How to Visit Hallerbos (Bluebell Forest in Belgium): Best Time & Tips

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Planning to visit Hallerbos, the famous Blue Forest near Brussels, and wondering when to go and how to plan your trip? This guide covers everything you need to know, including the best time to see the bluebells, how to get there, and practical tips for your visit.

Once a year, Hallerbos forest in Belgium turns purple, attracting big crowds who come to see the beautiful carpet of bluebells (also known as wild hyacinths). They usually bloom for a short period in April, but the exact timing depends on the weather each year.

If you’re visiting Belgium in spring, this is one of the most unique seasonal sights you can see. Below, you’ll find all the information you need to plan your visit and make the most of your time at Hallerbos.

READ ALSO: How to Visit the Best Tulip Fields Near Amsterdam

Visiting Hallerbos Forest near Brussels

The first thing you should know is that Hallerbos is a public forest. So there is no entrance fee or opening times you have to take into account.

You are free to visit any time you want. But if you want to truly enjoy your experience, there are some things you should know.

Best Time to See Bluebells in Hallerbos

The exact timing of the bluebell bloom varies from year to year, but in general, the second half of April is the best time to visit Hallerbos.

The peak bloom depends on the weather. The ground needs to be warm enough, but at the same time, the trees should still be mostly without leaves so that enough sunlight reaches the forest floor. Because of this, the bluebell season is quite short, usually no more than two weeks.

In some years, the flowers are at their best during the last 10 days of April. However, if the weather is unusually warm, the peak can be earlier, sometimes already by the third week of April. Once the trees start getting leaves, less light reaches the flowers and the bloom quickly fades.

In most years, the best time to see bluebells at Hallerbos is from around mid-April to the end of April. For the latest bloom updates, it’s best to check the official website before your visit.

TIP: If you can, try to visit Hallerbos on a weekday. It will also be quieter early in the morning or towards the evening; the busiest time in the forest is late morning to early afternoon.

Our experience: We visited Hallerbos on a late Saturday afternoon on a rainy day and it was not as busy as we had expected. However, car parking areas are really limited, and we had difficulties finding a spot for our car. We had lots of rain and just a beam of the sun during our visit. If you want better pictures, you will want to go when it’s sunny. But then you’ll also find many more people of course… Hallerbos gets very busy on sunny weekends at the end of April.

How to Get to Hallerbos

Hallerbos forest is located 20 km South of Brussels. You can find its exact location on this map.

There are several options for how you can reach Hallerbos. You can take a train from Brussels to Halle. In Halle, there is a bus connection to the forest. Here you can find all the practical information on how to reach Hallerbos by public transport.

Alternatively, you can rent a bike at the Halle train station (5 km or 3 miles ride to the forest).

Usually, you can also drive to Hallerbos by car. However, if it gets too busy, local authorities sometimes close the roads to the forest and foresee shuttle buses from the designated parkings nearby.

If you are driving, keep in mind that most car parkings are very small and the roads around the forest are extremely narrow. Also, some streets leading to the Hallerbos forest are turned into one-way-streets during the bluebell blooming period, so your GPS might not work as it should.

If you decide to go there by car, make sure you have a good GPS with you, or even better use Google Maps and use this address: Vlasmarktdreef, Halle.

What is the Nicest Part of Hallerbos Forest?

You can find bluebells in many different parts of the Hallerbos forest. However, not all areas are just as impressive.

We were told that the nicest parts with the most impressive flower carpets are reached by following the yellow walking path – Reebokwandeling. The whole walk is a round trip of 7 km (4,4 miles).

We visited the forest with kids and only did a small part of the walk and were absolutely impressed by the purple flower carpet all around us. You can find the map of the forest on the official Hallerbos website.

Photography Permits

You may want to know that you need permission for commercial photography in Hallerbos forest. Any professional photoshoot (or video), with or without models, requires a permit.

If you are just taking pictures for yourself, you don’t need any special permission. However, please make sure to stay on designated paths at all times.

Video of the Hallerbos Bluebell Woods in Belgium

I created a short video of Hallerbos forest, just to give you an idea of how immense the blue carpet really is. It’s my very first video ever, so try to look at the beautiful forest and not at the quality of the video.

 

Tips for Your Visit

We live in Belgium and Hallerbos isn’t that far for us. Yet somehow rarely manage to find the time to visit it at the peak bluebell blooming season. So despite us being locals, there were a few things we didn’t consider when we visited Hallerbos recently.

Here’s what you should know when planning to visit Hallerbos:

• The forest can be very wet, and some paths are extremely muddy after the rain. While some roads in the forest are tarmac, most paths leading to the nicest places in the forest are really muddy. I recommend wearing walking shoes or even hiking boots. And if it rained recently, I’d definitely take rain boots, certainly for the children.

• There are no bathroom facilities in the forest and only a few restaurants nearby. The restaurants may be far away from where you are, so if you plan to spend a couple of hours in Hallerbos, you may want to pack a picnic and take some water with you.

• If you are visiting Hallerbos with young children, you will be glad to know that you can visit some parts of the forest with a stroller. However, you would need a stroller with large rubber wheels and be prepared to push it uphill once in a while.

• Once again, try to avoid weekends. Visit early in the morning on a weekday, ideally on a sunny day.

Are you planning a trip to Belgium? Don’t miss our insider tips and advice. Check this suggested Belgium itinerary that brings you to all the best places in just 3 or 4 days.

READ ALSO: Interesting & Fun Facts About Belgium

More inspiration for your visit to Belgium:

• Best Things To Do in Bruges
• Best Things To Do in Antwerp
• Antwerp Hidden Gems
• Best Things To Do in Brussels
• Where to Stay in Brussels
• Ypres & Belgium WW1 Sites
• Bastogne War Museum

More inspiration for your visit to Luxembourg & the Netherlands:

• Best Things to Do in Amsterdam
• One Day in Amsterdam
• Two Days in Amsterdam
• Best Day Trips from Amsterdam
• Tips for Visiting Amsterdam
• Best Day Trips from Luxembourg
• Kinderdijk Windmills (NL)
• Lisse Tulips Fields (NL)
• Keukenhof Gardens near Amsterdam (NL)
• Alkmaar Cheese Market (NL)

TIP: Did you find this guide helpful? Bookmark this post for later, share it with your friends, and save it to Pinterest to inspire your next trip.