Belgians seem to like small statues and the Monkey of Mons is one of them. Matter of fact, he is…read morethe symbol of this Walloonian town/city in the south of Belgium. The little dude is located in the main square or "grand place" and is attached to the town hall or "hotel de ville" which is very centrally located. Its not much to look at; just a little curiousity like the peeing boy up in Brussels, but it is a landmark and is well known in the city. I give it 4 stars because yes, I am a fan of the little dude and also the city of Mons, my adopted home.

This is worth the visit if you are have interest in history, are looking for a peaceful environment…read morefor tranquility and/or exploration, or love photography. As of 2024, the ticket for 1 adult is 10 euros.

What a wonderful experience. If you're trying to figure out some tourist things to do, This place…read moreshould be on the list. If you have a car or time on a weekend to figure out the public transportation route here, there's a train stop which you can walk to here from the train stop this place was such a great family activity. The history behind this Abbey was great to explore as well as walking around the ruins. There were plenty of places to sit and rest. You can go to the second floor of the abbey where monks used to sleep. We learned about bleeding (which was very interesting) and the timeline of this place really put the abbey and its age into perspective. This place have plenty of places to have quiet time and is a great place for a date if you're ever looking for a date spot.

Spent an afternoon here and loved it…read more Really enjoyed walking around, looking at all the architecture, eating churros, sitting in the center and watching people walk by (lots from different areas of the world). There's also stores and I highly recommend walking away from it too, there's a church a couple of blocks away and the walk there is very nice (beautiful scenery).

First of all, am surprised that there isn't a review in English on the main square in Mons…read more I get downtown Mons probably a half a dozen times at least each month and since the heart of the city is the main square or "grand place" as they call it in French, I usually end up down here. The center piece of the square is the town hall "hotel de ville", which was built back in the 15th century, if I remember correctly. On the front of the town hall is the Monkey of Mons, but that's for another review and there are many on Yelp about it. The square is mostly filled with cafes and restaurants, so you can walk across the cobblestones from one side of the square to another and enjoy Belgian food, Danish food in the Copenhagen or if you must, there is also a McDonalds. In the summer, or really any time that it isn't raining, its great to sit outside to eat or just enjoy one of the 500+ beers that you can find in the area. The tourist info office is located here too, just next to the town hall. On the other side of the town hall too is the Salle St Georges, where there are often free exhibitions going on. It is a nice little square which affords a nice view of the belfry too. Oh, the UK's Princes William and Harry were just here this week, along with William's wife, and the Belgian Prime Minister, who is a local man, to commemorate the beginning of World War I's 100th anniversary.

St. Bavo's Cathedral was the must stop for me in Ghent to see the Adoration of the Lamb altarpiece…read morepainted by Jan Van Eck. The only way to view it required a 12.5E admission which gained entrance to the rear of the cathedral. The altarpiece was located behind a glass enclosure not only to protect it from the environment but also prevent any more thefts. Most of the altarpiece appeared in vivid colors and in great detail from the recently completed restoration of the lower panels. The top panels were high resolution copies (you can see the originals still being restored at the Museum of Fine Arts - MSK). Don't just look at the front but also circle around to the sides to see more paintings. Those would be shown in front when the altarpiece sides were swung shut. Another masterpiece located in the rear was the Conversion of St. Bavo by another great artist, Peter Paul Ruebens. St. Bavo is the patron saint of Ghent. The rest of the cathedral was admission free to wander and other items of interest were the statue of Father Damiaan and the very detailed carved pulpit.

I've done a lot of church "tours" in my travels. It is always nice to see their art, explore their…read morealtars, and in general experience the culture. However, I've never seen one have an immersive, holographic experience... until now. Rather than just walk around and stare, or even try to partially follow an audio tour, you are provided with a headset which syncs to the various areas of the church to provide a deep historical overview. I loved how the graphics made it clear how the church grew (no more wondering if 'that' was the area they meant). The detail was amazing, even down to the noise from the virtual crowds which got louder or softer as you moved towards or away from them. The Lamb of God painting was not one I was familiar with and getting the details on not just its production but movements over time helped me appreciate it even more! I wouldn't usually say you need to prioritize a church when exploring a European city but in this case I would highly recommend you not only visit but opt for the immersive tour!

The floral carpet is one of those things that most visitors to Belgium see on every single…read morepostcard, but rarely get to experience live. It takes a certain degree of planning - first of all, you have to go in an even year (there was one this year, the next is in 2010), then there are the exact dates of the carpet as it only lasts for two weeks. And just when you've cracked all that, turning up to Grand Place and looking at a sea of petals from ground level isn't particularly impressive, so you need to go the final mile and pay EUR3 or so to get into the Town Hall, queue up patiently, climb the steps to the tower and view it from above on the balconies (though to be fair, you pass some excellent and interesting rooms in the Town Hall as you wait to get to a balcony). It's worth it though. The 2006 carpet had rotating flowerbeds on, and when you consider just how many thousands of flowerheads have been diligently pressed into moss, it makes Derbyshire well dressing look like child's play.

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