The Expats Bucket List is a fun way to discover 20 things to do in Flemish Brabant
Firstly, just in case you’re wondering …
WHAT AND WHERE IS FLEMISH BRABANT?
Belgium is composed of three regions — Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels. Flanders and Wallonia are each divided into five provinces. Flemish Brabant is one of the provinces of the Flanders region. As you can see from the map below, it encircles Brussels and extends over to the east. You can also see it’s sub-divided into the Groene Gordel (the green area) and Hageland (red).

Being close to Brussels, and with Leuven as its capital, means that there are thousands of international folk living in Flemish Brabant. The tourism department of Flemish Brabant is keen to encourage these expats to discover the many and varied delights of the province. (And it really does have a lot of delights. I know because I have lived in the province for over 30 years). To meet this goal, they have come up with a novel initiative.
THE FLEMISH BRABANT BUCKET LIST

The Flemish Brabant Bucket List includes information on 20 sights to see, places to eat, cultural events and activities that expats can discover in the province. It’s an extremely informative website. There’s a fun element to it too.
“DONE THAT, BEEN THERE, GOT THE T-SHIRT!”
There are 20 “buckets”. If you have already done a particular activity or visited a place, then you give it a tick. As a reward, you get 5 points. Go through all 20 in this way and you will get a total score of “How Local You Are”. You can then share your score on social media and enter a prize competition.
For the places or activities that you haven’t experienced and so can’t tick off the Bucket List, the website gives you some extra info and links. So, for example, I fall short in the category “visit a regional vineyard.” But the website provides links to nine vineyards in the province, so I’ve got no excuse now.
So what are you waiting for? Head over to the Flemish Brabant Bucket List and check out or tick off the 20 activities. They range from a visit to a local village market, cycling all the way around Brussels, visiting a castle, getting acquainted with a local hero, to attending a music festival.

I applaud the aims of Tourism Flemish Brabant to reach out to the international community and encourage greater participation in discovering everything that Flemish Brabant has to offer. It’s a continuing goal of the department. In 2016 I was invited to contribute to their new and excellent English language brochure on the province. They also make a lot of walking and cycling maps of the area. And this year the cycling network in the province is being renewed and expanded, so I look forward to announcing the changes here soon. In the meantime you can make use of their online cycle route planner.
So start filling those buckets or making plans to do so. And let me know what you think of this initiative, and how Local you are, in the comments below.
Here’s a pin to pin on your Pinterest board:
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Cool idea.
Sure is Pat.
great job!
Thanks!
We came through Belguim many years ago now on our way to Italy.. And I loved the town we stayed in.. Sadly I forget the name.. But it had a wonderful square and beautiful buildings.. 🙂
This Flemish Bucket List is interesting.. 🙂
That place sounds like … about a zillion towns in Belgium! 🙂 Glad you had a good experience here Sue.
Haha…. the hotel was nice and we bought some chocolate too.. Best of both worlds.. 😀
Travel is such a competitive field, these days. Good for the Flemish Brabant tourist board, and for you, Denzil, for offering something a bit different. We can’t go on filling Barcelona and Prague to the brim, can we? 🙂 🙂
Too true. I’m not much of a traveller so am very happy with these local initiatives.
Who better to promote a place than a local. A visitor sees a place so much differently than a local. I am more likely to take notice of travel advise if the person either lives there or has spent a reasonable time to know the place and what it has to offer.
Wise words Suzanne.
Simply:GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Koen!
Another reason to return to Belgium!
Clever idea to promote the area. Wish I could participate.
You are Sharon, and it’s a participation I appreciate.
What a wonderful initiative. And, how cool you contributed to the English promotional brochure of your province, Denzil! Belgium has so much to offer and you’re just incredible to share all your knowledge and discoveries with us, your readers!
That’s kind of you to say so Liesbet. I enjoy it so it’s no hardship!
I’m 55% local! I’m a Belgian who’s lived in Dendermonde (just outside Flemish Brabant) all my life, so my score could have been better. 😉 I like the initiative and will be using the remaining 45% as an inspiration for when I get back to Belgium! 🙂
That’s pretty good Yooya, considering you don’t live in Flemish Brabant! Nice to meet you here, thanks for dropping by and commenting.
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