21 October 2024
Have a long layover in Brussels Airport, and want to see somewhere new? How about Mechelen?
Long layovers in airports can be a drag, can’t they? Or – they can give you an opportunity to explore a new place. We have 3 choices:
Wander around the airport, watch people rushing back and forth, energetic atmosphere
Hang out in a lounge, more of a, well, funereal atmosphere
Get out of the airport and explore
By now, you know I’ll almost always go for option 3, right?
Mechelen
I have been back and forth to Brussels many times over many years – most times for work, other times for play, and sometimes for both. And whenever I had the opportunity (i.e. extra time), I had a look at interesting destinations nearby, in Belgium and beyond.
Sometimes I would take the train to Amsterdam or Antwerp. On the way north, shortly after leaving Brussels, the train would stop in Mechelen, and I promised myself, one day I will get off here and have a look around.
Well, the years passed. I changed jobs and stopped travelling to Brussels so frequently. But today, on the way home from Toulouse, I have a 6-hour wait. Much too long to hang out in the airport. Should I take the train to the centre of Brussels? Or… wait a minute, how about Mechelen? At last?
This little town is ca. 20 minutes by train from Brussels Airport. Mechelen railway station is undergoing some construction work, and it’s a bit of a mess right now (October 2024). Behind the scaffolding, it looks pretty cool, though, with a white wave of a roof.
Binnendijle is part of the River Dyle. A canoe trip on the river comes highly recommended. If you have more than 2 hours in town, that is.
Grote Markt
A short 12-minute walk, most of it on a long, pedestrianised street, across a small bridge across Binnendijle canal, and soon, I am at Grote Markt. This is the central square – and Mechelen’s historic centre. Amongst city palaces and ancient churches, all gorgeous Renaissance and Rococo buildings, the most dominant is Sint-Rumboutstooren – the tower of Saint Rumbold’s Cathedral. This massive tower is part of the world heritage site Belfries of Belgium and France. You can climb the stairs to the top of the 97-metre high tower with excellent cityscape views, a skywalk and VR story tellers. The visit takes 1 – 1.5 hours, and it might be a bit of a wait to get in. I’m not risking it today.
Grote Markt is car free. (But not bike free, so do not walk and text. I speak from experience.) When the underground car park was built, an old well and a road from the 13th century were discovered, showing that there were market stalls here already 800 years ago. And it still is, every Saturday morning.
Right behind Grote Markt is a cosy area, with several cafes and restaurants, a bit quiet on a Monday afternoon.
Mechelen has been a nice little stop, even in rain. And there’s bound to be even more to it than my 2 hours allows for. I could hang around longer. But not today.
World at a Glance is a series of short articles here on Sophie’s World, with a single photo (hah!), portraying curious, evocative, happy, sad or wondrous, unexpected little encounters – or simply cute little places.
World at a Glance: #InTransit Mechelen is a post from Sophie’s World