A scenic route by the water

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Let's go

Want to escape the hustle and bustle of the city for a while? This route takes you on a delightful trip by the water. Large parks, the most beautiful garden suburbs, ponds and rivers… You’ll feel like you’ve been whisked off to the countryside for a while! We start in Ixelles and then cycle along the Woluwe for a while via Watermael-Boitsfort. Along the way we pass a few green oases such as the Tenreuken and Seny parks, Mellaerts Ponds and Woluwe Park. 🌳

Route 6 Woluwevallei Bosvoorde Elsene Caroussel3

Practical

📏 20km / ⏰ 1h25min / 🗻 166m

RCRs used

Start at the Ixelles Cemetery, following route 5B (green) to Avenue Delleur. Then take route C (orange).
Follow the Promenade Verte (Green Walk) through the Tenreuken and Seny parks for a while.
At Herrmann-Debroux, follow route C once again until you reach Avenue de Tervueren.
Follow route C (orange) to the Château Andreae Brussels, then switch to route 3 (red) and then B (orange) on Avenue Gribaumont past Leopold II Square. Keep following this route across the VUB campus back to Ixelles Cemetery.

Sightseeing

Ixelles Cemetery

The starting point of our route is perhaps better known for its many cafés and terraces than for the cemetery itself. It’s the ideal place for VUB students to go out. Now you already know where to find a refreshing drink after the ride! 😉


Brussels or Provence?

Tunnels under the railway tracks, a picturesque little station and the Drève des Weigélias: it feels a bit like the Brussels countryside here. And the Church of St. Clement, a little further on, could just as well be in Provence.


Calypso 2000

This swimming pool is located in the Parc Sportif des 3 Tilleuls, where you can play tennis or basketball and do yoga as well as swimming a few lengths. But that’s for another sporty day. Now, let’s continue towards the garden suburbs.


Le Logis-Floréal

Although the two are usually mentioned in the same breath, Le Logis and Floréal are actually two different garden suburbs. They consist of small workers’ houses with colourful gardens, intended to offer labourers a pleasant living environment amongst nature at the beginning of the twentieth century.


Town hall of Watermael-Boitsfort

Continue to the town hall of Watermael-Boitsfort. In terms of size, it was built to serve the village of Watermael before it was merged with Boitsfort. So you won’t find nineteenth-century grandeur here, just small-scale charm. Très mignon!


Avenue Delleur

We will now follow the cycle path in the middle of Avenue Delleur for quite some time, but feel free to make a detour to the left or right through the many small parks with ponds. The Woluwe river flows along the right-hand side of the avenue. Along the way you can admire various architectural gems such as the Royale Belge building, which will soon undergo a thorough renovation.


The Woluwe

Alongside the Maelbeek and the Senne, the Woluwe is one of the three most important rivers (and therefore valleys) in Brussels. Tenreuken and Seny are two of the many beautiful parks along the river. Enjoy!


Herrmann-Debroux

Continue past the Herrmann-Debroux metro station, the final stop of line 5. You can also admire various works of art above the tracks and on each of the two platforms. 👀


Val Duchesse

This former Dominican convent regularly forms the backdrop for political summits and government negotiations. We can certainly believe that the beautiful surroundings would help you to make difficult decisions!


Mellaerts Ponds

Mellaerts Ponds Park is a wonderful place where water and nature lovers can walk and relax. Prefer to cycle on rather than by the water? On the largest pond, you can go out on a pedal boat in warm weather.


Woluwe Park

This park (with four ponds!) was created at the request of Leopold II for the 1897 World’s Fair. He wanted a huge park with an English-style landscape to please the bourgeoisie. The valleys and hills certainly do give the look and feel of an English garden, while at the same time creating the illusion that the park blends into the surrounding nature. 


Tram Museum

We continue towards the Tram Museum, where you can relive the history of public transport in Brussels. At weekends, you can take a ride through Brussels in one of the historic vehicles.


Stoclet Palace

Along the way, you’ll encounter another impressive piece of architecture: the Stoclet Palace is an Art Nouveau villa designed by Austrian architect Josef Hoffmann on behalf of businessman Adolphe Stoclet. The exterior of the building is entirely covered in white marble. The Stoclet Palace has been a World Heritage Site since 2009.


Pilar

We now cycle back to Ixelles, pausing at Pilar: an open, artistic laboratory for young people, located at the VUB.


Delta

Cycling past this former marshalling yard (where freight trains were shunted and made up into trains), you arrive back at the starting point of our route in Ixelles. And now it’s time for that terrace! 🍹

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    Ixelles Cemetery

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    Station

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    Sint-Clemens church

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    Calypso 2000

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    Le Logis-Floréal

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    Town hall of Watermael-Boitsfort

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    Avenue Delleur

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    The Woluwe

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    Tram museum

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    Pilar

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