Liege (Liege, in Flemish Luik) is one of those cities that we either adore or hate. Located along the river Maas, about 90 km from Brussels, it is also the largest city of Ardennes, the capital of the province. Industrial, rotting, hard, Liège has a peculiar charm, which, however, is not striking. And yet Liege is worth a visit, at least for the sake of its city museum. The richest collection stores unique exhibits of religious art that are not found anywhere else in Belgium.
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How to get
Liège-Bierset International Airport accepts charters and regular flights from Agadir, Alicante, Bodrum, Catania, Corfu, Djerba, Hurghada, Ibiza, Izmir, Las Palmas, Malaga, Monastir, Rhodes, Tel Aviv, Tenerife and other cities. You can get to the city center by public transport, although this is quite difficult.
Tourists from Russia mostly use the Brussels international airport, and from there they get to Liège by train via Leuven or by a direct train from Brussels-Nord station. From Brussels, the intercity train departs every hour, on the road approximately 60 minutes.
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By train or bus
Liège-Guillemins - main railway. a station located in the south-west of the city. Thalys high-speed trains from Paris, Aachen, Cologne and Frankfurt also stop here. However, it should be borne in mind that this is not the most pleasant station in Belgium, despite the fact that it was designed by the great genius of Calatrava. Get there from walking to the city center is unlikely. It is better to take a bus that costs € 1.40 one way, or a taxi for 8-10 EUR. The cheapest option is to take the train to Liège-Palais station (the price is included in the ticket to Liège-Guillemins), on the way 6 minutes.
Climate
Partly cloudy, light rain +9 ° С in the day +6 ° С at night ° С water |
Overcast, light rain +7 ° C in the day +5 ° С at night ° С water |
Cloudy, rain +6 ° С in the day +1 ° C at night ° С water |
| Liège weather forecast for 10 days | ||
| Average monthly temperature, ° C | ||||||||||||
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| in the daytime | + 3 | + 5 | + 8 | + 13 | + 17 | + 20 | + 21 | + 21 | + 18 | + 12 | + 8 | + 5 |
| night | -1 | + 0 | + 1 | + 5 | + 8 | + 11 | + 13 | + 13 | + 10 | + 6 | + 3 | + 1 |
Transport
In the center of the city you can move on foot or by bus (ticket for one trip from 1, 4 euros). To call a taxi, call Liège Taxi: 0800 322 00. You can rent a bike in La Maison des Cyclistes (Rue de Gueldre 3; opening hours: 14-18: 00 pt-Wed from May to September). The cost of rent per hour 1 EUR, half a day 6 EUR, per day - 8 EUR.
Shopping and Markets
Market Marché de la Batte - a popular place for a Saturday morning walk. One of the longest markets in Europe stretched along the Meuse River and the University of Liège. The market opens early in the morning, closes closer to dinner. Here you can buy food, clothes and snacks, as well as fresh vegetables and fruits.
On flea markets at Saint Gilles (every Saturday at Boulevard Louis Hillier) and Saint Pholien (every Friday morning at Boulevard de la Constitution) it is worth looking for unique and funny souvenirs from Liege. In addition, every year in the city there is a fun fair, which falls on the first weekend of October and lasts for 6 weeks, on the second weekend of November.
Traditional souvenirs from Liege are Val Saint Lambert crystals, as well as products of local craftsmen (scarves with medieval or modern design ties), which can be found in the tourist information office, as well as in souvenir shops around the city. Also worth a closer look at the folklore dolls Tchantchès.
Kitchen and dishes
Typical drinks and snacks in Liege are Belgian beers, chocolate and cheese. It is worth trying the Herve soup with a unique taste, Sirop de Liège, made with a mixture of apples and pears, apple cider, Péquet tincture. And on the sweet - the famous Belgian waffles.
Other desserts can be found depending on the season: bouquètes (dark pancakes with raisins and sugar), lacquemants / lackmans (dry wafers), cutè peures - a special kind of local baking. Liège coffee (café liégeois) is traditionally popular all year round - Viennese coffee, renamed by Parisians during the Second World War.
Book popular hotels in Liege at the best prices
| Crowne Plaza Liege from 9 029 rubles Liège It Mont Saint-Martin 9-11 | ||
| Pentahotel Liège from 4 963 rubles Liège Boulevard de la Sauvenière 100 | Ramada Plaza Liege City from 5 927 rubles Liège Quai Saint-Léonard 36 | B & B The Street Lodge from 5,445 rubles Liège Rue Dartois 17A |
| Hotel Husa De La Couronne Liege from 4 756 rubles Liège Place Des Guillemins, 11 | Best Western Univers Hotel from 3 998 rubles Liège Rue des Guillemins 116 | Campanile Hotel & Restaurant Liège / Luik from 4 687 rubles Liège Rue Jean Baptiste juppin 17/18 |
| Eurotel from 4 687 rubles Liège Rue Léon Frédéricq 29 | Hôtel Les Acteurs from 3,446 rubles Liège Rue Des Urbanistes 10 | Hotel La Passerelle from 4 480 rubles Liège Chaussée Des Prés, 24 |
Entertainment, Excursions and Landmarks Liège
The main attraction of Liège is the palace of princes-bishops, which was built in the beginning of the 11th century, then it was repeatedly expanded and reconstructed, becoming approximately from the 14th century a real adornment of the city. Behind the palace with a neo-Gothic facade are two inner courtyards decorated with graceful arcades in the early Renaissance style.
Liege Cathedral
Having given due residence to the princes, it is worth to go to the Romanesque church of Saint Barthelemy, whose architecture with two towers is very typical for the whole region from the Rhine to the Meuse. Also, a foundry school founded in the 12th-13th centuries is considered traditional for the Maas valley. It was from this school that an amazing bronze font was created in the church of St. Barthélemy. The casting of the font was master Rayner from Gyu in the 12th century.
Another charming monument of the religious architecture of Liège is the church of Saint-Jean, built under the bishop of Notgere after the model of the Aachen Palatinate-Capella. In the 18th century it was rebuilt, but it retained its octagonal form. Inside there are rare art monuments, such as the image of Our Lady and the "Crucifixion" of the 13th century.
The list would be incomplete without two more picturesque churches - St. Martin and St. Paul. The first was laid under the bishop of Notgere in the 10th century, but because of the fire of 1291 from the temple, practically nothing remained. What tourists see today was restored in the 15th century. St. Paul's Cathedral is later, dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries, and it also stands on the site of an undiscovered Gothic cathedral.
City architecture
The central place in the city is occupied by the airy building of the Town Hall, built in the style of French classicism. On the pediment - the city's coat of arms (1714), and on the bronze memorial plaque - the name of Megre, the most famous detective in the 30s of the 20th century, which was immortalized on the pages of the detective novels of Georges Simenon. The author, a native of these places, is no less loved by the inhabitants of the city. You can see the exposition about his work and life in the house-museum of the famous writer.
Very popular and local and tourists stroll along the pretty work of the architect Jean Delcourt - transferred in 1697 to the medieval colonnade (le Perron) in the fountain. Which is now considered a symbol of the independence of the city.
Museum of Archeology and Art Maasland
The museum is located in the old patrician House of Curtius, which was built in the early 17th century in the style of the Maas Renaissance. For a long time the building belonged to the arms dealer, today there is an excellent museum with a rich collection. Her pearl is Notgera's Gospel (circa 1000) in an ivory frame decorated with enamel and precious stones.