Mons is the perfect place for a weekend break. Packed with UNESCO treasures, great museums, a maze of cute streets leading off a grand square, great food and a really excellent train station. I know that now. Before I visited, I wasn’t sure what Mons would be like. I associated it with the first battle for the British Army in World War I. Beyond that I knew nothing. What I found was a charming town. Come with me and discover why Mons is the perfect weekend break.
We visited Mons as guests of Visit Wallonia
Table of Contents
Why you need to explore Mons
Mons is quite a hilly place. I should not have been surprised about this. The clue is in the name. Mons … very similar to mount and mountain! Indeed it was its height that led the Romans to build a fortress here. People from the Romans onwards have been captivated by Mons and so will you.
Grand Place
Let’s start in the heart of Mons the Grand Place. Lined with handsome buildings and tempting bars and cafes. Grandest of all is the Hotel de Ville or Town Hall. Make sure you find the little cast iron monkey on the town hall facade and give his head a stroke. It will bring you at least a year of happiness!
Beaux Arts Museum
Just round the corner from the Grand Place is the ultra modern Beaux Arts Museum (BAM). It plays host to a series of temporary exhibitions. When we visited it was a superb romp round the history of Surrealism.
- Beaux Arts Museum, Rue Neuve 8
- Open: Tuesday – Sunday 10am – 6pm
- Admission: €16
Maison Losseau
Outside the Maison Losseau looks like a handsome but unremarkable building, inside it is an Art Nouveau gem. In 1899 León Losseau, lawyer and bibliophile had his family house made over in the latest style. Everywhere you look there are incredible details. A glazed roof, festooned with flowers. Silver thistle leaves climbing up the leg of a desk. Marquetry walls. What impressed the Cultural Young Man most was the original copy of A Season in Hell by Arthur Rimbaud.
- Maison Losseau, Rue de Nimy 37/39
- Open: Wednesday – Friday 10am – 6pm, Saturday 1pm – 6pm, Sunday 10am – 5pm
- Admission: €7
Beffroi
You can’t missthe Beffroi or belfry in Mons it looms over everything and its chimes ring out regularly. It is a Baroque UNESCO listed beauty. When you visit make sure go via the very steep Ramp du Chateau and the park. Do not so as we did, try to get into the group entrance on the Rue des Gades! You can climb to the top of the belfry for great views. Or I imagine they would be great, we visited on a very foggy day.
- Mons Beffroi
- Open: Tuesday – Sunday 10m – 6pm
- Admission: €9
La Maison des patrimonies UNESCO
A the foot of Beffroi you will find the House of UNESCO Treasures a celebration of the fact that Mons and the surrounding area are jam packed with UNESCO cultural treasures. Which makes me want to return and explore the surrounding area.
- La Maison des patrimonies UNESCO, 32 Rue des Clercs
- Open: Tuesday – Sunday 10am – 6pm
- Admission: Free
Collégiale Ste Waudru
St Waltrude’s Collegiate Church is a splendid Gothic church. Back in the 7th century St Waltrude founded a religious community in Mons. Every year she is celebrated with the Doudou festival which see her casket paraded around the town. In the church you can see the magnificent golden carriage which carries her around.
Mons Doudou or Doucasse du Mons
Every year in late May or early June Mons puts on its party hat for the Doucasse du Mons or Doudou. Events start with a solemn service in St Waltrude’s church on the Saturday. On Sunday the golden casket containing the remains of St Waltrude is loaded onto the carriage and parades around the town amid much celebration. There is a museum devoted the whole extravaganza just behind the town hall.
- Collégiale Ste Waudru, Place du Chapitre
- Open: Daily 9am – 6pm
- Admission: Free
Artothèque
Just below the Collégiale Ste Waudru you will find the Artothèque. From the outside the Artothèque looks like a standard museum full of stuff. It is indeed full of stuff. Really interesting stuff. The difference here is that you can see all of the stuff. Unlike most museums where only a tiny proportion of the the collection is on show. Technology helps you with this. You can explore the collection with the help of really whizzy interactive screens. To help you get started some objects are displays as they would be in in a museum depot. Pick one and go on an adventure in the collection.
- Artothèque, Rue Claude de Bettignies
- Open: Thursday – Sunday 10am – 4pm
- Admission: €6
Mons Memorial Museum
The Mons Memorial Museum is quite simply the best museum about war that I have ever visited. Waves of war have washed over Mons since the dawn at least the Roman era. Julius Caesar was here. Mons was pretty much destroyed in both the First and Second World Wars. It is not only the story of battles that is told here but also the reality of occupation and challenge of rebuilding.
Angel of Mons
Mons was the site of the first battle of the First World War for the British Army on 26 August 1914. British soldiers were outnumbered by Germans by twenty to one. As defeat and pretty certain destruction loomed some soldiers thought they saw Angels who led them to safety. Whatever they saw the story resonated and was widely told. Now there is a special display devoted to the Angels in the Mons Memorial Museum.
- Mons Memorial Museum, Boulevard Dolez
- Open: Tuesday – Sunday 10am – 6pm
- Admission: €9
Street Art in Mons
Everywhere you look in Mons there is excellent street art. Murals of nuns. Birds on schools. You can even walk down a street where the cobbles have been transformed into an art work. We didn’t go seeking it out, rather spotted things as we meandered around. If you fancy delving deeper I found this whizzy interactive map from Street Art Cities.
Mons Train Station
Even if you are not travelling by train take time to take a look at Mons railway station. It looks like the Starship Enterprise rather than a train station. Designed by Santiago Calatrava. It has been many years in construction. Indeed the finishing touches were still being put in place when I visited.
Where to Stay in Mons
Martins Dream Hotel we stayed in this former Abbey of the Sœurs du Bélian. Our room featured a rather magnificent tracery window, exactly the kind of place that Cultural Wednesday loves. Breakfast was excellent too.
Mons Youth Hostel we didn’t stay here but have stayed in many other Belgian Youth Hostels. This one is nestled at the foot of the Beffroi so wins, many points for location.
Where to Eat in Mons
Bars line the Grand Place, we chose one at random for coffee and later one for a beer and then enjoyed the view.
Le Table du Boucher as you would expect the table of the butcher serves meat, really excellent steaks.
Origines by Celine Origines is pure theatre. Every month there is a different set menu, when we visited it was duck. Four of the five courses featured duck, the other was pudding. You can opt for a wine flight as well. Celine circulates the room with the wine offering explanations of the wine and why it was chosen.
Mémé Tartine we popped in for lunch. The Tartines were so enormous that I could not finish mine. No matter an offer was made to pack it up to take away and it made an excellent lunch on the train the next day
How to Get to Mons
We travelled by train to Mons via Eurostar from London. All Eurostar tickets to Brussels from London get you to any Belgian station. We simply changed platforms at Brussels and an hour later arrived in Mons. I am tempted to return with our car to explore the wealth of UNESCO treasures just outside Mons. When we do we will either go via Eurotunnel (our favourite) or ferry then a 2½ hour drive to Mons.
We love exploring Belgium. Check out Cultural Wednesday posts covering our visits to the Belgian Coast, Bruges, Mechelen and Antwerp.
