Sitting in an artificial lake within a vast manicured park, the Château de Belœil is a regal country palace-house that's packed with classical furniture and portraiture relevant to the princes ‘de Ligne’. English signage highlights unique pieces, such as 17th-century Brussels tapestries (by Judocus de Vos), a four-poster bed made for Queen Marie-Antoinette, and exquisite Meissen porcelain figures dedicated to Empress Catherine II of Russia. The extensive gardens contain reflective pools, bubbling springs and a grand mall lined with oak trees.
TEC bus 81 goes from the train station at Ath to Belœil (€3.50, 25 minutes) roughly hourly weekdays, five times a day on Saturday, and not at all on Sunday.