Discover Benelux | Culture | Office du Tourisme de Liège
Nightlife, art and history in the beer city TEXT: MALIN NORMAN | PHOTOS: OFFICE DU TOURISME DE LIÈGE
Liège is a destination in its own right, worth staying for a couple of days. Visitors can explore the historic centre and museums, check out the many events in autumn and winter, and, of course, try the local beers – or perhaps the beer marathon. After all, this is the beer lovers’ city. “I didn’t know that Liège is so beautiful,” is what many tourists say, according to Office du Tourisme de Liège. Visitors can check out the many museums and there are a lot of shopping opportunities and fun events. What surprises many is the quality of the historical centre and the many buildings. When walking around, 92 | Issue 57 | September 2018
you can really sense the heritage. Plus, the narrow streets and hidden places make you travel in time. Arriving by train is a nice way to take in the city when visiting for the first time. Gare des Guillemins was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, famous in particular for his bridges, railway stations and stadiums. With its enormous glass roof that lets the light in, it is often called a ‘cathedral of the modern age’.
Discoveries in autumn and winter One of the highlights is La Nocturne des coteaux de la Citadelle on 6 October, when the city reveals its alleyways,
courtyards, staircases, terraces, paths, fields and meadows in the Citadelle with around 22,000 candles. Every year, some 30,000 visitors come to see the candlelit city centre, enjoy the festive atmosphere and perhaps also make their way up the 374 steps of the famous stairway of the Montagne de Bueren. Another festive event is the Christmas market, the first in Belgium and still one of the biggest with around 200 stalls. Visitors can also try ice-skating on Place de la Cathédrale, the toboggan run on Place Saint-Lambert, check out the sound and light show at Cathedral Saint Paul or the European Circus Festival in the d'Avroy