12 fun things to do in Mechelen, Belgium in a day

A while ago I took my mom to Mechelen, a city here in Belgium, for a day. As it had been a while since I'd last been there, I do as I often do: I drafted up an itinerary with some of the best things to do in Mechelen. Then I thought it would be a shame not to share the list with you guys. I mean, you could easily use it to plan your own day trip to Mechelen, right?

So here goes.

 

Things to do in Mechelen

1. Visit the Grand Place with City Hall

Mechelen's city hall consists of the Palace of the Grand Council and a cloth hall with an unfinished belfry. The belfry was never finished because it depended on money coming in through the cloth industry, which started to struggle in the 14th century.

The belfry was given a temporary roof only in the 16th century, a temporary roof which is currently still there. That didn't prevent it from becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with a bunch of other Belgian belfries, though.

By the way, Mechelen is the only city with two UNESCO World Heritage belfries: the belfry of city hall and the Saint Rumbold's Tower, which I'll mention later.

Another fun fact: the Grand Council never resided in the Palace of the Grand Council as there was not enough money to finish the building when construction started in the 16th century. It took 400 years for the Mechelen Palace to be completed according to the original plans.

The interior of city hall can be visited, but only if you take a historical tour of the city with a guide.
 

2. Have a drink on the Vismarkt

The Vismarkt or “Fish Market” is where – indeed – fish trade used to happen. Nowadays you can still find a few fish shops on this market square by the water, but it's mostly the place to go when you want to have a drink or a light meal. There are brown bars and trendy cafes, but mom and I opted to have brunch at the cute coffee, brunch and lunch spot Sister Bean.
 

3. Visit Kazerne Dossin

This is the only place on my list that we didn't actually visit because the weather was simply too nice that day and also because I wanted to keep things jolly. It is definitely worth a mention, though.

Kazerne Dossin is a museum and memorial site that not only commemorates the time this army casern was occupied by the Germans and used as a detention and deportation camp but also reflects on themes such as racism, exclusion, human rights, and mass violence.

Through a historical perspective on the situation in Belgium in the 1940's, the global discrimination of Jews and Gypsies and the organized extermination of a whole population, a link is made with contemporary human right issues. If you're wondering what to do in Mechelen on a rainy day, this is a good place to go.
 

4. Go shopping on the Bruul, but look up as well

The Bruul is Mechelen's main shopping street. You'll find some independent boutiques here as well as chain stores like H&M. Mechelen isn't as known for great shopping as, for example, Antwerp, but to compensate the Bruul does have some nice architecture as well, regardless of the stores there.

The beautiful building of the world-renowned Carillon School (number 52), for example, which you can visit in a group after making a reservation. The school was founded in 1922 and was the first of its kind. It still attracts students from all over the world.
 

5. Picnic at the Botanical Garden

The Botanical Garden is the biggest park in the historical center of Mechelen city. The first version of the park was designed in 1862 by Louis Fuchs, a landscape architect who designed several city parks in Belgium, such as the Parc du Waux Hall in Mons.

The Botanical Garden underwent significant changes and restorations based on those original designs throughout the years, but the expansion of the school bordering the garden, among other things, means a lot has changed as well. Locals come here for a walk, to picnic or to play with their kids.
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6. Walk along the Melaan and the Dyle Path

Mechelen is located by the river Dyle and in recent years it underwent some serious renovations that, among other things, gave the river a more prominent and pleasant role in the cityscape. There's a Dyle Path that runs along and over the river from the Haverwerf to the Botanical Garden, which allows you to get a different look at the houses in the city: from the back!

And then there's also the small water run Melaan, which also goes accompanied by a path you can walk along.
 

7. Dive into the past at the Haverwerf

The Haverwerf is named after the activities that used to take place there. “Haver” in Dutch is oatmeal and it used to be a synonym for grain. Before, boats transporting grain had to stop at the Haverwerf for at least three days to offer their goods for sale. Whatever wasn't sold in the city, the grain boats could take with them again and sell elsewhere.

Today, the Haverwerf showcases some beautiful 16th and 17th-century houses and you can spot some pleasure boats there as well.
 

8. Stroll through the Small, the Big Beguinage and the Garden Oh!

Both the Small and the Big or Large Beguinage date back to the 13th century, but the Small Beguinage was founded first. It became so popular that the number of beguines outgrew the beguinage and so the Big Beguinage was built. The beguines who were fit enough moved there, while the older and physically challenged beguines stayed in the Small Beguinage. The last beguines in Mechelen died in the 1980's.

