Hasselt

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 The Hague 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 2-3, ☏ +32 11 29-60-00. Train station with an information and ticket 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 €1 per trip. You must buy a Hasseltpas in advance to take advantage of these cheaper fares and both the place you get on and off the bus have to be inside the city of Hasselt.

See

The town centre of Hasselt is not large. 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 century) 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).  
• 2 St. Quentin's Cathedral (Sint-Quintinuskathedraal), Vismarkt.  
• 3 Virga Jesse Basilica (Kapel van Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Virga-Jesse), Kapelstraat.  
• 4 Beguinage. The walled beguinage of Hasselt is listed, among several other Belgian beguinages as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The beguinage consisted of 13 houses surrounding the public garden and church. The beguinage church that once stood in the middle of the beguinage got bombed in 1944 and was never rebuilt.  
• 5 Cultural Centre, Casterstraat, ☏ +32 11 22-99-31. 

Parks and public fields

• 6 Japanese garden, Gouverneur Verwilghensingel 23. 
• 7 Kapermolenpark, Koning Boudewijnlaan. 
• Kiewit nature field. 
• Town park. 

Museums

• 8 National Jenever Museum, Witte Nonnenstraat 19. Dutch/Belgian version of gin. 
• 9 Urban Fashion museum (Modemuseum), Gasthuisstraat 11, ☏ +32 11 23 96 21. 
• 10 Municipal Carillon Museum (Stedelijk Beiaardmuseum), Vismarkt. 
• 11 Museum of the 'Heilig Paterke', Schrijnwerkersstraat. 

Do

• 1 Plopsa Indoor Hasselt, Gouverneur Verwilghensingel 70, ☏ +32 11 29 30 40, info@plopsa.be. Indoor theme park that is open all year round. €20 regular ticket. (updated Jan 2018)

Events

• Jenever Festival: . Mid-October. (date needs fixing)
• Watch football: KRC Genk play soccer in Belgian First Division A, the country's top tier. Their home ground is Luminus Arena, capacity 24,000, in the town of Genk.

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.

• 1 Ogst, Ridder Portmansstraat 4, ☏ +32 11 41 38 13. Su, M closed. Belgian-French cuisine with a Scandinavian touch. 
• 2 Café Latino, Zuivelmarkt 12, ☏ +32 11 22 34 82. Tu-Sa from 18:00, Su M closed. A Mexican restaurant where the party always is on. This is also a good place to go to for cocktails. (updated Jan 2018)
• 3 Taratata, Kempische Kaai 7, ☏ +32 11 23 47 67. W Th Su closed. (updated Jan 2018)

Drink

• 1 Fietsbar, Minderbroedersstraat 54, ☏ +32 484 61 96 62. Tu-F 08:00—18:00, Sa Su 10:00—18:00, M closed. A bike repair shop with a bar inside. While drinking your coffee you can watch how your bicycle (or any other bicycle) gets repaired. (updated Jan 2018)
• 2 De Kleine Hal (the small hallway), Maastrichterstraat 30 (right next to St. Quentin's Cathedral), ☏ +32 11 22 96 17. M-Th 09:00-21:00, F Sa 09:00-01:00, Su holiday 11:00-21:00. A small hallway claimed to be the oldest café in Hasselt. In 1836, gin distiller Carolus Vanderlocht converted the left part of the building into a gin liquor store and gave it the name "De Kleine Halle". Today a lot of loyal customers come to have drinks with a great variety of beers, drinks and snacks. (updated Aug 2020)
• Shanti Beans, Dorpsstraat 43. A cozy coffee bar in the center of the alternative district of Hasselt. (updated May 2018)

Sleep

• 1 Hostel H, Spoorwegstraat 80, ☏ +32 11 45 50 81, hasselt@vjh.be. Located on the rear side of the train station in a new building. From €26.10. Annual members stay for rates from €23.70. (updated Jan 2018)
• 2 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. 
• 3 HasHotel, Sint-Jozefsstraat 2-10, ☏ +32 11 23 06 55, info@hashotel.be. (updated Jan 2018)
• 4 Radisson Blu Hotel Hasselt, Torenplein 8, ☏ +32 11 77 00 00, reservations.hasselt@radissonblu.com. Hotel of the popular chain. On the top floor is a bar (Sky Lounge) with a great view over the city. (updated Jan 2018)