Top 15 Must-See Attractions in Tournai, Belgium

One of Belgium’s oldest cities boasts a central square situated over a Gallo-Roman cemetery, and is recognized as the birthplace of Clovis I (466-511), the founder of the Merovingian dynasty.

Grand Place, meticulously reconstructed following firebomb raids in 1940, features a notable concentration of historical buildings.

The city houses two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: an impressive Romanesque-Gothic cathedral and a Belfry that has existed since the 12th century.

Tournai, with its narrow streets leading down to the River Scheldt quaysides, is a city that invites thorough exploration.

The city awaits with historic churches reflecting its transitional Gothic style, a Medieval fortified bridge, Romanesque residences, and captivating museums covering art, archaeology, social history, and natural history.

1. Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Tournai

As one of the two UNESCO-inscribed monuments on Grand Place, Tournai Cathedral is a stunning amalgamation of Romanesque and Gothic architecture, easily identifiable by its five solemn square towers.

Stretching over 130 metres in length with a maximum height of 84 metres, the proportions of this structure are remarkable considering its historical significance.

The nave was constructed in the early 12th century, while the Gothic choir features a transitional transept incorporating both Romanesque and Gothic characteristics from the turn of the 13th century.

In true Romanesque style, the nave presents an austere and imposing atmosphere, contrasting sharply with the airy ambiance of the choir, inspired by the northern French cathedrals of Amiens and Chartres.

Be sure to observe the “Issue of Souls in Purgatory” by Peter Paul Rubens (c. 1635), in addition to the exquisite Renaissance rood screen crafted by Flemish sculptor Cornelis Floris in 1573. The treasury is rich with invaluable liturgical art, including a 14th-century Arras tapestry, two reliquaries, precious ivories, and remarkable examples of goldsmithery.

2. Grand Place

Tournai’s triangular main square was located outside the city walls during its earliest days approximately 2,000 years ago.

Initially an expansive Gallo-Roman cemetery, it transformed into a marketplace during the Carolingian era, around the 8th century, coinciding with the resurgence of European trade.

This article details numerous significant sights located within Grand Place; however, it is also important to highlight that Tournai is home to an impressive number of dining establishments.

Grand Place, restored after destructive incendiary bomb attacks by the Luftwaffe in May 1940, features an almost continuous line of café and restaurant terraces on its north side, set beneath historic gabled façades.

3. Belfry

The 72-metre freestanding bell-tower situated on Grand Place is one of 56 belfries in France and Belgium recognized under the same UNESCO World Heritage listing.

The history of Tournai’s belfry dates back to around 1188, after Philip II of France granted a town charter, part of which established a communal bell.

This makes it the oldest belfry in Belgium. As the city expanded in the 13th century, buttresses and polygonal turrets were incorporated into the 12th-century base.

The tower served as a lookout point for detecting impending dangers as well as fires in the city.

The interior chambers, distributed over five different floors, were utilized as a prison until 1827 and also accommodated the town hall for a certain period.

The original bells were lost to a fire at the close of the 14th century, and the oldest bell currently in the tower was cast in 1392. The belfry remains open throughout the year from Tuesday to Sunday, allowing visitors to ascend the 257 steps for a comprehensive view of Tournai.

4. Musée d’Histoire Naturelle de Tournai

In 2028, this natural history museum will celebrate its 200th anniversary.

Since 1839, it has been located in a Neoclassical structure that stands on the site of the former Abbey of Saint-Martin, which was disbanded in 1797. This institution was the first museum in Belgium made available to the public, thanks to the sponsorship of King Leopold I and prominent botanist and politician Barthélemy du Mortier.

This natural history museum primarily explores the evolution of the animal kingdom and combines modern elements with the appearance of a 19th-century cabinet of curiosities, housing specimens and taxidermies in elegant glass displays.

A highlight for younger visitors is the Vivarium, which hosts live species such as Chinese alligators, tarantulas, chameleons, and various other reptiles and invertebrates.

