Forêt de Soignes (Zoniënwoud)

Some 13km/8mi southeast of the city center, tucked away in a pretty valley in the midst of the forest, the little hamlet of Groenendael was once the site of a famous Augustinian abbey founded in 1343 by the mystic Jan van Ruysbroek. The only abbey building to survive (18th C.) is now in use as a high-class restaurant. The interesting Groenendael arboretum on the valley's south-facing slope has over 500 exotic tree and shrub species as well as a forest museum.