Hasselt is the capital of the Belgian province of Limburg.

Understand

In 2004, Hasselt was the first Belgian city to receive the title "most sociable city of Flanders", and has since claimed the title of "Capital of Good Taste"; likewise, Hasselt is also considered an exemplary city regarding pedestrian facilities in the centre.

Get in

By plane

• Amsterdam - Schiphol Airport

• Eindhoven - Eindhoven Airport

• Liege Bierset - Liege Airport

• Maastricht - Maastricht Aachen Airport

• Rotterdam - Rotterdam Airport

• Brussels - Brussels Airport

• Charleroi - Brussels South Charleroi Airport

• 1 Kiewit Airfield, ☏ +32 11 21-25-50. Grass field landing. 

By train

• 2 Hasselt station (NMBS), STATIONSPLEIN, 2-6, ☏ +32 11 29-60-00. IC station with an information office 

By bus

Good connections links to Hasselt from all municipalities in Limburg and Maastricht. Bus information: De Lijn Limburg, Tel. +32 70 22-02-00. De Lijn has a shop at the Station Square.

By car

Hasselt and its car parks are easily accessible by motorways E313 (exits 27 - 28 - 29) and E314 (exit 29).

Get around

Public transport by bus is free for under 19s, otherwise 60 cents per trip.

See

The town centre of Hasselt is not large but very sociable. The centre is mostly car-free and contains a number of historical buildings. Among the oldest buildings in the town centre are the St. Quentin's Cathedral (11th to 18th C.) and the "Herkenrode Abbey refuge house" (1542).

Monuments and buildings

• 1 Herkenrode Abbey, Zolderse Kiezel 220 (Kuringen). Former Cistercian monastery founded in 1182 and Refugehuis "refuge house" (1542). 
• National Bank. architect Henri van Dievoet 
• 2 St. Quentin's Cathedral. 
• 3 Virga Jesse Basilica (Kapel van Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Virga-Jesse), Kapelstraat. 
• 4 Cultural centre, Casterstraat, ☏ +32 11 22-99-31. 

Parks and public fields

• 5 Japanese garden, Gouverneur Verwilghensingel 23. 
• Kapermolenpark. 
• Kiewit nature field. 
• town park. 

Museums

• 6 National jenever museum, Witte Nonnenstraat 19. Dutch/Belgian version of gin 
• Urban Fashion museum. 
• Municipal Carillon Museum. 
• Museum of the 'Heilig Paterke'. 

Do

Events

• Jenever Festival: 17–18 October 2015.  (date needs updating)

Buy

Hasseltse Jenever

The Demerstraat and the Koning Albertstraat are the most important shopping streets. In the Kapelstraat and the Hoogstraat are expensive shops with the most famous brands. The renovation of the TT-wijk twin towers complex (now including a shopping mall and a hotel) in 2003 gave the centre a new boost.

Eat

The "Grote Markt" (large central market square) and the nearby streets are lined with pubs, restaurants and taverns. Try mussels in the restaurants on the main streets or the chocolate ice cream store in the city center.

Sleep

• 7 Express by Holiday Inn Hasselt, Thonissenlaan 37. Convenient and close to all amenities. Very limited parking and a walk to next public park house. Rooms standard European HI Express style. Breakfast basic but good.