landmark
Strépy-Thieu Boat Lift
A colossal 73 m boat elevator on the Canal du Centre, among the tallest in the world, hoisting entire barges in a concrete cathedral visible for miles across Hainaut.
8 km · about 15 min drive
EuropeBelgiumWallonia
Binche
Wallonia, Belgium · Europe
About Binche
Binche works well as a base: 5 minutes from Vellereille-les-Brayeux, 34km from Hallerbos.
Binche is in Wallonia, Belgium, with about 32,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Vellereille-les-Brayeux, about 4 km away.
Binche (French pronunciation: [bɛ̃ʃ] ; Walloon: Bince) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Since 1977, the municipality consists of Binche, Bray, Buvrinnes, Épinois, Leval-Trahegnies, Péronnes-lez-Binche, Ressaix, and Waudrez districts.
According to the surveys from 2021,Read more
Binche had a total population of 33,416, approximately 550 inhabitants per km2.
The motto of the city is "Plus Oultre" (meaning "Further beyond" in Old French), which was the motto of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who in 1545 gave the medieval Castle of Binche to his sister, Queen Mary of Hungary. Her attention was spent on Binche, which she had rebuilt into Binche Palace under the direction of the architect-sculptor Jacques Du Brœucq, remembered today as the first master of Giambologna. This château, intended to rival Fontainebleau, was eventually destroyed by the soldiers of Henry II of France in 1554.
In 2003, the Carnival of Binche was proclaimed one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. In addition, the Belfry and City Hall were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France site, for its importance in civic functions, architecture, and its testimony to the power and influence of the town.
Where to Stay in Binche
Compare prices across Booking.com, Airbnb, Expedia, and more. Select your dates to see availability.
Filter presets
Pick your must-haves once: provider links open pre-filtered. Each filter lists which sites it applies to.
Compare before you book!
Prices can vary significantly between platforms. We recommend checking at least 2-3 sites to find the best deal for your stay in Binche.
Explore the Area
Discover famous landmarks, scenic roads, and more near Binche.
Loading map...
Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Binche?
Within an hour or so of Binche: Strépy-Thieu Boat Lift (8 km), Canal du Centre Hydraulic Boat Lifts (8 km), Nivelles-Baulers (26 km), Pairi Daiza (27 km).
Are there any good drives near Binche?
The nearest famous roads are Chimay Street Circuit, Baraque de Fraiture and Koninklijke Baan Coast Road.
Where is Binche?
Binche is in Wallonia, Belgium, about 4 km from Vellereille-les-Brayeux.
Road trip
Drive to Binche
Add it as a stop and the planner works out the driving, the nights and what's worth seeing on the way.
Start planningWhat's nearby?
Swipe through places to go
Places within a drive of Binche. Keep the ones you like and add them to your trip.
Explore now
Quick Information
- Population
- 32,030
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Belgium
- Region
- Wallonia
- Timezone
- Europe/Brussels
- Coordinates
- 50.4115, 4.1647
Tags
Worth the detour from Binche
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
landmark
Canal du Centre Hydraulic Boat Lifts
Four UNESCO-listed 19th-century hydraulic boat lifts near La Louvière, still standing on the old Canal du Centre.
8 km · about 15 min drive
racetrack
Nivelles-Baulers
A flat, fast circuit that hosted two Belgian Grands Prix in the 1970s before closing in 1981. Much of the abandoned track survives among industrial development, its wide sweeping curves clearly readable from ground level.
26 km · about 30 min drive
landmark
Pairi Daiza
Belgium's most-visited attraction: a 75-hectare animal park built around a former Cistercian abbey in Hainaut, with full-scale Chinese, Indonesian and Middle Kingdom gardens housing giant pandas, gorillas and elephants.
27 km · about 30 min drive
ancient ruins
Villers Abbey
The vast romantic ruins of a 12th-century Cistercian abbey, roofless Gothic arches lost in woodland near Brussels.
33 km · about 40 min drive
landmark
Lion's Mound Waterloo
A grass pyramid topped by a cast-iron lion marks the 1815 battlefield where Napoleon met his final defeat.
34 km · about 40 min drive
natural wonder
Hallerbos
The 'Blue Forest' near Halle carpets itself with millions of wild bluebells under beech trees each spring.
34 km · about 40 min drive
historic highway
Chimay Street Circuit
A Belgian village street circuit running since 1926, still used for historic car and motorcycle racing on closed public roads. Between meetings you can drive the whole flat-out 4km lap through farmland and the town outskirts.
40 km · about 45 min drive
Driving roads near Binche
3 named roads, passes and coastal drives within 150km.
- 40 kmChimay Street CircuitA Belgian village street circuit running since 1926, still used for historic car and motorcycle racing on closed public roads. Between meetings you can drive the whole flat-out 4km lap through farmland and the town outskirts.
Driving in Belgium
- Drives on
- the right
- Petrol
- ~€1.74/litre
- Motorway tolls
- None
When to drive here
April to October
Nearby Destinations
Other places to explore near Binche.
Plan a trip around Binche
Your trip starts here
Plan a road trip from Binche.
Pick the days, drop in the stops, and share it with whoever's coming.