Some cultural visits are about much more than what you find inside a museum. Around Brussels, there are several beautiful places where art, architecture and history come together with gardens, woodland and open spaces, inviting you to make the visit part of a slower day out.
These are three of my favourites. At Museum Van Buuren, an intimate Art Deco home opens onto remarkable gardens. At Fondation Folon, art continues beyond the museum into the beautiful Domaine Solvay. And in Tervuren, the impressive AfricaMuseum sits at the end of one of Belgium’s most magnificent parks.
Rather than rushing through the exhibitions and moving on, leave yourself time to wander outside, take a walk and simply enjoy the surroundings.
Museum Van Buuren & Gardens: Art Deco Behind Closed Doors
Tucked away in the residential neighbourhood of Uccle, the Museum David and Alice van Buuren feels more like stepping into someone’s beautifully preserved home than entering a traditional museum. Built in the 1920s, the Art Deco house was created for David and Alice van Buuren and remains filled with their furniture, decorative objects and personal art collection.
The intimacy of the house is part of its charm. Rather than large galleries, you move through rooms that were actually lived in, discovering the couple’s taste in art and design along the way. It offers a glimpse into another era and makes the experience feel wonderfully personal.
But don’t leave after seeing the house. The gardens are an essential part of the visit. Different garden spaces unfold around the property, including the picturesque heart-shaped Garden of the Heart and a labyrinth. Take your time here, particularly when the weather is good. It is one of those places where the museum visit naturally turns into a peaceful walk.
Allow as much time for the gardens as for the house. This is not somewhere I would rush through before moving on to another attraction. Enjoy the combination of architecture, art and nature at a slower pace.
Fondation Folon & Domaine Solvay: Where Art Continues Into Nature
Just outside Brussels in La Hulpe, Fondation Folon is set within the beautiful Domaine régional Solvay, and the setting is one of the reasons I love coming here.
The museum is dedicated to Belgian artist Jean-Michel Folon, whose distinctive world of watercolours, drawings, posters, sculptures and recurring figures has a dreamlike quality that is immediately recognisable. The museum itself feels intimate and imaginative, allowing you to gradually enter Folon’s poetic universe rather than simply moving past works hanging on gallery walls.
But the experience doesn’t stop when you leave the museum. Folon’s sculptures appear outside too, allowing his art to become part of the surrounding landscape.
The Domaine Solvay is worth exploring in its own right, with woodland, lawns, ponds and views towards the Château de La Hulpe. Depending on how much time you have, you can combine the museum with anything from a short stroll to a much longer walk through the estate.
And if you want to turn your visit into a full day out, combine it with a Sunday brunch at Food with Varinder, a restaurant I have also featured in my guide to restaurants with beautiful terraces just outside Brussels. It is a lovely way to bring together art, nature and good food in the same day.
Don’t come just for the museum. Give yourself a few hours and combine Folon with a walk through the Domaine Solvay, followed by lunch or dinner at Food with Varinder. The changing seasons also make this somewhere worth returning to throughout the year.
Drève de la Ramée 6/A, 1310 La Hulpe
AfricaMuseum & Tervuren Park: Culture, History and a Grand Setting
The journey towards the AfricaMuseum in Tervuren already begins to feel like an escape from central Brussels. The museum sits within an impressive historic setting surrounded by the lakes, avenues and expansive green spaces of Tervuren Park.
Inside, the museum explores the cultures, biodiversity and history of Central Africa while also confronting Belgium’s complicated colonial relationship with the region. Following a major renovation, its contemporary presentation encourages visitors not only to discover its collections, but also to think critically about how those collections were acquired and how colonial history has traditionally been presented.
The contrast between the museum and its surroundings makes this a particularly interesting day out. After spending time absorbing what can sometimes be challenging subject matter inside, step outdoors and allow time to walk through Tervuren Park, around the lakes and along its broad tree-lined avenues.
If you are travelling from Brussels without a car, even getting there can become part of the experience. The scenic tram journey towards Tervuren gradually leaves the city behind and passes through some of the greener eastern areas of Brussels.
Don’t plan to head straight back to Brussels after leaving the museum. Walk through the park, find a bench by the water and give yourself time to take in both the museum and its beautiful surroundings.
Leuvensesteenweg 13, 3080 Tervuren
Which Cultural Escape Should You Choose?
| If you love… | Choose |
|---|---|
| Art Deco, intimate interiors and beautiful gardens | Museum Van Buuren & Gardens |
| Art, sculpture, woodland and long walks | Fondation Folon & Domaine Solvay |
| Culture, history, impressive architecture and parkland | AfricaMuseum & Tervuren Park |
What connects these three places is that none of them needs to be treated as simply another museum to tick off a sightseeing list. The house, gardens, landscape and journey are all part of the experience.
Choose one, give it half a day and leave some empty space in your plans. Sometimes discovering less allows you to experience much more.
Continue Exploring Belgium
If art and culture are part of your travels, you might also enjoy my guide to Museums in Brussels: 3 Cultural Places Worth Discovering, featuring Villa Empain, the Magritte Museum and BOZAR.
Or head north with my guide to Art & Culture in Antwerp, where you can discover KMSKA, photography at FOMU, sculptures among the trees at Middelheim Museum and an unexpected journey beneath the River Scheldt.
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