Liege
Wallonia'S Big River City: The Prince Bishops' Palace, The 374 Step Montagne De Bueren, The Sunday La Batte Market, Calatrava'S Liege Guillemins Station And The Home Of The Liege Waffle · Liege, Liege Province
Liege (Luik in Dutch) is Wallonia's big river city on the Meuse, about an hour by train east of Brussels and close to the Dutch and German borders. For some 800 years it was the seat of an independent prince-bishopric, and the vast Prince-Bishops' Palace still anchors the centre. Locals call it the Cite Ardente, the fiery city, and it feels like it: loud, warm, a little chaotic. People come to climb the Montagne de Bueren, 374 steps straight up the hillside, to shop at La Batte, the Sunday market along the Meuse that is said to be among the oldest and largest in Europe, to see Santiago Calatrava's white Liege-Guillemins station, and for the Grand Curtius and La Boverie museums. It is also the home of the Liege waffle, boulets a la liegeoise and peket, and the Outremeuse quarter throws a famous party on 15 August. The honest caveat: Liege is gritty rather than pretty, parts of the centre are scruffy, some streets feel rough late at night, and French is the language you will need.
Place Saint-Lambert and the Prince-Bishops' Palace, central Liege, with the Montagne de Bueren stairs and the Meuse quays, Liege, Liege Province, Belgium
The streets, the Montagne de Bueren stairs and the Meuse quays are always open; the stairs are lit at night. La Batte runs on Sunday mornings only, roughly from early morning to early afternoon, all year - confirm. The Prince-Bishops' Palace is mostly law courts: the first courtyard is usually open on weekdays, while interior visits are by guided tour on set dates. The Grand Curtius and La Boverie usually close on Mondays, with changing hours for exhibitions - check the current schedule. Getting there: SNCB/NMBS intercity trains from Brussels take about an hour to Liege-Guillemins, and some international high-speed trains also stop there; Maastricht and Aachen are close by train. The station is about 25-30 minutes' walk or a short TEC bus ride from the centre; a new tram line has been built through the city - confirm it is running. Drivers should use a car park near the station or the centre and check whether any low emission rules apply. Book the palace tours and the big La Boverie exhibitions ahead.