Why go?

A stunning showcase of events marks European Capital of Culture in 2015, kicking off with parties and fireworks displays. A compact city 45 minutes from Brussels, it has long held the scars of the First World War but today has real reason to celebrate.

What to do

Orient yourself on the Grand Place, opposite the centuries-old Town Hall where Kate and Wills recently greeted their admirers. Find the little brass monkey and rub its head with your left hand for good luck. Stroll off along the Cultural Mile where exhibitions show off the best in art, theatre, science and technology. Architects have been let out to play on churches, fire stations and military buildings for Mons 2015, and a former abattoir and an industrially rendered old school complex are among the highlights. Van Gogh spent a transformative period in Mons, trading priesthood for painting. At angular glass edifice BAM you can see his early sketches, and also discover the stanzas of master poet Verlaine penned in Mons prison, bam.mons.be. Back on the main square, it would be a crime not to duck down the alley that leads to the Mayor’s Garden. Here you can see the fountain of ‘ropieur’, the city’s iconic little rascal, before getting lost amid the hilly, twisting backstreets that eject you at Sainte Waudru church. Inside, amid the myriad treasures, is the golden carriage paraded with Latin fervour once a year as part of the ‘Doudou’, a colourful festival held after Pentecost. A plaque here reminds you of Mons’ strong connections to the First World War. ‘Lest we forget’ the opening battle at nearby Nimy Bridge, the moving Saint Symphorien cemetery (where you stand between the graves of the first and last soldiers), and the stunning painting, the Angel of Mons. By the spring, the new Mons Memorial Museum will house the city’s unrivalled collection relating to the conflict, and other refurbishments include the iconic Belfry, with its beautiful views.

Where to stay

Dream! is a design hotel set within a historic church. Cornices, columns and carved stone windows adorn some of the best rooms, while rainforest showers, outrageously comfortable beds and generous breakfasts abound. Its Neapolitan chef-owner is passionate about local produce, while a cosy candle-lit spa is pure bliss, 00 32 65 32 97 20, dreammons.be. Across town, more quirkiness comes from celebrity chef Jean-Philippe Watteyne who is opening an artsy B&B to complement his two Mons restaurants, restauranticook.be.

Where to eat and drink

It is imperative that you visit L’Impératif. Enter through the small kitchen garden and absorb the contemporary-meets-rustic linen-tableclothed dining room, with a window on the chefs as they create refined Michelin-starred dishes with assured skill. We ate a four-course ‘trust menu’ that combined local eel with variations of beetroot and apple; brill and king crab with ceps and tiny hats of pasta; and trout on a selection of squash. A dessert of tomato and strawberry confections showed chef Benoît Neusy’s skills in their best light, 00 32 65 35 52 55, limperatif.be. Another at the forefront of cooking in Mons is L’Art des Mets, just off the Grand Place. Rich, meaty flavours of oxtail play off Black Angus beef and a rich, eel-steeped gravy. A wonderfully deconstructed tarte tatin was foamy, crunchy and syrupy all at once. Local products are again to the fore, 00 32 65 88 51 00, artdesmets.net. Nearby, L’Envers is a chic French brasserie with sunny Mediterranean plates, 00 32 65 35 45 10; and leave room for Mea Culpa at Dream! hotel. Its cocktails and buzzy dining room ready you for dishes like salmon presented three ways (gravlax, cured and marinated); and richly roasted, rosemary-tinged lamb with crushed potatoes. Wake up early to visit the Sunday market on Place du Béguinage for its local products – creamy goats’ cheese is one thing, but Vitelotte purple potatoes are quite another.

Time running out?

Take a battlefield tour from the Grand Place in a double decker bus and explore how Mons was the setting for both the opening and closing chapters of the war.

Travel Information

Travel Information

Currency is the euro. Belgium is one hour ahead of GMT. Travel time is two hours from London St Pancras to Brussels-Midi; trains to Mons depart from the same station and take just 45 minutes.

Getting There

Eurostar runs a frequent, daily service from London to Brussels. A supplement can be added to your booking for travel to any Belgian railway station, eurostar.com

Resources

Mons 2015 features the full line-up of events, mons2015.eu Belgian Tourist Office belgiumtheplaceto.be