Liege is not your typical tourist town. It’s known as the cultural capital of Wallonia. Liege is a bustling student city with an industrial past. Not too far from the border and the third most populous city in Belgium, Liege is an interesting city to visit you shouldn’t dismiss. Liege is mostly known for its staircase, the Montagne de Bueren which has over 300 steps. You can’t really go to Liege without walking up it at least once.
Liege is known as the cultural capital of Wallonia for a reason! You’ve got plenty of art galleries, museums, theatres and more to visit in Liege. But there’s more than just the regular modern art galleries to see. Check out the Mirror City to really reflect on art and culture. Or take a peek behind the curtain at Opéra Royal de Wallonie to see what really happens in the theatre. Liege is a great city to visit for all you art lovers and theatre kids Industrial past
Why is Liege called Liege? Well, back in the day Liege was known as la cité ardente in French (English: "the fervent city"). Part of that is Liege’s history of rebellion, but also its economic success during the Industrial Revolution. Liege thrived thanks to glass, coal, iron and steel. You can still see traces of Liege’s industrial history in its museums and architecture.
Liege’s famous staircase is one symbol of the city no visitor should miss. If you can, climb the 374 steps for a great view of the city and a unique step on your travel journey. Even if you don’t walk up the whole thing, Montagne de Bueren is a special sight. Sometimes it’s lit with candles and even decorated with flowers.
Liege is a lively city that no matter the season you’re sure to find something to do. Students like to party, so Liege’s nightlife is pretty active. You’ll get the best sunny weather from May to September and really feel the chill in December, January and February. May typically has the best sunny days without much rain. June to August is when Liege is at its busiest.
Liege is easily reached in a car. The city is actually at a crossroads of many motorways, including the E25 and the E40. Depending on which direction you’re coming from to Liege, it will be different on the signposts. In Flanders, Liege is labelled “Luik”, “Lüttich” in Germany, and “Liège-Centre” in Luxembourg!
when you’re coming to Belgium by plane, you’re most likely landing at Brussels airport. It’s pretty easy to get to Liege from Brussels by catching the train; depending on when you land it could take one or two trains to get to Liege. Budget airlines such as Ryanair might drop you off at Maastricht-Aachen Airport which is a 30 minute drive from Liege.
Liege’s train station is Liège-Guillemins. From Brussels airport, it’s only about an hour and 20 minutes to Liege on the train. You can get to Liege on the intercity trains at the major train stations across Belgium. Trains from Paris, Frankfurt and other big cities of Europe also drop you off at Liege.
walking is an easy way to get around Liege. Major sights are within walking distance.
Outside the city centre, there are some more hilly areas but generally you’ll be fine walking from place to place.
getting around Liege by car is doable, although different from other cities. The roads in Liege were built along the river and its branches, so roads don’t always make sense. Other than that, there are plenty of parking spaces in the city or for Park & Ride not too far out.
Buses in Liege are run by TEC. Not many buses run after midnight in Liege, so you might have to get a taxi after a night out partying. There’s free maps and schedules available from the bus station, but you can also check online easily. Getting around Liege by bus is pretty easy and affordable.
Liege is decently cyclist friendly, but we recommend avoiding the major roads. Roads marked as “sauf/bike symbol” mean you can use a one-way street either way. Liege does have some higher climb areas which makes cycling outside the city centre less beginner-friendly. You can rent a bike from Pro Velo for 24 hours for 14€.
Visitez Liège
Website: http://www.visitezliege.be/
Address: Quai de la Goffe 13, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Telephone: +32 4 221 92 21
Email: [email protected]