2 Best Sights in Charleroi, Western Wallonia

On the outskirts of Charleroi are the old mining villages that were the heartbeat of the region from the early 1800s until the 1960s. Around them, the pointy hills of the old spoil heaps, now overgrown with forest, rise into the distance, and in the town of Marcinelle, its old works have been preserved as a superb day out. The site has a few museums but most interesting are the outdoor workings, where an audio guide leads you through a tragedy that saw hundreds lose their lives. A memorial pays tribute to the 262 victims. 

The largest and most impressive photography museum in Belgium (and perhaps Europe) lies in the inauspicious fringes of Charleroi, in Mont-sur-Marchienne. It resides in a neo-Gothic former Carmelite convent, though a new wing was built to extend it farther. The permanent exhibition extends across some 800 photographs, tracing the history of photography in Belgium and beyond, while another section delves into optical illusions and tricks of the trade. Temporary exhibitions take up the rest of the space. Buses to Mont-sur-Marchienne go from outside Charleroi Sud.