.
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    Restaurants in Mechelen

    1

    Tinèlle

    Franco-Belgian cuisine by Ken Verschueren with a Michelin star, located in the wing of the historic Predikheren Monastery. Known for dishes with North Sea crabs.
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    2

    Grass Gate

    Creative French cuisine in Begijnenstraat, recommended in the Michelin Guide.
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    Mechelen Specialties

    Gouden Carolus

    Beer family from Brewery Het Anker, named after a gold coin from the time of Charles V. The Cuvée van de Keizer is brewed only once a year, on February 24th, the Emperor's birthday.

    Mechelen Bruynen

    Barley beer, considered the favourite beer of Emperor Charles V and rooted in very old tradition. Today's version is stronger and hoppier.

    Maneblusser

    Mechelen's city beer, introduced in 2009 and named after the inhabitants' nickname.

    Mechelse Koekoek

    A regional chicken breed with a meaty body and black-and-white speckled plumage, reminiscent of a cuckoo.

    Burgundian Capital and Bell City

    Court of Margaret of AustriaUnder Archduchess Margaret of Austria, Mechelen was the political center of the Netherlands in the first half of the 16th century. Scholars such as Erasmus and Thomas More frequented the Renaissance palace of the humanist Hieronymus van Busleyden. Today, the museum there showcases the city's Burgundian period.Bells and RemembranceTwo carillons hang in the tower of St. Rumbold's Cathedral, and the Jef Denyn Carillon School makes Mechelen an international center for this art. The Kazerne Dossin commemorates a dark chapter: From 1942 to 1944, over 25,000 Jews, as well as Sinti and Roma, were deported from this barracks to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

    Getting There and Around in Mechelen

    Getting ThereBrussels, Antwerp, and Leuven are each 20 minutes away by train. A direct train from Brussels Airport reaches Mechelen in eleven minutes. Mechelen station is a 15-minute walk from the Grote Markt, Mechelen-Nekkerspoel about ten, but not all trains stop there.Getting AroundThe historic city center is largely car-free; between 11 AM and 6 PM, no motorized traffic is allowed. Parking garages are available around the center; the cheaper ones on the outskirts are connected to the city center by the free M-Shuttle. Unlike Antwerp and Ghent, Mechelen does not have an environmental zone.

    Accommodations in Mechelen

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    Campgrounds in Mechelen

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      • 2Sint-Romboutstoren4 days
      • 3Kazerne Dossin5 days
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    Nearby

    Province of Antwerp

    Belgium's northernmost province borders the Netherlands, reaching from Antwerp to the heath and forest landscape of Kempen. Besides Antwerp, with the Rubens House and Plantin-Moretus Museum, Mechelen is also worth a visit, with its cathedral and the Grand Beguinage.
    Antwerp

    Antwerp

    Antwerp is the port and art city on the Scheldt, approximately 40 kilometres north of Brussels. Here you'll encounter Rubens in the Cathedral, one of Europe's most beautiful train stations, and a museum tower with panoramic views over the port.In the 16th century, Antwerp was one of Europe's leading trade centres; this is evidenced by the Old Town and the Plantin-Moretus Printing Museum. Today, the fashion scene, diamond trade, and one of Europe's largest ports characterise the city.
    Brussels

    Brussels

    Brussels is the capital of Belgium and home to key EU institutions, also one of Europe's great cultural cities. Around the Grand-Place, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1998, are guildhouses, 19th-century covered shopping arcades, and countless brasseries; in addition, there's the Atomium, Victor Horta's Art Nouveau houses, and the Magritte Museum.
    Region Brussels-Capital

    Region Brussels-Capital

    The Capital Region comprises Brussels and its 19 municipalities, and is a bilingual enclave in the heart of Flanders. Home to central EU institutions and NATO headquarters, Brussels is also one of Europe's great cultural cities, boasting the Grand-Place and Victor Horta's townhouses.
    Lions

    Lions

    Leuven (German: Löwen) is located approximately 25 kilometres east of Brussels and has been home to one of Europe's oldest universities since 1425. You come here for the Late Gothic Town Hall, the UNESCO-protected Great Beguinage, and an Old Town shaped by student life.More than 50,000 students from KU Leuven ensure the cafés on Oude Markt are bustling late into the night. The city is also home to the headquarters of brewing giant AB InBev, where Stella Artois is brewed. The compact city centre is easily explored on foot.