Museums in Belgium
138 museums in Belgium. Most visited: Pairi Daiza.
Top museums in Belgium
Pairi Daiza
Zoo or aquarium · 2,279,000 visitors a year
Pairi Daiza is a privately owned zoo and botanical garden in Brugelette, Belgium. The 75-hectare park occupies the former site of Cambron Abbey and is home to over 7,000 animals. It opened in 1993 as...
Planckendael Zoo
Zoo or aquarium · 965,000 visitors a year
Planckendael is best known for its bonobos, one of the largest groups of these endangered great apes kept anywhere, and for a herd of Asian elephants that has produced several calves. The park sits...
Bellewaerde
Zoo or aquarium · 800,000 visitors a year
Bellewaerde is not a museum but a theme park that keeps live animals alongside its rides, a mix that sets it apart from most amusement parks in Belgium. It lies just outside Ypres (Ieper) in West...
Meli Park
Zoo or aquarium · 630,000 visitors a year
Meli Park was not a museum but an amusement park, begun in 1935 by the Belgian honey producer Meli beside its works in Adinkerke, near De Panne on the Flemish coast. Bees and honey were the original...
Museum of Natural Sciences of Belgium
Natural history museum · 398,241 visitors a year
A herd of Iguanodon skeletons, unearthed in 1878 in a coal mine at Bernissart in southern Belgium, forms the centrepiece of the Museum of Natural Sciences. Several are mounted upright in a glass...
Meise Botanic Garden
Natural history museum · 245,521 visitors a year
Meise Botanic Garden is a place where science, history, and landscape come together just outside Brussels. One of the largest botanic gardens in the world, it invites visitors to wander through 92...
Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
Art museum · 153,214 visitors a year
The Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp is one of Belgium's great art museums, where centuries of painting unfold in a setting that feels both grand and surprisingly calm. Housed in a majestic...
M HKA - Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst Antwerpen
96,759 visitors a year
As the city of Antwerp's own museum of contemporary art, M HKA has been dedicated to the art of the present since its founding in 1985. Its full Dutch name, Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst Antwerpen, is...
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Tournai
Art museum · 28,000 visitors a year
Antwerp Zoo
Zoo or aquarium
Founded on 21 July 1843, Antwerp Zoo (ZOO Antwerpen) is the oldest animal park in Belgium and one of the oldest zoos in the world. It sits in the centre of Antwerp, directly beside the...
Aquatopia
Zoo or aquarium
Directly opposite Antwerpen-Centraal railway station on Koningin Astridplein, Aquatopia filled several floors with aquariums holding about a million litres of water. It was a popular educational...
Art & History Museum
Art museum
One of the largest art museums in Europe, the Art & History Museum (Musée Art & Histoire in French, Museum Kunst & Geschiedenis in Dutch) brings together antiquities, ethnographic collections and...
Autoworld
Transport museum
Minervas built in Belgium and limousines that once belonged to the Belgian royal family are among the highlights at Autoworld, which is known above all for its early and Belgian-produced vehicles....
Belfry of Bruges
Once the guardian of the city's treasury and municipal archives, the Belfry of Bruges (Belfort van Brugge) is a medieval bell tower and one of the most prominent symbols of Bruges. It also served as...
Belfry of Ghent
At 91 metres, the Belfry of Ghent (Belfort van Gent) is the tallest belfry in Belgium. It is one of three medieval towers that rise over the old city centre, alongside those of Saint Bavo's Cathedral...
Belgian Centre for Comic Strip Art
Art museum
Victor Horta designed the Art Nouveau building that houses the Belgian Centre for Comic Strip Art, originally for the former Magasins Waucquez. Since 1986 it has been a museum devoted to Belgian...
BELvue
History museum
BELvue tells the history of Belgium from the Hôtel Belle-Vue, an 18th-century neoclassical building next to the Royal Palace of Brussels. The building stands in the city's Royal Quarter, between the...
