Lost Lanes and Secret Gardens: A Hidden Mechelen Walking Tour

Mechelen is one of Belgium’s most overlooked medieval treasures. On this walking tour, you’ll explore the intimate streets and hidden courtyards of a former European capital that boasts more protected monuments than Bruges, yet remains delightfully free of tourist crowds.

The tour starts at the historic tourist sign near Saint Rumbold’s Cathedral. You’ll discover the unfinished tower that was meant to be the world’s tallest structure – before money ran out in the 1520s. You’ll find traces of Margaret of Austria’s golden age legacy, from her Renaissance palace – where young Anne Boleyn served as maid of honour – to the atmospheric Begijnhofs, where religious women lived in self-contained communities for over seven centuries.

You’ll walk through both the Klein and Groot Begijnhofs, and explore Rik Wouterstuin (Rik Wouters Garden), where buried streams have been restored. I’ll also show you the sobering Kazerne Dossin memorial, where 25,000 Jews and Roma were held before deportation during World War II. The tour ends in front of De Zalm, the ornate Renaissance house built for the Guild of Fish Merchants, where carved sea gods and salmon decorations showcase the wealth medieval trade brought to this river city.

On this three-hour tour, you’ll:

• Hear the 49-bell carillon concerts that ring from the cathedral tower, where city musicians perform everything from Chopin to ABBA
• Hear about the legend of “Maneblussers” – locals who tried to extinguish the moon
• Walk through secret religious refuges where abbey monks fled during times of war, now converted into tapestry workshops and design stores
• Learn about the award-winning Gouden Carolus beer from Het Anker brewery, which has been operating since 1369
• Find out about the restored waterways project that uncovered medieval streams that were buried as sewers for over a century
• Visit the Adam and Eve House with its carved Renaissance scenes, and the sinister Devil’s House with half-human, half-goat figures
• See the Beethoven statue, honouring the composer’s grandfather who sang in the Cathedral

By the end of this tour, you’ll have experienced Margaret of Austria’s Renaissance capital, where medieval and modern charm meet in Belgium’s most underrated city.