50.68° N · 4.40° E
The field where Napoleon fell in 1815: Memorial, Panorama, Lion's Mound and Hougoumont farm, about 20 minutes from Brussels.
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Museum · 2 h · from €25.50 for the whole site · free under 10 · every day of the year
Viewpoint · 226 steps · 45 min · included in the site ticket · view of the whole battlefield
Fortified farm · 1 h · included in the ticket · museum, light and sound show and tea room
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
Open every day of the year. In June the battle of 18 June 1815 is commemorated, and from 12 August to 4 September 2027 the site is preparing a musical show about Napoleon. From November to March, Hougoumont opens only the exteriors on weekdays.
How you travel
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
Waterloo is about 20 minutes south of Brussels. You fly to Brussels-Zaventem or Charleroi, both with direct flights from Spain, and arrive by hire car, which is the most convenient for moving between the battle sites, or by train and W bus.
By car, Waterloo can be seen in full in a day: the Memorial with free parking, Hougoumont, the Wellington Museum in the village and Napoleon's last headquarters, about 4 km to the south.
Without a car you can do the main part well: train to Waterloo or Braine-l'Alleud and W bus to the Memorial; within the site, the electric shuttle to Hougoumont in season. Napoleon's headquarters is out of reach without a car or taxi.
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
From about age eight, Waterloo grips them: a 4D film, a giant painting that surrounds you, a hill with a lion and a farm that withstood a siege. Under-10s do not pay.
If they like history, strategy video games or Napoleon, Waterloo is a perfect day: the field makes sense from the mound and Hougoumont farm bears the marks of the siege.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: Four-star hotel a stone's throw from the centre of Waterloo, with rooms, studios and an apartment, a seasonal restaurant and free private parking.
Why we like it: A house for up to five people inside Hougoumont farm, in the heart of the Waterloo battlefield, with a kitchen, wifi and self check-in.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: a Belgian brasserie dish or a waffle after climbing the mound
What to order: a Belgian brasserie dish or the suggestions of the month; in winter, a fondue in the Chalet
Map
The places to stay and services on the map are the ones for the way you travel. Turn on the layers you want and tap a point to see its details.
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
Tips
With the context, the mound and Hougoumont make sense.
From November to March, on weekdays Hougoumont shows only the exteriors.
Wellington's and Napoleon's headquarters are far from each other.
The village has the Wellington Museum; the battle took place about 4 km to the south.
On 18 June 1815, in wheat fields south of Brussels, the army of Wellington and the Prussian army of Blücher defeated Napoleon and closed an era. The battlefield is still almost as it was then, with its artificial hill crowned by a lion, brick farms and paths between crops. It is the history day trip closest to Brussels: about twenty minutes away.
By car, about 20 minutes on the R0 to the Memorial, with free parking. A car helps you see the Wellington Museum too, in the village, and Napoleon's headquarters to the south.
Without a car, take the train to Waterloo or Braine-l'Alleud and the W bus to the site; the W bus also leaves from Brussels. Note: the village of Waterloo and the battlefield are not in the same place. The Memorial is about 4 km south of the centre, in the municipality of Braine-l'Alleud.
Start at the Memorial 1815 and the Panorama: the underground museum tells the story of the battle with a 4D film, and the 1912 Panorama puts you inside the cavalry charge. Then climb the Lion's Mound, 226 steps, to see the whole field. Have lunch on the site and take the shuttle to Hougoumont farm, the one the British defended all day. With a car and the Pass 1815, add the Wellington Museum, in the village, and Napoleon's last headquarters.
The ticket to the site includes the Memorial, Panorama, mound and Hougoumont: €25.50 from November to March and €29 in high season, €5 less without the immersive screening; under-10s do not pay. The Pass 1815, for €30, adds the two headquarters. It is open every day of the year.
Le Bivouac, the café-restaurant on the site, is open every day, with a terrace facing the mound and a children's menu. For sleeping, Le Côté Vert is a four-star in the centre of Waterloo with free parking, and the Hougoumont cottage, inside the farm, sleeps five and is for anyone who wants to spend the night on the battlefield.
Waterloo takes half a day and combines well with an afternoon in Brussels. With a car, continue south on the N5 to Dinant and the Meuse, an hour away. If you are interested in military history, Bastogne tells the story of the other great Belgian battle, that of the Ardennes in 1944.
Questions
From €25.50 for the ticket to the site, with Memorial, Panorama, Lion's Mound and Hougoumont; free for under-10s.
By train to Waterloo or Braine-l'Alleud and on the W bus to the Memorial.
Half a day for the site; a whole day with Wellington's and Napoleon's headquarters.
Yes, all 365 days of the year.
The site organises events in June and activities in season; for 2027 it announces a musical show about Napoleon from 12 August to 4 September.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/belgium/waterloo