Bruges City Hall
One of the oldest city halls in the former Burgundian Netherlands, Bruges City Hall was built in a monumental late-Gothic style between 1376 and 1421. It remains the seat of the city's government and...
Brussels City Museum
History museum
Facing the Town Hall across the Grand-Place, the Brussels City Museum (Musée de la Ville de Bruxelles in French, Museum van de Stad Brussel in Dutch) occupies the Maison du Roi, or King's House,...
Museums by city in Belgium
Belgium’s museum scene is shaped by its compact geography and strong regional identities. In Brussels, visitors can move from natural history and design to royal collections within a short distance. Antwerp brings together old masters, fashion, and contemporary art, while Ghent, Bruges, and Leuven add city museums, religious heritage, and smaller specialist collections. On Mooseum, these places become easier to explore through digital tours and indoor maps that help you plan around your interests.
The country’s museum landscape also extends well beyond traditional galleries. Belgium includes major zoological and botanical destinations such as Pairi Daiza, Planckendael Zoo, and Meise Botanic Garden, alongside family parks with museum-like interpretation and themed heritage experiences. This mix reflects a national interest in science, landscape, craftsmanship, and public education. Mooseum helps visitors navigate both classic museum visits and broader cultural outings, whether you are traveling with children or focusing on art and history.
Language and local context matter in Belgium, and museum-going often reflects the character of each region. In Flanders, you will find strong collections linked to painting, design, and urban history; in Wallonia, industrial heritage, archaeology, and regional identity are especially visible. Brussels adds an international layer, with federal institutions and multilingual interpretation. Mooseum is useful here because it brings different types of venues together on one platform, making it simpler to compare stops across Dutch-, French-, and bilingual areas.
Map of museums in Belgium
Museums in Belgium: questions
- How many museums are there in Belgium?
- Mooseum lists 138 museums in Belgium. Brussels has the most, with 32.
- Which cities in Belgium have the most museums?
- Brussels (32), Antwerp (18), Bruges (10) and Ghent (8).
- What are the most visited museums in Belgium?
- By annual visitors reported on Wikipedia: Pairi Daiza (2,279,000), Planckendael Zoo (965,000) and Bellewaerde (800,000).
- What kinds of museums are in Belgium?
- Of the 85 whose type we know, the most common are art museums (23), military museums (14), historic houses, palaces and castles (9) and zoos and aquariums (8).
- Fine arts collections range from Old Master painting in Antwerp and Bruges to contemporary work at M HKA in Antwerp
- Science and natural history are well represented by institutions such as the Museum of Natural Sciences of Belgium in Brussels
- Belgium’s cultural outings often include living collections, with Pairi Daiza, Planckendael Zoo, and Meise Botanic Garden among notable destinations
- Regional museums reflect distinct Flemish, Walloon, and Brussels identities through language, local history, and civic collections
- Family-friendly venues are common, including parks and heritage attractions such as Bellewaerde and the legacy of Meli Park
- Check language options before your visit: museums may offer labels, tours, or audio guides in Dutch, French, English, and sometimes German, but coverage varies by region.
- Many museums close one day a week, often Monday, so confirm opening hours in advance on Mooseum or the museum’s own site.
- Belgium’s rail network makes day trips easy between Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, and Leuven; local trams and buses are useful for larger sites outside city centers.
- Reserve timed tickets for popular family destinations such as Pairi Daiza during school holidays and warm-weather weekends, when attendance is noticeably higher.