The Big Beguinage is part of the Belgian beguinages that together are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which makes it one of the most popular places to see for those who visit Mechelen. It comprises the Conventstraat, Fonteinstraatje, Hoviusstraat, Krankenstraat, Nonnenstraat, Jezuspoort, Moreelstraat, Sint-Alexiusstraat, Krommestraat, the cemetery of the beguinage, the Sint-Beggastraat, Twaalf-Apostelenstraat, Acht-Zalighedenstraat, and the Cellebroedersstraat.

Especially the Hoviusstraat is nice, with an old convent, houses with beautiful doors and icons here and there.

The Garden Oh! is a little public park located right next to the Small Beguinage. It's a lovely spot to have a picnic or to sit down with a book.
 

9. Walk through the Klapgat after you've visited St John's Church

The Saint John's Church dates back to the 15th century when it was built on the spot where there used to be a chapel. The church has a rich interior, including a painting by Peter Paul Rubens.

The Klapgat is Mechelen's most famous alley. This is where churchgoers used to get together after the service to talk or “klap” – “to talk” in Flemish dialect.
 

10. Have a coffee in one of the many fun coffee shops

I already mentioned Sister Bean, but Mechelen has several cute little coffee shops that make great stops to refuel your energy level. Gamine is just one example and a place I checked out myself.
 

11. Climb up the St Rumbolds Tower

The Saint Rumbold's Tower is the symbol of Mechelen and another UNESCO World Heritage Site, but it's also unfinished. The construction works that started in 1452, were never finished. The tower used to hold the city's most important documents and also served as a belfry, with the clocks both indicating the time and approaching dangers.

The belfry used to boast the world's biggest tower clock, even bigger than the clock adorning Big Ben in London. That clock is gone now, but the Saint Rumbold's Tower still plays a melody every fifteen minutes and a single sound right in between, at seven and a half minutes. You can visit the tower and get a great view over Mechelen from the skywalk.

By the way, there's a famous legend attached to the Saint Rumbold's Tower. The legend goes that on the night of January 27-28, 1687, there was a full moon and low hanging clouds. When a man left the bar late at night, he saw a glow coming from the tower and smoke rising up from it. He thought the tower was on fire and so he alerted everyone.

It wasn't until the entire city had carried buckets of water up the stairs of the tower that they realized the glow had come from the moon shining through the windows of the tower, making it look like it was on fire and as if the clouds were smoke. The people of Mechelen tried to cover up that they'd actually tried to extinguish the moon, but the story spread and until this day they're called the “Maneblussers” or “Moon Extinguishers”.
 

Not on my list, but maybe on yours?

12. Brewery Het Anker

Founded in 1369, Het Anker brewery is one of the oldest breweries in Belgium. Its Carolus beer has won several rewards and is still brewed at the same spot. Individual visitors can join a tour every day of the week, except on Mondays.
 

Extra: Mechelen Muurt

Mechelen Muurt is a street art project by artist Gijs Vanhee. He invited 10 international street artists to do their thing on walls around the city. The result is a street art route you can follow by yourself. Check out the route here.
 

And that's it for my things to do in Mechelen!
 

Where to stay in Mechelen

Special: Hotel Brewery Het Anker
Het Anker is Mechelen's own famous brewery and you can stay there! This 3-star hotel is located in the 15th-century brewery building just a 10-minute walk from the Grote Markt. It offers free WiFi throughout the property and has an on-site restaurant and patio. Breakfast is included in the room price.
Book a room / Read reviews on TripAdvisor
 

Guesthouse: Huis Alfons
Huis Alfons or “House Alfons” lies right in city center. All its rooms have a seating corner, desk, tea and coffee maker, and flatscreen tv. WiFi is free throughout the property and a continental breakfast is included in the room price.
Book a room
 

Budget: Hostel De Zandpoort
Hostel De Zandpoort lies on the edge of Mechelen's city center, walking distance from the train station. It has a garden, a patio, and a communal lounge area. All rooms and dorms have an en suite bathroom and WiFi is free throughout the property.
Book a room / Read reviews on TripAdvisor
 

Vacation home: Jutta
Vacation home Jutta is located at the edge of Mechelen's city center. It has five bedrooms, a living room, and a fully-equipped kitchen. Guests have bikes at their disposal to ride into town and parking on the street is free.
Book this home
 

How to get to Mechelen

The easiest wat to get to Mechelen is by train. The train station is walking distance from the city center.

Click here for train options and prices.
 

Don't forget travel insurance

Plan for the best, prepare for the worst. Travel insurance has you covered in case (part of) your trip gets canceled, you get sick or hurt abroad, and sometimes even when your electronics break or get stolen. I always make sure I'm covered every trip I go on.

Don't have travel insurance yet? Check out SafetyWing. They offer super flexible plans that you can even sign up for while you're already on your trip. On top of that, they were the first travel insurance to cover COVID, and when I got COVID, they reimbursed all of my expenses without making a fuss. Their customer support team is great and I can personally recommend them.
 

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