Champ de bataille de Waterloo image

Champ de bataille de Waterloo

Tourist attraction β€’ Historical landmark β€’ Reenactment site

πŸ‘πŸ‘ You will be exhausted if you arrive at the top but the view is amazing! The museum is super modern, with HD screens, movies, game you can play for me not necessary to climb the monument. What a shame to pay 18€ for this just to climb the lion. People often mention battle, museum, history, visit, time,


Address

Chem. des Vertes Bornes, 1420 Braine-l'Alleud, Belgium

Website

www.waterloo1815.be

Contact

+32 2 385 19 12

Rating on Google Maps

4.40 (381 reviews)

Open on Google Maps

Working Hours

  • Sunday: Open 24 hours
  • Monday: Open 24 hours
  • Tuesday: Open 24 hours
  • Wednesday: Open 24 hours
  • Thursday: Open 24 hours
  • Friday: Open 24 hours
  • Saturday: Open 24 hours

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: battle (23) museum (18) history (8) visit (7) time (6)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 5/5 Mariska V. 4 years ago on Google
    You will be exhausted if you arrive at the top but the view is amazing! The museum is super modern, with HD screens, movies, game you can play for me not necessary to climb the monument. What a shame to pay 18€ for this just to climb the lion.
    2 people found this review helpful πŸ‘

  • 5/5 Lorenzo V. 3 years ago on Google
    It’s a perfect day trip from Brussels by bike through the soignes Forest. These fields tell you the history of that glorious battle.
    1 person found this review helpful πŸ‘

  • 5/5 David K. 4 years ago on Google
    Lots of great interactive things to do where your sudioguide is placed on a surface to unlock more features. The AR telescopes showing troop movements was excellent. It's a shame the cinema wasn't working, but we were given tokens to allow us to return another day.
    1 person found this review helpful πŸ‘

  • 5/5 Dian A. 4 years ago on Google
    The below ground museum is the most comprehensive explanation of the French Revolution and Napoleon that I have ever seen. Over 100 individual audio tour descriptions in multiple languages give a complete background of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars and their relevances to or world today. There is also a very excellent 4D ( including smells) panoramic film that illustrates the key e events of the battle. It is the best museum of its type I have seen, on par with and in some ways superior to Gettysburg museum in the USA. The century old cyclorama is also a gem of a historical depiction and the Butte du Lion is a challenge to climb for a excellent view of the battlefield.
    1 person found this review helpful πŸ‘

  • 4/5 Roman 4 years ago on Google
    Very interesting and historic place to visit. There's a very good modern museum based on interaction with the visitors, in which you can also learn within seconds about the history of the battle with an audioguide, which includes many European languages. The museum also includes a cinema in which you can watch a fantastic 4D movie about the Battle of Waterloo which gives you the feeling of actually being there at the battlefield, although the movie screen contains a few graphical errors. You can also see a panorama of the battle which really doesn't impressed me at all as the panorama in Moscow of the "Battle of Borodino".
    1 person found this review helpful πŸ‘

  • 5/5 Henry N. 5 years ago on Google
    The 4D movie reinacting the war brings out history into perspective. This is the best way in keeping history alive. The visit is well thought out and well planned for the tours ending up at the monument. Generations to come will know history through the visits here. Keep it up.
    1 person found this review helpful πŸ‘

  • 5/5 Anthony G. 3 years ago on Google
    We didnt go inside the museum as was quite expensive but it looked amazing from what we saw. The lion on the hill was really nice as was all the other statues. Hopefully we will make it to the museum next time were nearby. Also the horse drawn tour looked really good

  • 2/5 Jessica O. 4 years ago on Google
    I'm sorry to say that rude staff spoiled our visit last summer (2019). By accident, we missed the (small) sign to the museum and tried to take the audio guides outside. An alarm went off and the member of staff who came to show us the way told us we were stupid. The museum was good but climbing the mound was a let down - you got a great view of the battle field but little to help you visualise the battle. The stairs are narrow and it was a awkward squeeze to pass someone else when of course it is also steep. The panorama is good, particularly when you think how old it is, but it's tatty these days. We walked to the farm which was lovely but there were no guides in English available. The film there was good but too long with over-technical vertical slabs which move agonisingly slowly through the story. Finally we went into the shop and to be honest were very surprised by the manipulation of history - 'Napoleon the Emperor' was everywhere and very little of Wellington and his story. Finally we found something we wanted to buy as a present, and the staff member first was too busy talking to their colleague to take our money, and then when she did come, couldn't be bothered to give us our receipt but went straight back to chatting. We might go again, maybe in 20 years or so, but I hope the staff will have improved their attitude.

