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Tournai Attractions

Picture of Cathédrale Notre-Dame
Read More Cathédrale Notre-Dame
The Cathedrale Notre-Dame in Tournai is grand and striking. A classic example of Romanesque architecture, the church is renowned for its architecture. The Cathedrale is distinctly visible in the skyline of Tournai.
Maisons Romanes
Obliquely opposite the main front of Saint-Brice stand two three-storied houses, the windows of which are divided by small central pillars. They were built about 1175 and are the oldest remaining Romanesque domestic houses in western Europe. A little way up the street can be seen another citizen's house, this time in Gothic style (14th C.).
Typical Visit
20 minutes
Read More Musée des Beaux Arts
(Grand'Place)
The Musée des Beaux Arts building was designed by Victor Horta and laid out in a star shape. The museum displays a fine collection of old masters. Individual rooms are devoted to Louis Gallait, and several Impressionists such as Monet.
Pont des Trous
At the extreme north end of the old town center the Pont des Trous spans the Scheldt; it is an impressive example of medieval defense architecture. The two towers (the one on the left dating from 1250/1281, the one on the right from 1304) were linked in the 1329 by a three-arched bridge. When they were restored after the Second World War, both towers were raised by 2.4m/8ft in order to allow the passage of ships.
Typical Visit
20 minutes
Antiques and Flea Market
Antiques and flea market is held on the Quai des Salines.
Hours
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
OpenClosedClosedClosedClosedClosedClosed10:00
Close 13:00
Typical Visit
1 hour
Day of the Four Processions
This annual festival is celebrated on the second Sunday in June. Some of the events held throughout the day include a carnival procession, complete with stilted giants and colorful clowns, an advertising float procession and a traditional parade led by the Knight of the Tower.
Flower Market
A colorful flower market is held along the Scheldt on Good Friday.
Tips
Held on Good Friday.
Fête des Rois
A fine secular festival is the "Fête des Rois" on the Monday after the feast of the Epiphany with a procession and rabbit feasting.
Tips
Held on the Monday after Epiphany.
Grand Procession of Notre-Dame des Malades
Grand Procession of Notre-Dame des Malades occurs in the fall in Tournai.
Tips
Held in September.
International Folk Dance Festival
This annual folk dance festival runs from late September to early October.
Address
CIOFF Festivals of Belgium
Sparrenlaan 9
B-2900 Schoten
Belgium
L'Orient
An area where friends can meet and enjoy the recreation of water bicycles, pubs and swimming pools.
Address
Leisure Center L'Orient
Chemin de Mons 8
B-7500 Tournai
Belgium
Hours
April 2 to September 30
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
Open10:0010:0010:0010:0010:0010:0010:00
Close22:0022:0022:0022:0022:0022:0022:00
Facilities
Restaurant or food service
Procession of Mary
After a terrible epidemic of plague in 1092 Bishop Radbod inaugurated the great procession of Mary which henceforth has been held every year on the second Sunday in September. During the procession the shrine of St Eleutherius and other items from the church treasury are carried through the streets.
Procession of the Plague
This annual religious festival is celebrated on the second Sunday in September. The festival commemorates the end of the 11th century plague, while at the same time honoring the Virgin Mary who was credited with destroying the disease. The festival has been held since 1090 and includes processions of the local church treasures. Musical and traditional events are held alongside the procession.
Quatre Cortèges
The "Quatre Cortèges" is held on the second weekend in June, the climax of which is a gigantic procession of historical figures.
Tips
Second weekend of June.
Remains of Town Fortifications
In the southeast of the Saint-Brice part of the town can be found the best preserved parts of the medieval town wall (13th C.) with the towers called Tours Marvis and Tours Saint-Jean.
Typical Visit
20 minutes
Saint-Jacques
North of the market can be seen the slender tower of the Eglise Saint-Jacques which, after the cathedral, is the finest church in the town. It dates from the 12th C. and has a Romanesque tower, an early Gothic nave and transepts. The choir which was added in 1368 shows all the features of Scheldt-Gothic: the outer gallery, the triple windows, the side turrets and the triforium with alternate columns and pillars.
Typical Visit
30 minutes
Tour Henri VIII
The northwest part of the town is also called the Quartier du Château (castle quarter) since in the Middle Ages the castle stood here. During the English occupation under Henry VIII (1513- 1518) the castle was constructed, of which only the Tour Henri VIII remains. It is a massive structure with two vaulted halls in which is housed a museum of weapons.
Typical Visit
1 hour
Tournai Seen by Boat
A cruise boat is an excellent way to see this ancient Belgian town.
Address
Tourist Federation of the Province of Hainaut
Rue des Clercs 31
B-7000 Mons
Belgium
Hours
May 1 to August 31
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
OpenClosed
Close
Tips
Departures are at 11am, 2:30 p.m. and 4:15 p.m.

Tournai Surroundings

Antoing, Belgium
In the castle in the little town of Antoing, 7km/4.5mi to the south of Tournai, Philip IV of France and Edward III of England met in 1340 for peace talks. The castle was rebuilt in the 19th C. and only the great 15th C. keep remains from earlier times. The tombs of the Melun family in the chapel are fine examples of the skill of the stonemasons of Tournai.
Address
Antoing Tourist Office
Place Barq 19
B-7640 Antoing
Belgium
Typical Visit
1 hour
Bons Secours
An ecology related site with dioramas of plants and animals and audio visual shows.
Address
Forest House
Allée Max Quintart
B-7603 Bons Secours
Belgium
Hours
April 1 to October 31
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
OpenClosedClosedClosedClosedClosed14:0014:00
Close 19:0019:00
Tips
Open year round for groups upon appointment.
Leuze, Belgium
Traveling 13km/8miles to the east of Tournai we reach Leuze where the Church of Saint-Pierre (1745) stands on the site of a Romanesque predecessor. The exterior is uninteresting but the furnishings are far more worth while: wall paneling in the style of Louis XV with fine carving, a magnificent pulpit (1790), a ninth C. reliquary, and two brass desks in the choir (15th C.).
Typical Visit
1 hour
Mont Saint-Aubert, Belgium
Situated 6km/3.75miles to the north of Tournai, Mont Saint-Aubert, 147m/482ft high, is the only hill for miles; it is also called Mont Ste-Trinité because of the little church which was built on its summit. From the top there is a fine distant view of the plains of Flanders in the north, the French town of Roubaix in the west and back to Tournai in the south.
Typical Visit
1 hour
Pierre Brunehault, Belgium
Just beyond the village of Hollain, 9km/5.5miles south, a narrow little road branches off to the right. By a road crossing stands the 4.5m/15ft high menhir called "Pierre Brunehault" in the form of a trapezium. In the immediate vicinity there once ran the Roman road from Cologne to Bavai.
Typical Visit
30 minutes
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