Inspiration when you are in Tongeren!

Tongeren has much to offer:

Browse every Sunday among antique treasures!
An antiques and flea market has been organized in Tongeren for more than 30 years on sunday mornings. More than 350 exhibitors and antique shops display their treasures from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. It is the largest antiques and brocante market in the Benelux, and the many Dutch, Germans, French, British and Americans who come to Tongeren are aware of this.

Tongeren is the city of Ambiorix:

The mythical hero was king of the Eburones and had made things quite difficult for Julius Caesar by defeating many times his Roman soldiers . Caesar said that the Belgians must surely be the bravest of all Gauls.
But what you might not know: very few people had ever heard of Ambiorix until Belgium became independent in 1830. The new kingdom urgently needed a national past, so a number of historians dived into the archives. The result was the rediscovery of Ambiorix, which everyone thought deserved quite a bit more fame. And so it happened.
On September 5, 1866, a statue of Ambiorix was erected on the Grote Markt in Tongeren, the place where he is believed to have lived. But as is often the case with old heroes: no one really knows with 100% certainty whether he actually lived in Tongeren, or whether he would ever have been here (there are even skeptics who believe that Ambiorix never existed but has been invented by Ceasar to disguise his shameful defeat in Gaul). In any case: it is highly probable that someone like Ambiorix has been in charge in these parts, since Caesar is talking about Ambiorix in Atuatuca Tungrorum, and that is the old name of Tongeren.
The statue of Ambiorix on the Grote Markt overlooks the Basilica of Tongeren.

The Gallo-Roman Museum is top:

Who says Tongeren, says Gallo-Roman museum and of course you should visit that too. You will find a permanent exhibition about the Romans in Belgium, very clearly presented and fascinating for young and old. The Gallo-Roman Museum is therefore a winner. In 2011, it was the first Belgian museum ever to receive the European Museum of the Year Award and has since won many other prestigious awards. Tongeren has a real treasure trove Last year a (renewed) treasury, called Teseum, opened in the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe Basilica in Tongeren. It is the largest and richest treasury in the Rhine-Meuse Region and contains countless religious treasures. You can see church treasures that were hidden for years in a dark treasury. Via a side wing of the Basilica you will arrive at the Teseum, and you will receive an iPod so that you can visit the treasury with extra explanation. Visit the beautiful cloister garden and the Romanesque corridor of the Basilica.

The Moerenpoort is a museum in a medieval city gate:

The Moerenpoort is the only remaining medieval city gate of Tongeren, its name refers to the swamps that surrounded the city in the distant past. The gate was built during the Middle Ages on the remains of the old Roman ramparts. Originally there were plans to tear down the old gate, but it was eventually restored. And good for us, because today it is a museum tower that you should definitely visit. You will learn everything about life in and around the gate and the great fire of Tongeren in 1677.

The special accommodation of the Tourist Office:

If you are not sure where to go during your first visit to a city, it is always a good idea to drop in at the tourist office. You are amazed at the tourist office of Tongeren, because it is cosily accommodated in the beautifully restored Gasthuiskapel. Nice to know: that in earlier times the chapel was used to receive pilgrims/tourists on their way to Santiago de Compostela.

Hmmm… culinary enjoyment:

There is no shortage of food and beverages in Tongeren. The city offers two of its own biscuits: the caëderkükse (a coconut shortbread cookie) and the Tongerse mop, a biscuit with an aniseed flavour. If you are thirsty, try an Amburon Blond or Pils beer, a top-fermented beer with a fruity aroma. The Caesaaer’ke is a brandy with barley malt and rye (also known as a Tongers Witteke).

Even wine castle Genoels-Elderen is in the vicinity:

And it is the only wine castle in Belgium, surrounded by about 20 hectares of vineyards. The soil in this region is comparable to that of the classic French wine regions. The climate is reminiscent of that of Burgundy. The wine castle offers group tours where you can visit the park, the vineyards, the distillery, the pressing house and the 13th century wine cellars. Tongeren was voted the best overnight city in Belgium in 2016. And was rewarded with a gold medal for that. With such a beautiful title, it should come as no surprise that you will find a lot to see and do in and around Tongeren.