The ‘green’ in Green Belt? You can take that literally cycling the lush loop encircling Brussels. This 126-km bike route is a grab bag of enticing vistas, sweeping landscapes, verdant valleys, elegant castle estates, rich agricultural land, rolling hills, and majestic forests. You might sweat a bucket or two on those inclines, but the effort is more than worth it with picturesque Bruegelian landscapes and exciting views of the Brussels metropolis. Plus, craft breweries and cosy beer pubs are another staple of this route. You’ve got three days. Don’t forget to treat yourself to the region’s refreshing geuzes and krieks.
1. Day 1: Grimbergen to Lennik (38 km)
Grimbergen Abbey Basilica towers above the Grimbergen city centre, a monument to the past. Just follow the tower to discover Grimbergen Abbey, where the Norbertine monks have rekindled the time-honoured craft of beer brewing. Need something to look forward to? Abbey restaurant and brasserie – the Fenikshof – is the perfect finish to this three-day bike trip! Want a teaser? Visit the new experience centre and stroll through the rich history of Grimbergen’s abbey beer.
Hop back on your bike to cycle the 15 minutes to Meise Botanic Garden. At 92 hectares brimming with 18,000 different plant species, it’s easily the largest botanical garden in the world. Take your time to mosey from one climate zone to another in the Plant Palace. This is your chance to discover plants from the desert, savannah, rainforest, and other unique habitats from around the world.
Past Meise’s luxury neighbourhoods, the landscape morphs into something new. Sail past the wide-open rolling fields and charming groves. Girardin Brewery’s copper brew kettles in Sint-Ulriks-Kapelle herald your entry into geuze and Bruegel country, aka the Pajottenland. With his easel tucked under his arm, Pieter Bruegel set out to roam the countryside in the 16th century, immortalising churches, villages, and water mills along the way. Glance around you, and you’ll see that little has changed since his day.
Tasty tips: For the bulk of this stage, you’ll be pedalling through the Pajottenland and the Zenne River Valley – renowned for its unique lambic and geuze beers. Wild yeast drifts and swirls through the air of this spacious, rolling landscape populated by Belgian draught horses and water mills – a countryside caught in time. Those yeasts produce the singular flavour of spontaneously fermented beer. So, be sure to pop by one of the breweries along the way for a taste!
Today’s bike-friendly accommodation: B&B St.Hubert in Lennik.
2. Day 2: Lennik to Overijse (50 km)
Today might just be the most beautiful stage of your journey, but it’s also quite a workout. Grease up your calves to make it up the tough inclines to come. Your day starts with a famed landmark, Gaasbeek Castle. Dream castle and romantic getaway – this was where Marquise Arconati Visconti welcomed politicians, writers, and scientists for long, lively and sometimes heated discussions. The staunch medieval exterior belies a whimsical, enchanting neo-Renaissance interior.
But be sure to make a pit stop at St Martin’s Basilica in Halle for a glimpse of this centuries-old pilgrimage town’s miraculous Our Black Lady of Halle statue. Next, it’s time for a lunch break in Beersel. What do you think? Does the lambik-O-droom overlooking 3 Fonteinen Brewery’s vat room sound good to you? Or why not drop by the Oud Beersel Geuze blendery’s alehouse? Don’t let FOMO get you down. Your choice is the right one.
Fortified by a tasty pint of lambic, you’re ready to cycle through the ancient, majestic beech lanes of the Sonian Forest towards Hoeilaart, Jezus-Eik, and Tervuren.
Tasty tips: After the Sonian Forest, say hello to the grape region. Hoeilaart has also been dubbed ‘The Glass Village’ due to the municipality’s prolific glasshouse vineyards. Overijse is also the location of the Dru!f Visitor Centre, where you can learn all about the origins and history of the Brabant table grape. Hop off your bike for a tick to visit one of the glasshouse growers and taste their scrumptious grapes.
Reserve a room and bike storage at Joly Tiny House in Overijse.
3. Day 3: Overijse to Grimbergen (43 km)
The Sonian Forest segues seamlessly into another gorgeous oasis of tranquillity: Tervuren Warande Park, once the hunting grounds of the Dukes of Brabant. These days, it’s an elegant park for a stroll with a neoclassical French garden, ponds, and incredible beeches and oaks up to 200 years old. It’s bordered by the regal and recently remodelled AfricaMuseum. Did you know this museum is celebrating its 125th anniversary? It opened at Tervuren’s Colonial Palace in 1898, but the impressive collection soon outgrew its venue. A range of special activities and experiences are in the works for the anniversary celebrations.
But a few miles down the road, in Steenokkerzeel, you get a different adrenaline rush. There, the planes zoom so low you could almost reach out and touch them. Platforms along the flight paths are always occupied by a handful of eager spotters, anxiously awaiting their chance to snap a shot of that one special aircraft.
The last miles of your journey usher you through Melsbroek’s Floordam Forest along the Zenne and Vilvoorde’s Verbrande bridge. That’s when you’ll see Grimbergen Abbey Basilica reappear on the horizon. Get ready for a slightly bumpy ride as you cycle the long cobbled path to the Tommenmolen. This hoary old mill is part of the MOT, the Museum of Old Techniques. The terrace beckons, but try and stick it out a little longer. The Fenikshof and Norbertine microbrewery await.
Tasty tips: North-east of Brussels, you’ll find the home of Belgium’s ‘white gold’. It’s where farmers grow the country’s quintessential local produce, i.e. asparagus and Belgian endive. Turn back the clock three-quarters of a century, and you’d find Belgian endive around every corner of these communities. Belgian endive was grown on every street; no back garden was complete without an endive shed. These days, Belgian endive is less prominent on the horizon, but it remains a star versatile culinary product. Don’t miss out: get a taste of that heavenly White Gold along the way!
Want to extend your stay? Park your bike at B&B Den Biesthoek in Grimbergen .
4. Practical information
Our day trips are only a suggestion. Where you start and what you take in every day is up to you. The entire route is signposted with user-friendly green and white signs.
Grimbergen’s car park (Abdijstraat 20) is free but only accessible by car. It’s about 600 m from the signposted cycling route.
Looking for more bike-friendly lodgings? Want to download the Green Belt Route gpx file or map? Why not plan your own stages via Flanders by bike or Tourism Flemish Brabant?
