Café-Restaurant Le Bivouac
What to order: a Belgian brasserie dish or a waffle after climbing the mound
Open 365 days a year · children's menu · fireplace in winter and terraces in summer
geocalia
Day itinerary · 50.68° N · 4.40° E
Waterloo in half a day, twenty minutes from Brussels.
The Memorial 1815 and the Panorama, the 226 steps of the Lion's Mound, lunch at Le Bivouac and the Hougoumont farm, back in Brussels for dinner and mussels.
Leaving from
Direct flight to Bruselas fromBarcelona 2 hGirona 2 hSantander 2 hVitoria 2 hZaragoza 2 hMadrid 2 h 15Palma de Mallorca 2 h 15Valencia 2 h 15Alicante 2 h 30Málaga 3 h
Part of Waterloo
Add to my trip
Total time8 h
By car30 min each way
From BrusselsCar · about 20 min · train and W bus
WalkingAbout 5 km
DifficultyEasy
Cost€70–100 pp
OpenEvery day
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Brussels 30 min by car
along the R0; without a car, train to Braine-l'Alleud and the W bus
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1
The Memorial 1815 and the Battle Panorama
entry to the estate from €25.50 · free under 10
- 3 min on foot
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2
The Lion's Mound (Butte du Lion)
226 steps, included in the ticket
- 3 min on foot
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3
Café-Restaurant Le Bivouac
open every day · children's menu
Route du Lion 1815, 1420 Braine-l'Alleud · +32 2 581 08 24
Restaurant €€Book - 10 min by bus
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4
Hougoumont farm
1815 electric shuttle in season; otherwise, 20 minutes on foot
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Back home 30 min by car
back to Brussels
- 10 min on foot
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5
Chez Léon In Brussels
mussels on the rue des Bouchers · open every day
Rue des Bouchers 18, 1000 Bruselas · +32 2 511 14 15
Restaurant €€Book
Approximate cost
About €40–70 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
The Memorial 1815 and the Battle Panorama
The battlefield of Waterloo is about twenty minutes south of Brussels, and a long half day is enough to understand what happened on 18 June 1815. This plan starts at the Memorial, climbs the Lion's Mound, has lunch on the estate, sees the Hougoumont farm and returns to Brussels in time for mussels on the rue des Bouchers.
The day, hour by hour
9:30 · Departure. By car along the R0, with free parking. Without a car, train to Braine-l'Alleud or Waterloo and the W bus.
10:00 · Memorial 1815 and Panorama. The 4D film and the 110-metre circular painting. Entry to the estate costs from €25.50 and under-10s do not pay.
12:00 · Lion's Mound. 226 steps and the whole field in view.
13:00 · Lunch at Le Bivouac. A brasserie with a terrace opposite the mound, open every day.
14:30 · Hougoumont farm. On the electric shuttle, in season: museum, light and sound show and the wall that withstood the siege.
16:00 · Back to Brussels. Free afternoon in the centre.
19:30 · Mussels at Chez Léon. On the rue des Bouchers, since 1893.
Time2 h
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
L'Amusoir
What to order: a Belgian brasserie dish or the suggestions of the month; in winter, a fondue in the Chalet
Every day for lunch and dinner · Sunday 12:00–15:00 and 18:30–22:00
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Waterloo
All year, every day. From April to October the shuttle to Hougoumont runs and the farm is open inside; from November to March, on weekdays, only the exteriors.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1On weekdays in winter
Hougoumont only shows the exteriors from November to March.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does the trip to Waterloo cost?
Between €70 and €100 per person with tickets, lunch and dinner.
Can you go without a car?
Yes, by train and W bus.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/belgium/waterloo/itineraries/waterloo-memorial-and-lions-mound
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.