Local Area

Trying the local spirit, genever, a juniper-flavoured gin that has been distilled in Hasselt for centuries. The National Genever Museum is less than 1km from the hotel, and has the full history of the drink, along with samples and a gift shop.

See the city laid out before you from the top of the Carillon Tower, just a short walk from Holiday Inn Express Hasselt. It's worth the legwork to climb the stone steps to the bell platform, where chimes ring out regularly across historic Hasselt.

Find some time for yourself by strolling through Hasselt's Japanese Gardens, 2.5km from the hotel. You can surround yourself with peace and tranquility among the bonsai and cherry trees, and spot colourful koi carp in the ponds and water features.

Hasselt's central Tourist Office sells good-value combination tickets for the city's various museums and the beautiful Japanese Garden. Bear in mind that the gardens are closed during the colder months, usually from November-March.

• Fashion museum
• Jenever museum
• Japanese garden
• Bokrijk open air museum
• Zolder race track
• Versuz Disco
• Hollywood movie museum
• Ice skating
• Plopsa Indoor Hasselt
• Park H
• Cycle through the water
• Cycling through the Trees
• Quartier Bleu