5. Maison Tournaisienne

This museum, housed in a 17th-century building on a small lane off Grand Place, provides insights into Tournai’s residents throughout history.

All social classes are represented, from nobility to the city’s orphans.

Visitors can discover various trades through recreated workshops for weavers, potters, and printers.

Within 23 distinct exhibition rooms, explore Tournai’s carnival traditions, military history, fashion, religious customs, medicine, societal organizations, giant processional figures, education, and more.

Each room is enhanced with authentic artifacts, notably a plan-relief (military scale model) of ancient Tournai from the reign of Louis XIV.

6. Museum of Fine Arts

The renowned Art Nouveau architect Victor Horta designed this art museum, which was constructed on the site of the Abbey of Saint-Martin in 1928. The design was prompted by security concerns following the theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre in 1911, featuring a design resembling a turtle or a flying squirrel, with rooms radiating towards a central sculpture hall, allowing a single guard to oversee the entire structure with one rotation.

The Museum of Fine Arts houses an extensive collection of paintings and sculptures, encompassing the Medieval Flemish primitives while placing a particular emphasis on Impressionism.

Artists such as Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Manet, and Seurat are well represented, along with earlier works by masters like Pieter Brueghel the Younger, Peter Paul Rubens, and Jacob Jordaens.

7. Église Saint-Jacques

During the Middle Ages, Tournai served as a pivotal stop on the Way of St James, a significant pilgrimage route leading to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

This church, located on Rue du Palais Saint-Jacques, was initially erected for pilgrims in the 12th century and was subsequently expanded in the 13th and 14th centuries in a unique transitional style known as Tournai Gothic.

The nave, aisles, and transept date back to the early 13th century, while the choir underwent expansions just over a century later.

While standing in the nave, observe the intricately designed foliate capitals on the colossal columns, and above them, notice the numerous columns of the triforium (interior gallery), connecting to another gallery at the transept.

In the choir, there exists a remarkable brass eagle lectern, cast in Tournai in 1411.

8. Musée de la Tapisserie de Tournai

During the 15th and 16th centuries, Tournai emerged as a prominent hub for tapestry weaving, and this museum showcases some remarkable examples from that era within an attractive Neoclassical townhouse.

The historical tapestries are impressive for both their size and their narrative complexity; additionally, the museum actively promotes contemporary textile artistry.

Visitors can explore the creations of artists from the 1940s to the present, including Roger Somville, Edmond Dubrunfaut, and Louis Delfour.

Moreover, a conservation and restoration workshop provides insights into the meticulous methods of preserving this art, while the documentation and study centre welcomes teachers, students, researchers, and the general public.

9. Hôtel de Ville

Positioned within a charming formal park, Tournai’s city hall is located across from the Museum of Fine Arts and boasts an intriguing historical background.

This Neoclassical edifice, completed in 1763, originally served as the residential palace for the Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Martin.

The origins of the monastery date back to the 11th century, and it was disbanded shortly after the completion of the new palace.

While most of the original buildings were dismantled, some fascinating remnants such as the Romanesque crypt and portions of the exquisite Gothic cloisters from the 15th century remain.

In the early 19th century, Tournai’s city offices relocated to the palace, which suffered significant damage from a fire in 1940, though the grand façade was preserved.

10. Église Saint-Quentin

The stark, castle-like façade of this Romanesque church is hard to overlook among the gabled buildings at the western edge of Grand Place.

Église Saint-Quentin was constructed in the 12th century and was connected to the vast Gallo-Roman cemetery that once occupied Grand Place.

The oldest section, the nave, is austere and unembellished, whereas the pointed vaults in the transept and choir illustrate a transition between Romanesque and Early Gothic styles.

