17 Best Sights in Liège, The Meuse and the Ardennes

This church contains Liège’s greatest treasure and one of the Seven Religious Wonders of Belgium: the Baptismal Font of Renier de Huy, which dates from between 1107 and 1118. The brass masterpiece of Art Mosan, weighing half a ton, is decorated in high relief with figures of the five biblical baptismal scenes. They’re depicted with an extraordinary suppleness, and the font rests on 10 oxen, which are also varied and interesting. 

Liége's imposing Gothic cathedral houses handsome statues by Jean Delcour, including one of St. Paul. (Other graceful works by this 18th-century sculptor dot the old city.) The cathedral’s most prized possessions, however, are to be found in the Treasury (enter via rue Bonne Fortune 6), especially the Reliquaire de Charles le Téméraire (Reliquary of Charles the Bold), with gold and enamel figures of St. George and the bold duke himself on his knees; curiously, their faces are identical. This reliquary was presented to Liège by Charles the Bold in 1471 in penance for having had the city razed three years earlier.

The highlight of a visit to this complex east of Liège is a trip down the former Blegny Coal Mine, which produced 1,000 tons of coal a day at its peak. Liège’s wealth was based on coal, which was mined from the Middle Ages until 1980. An audiovisual presentation illustrates this history, and former miners lead tours of the surface and underground facilities. Make an appointment to take the tour in English. A coal mine tour takes two hours, though you can spend at least half a day here with the kids because there’s also a museum, playground, restaurant, and café.

In a clever example of urban renewal, what was formerly a slum is now a beautifully restored residential square with a small-village feel. The facade of the red house at the north end of the square resembles a church and is connected by a small channel to a pyramidlike structure replicating Tikal, a Mayan ruin in Guatemala.

This is one of the oldest churches in Liège; its outer walls once formed part of the city’s defenses. It has a handsome reredos portraying the suffering of Christ.

The grimy exterior of this mini-cathedral a few blocks southwest of Liège’s center, near the place St-Jacques, belies a wonderful interior. Marble, stained glass, and polished wood achieve an outstanding visual harmony. The glory of the church is the Gothic vault, decorated in intricate patterns of vivid blue and gold and containing myriad sculpted figures.

Around 24 km (15 miles) north of Liège, the impressive Fort Eben-Emael was built into the rocks after  World War I. Supposedly impregnable, it was almost invisible to the eye. However, on May 10, 1940, German gliders landed on the plateau and threw explosives down the air shafts. A day later the 700 Belgian soldiers guarding the fort surrendered to a mere 55 Germans. The fort and its equipment remain intact and can be visited. There’s also a museum containing photographs and weaponry.

This complex houses the merged collections from several former top Liège museums. Some 13,000 pieces from the Musée d’Armes recall the city’s prominence as an arms-manufacturing town beginning in the Middle Ages. Among the many rare and beautifully executed items are a Lefaucheux pinfire revolver and a Velodog hammerless revolver. Exhibits describe the technical aspects of manufacturing as well as engraving and inlaying. The Archaeology and Decorative Arts section holds rare Belgo-Roman and Frankish works, such as Bishop Notger’s Evangelistery, an exquisite 10th-century manuscript of the Gospels. The Glass department exhibits Venetian glass and Val St-Lambert crystal, while a department dedicated to religious art details the evolution of religious art from the early Middle Ages on, both at regional and global level.    

Twenty-eight kilometers (18 miles) east of Liège is Henri-Chapelle, the largest American military cemetery in Belgium. It is the resting place of 7,989 American soldiers who fell in the Battle of the Bulge. The crosses and stelae are arranged in arcs converging on the central monument, which also contains a small museum and provides a striking view over the plateau of Herve. Ceremonies are held here on American Memorial Day in late May.

These narrow mews were where servants had their tiny houses in the days of the prince-bishops. Prominent citizens lived along neighboring En Hors-Château. As late as the 1970s, it was believed that the best approach to urban redevelopment was to tear down these houses. Luckily, common sense prevailed. The Impasse de l’Ange and Impasse de la Couronne are two examples of the six such well-restored impasses in town. Duck under the årvô, the bridge over the alleyway, to discover lush gardens, finely restored Tudor homes, and a number of potales (wall chapels), devoted mostly to the Virgin or to St. Roch, who was venerated as the protector against disease epidemics.

Almost all the big names of modern and contemporary are represented in this collection of 700-odd French and Belgian paintings dating from the 1850s on. Some of the stars are Emile Claus’ Le Vieux Jardinier (The Old Gardener) and Paul Gauguin’s Le Sorcier de Hiva-Oa (The Sorcerer of Hiva-Oa). The museum stands in the attractive Parc de la Boverie, about 3 km (2 miles) southeast of the town center, favored by the Liègeois for a stroll far away from the traffic. You can walk partway along the riverfront to get there.

This stairway of 374 steps ascends from Hors-Château toward Liège’s Citadelle. It honors the memory of Vincent van Bueren, a leader of the resistance against Charles the Bold. In 1468 he climbed the hill with 600 men, intending to ambush the duke and kill him. Betrayed by their Liègeois accents, they lost their lives and the city was pillaged and burned. Charles the Bold, a superstitious man, made sure the churches remained untouched while the city was in flames so he wouldn’t be sent to hell. At the base of the stairs is a former nunnery, now a compound for antiques dealers.

In an old Franciscan convent, carefully reconstructed interiors give a vivid and varied idea of life in old Wallonia, from coal mines to farm kitchens to the workshops of many different crafts. The museum even includes a court of law, complete with a guillotine. Life-size statues in carnival costumes greet you in the entrance hall. And one gallery is populated by the irreverent marionette Tchantchès and his band, who represent the Liège spirit.

Discover the mystique and mishaps of Liège’s most beloved marionette at this museum in the Outremeuse district. Here you can learn the answers to such burning questions as: How did Tchantchès meet his girlfriend Nanesse? Why did he have to eat an iron shoe to fight the measles at the age of three? Was he really designed by an Italian puppeteer? See Tchantchès in action October through April at the Sunday-morning puppet shows at 10:30, or Wednesday afternoon at 2:30. Note that the museum itself is only open on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon from 2 to 4 pm. There’s no explanatory information available in English.

This bustling square is as old as Liège itself. For centuries it was where the city’s commercial and political life was concentrated. The 18th-century Hôtel de Ville is here, with its two entrances: one for the wealthy and one for the common people. A number of the old buildings surrounding it were among the 23,000 destroyed by German bombs. In the center stands the Perron, a large fountain sculpted by Jean Delcour, topped with an acorn—the symbol of Liège’s liberty.

Now a vibrant, bustling focal point, this square went through a long period of neglect after the Cathedral of St. Lambert, the largest cathedral in Europe, was destroyed during the French Revolution. At its center proudly stands a sculpture honoring both the murdered 8th-century saint and the future of Liège. 

The world of early humans is on display at this speculative re-creation of prehistoric dwellings. You can get a sense of your ancestors’ technical aptitude while trying your own hand at making pots and polishing stones. The museum is next to the cave of Ramioul, where the lighting system brings out the beauty of the rock formations. Guides explain in English the cave’s animal life and its use by humans. Tours are led April–October on weekends at 2.