All museums in Belgium
Every museum in Belgium listed on Mooseum. Search by name or type.
| Name | Type | Website | Links | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Antwerp ZooFounded on 21 July 1843, Antwerp Zoo (ZOO Antwerpen) is the oldest animal park in Belgium and one of the oldest zoos in the world. It sits in the centre of Antwerp, directly beside the... | Zoo or aquarium | www.zooantwerpen.be |  | — |
AquatopiaDirectly opposite Antwerpen-Centraal railway station on Koningin Astridplein, Aquatopia filled several floors with aquariums holding about a million litres of water. It was a popular educational... | Zoo or aquarium | www.aquatopia.be | | — |
Garden or park | www.arboretumwespelaar.be | | — | |
— | www.archeoforumdeliege.be | | — | |
Art & History MuseumOne of the largest art museums in Europe, the Art & History Museum (Musée Art & Histoire in French, Museum Kunst & Geschiedenis in Dutch) brings together antiquities, ethnographic collections and... | Art museum | www.artandhistory.museum | | — |
Art museum | www.z33.be | | — | |
Art museum | www.mleuven.be | | — | |
AutoworldMinervas built in Belgium and limousines that once belonged to the Belgian royal family are among the highlights at Autoworld, which is known above all for its early and Belgian-produced vehicles.... | Transport museum | www.autoworld.be | | — |
— | www.tov.be/nl/bardelaeremuseum | | — | |
Memorial museum | http://forumeerstewereldoorlog.nl/wiki/index.php/Bayernwald | | — | |
Belfry of BrugesOnce the guardian of the city's treasury and municipal archives, the Belfry of Bruges (Belfort van Brugge) is a medieval bell tower and one of the most prominent symbols of Bruges. It also served as... | — | www.museabrugge.be | | — |
Belfry of GhentAt 91 metres, the Belfry of Ghent (Belfort van Gent) is the tallest belfry in Belgium. It is one of three medieval towers that rise over the old city centre, alongside those of Saint Bavo's Cathedral... | — | www.belfortgent.be | | — |
Belgian Centre for Comic Strip ArtVictor Horta designed the Art Nouveau building that houses the Belgian Centre for Comic Strip Art, originally for the former Magasins Waucquez. Since 1986 it has been a museum devoted to Belgian... | Art museum | www.stripmuseum.be | | — |
BellewaerdeBellewaerde is not a museum but a theme park that keeps live animals alongside its rides, a mix that sets it apart from most amusement parks in Belgium. It lies just outside Ypres (Ieper) in West... | Zoo or aquarium | www.bellewaerde.be | | — |
BELvueBELvue tells the history of Belgium from the Hôtel Belle-Vue, an 18th-century neoclassical building next to the Royal Palace of Brussels. The building stands in the city's Royal Quarter, between the... | History museum | www.belvue.be | | — |
Science and technology museum | www.blegnymine.be | | — | |
Zoo or aquarium | www.boudewijnseapark.be/fr | | — | |
Art museum | www.kortrijk.be/broelmuseum | | — | |
— | www.witkap.be | | — | |
Bruges City HallOne of the oldest city halls in the former Burgundian Netherlands, Bruges City Hall was built in a monumental late-Gothic style between 1376 and 1421. It remains the seat of the city's government and... | — | www.museabrugge.be | | — |
Brussels City MuseumFacing the Town Hall across the Grand-Place, the Brussels City Museum (Musée de la Ville de Bruxelles in French, Museum van de Stad Brussel in Dutch) occupies the Maison du Roi, or King's House,... | History museum | www.brusselscitymuseum.brussels | | — |
Historic house, palace or castle | www.kasteelvangaasbeek.be | | — | |
Cauchie HouseAllegorical sgraffito decoration covers the façade of the Cauchie House (Maison Cauchie), an Art Nouveau town house in Brussels. Sgraffito is a technique in which layers of coloured plaster are... | — | www.cauchie.be | | — |
CharliermuseumBelgian art from the end of the 19th century hangs in a neoclassical manor house associated with the architect Victor Horta. The Charlier Museum (Musée Charlier in French, Charliermuseum in Dutch) is... | Historic house, palace or castle | www.charliermuseum.be | | — |
Choco-Story BrusselsFounded at the initiative of Gabrielle Draps, wife of Godiva Chocolatier founder Joseph Draps, Choco-Story Brussels is a privately owned museum in central Brussels devoted to cocoa and chocolate... | — | choco-story-brussels.be | | — |