Moreover, there are two circular chapels situated at the intersection of the nave and transept, one of which contains the tomb of the knight Jacques Castaigne (d. 1327). Regarding artworks and fittings, the marble balustrade enclosing the choir is a Baroque creation from the 17th century, and on the transept columns, one can find two polychrome sculptures from 1428, depicting the Archangel Gabriel and Mary, crafted by local sculptor Jean Delemer and painter Robert Campin.

11. Pont des Trous (Bridge of Holes)

At the time of compiling this list in early 2020, the arches of this historic monument were undergoing modifications to accommodate larger vessels navigating the Scheldt.

Esteemed as one of Belgium’s most significant Medieval military relics, the Pont des Trous is a bridge and water gate constructed between 1281 and 1329. Along with a couple of intact towers remaining in the city, it stands as the primary survivor of a defensive system known as the “second municipal enclosure” (“seconde enciente communale”) and features defensive towers on each riverbank.

The upstream side of these towers is flat, while the outer downstream side is curved.

Historically, large portcullises would drop down between the arches to barricade the river access.

Partially demolished by retreating British forces in 1940, the bridge was reconstructed after the war with taller arches to facilitate water traffic, and it recently underwent further renovations.

12. Maisons des Jésuites

Any thorough exploration of Tournai should include a stroll along the cobblestone Rue des Jésuites, where some of the city’s oldest secular structures are located.

The Maisons des Jésuites comprises four interconnected limestone houses situated at Nos. 12, 14, 14b, and 16, constructed during the early 13th century.

The age of these two-storey properties is discernible by their windows.

These windows are large and rectangular, divided in the middle by a slender column.

The first-floor windows mirror those on the ground floor, apart from a transom (crosspiece) positioned about three-quarters of the way up.

13. Musée d’Archéologie

This traditional museum showcasing Tournai’s Gallo-Roman and Merovingian artifacts is situated in a 17th-century building that once housed the Mount of Piety, a charitable pawnbroker.

The Flemish Renaissance polymath Wenceslas Cobergher established 15 of these institutions across what was then the Spanish Netherlands between 1618 and 1633. Visitors will begin their journey with prehistoric stone tools, progressing through gold and silver items from the Bronze and Iron Ages.

The museum’s collection of Gallo-Roman artifacts has expanded due to recent excavations within the necropolis beneath the Grand Place.

These excavations have unveiled a wealth of glassware, terra sigillata pottery, and a uniquely decorated lead sarcophagus—one of a kind in Belgium.

From the Merovingian era, an impressive array of silver jewelry has emerged, discovered in Tournai’s Saint-Brice district at the burial site of Clovis I’s father, Childeric I (d. 481), as well as within the park surrounding the Hôtel de Ville.

14. La Halle aux Draps

Tournai’s intricately decorated cloth hall commands attention on the south side of Grand Place.

This commercial edifice dates back to 1610 and replaced a wooden hall from the 13th century that succumbed to a storm.

With ornate gilding on its stone friezes, columns, and mouldings, the new Halle aux Draps exemplifies Renaissance architecture, albeit with remnants of the Gothic facility that preceded it, highlighted by the series of pointed arches on the ground floor.

The gables at each end of the structure are Baroque in design, and the passageway leads to an exquisite Italianate courtyard from 1616, where cloth merchants historically conducted business.

This building has weathered challenging periods, including its collapse in 1881 and the incendiary bomb strikes in 1940, but it underwent a comprehensive restoration during the latter half of the 20th century and currently functions as an exhibition and event space.

15. Jungle City

Amidst Tournai’s artistic and historical offerings lies an attraction tailored specifically for children.

A short distance north of Grand Place, Jungle City accommodates children up to the age of 13, featuring over 2,500 square metres filled with amusements and animal enclosures.

This facility includes a “5D” cinema, electric go-karts, bouncy castles, ball pools, an arcade, and more.

A mini farm houses domestic animals, and exotic birds such as emus, macaws, parakeets, and owls also reside within Jungle City.

While children enjoy themselves safely, parents can relax with a cold drink and take advantage of complimentary Wi-Fi.