Hasselt
Hasselt sits in Belgium, where bicycles outnumber cars, or so my uncle says after his third trip. Locals sometimes call it the capital of taste, though my friend Bart says it is more the capital of strong coffee. Popular things to do here include walking the Japanese Garden, which oddly has more ducks than tourists on weekdays, and tasting jenever in an old distillery where the guide sometimes forgets the English word for 'juniper.' The best hotel in Hasselt, folks whisper, is the one where the pillows do not steal your sleep, but the breakfast will try to. On Saturdays, the market square fills with chatter, but on rainy Mondays, you can hear your own footsteps echo. That’s Hasselt for you: sometimes busy, sometimes you and a pigeon on a bench.
Local weather in Belgium
SPRING
mild & temperate
SUMMER
warm & sunny
AUTUMN
mild & temperate
WINTER
cool
Accommodations in Hasselt
Discover the best accommodations for Hasselt and start planning your holiday.
Travel destination popular things to do or visit in Hasselt
For those who find themselves in Hasselt with a map, a hat, and too much time, the street art route can be a good option, unless you think colors are overated. There’s a museum about fashion, where mannequins wear shoes that look like they were invented by a committee. I once tried to take a photo, but my camera fogged up from confusion. If you like gardens, there’s a Japanese one, which is occasionally closed for mysterious reasons—locals call it 'zen maintenance.' Visitors sometimes try counting koi fish, but the fish are quick, and the mathematicians are slow. That’s entertainment in Hasselt.
Looking for the best hotel in Hasselt? Some say it is the one with a breakfast buffet that could feed a football team, while others claim it is the one where the rooms do not face the ring road. Booking tips: check if your window opens, unless you enjoy the scent of carpet cleaner. Hasselt’s charm is in these little quirks, like the way the buses run on time, except during carnivals, when time itself seems to take a nap. If you travel to Hasselt, bring an umbrella and a sense of humor, but leave your expectations at the train station, just in case.
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