2026 Diest Travel Guide: must-see attractions, popular food, hotels, transport & travel experiences (updated in February)

#GetDiscountsWithoutLuck De Ampersand is a chic cafe in Diest. The ground floor is a boutique selling beautiful clothes and accessories, and the upper floor is a cozy cafe decorated in a clean, white theme. The menu offers breakfast, a variety of drinks, and easy lunch options like pasta, sandwiches, and soup. Here's what we ordered: ➡️ Bagel Boulet The bagel itself is soft and similar to regular bread, filled with boulet (like a meatball or sausage, but in a coarse sheet), fried onions, salad greens, tomatoes, grilled cheese, and Andalouse sauce. The overall flavor was quite good. A small salad was served on the side. ➡️ Spaghetti Bolognaise There are two sizes to choose from, but ordering the small size is enough to fill you up. This menu also comes with a basket of bread and butter. The spaghetti was cooked perfectly, the sauce was delicious, and the meat was generously topped with grated cheese. I loved it! For drinks, I ordered both hot Chinese tea and coffee. The quality was good, as expected from a cafe. After eating, I could happily walk around and shop for clothes. This is one of the must-visit restaurants in the city. 📌 Address: Ketelstraat 10, 3290 Diest, Belgium #BelgiumTravel #EuropeTravel

#GetDiscountsWithoutLuck The sign at Bij De Griek says "Greeks & Ontbijt," which means "breakfast," indicating that they focus on breakfast. They also offer Greek dishes. Since the restaurant is located in Diest, Belgium, Belgian dishes like mussels are also on the menu. Breakfast is served buffet-style, priced per person, while Greek food is ordered a la carte. For this meal, we tried some Greek food. ➡️ Guros Kip Greek-style grilled chicken served with pita bread, yogurt dip, Greek salad, and French fries. The chicken had a bit too much skin, but the yogurt dip was delicious. The salad was refreshing and delicious. The French fries were amazing! The potatoes were thickly sliced ​​and fluffy, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. They didn't wilt even after a while, truly believing in Belgian fries. ➡️ Gamba's op de gril gebakken Large grilled shrimp. We loved that they used fresh shrimp. (Many restaurants here like to use frozen shrimp.) Grilled and served with lemon, yogurt dip, and Greek salad. For a side dish, we chose orzo pasta, short, rice-like noodles that were seasoned perfectly. This restaurant is located on Felix Moonsstraat, a small alley parallel to the main street in the city center, Koning Albertstraat. It's also not far from the Begijnhof (or Beguinage), a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Belgium. If you're visiting, it's a great place to stop and try it. 📌 Address: Felix Moonsstraat 16, 3290 Diest, Belgium #TravelBelgium #TravelEurope

#summerdream Nicky’s Catwalk is located in the heart of Diest, at the Grote Markt, with the Sint Sulpitiuskerk church standing prominently in the center. The shop serves both light snacks and big meals that focus on seafood. The shop is large and beautiful, with both indoor and outdoor seating available. There are also clean restrooms. Seeing this, we decided to stop by for a light meal. 🍽 Menu items we tried ➡️ Complimentary Bread – They gave us a basket of bread, both whole grain and baguette-like, soft and chewy. It was really enjoyable to eat. ➡️ Tomatosoep – This Belgian and Dutch tomato soup is different from the Italian version in that it has tiny meat balls in it. It’s a mixture of minced pork and beef. They put a lot in. The soup is rich and flavorful, not too sour. It’s really delicious. ➡️ Kreeftensoep met Grijze Noordzeegarnalen – This translates to Lobster Soup with Gray North Sea Shrimps. The soup is rich and flavorful. Topped with cream to add fragrance and richness. Tasted and got a clear lobster smell. There was a fair amount of small shrimp meat.

#CafeReview The “De Kapel” restaurant, whose name literally translates to The Chapel, is located in the Béguinage area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the city of Diest, Belgium. The highlight of this restaurant is its location and atmosphere. The restaurant is in an ancient building with 2 floors. Stopping by the restaurant is a great opportunity to see an example of the interior decoration in the Baroque style of the early 17th century that has been preserved from the original. For those who want to sit and enjoy the view outside, the restaurant also has outdoor seating. You can clearly see the Church of Saint Catharina in front of you. 🍽 Menu ordered The lunch menu consists of simple dishes such as soup, sandwiches, pancakes, and various drinks. This time, since we went early in the morning, the restaurant just opened, so we could only order drinks. ☕ Fuerto Espresso – It is a strong espresso. Use coffee beans from the Fuerto brand, which is a blend of Arabica and Robusta. 🍹 VAL Agrumes – is a brand of soft drink from there. It tastes similar to Schweppes, but has a fragrant aroma that is a blend of citrus fruits such as Pomelo, Lemon, Mandarin orange... It has a refreshing and fizzy taste.

#TravelAbroad For the places that have been selected as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Belgium, in addition to the famous tourist attractions such as Brugge or La Grand-Place in Brussels, there is also Béguinage (in French) or Begijnhof (in Dutch) that is worth finding an opportunity to visit. Because Belgium is known as the country with the most Béguinage in the world, and there are 13 places that have been selected as World Heritage Sites, and the Béguinage of Diest is one of them. Béguinage or Begijnhof began in the 13th century as a community of Beguines - a group of single or widowed Catholic women who came together under the shadow of Christianity, doing charity work and dedicating themselves to God. But they did not become nuns, so they were not subject to the rules of the church. They could live without relying on men, but were free to leave the group to get married and have a family. Some people consider it the beginning of the Feminist idea. 🏘 The structure of Béguinage is a group of buildings surrounded by walls like a small city. Inside, there are churches, gardens, houses and public areas. For Béguinage in Diest, it was founded in 1253 and closed in 1796. Inside, there are more than 90 buildings, including the Church of Saint Catharina, which is the center. Today, although it is under the care of UNESCO, it is used as general residences and offices. Therefore, many of the buildings are private areas and are not open to tourists. You can only walk around and explore. The parts that can be visited are churches, restaurants and The cultural center.