Discovering Liège, my unexpected favourite Belgian city

Liège is the second-largest city in the French-speaking region of Wallonia in Belgium, and the fifth-largest city in the country as a whole, home to just under 200,000 souls. Never heard of it before? Don’t fret, neither had I before my travel buddy mentioned the city. He had seen a picture of the city on Instagram, and really wanted to go there to see it for himself. Nevertheless, Liège wasn’t part of our original plan for our Easter trip around Belgium last year. In fact, it took a bit of a coincidence and outbooked accommodations for our third night in Brussels for Liège to make a surprise appearance on our itinerary. Our original plan was to travel directly to Aachen in West Germany and spend a day there after Brussels, but since we were staying the night in Liège, we decided to sacrifice some time in Aachen to explore a bit of Liège. And what a great decision that turned out to be!

Not only did it give us an impression of Wallonia, I also ended up discovering a city I’d never heard of before that completely took me by surprise. In fact, I can’t believe Liège isn’t a city that people flock to! We actually loved the city so much that we ended up spending most of the day there, leaving just a few hours for Aachen!

We rolled into Liège-Guillemins train station shortly after 1 AM and were immediately wowed by the eccentric building we had arrived in. The station, which was opened in 2009, features a monumental arch, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, who also designed the Turning Torso in Malmö among other great (and slightly weird) works.

We stayed in a cheap airbnb in the Sainte-Marguerite neighbourhood and woke up early the next morning to get in as much exploring time as possible before catching the train to Aachen in the evening. We managed to see everything we wanted including lots of lingering at our favourite places. Liège is a small city, so it can easily be explored in a day, although I would recommend spending more days if you have the time!

If you want to follow in our footsteps, here’s how to spend a perfect day in Liège:

Discover the views from Montagne de Bueren

Start the morning with a walk up the famous staircase Montagne de Bueren, built in 1881 to honour the 600 Franchimontois soldiers that died while defending Liège against an attack by Charles the Bold, the Duke of Burgundy, in the 15th century.

Don’t make the mistake of rushing up these stairs to get to the viewpoint on top. Take your time, linger for a while, and watch as more and more of the beautiful cityscape reveals itself as you head up the 374 steps.

This was my favourite spot in the city!

Stroll through Bois des Carmélites

Since you’re already up there, take your time to explore the top part of Liège where more beautiful views are to be found.

This is also where you’ll find the Citadel of Liège, which functioned as the central fortification of the city from 1255 until the end of the 19th century. Unfortunately, most of the citadel was destroyed in the 1970s when a hospital was constructed on the site, but the southern walls still remain.

There are a number of different routes that will take you back down to the city centre. We chose a winding trail going through the forest of Bois des Carmélites. You can of course walk back down the stairs, but isn’t it more fun to see something else?

Visit the Collégiale Church of Saint-Barthélemy

Safely back down in the city centre, head to the Collégiale Church of Saint-Barthélemy. You can’t miss it, it’s the beautiful church with the red and white exterior that you’d surely have spotted from the viewpoints.

The church was founded in the late 11th century and has undergone several modifications and reconstructions throughout its history, including a redecoration of the interior in the French Baroque style, although part of it has since been restored back to the original style.

Unfortunately, the church was not open during our visit, but it’s a feast for the eyes even from the outside.

Enjoy lunch at La Mouette on En Féronstrée

We stumbled upon the wonderful little café, La Mouette on En Féronstrée, while searching for something vegan for me. The bar across from it recommended it to us, and we definitely weren’t sorry. The place is run by the loveliest lady who (as far as we could tell) is both the chef and the waitress.

We ordered a foot-long vegan sandwich full of delicious grilled vegetables, soup with yummy bread, homemade vegan hot chocolate with banana flavour (absolutely delicious!), a beautiful homemade lemonade and tea. Each dish and drink were served in unique pots and plates that she’d found at the local thrift store.

It was obvious that she cared for the food, its presentation and making sure her guests had a great time. She was super accommodating, and even gave us a free veganized version of the soup to try!

Come to this café for the delicious food and friendly atmosphere, but don’t expect service to be quick as she’s doing everything by herself. Instead, treat this as a place to relax for a while while getting served the most delicious homemade food.

Stroll down the river La Meuse

Enjoy the wonderful atmosphere of the city while strolling down the La Batte promenade which follows the course of the river La Meuse.

Don’t forget to take a look at the majestic Grand Curtius which was built between 1597 and 1610 and houses the local archaeology and arts museum. You won’t be able to miss it as its red brick Mosan Renaissance facade stands out beautifully in the cityscape.

The river promenade is dominated by a huge market selling everything from clothes to local fruits and vegetables. It’s a great place to pick up some snacks for later or a little souvenir from the city, or just to do some people-watching!

Enjoy the tranquility and beauty of St Paul’s Cathedral

The main church in Liège is St. Paul’s Cathedral, founded in the 10th century and rebuilt from the 13th to 15th century.

The interior is the true gem of the church, featuring a mix of the Rayonnant style and Gothic architecture as well as some modern elements. The elaborate and colourful details are a feast for the eyes, so don’t forget to linger for a while inside.

Up the stairs of Thier de la Fontaine to Sainte-Marguerite

By now, you might want to start making your way back to Liège-Guillemins train station, but do so on a different route than the one you came in on.

And better yet – walk up the lesser known staircase of Thier de la Fontane from 1876 for more beautiful city views from above which you’ll have all to yourself! I know it’s a bit of a detour, but trust me on this one! And it’s only 200 steps this time!

And once you’re up there, why not explore the neighbourhood of Sainte-Marguerite for a while? The winding downhill cobbled streets lined with colourful townhouses reminded me of something out of a fairytale!

We could’ve easily stayed much longer in Liège. We pushed the time as much as possible, but eventually, we had to jump on that train to Aachen as our trains home left from Aachen early the next morning.

One day, I will return to Liège with a lot more time on my hands, and I can only recommend you to do the same. If all you have time for is a day trip, by all means still go, but if you do have a gap in your travel plan, I recommend you fill it out with a bit more of beautiful Liège!