The Waterloo Battlefield, Belgium

The Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815 ended Napoleon Bonaparte’s Hundred Days campaign, ended his career, and reshaped the political map of Europe. About 47,000 men were killed or wounded in a single day across a few square kilometres of Belgian farmland. The battlefield south of Brussels is remarkably well-preserved for a site this close to a major city – the original farmhouses at Hougoumont, Mont-Saint-Jean, and La Belle Alliance still stand in the field where they were fought over – and the main monument, the Butte du Lion (Lion’s Mound), has anchored the area’s identity as a heritage site for two centuries.

The Butte du Lion

The artificial mound was constructed between 1820 and 1826 from soil taken from the battlefield itself, which means the original topography was somewhat altered in the process. Historians have been irritated by this since it was built. The mound rises 41 metres; the 226 steps to the top are manageable. The view over the surrounding farmland gives a clear sense of the battlefield’s scale and the relative positions of the opposing armies.

The Memorial 1815 visitor centre at the base, opened in 2015 for the bicentennial, houses weapons, uniforms, and personal effects alongside an immersive audiovisual presentation. A combined Pass 1815 ticket covers the Butte, the visitor centre, and the panoramic painting building – the 110-metre-circumference painting depicting the battle is genuinely impressive as an artefact of 19th-century mass-media spectacle. Afternoon and evening visits (after 5:30pm) can access split tickets at lower prices.

The Battlefield Itself

Hougoumont Farm, held by Wellington’s forces for most of the day at enormous cost in casualties, has been partially restored and is open to visitors. The farm’s defence – a grinding engagement that occupied tens of thousands of troops and contributed significantly to Napoleon’s failure to break the Allied centre – is one of the decisive micro-battles of the campaign. The chapel within the farm complex survived the fire that destroyed most of the other buildings. La Belle Alliance, the inn where Napoleon observed the opening of the battle, still stands on the main Brussels-Charleroi road. Walking the main battlefield circuit takes 2-3 hours.

The Wellington Museum

In the town of Waterloo (3 kilometres north of the battlefield), the Wellington Museum occupies the inn where the Duke of Wellington wrote his post-battle dispatches on the night of 18 June. The building has been preserved largely as it was and contains a detailed exhibition on the campaign. Entry around 9 euros. Quieter than the main monument and worth an hour.

Getting There

About 20 kilometres south of Brussels. From Brussels-Midi, the W train runs to Braine-l’Alleud (about 30 minutes, 5 euros), then shuttle bus or taxi for the last 3 kilometres to the visitor centre. Bus W from Brussels Midi runs to the visitor centre on weekdays and weekends; journey around 45 minutes. By car, the E5/A4 motorway south and exit for Waterloo.

Eating and Staying

The town of Waterloo has restaurants along the Chaussee de Bruxelles. Belgian cuisine here means moules-frites, carbonnade flamande (beef stewed in Belgian ale), and grey shrimp croquettes. Brussels makes the most practical overnight base: 20 minutes from the battlefield by train and full of good hotels, restaurants, and the rest of what Belgium’s capital offers.