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.

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

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).

Events

 * 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.
 * 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
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.