Bois de la Cambre — Attraction in Brussels

The Bois de la Cambre is Brussels rendered in park form – an often beautiful place that could be wonderful, but is utterly ruined by a determination to give over as much of its space as possible to cars.

Much of the park is very pretty – wooded areas, rolling greenery, a pleasant lake. But it is dominated by a three-to-four lane expressway-type road that runs in figure-of-eight-form around its entirety, which is pretty much impossible to get away from; there are also several other fast roads running through parts of it. The park is also surrounded on all sides by busy roads (making the roads inside the park completely superfluous) which are also difficult to cross for much of their length.

The northern end of the park – by far the most accessible end for most Brussels residents, given that it’s the closest to the city centre and is much better served by public transport than the south – is particularly bad, in that in addition to the roads, right in the middle of it lies a large car park (entirely illegal, but entirely ignored by the authorities). If you walk across the top of the park, it goes like this – cross busy road, walk trough short section of wood (or a bit further down, walk along a busy road going into the park), cross busy three-lane road at busy junction with another road into the park, walk along access road, walk through enormous illegal car park, short section of wood, cross fast busy three lane road on a blind corner with no form of pedestrian crossing anywhere nearby whatsoever, short section of wood, out the other end (onto a busy four-lane road, with no pedestrian crossing anywhere nearby). Seriously, why would you bother?

The roads in the southern half of the park are closed to cars on the weekends, which is something; spending time by the lake can be very pleasant then. But as I say, the northern end is much more accessible to most Brussels residents, given that it’s closer to the (dense) city itself much better served by public transport, while the southern half is surrounded by much less densely-populated suburbs, badly served by public transport, and far away for most of the people who want to use the park. And to get to the car-free southern half from the northern half, you also still have to cross (within the park itself) a fast busy road with cars coming at speed round a corner at you, with cars routinely illegally parked on the footpath next to the crossings, dangerously blocking sightlines,. Furthermore, plenty of people want to use parks outside of the weekends.

A couple of other issues:

There’s little in the way of play facilities for children (two very small playgrounds, one of which is right next to a busy traffic junction). The park has tons of space and serves an area with countless thousands of children; it should have at least one decent large play area.

The bike lanes on the road running through the park are also horrific; they aren’t segregated from the traffic (which despite the posted speed limits often easily approaches 100 kmh, unsurprisingly given the roads are designed like race tracks), cars are often parked almost blocking them (often with broken glass from them covering the tracks), and there are junctions that have you on your bike going straight ahead while traffic moving at very high speed is turning right into your path. Unsurprisingly, no one uses them.

It’s a a mess and it’s high time the Brussels authorities converted it from a glorified motorway/parking complex to an actual park (you know, a green space where you can move about without fear of being mown down by multi-ton machines moving at 90 kph, have a picnic without listening to the din of and breathing in the fumes from multiple lanes of fast-moving traffic 30m behind you, that...

A Day to Remember at Bois de la Cambre

We recently spent an absolutely delightful day at Bois de la Cambre, and it's safe to say it won't be our last visit. This vast, beautiful park is the perfect setting for outdoor activities and relaxation, offering an excellent retreat from the hustle and bustle of city life.

We decided to have a picnic, and the park had numerous ideal spots to choose from. We found a lovely place under a leafy tree, which provided just enough shade to keep us cool on a warm day. The park was clean, well-kept, and expansive, providing ample space to maintain a peaceful atmosphere even while being well-attended.

Our day was filled with laughter and joy as we played games of Skippity and Uno, and even engaged in some frisbee tossing. The spacious, lush grassy fields provided the perfect backdrop for our games. And for my son, the wide paths throughout the park were a haven for him to ride his bike, safe and uninterrupted.

One of the standout aspects of Bois de la Cambre is how beautifully it merges natural tranquility with the vibrancy of family-friendly activities. Children, families, and groups of friends all coexist harmoniously in this serene park setting.

The park was well maintained, and it was evident that the city puts effort into keeping this gem clean and inviting.

In conclusion, Bois de la Cambre offered us a perfect day out. If you're looking for a wonderful outdoor location for picnics, games, cycling, or simply to relax in Brussels, Bois de la Cambre should undoubtedly be on your...

Only partially explored on a few brief visits, this is a wonderful asset to have at such close quarters to the city. In the wintery weekend evening the restaurant on the lake island lines the paths to the pedestrian ferry with large ceramic candlelights creating a very atmospheric ambience. The roads crossing the park seem to be closed and sometimes appropriated for street activities, such as skating installations. This makes it a relaxed area for short bike rides with kids. The forested areas do feel more like a park, but as this is connected to a proper forested area outside of the city to the south, it is the gateway to far more exploring. There are several food outlets and picnic...