Mechelen

Mechelen is a historically important city on the river Dyle in the centre of Flanders. It is a vibrant town, mixing trendy and traditional. Its carillon school is world-renowned, training students from all over the world in the art of playing carillons, sets of 24 or more bells hung in church towers. Shops downtown are often housed in buildings with the old-style Flemish architecture, but offer edgy fashions sure to appeal to the younger generation.

Understand
It lies about halfway between Antwerp and Brussels and has approximately 80,000 inhabitants.

Though now in the shadow of Brussels, Mechelen is a historically important city in its own right. From 1506 to 1530 it was the capital of the Netherlands under Margaret of Austria. In 1559 it became an archbishopric, a sign of great importance. It was famous for its wood carvings, some of which can still be seen in the churches of the city, and for lace and tapestry manufacture.

Mechelen is developing into the centre of non-profit or non-governmental organizations for Flanders. Some famous examples are Natuurpunt, AFS, and the Red Cross. This is mainly because it's very easily reachable (by train or by highway) but not as expensive as Brussels.

Inhabitants are called "Maneblussers" (moon-extinguishers). The story goes that one day long time ago the moonlight was shining on the unfinished St.-Romboutstoren and that some people thought it was burning. The whole city was mobilized to extinguish the fire but there was no fire to extinguish.

Mechelen has its own local encyclopedia, called Mechelen Mapt, written in Dutch with short translations in English.
 * Mechelen city government website

By train
Mechelen is easily reached by train. From Brussels and Antwerp it takes about 25 minutes.

By bus
You can also reach by taking a bus from Antwerp. Just outside the main train station you'll find a bus station with connections to many places in the vicinity.

By car
Mechelen lies at the E19-highway.

Get around
The city center is about 15 minutes walk from the train station. Mechelen is a very compact city, so you can reach most places on foot. There are a few bus routes through and radiating from the city centre in case you need them.

Do

 * Take a boat cruise along the waterways. The 45-minute trip costs €6. Departures are every hour on the half hour, from Haverwerf.
 * Get to the tourist information center on the main square or Grote Markt and follow one of their recommended walking tours.
 * Football: KV Mechelen play soccer in Pro League, Belgium's top tier. Their home ground (capacity 16,700) is "Achter de Kazerne" - "behind the barracks", sponsored as AFAS Stadion, 1.5 km northeast of town centre. Their former rivals KRC Mechelen toil away down in the minor leagues.
 * Football: KV Mechelen play soccer in Pro League, Belgium's top tier. Their home ground (capacity 16,700) is "Achter de Kazerne" - "behind the barracks", sponsored as AFAS Stadion, 1.5 km northeast of town centre. Their former rivals KRC Mechelen toil away down in the minor leagues.
 * Football: KV Mechelen play soccer in Pro League, Belgium's top tier. Their home ground (capacity 16,700) is "Achter de Kazerne" - "behind the barracks", sponsored as AFAS Stadion, 1.5 km northeast of town centre. Their former rivals KRC Mechelen toil away down in the minor leagues.
 * Football: KV Mechelen play soccer in Pro League, Belgium's top tier. Their home ground (capacity 16,700) is "Achter de Kazerne" - "behind the barracks", sponsored as AFAS Stadion, 1.5 km northeast of town centre. Their former rivals KRC Mechelen toil away down in the minor leagues.

Events

 * Weekly one-hour carillon concerts on the Sint-Rombouts tower carillon occur Saturdays at 11:30 and Sundays at 15:00 all year. During the summer (roughly June to September) there are additional concerts on Monday evenings; for these, carillonneurs from all over the Low Countries, as well as overseas, are invited to play.

Buy

 * The main shopping streets are Bruul and IJzerenleen, both radiating out from the Market Square.
 * There are several chocolate shops near the Grote Markt, but try the local one, Gauthier, on the IJzerenleen; it's very good and not as pricey as Neuhaus. They also have some spice cakes and cookies.
 * If you're around on a Saturday morning there's an open market in the Grote Markt and the Botermarkt. There are a lot of food stands (cheese, meat, seafood, produce, some prepared food) but also some others (basic clothing, shoes, linens).
 * There's a Match supermarket on Haverwerf, if you need supplies for self-catering. The Smatch on the Blauwhondstraat (between IJzerenleen and Bruul, near the Grote Markt) is smaller but is open Sunday mornings.

Drink

 * Various cafes on the Vismarkt
 * Various cafes on the Vismarkt
 * Various cafes on the Vismarkt

Stay safe
While Mechelen used to have one of the highest crime rates in Flanders, it is safe to walk through Mechelen now. The city has improved much over the last years, especially in the tourist areas. You may want to keep out of the outskirts at night, though, but there is not much to do there anyway.

Connect
As of June 2022, Mechelen has 4G from Orange and Proximus / Scarlet, and 5G from Base / Telenet.

Go next

 * Antwerp — Major port town north of Mechelen, with a large shopping, diamond and fashion scene.
 * Brussels — The lively and diverse national capital is only a short train ride away.
 * Leuven — Nearly as lively as Antwerp or Brussels is this college town, home to one of the world's oldest universities is here. Many hotels also cater to businessmen who wish not to stay in Brussels.
 * Lier — Nearby small town with some medieval sights.