GR12 Amsterdam - Paris

The GR 12 trail connects Amsterdam via Brussels to Paris over a distance of about 1,000 km: three European capitals on one hiking trail.

The Flemish part from Bergen op Zoom to Braine-le-Château is a surprisingly varied and green hiking trail that not only includes Brussels and Antwerp, but also cities like Lier and Mechelen.

The main trail goes around Antwerp and goes via Lier to Mechelen. You pass a number of Antwerp parks, then a number of forts that played a role at the start of the First World War. But equally you can enjoy interesting natural areas along the banks of the Nete, the Kesselse Heide and the Mechels Broek. You also pass through the center of Lier and Mechelen and discover a rich urban patrimony.
Along the old brooks of the Vrijbroek park and along the banks of the Zenne and Willebroekse Vaart you arrive in Grimbergen, where there is a lot to see: the old abbey, the old water mills, the former airport. Beyond Grimbergen you get to see the atomium. You pass under the Brussels ring road and via the Heysel you enter Brussels. Past the North Station, the Botanical Gardens and the historic sites of the Belgian Revolution of 1830, you finally arrive at the Brussels Grand Place.
In the heart of Brussels, you stroll briefly through the more commercial and touristy part of the city and through the once aristocratic neighborhood of the Sablon. Past the Egmont Palace and the Palace of Justice, you enter the working-class neighborhood of the Marolles. Then follow the residential neighborhoods of Uccle and Drogenbos, once ordinary villages swallowed up by the expanding metropolis from the end of the 19th century. Here you also walk through the green parks of the more upscale neighborhoods. After Drogenbos, you're soon back in the countryside and get some hills to deal with on both sides of the Zenne Valley. You'll pass by the Hallerbos before you reach Braine-le-Château, the finish of the Flemish part of the GR 12 trail.

We're still working on this trail, if you'd like to participate please contact us at hello@erfgoed.app

source: Grote Routepaden vzw

📏 200 km
📍 Freely selectable
🏁 Freely selectable