cathedral
St. Rumbold's Tower
Climb 538 steps up Mechelen's unfinished Gothic tower for a sky-walk panorama reaching as far as Antwerp and Brussels.
0 km · about 5 min drive
EuropeBelgiumFlanders
Mechelen
Flanders, Belgium · Europe
About Mechelen
Mechelen works well as a base: 5 minutes from Hofstade, right by St. Rumbold's Tower.
Mechelen is in Flanders, Belgium, with about 78,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Hofstade, about 4 km away.
Mechelen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈmɛxələ(n)] ; French: Malines [malin] ; historically known as Mechlin in English) is a city and municipality in the province of Antwerp in the Flemish Region of Belgium. The municipality comprises the city of Mechelen proper, some quarters at its outskirts, the hamlets of NekkerspoelRead more
(adjacent) and Battel (a few kilometers away), as well as the villages of Walem, Heffen, Leest, Hombeek, and Muizen. The city is often referred to as the Dijlestad ("City on the Dyle") as the river Dyle (Dijle) flows through it.
Mechelen lies on the major urban and industrial axis Brussels–Antwerp, about 25 km (16 mi) from each city. Inhabitants find employment at Mechelen's southern industrial and northern office estates, as well as at offices or industry near the capital and Brussels Airport, or at industrial plants near Antwerp's seaport.
Mechelen is one of Flanders' prominent cities of historical art, with Antwerp, Bruges, Brussels, Ghent, and Leuven. It was notably a centre for artistic production during the Northern Renaissance, when painters, printmakers, illuminators and composers of polyphony were attracted by patrons such as Margaret of York, Margaret of Austria and Hieronymus van Busleyden.
Where to Stay in Mechelen
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Mechelen?
Within an hour or so of Mechelen: St. Rumbold's Tower (0 km), Atomium (17 km), Autoworld Brussels (21 km), Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp (22 km).
Are there any good drives near Mechelen?
The nearest famous roads are Brouwersdam, Koninklijke Baan Coast Road and Chimay Street Circuit.
Where is Mechelen?
Mechelen is in Flanders, Belgium, about 4 km from Hofstade.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 77,530
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Belgium
- Region
- Flanders
- Timezone
- Europe/Brussels
- Coordinates
- 51.0257, 4.4776
Tags
Worth the detour from Mechelen
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
landmark
Atomium
Futuristic building in Brussels shaped like an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times, built for the 1958 World Expo.
17 km · about 20 min drive
museum
Autoworld Brussels
300 vehicles spanning a century of motoring displayed in the grand Cinquantenaire Palace arcade.
21 km · about 25 min drive
cathedral
Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp
Belgium's tallest Gothic building housing masterpieces by Rubens, with a UNESCO-listed 123-metre tower visible across Flanders.
22 km · about 25 min drive
landmark
Grand-Place
Opulent central square in Brussels surrounded by ornate guildhalls and the Gothic town hall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
22 km · about 25 min drive
landmark
Manneken Pis
Small bronze fountain sculpture of a urinating boy that has become a beloved symbol of Brussels since 1619.
22 km · about 25 min drive
landmark
Antwerp Zoo
Historic Belgian zoo next to the central train station, one of the oldest in the world, founded in 1843.
22 km · about 25 min drive
landmark
Antwerpen-Centraal
A cathedral-like railway station of marble, gilt and glass, repeatedly voted one of the most beautiful in the world.
22 km · about 25 min drive
Driving roads near Mechelen
4 named roads, passes and coastal drives within 150km.
- 61 kmWestern Scheldt TunnelAt 6.6 km the longest road tunnel in the Netherlands, diving under the busy Western Scheldt shipping lane to link Zeeland with Zeelandic Flanders since 2003.
- 61 kmWesterscheldetunnelTolled 6.6-kilometre road tunnel under the Western Scheldt linking Zeelandic Flanders to Zuid-Beveland, replacing two ferries.
- 77 kmZeeland BridgeElegant 5 km bridge over the Oosterschelde estuary, the longest in the Netherlands when opened in 1965. Its endless procession of arches makes one of the country's most photogenic drives.
Driving in Belgium
- Drives on
- the right
- Petrol
- ~€1.74/litre
- Motorway tolls
- None
When to drive here
April to October
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