  • 3/5 Alexander D. 3 years ago on Google
    Nice place to join the history and enjoy with the family.

  • 4/5 alen n. 4 years ago on Google
    Very interesting and important historical place with very well arranged museum dedicated to Napoleon's last battle - here you can find not just very detail information about the battle itself, but also information about what was happening before (all the way from French revolution) and after (brief feedbacks and information) Napoleon's defeat. Many historical items and souvenier shop can be found in museum building, where is recommended to use a headphones for prepared presentations in order to better understand the events from battle itself and French history around that time. The concrete visual Waterloo battle you can experience through short movie with 3D effect (you will have to use an enclosed 3D glasses for that) in special room although I did not find it so interesting as I was missing the more strategic and tactical showing of the battle, and at the same time there were many details of the battle also missing, which in fact are very important components in order to better understand the battle and final outcome - the other parts of museum are much more interesting in that way, so if you will miss the movie, you will not miss too much. In any case as result of the battle there was around 50.000 men dead or wounded, and around 20.000 horses lied on the battle ground, so the casultoes were high on both sides. When you walk up to the 40 m high Lion's Mound (Lion's hill or Butte de Lion) you can see the battefield itself and imagine the ongoing of the battle ... hmmmmm ... and with visiting the main and most important battle points (e.g. Hougoumont farm, attack of French cavalry point, or La Haye Sainte farm), your impression of battle could be even more genuine. Furthermore, you can come to the battlefield place at time when the battle will be reenacted in live by many actors from around the world (up to 2.000 actors), and in authentic costumes from that period - the event is taking place every year around 18 June, on the day the original battle was fought. In overal great experiences and very well arranged museum with many information about battle, armies and overal happening before and after battle. Toilets are at the museum area and access for people with disabilities is somehow secured (with some examptions - eg they can not reach the Lion's Mound top spot), but could be arranged even better. Free parking places are available in immediate vicinity of the battlefield.

  • 5/5 ram u. 4 years ago on Google
    Historical place. Well maintained. Good place to walk and cycle. Full of green during Feb , march time. Information boards are in english too.

  • 4/5 I never lick yoghurt l. 3 years ago on Google
    A must-go of Belgium. But the value is far from duly exploited. what a shame!!! It would attract much more tourists if the owners could provide some activities and facilities on the filed. like tourism shuttle vehicle, horse riding, projection or crop circles indicating the position of trops on the ground. There are so many things to improve it, just be imagnative please.

  • 5/5 Pedro Canto e C. 3 years ago on Google
    Very interesting and complete museum. Great view up top and friendly staff.

  • 1/5 NK N. 1 year ago on Google
    After watching the Waterloo battle reenactment, we walked 2km to visit the Hougoumont Farm and the Last Headquarters of Napoleon as it was mentioned at the event webpage that visit to these monuments is included in the ticket price. However, when we went there, we were told by the employee, that there was a mistake and that Ticketmaster mistakenly wrote that these are included in the ticket price. So, we were denied entrance, although there was a miscommunication between the Waterloo Museum and their partner, Ticketmaster. So although they recognized the error, they still did not allow us in, Unbelievably bad service!

  • 5/5 Thomas H. 11 months ago on Google
    Great place πŸ‘Œ

  • 2/5 Sheila B. 8 months ago on Google
    We passed by, in transit before museum opened so stopped off. We would have liked to visit and climb the Lions mound view point and learn more, but the price seemed a bit steep considering the recommended visit time was 1 hour. We just looked around and left as museums like Flanders were much better value for money

  • 2/5 Brad S. 4 years ago on Google
    Really nothing to see here except the museum. Out of all the battlefield sites I have been to, this was a big let down. There is the big famous hill with a lion ontop that was built later. High winds closed the hill for visitors. The 360 painting was okay but the inside of the building smelled like a backed up sewer.


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