RoutesHiking trails & RoutesBelgiumFlandersFlemish BrabantHalle-VilvoordeMeise
Island Garden loop from Meise
RoutesHiking trails & RoutesBelgiumFlandersFlemish BrabantHalle-VilvoordeMeise
Island Garden loop from Meise
Easy
4.3
(3)
140
hikers
Island Garden loop from Meise
01:30
5.68km
50m
Hiking
Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The route includes a crossing by ferry. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.
Last updated: May 22, 2026
This route includes a ferry crossing
Tips
Includes a ferry crossing
Check ferry timetable.
After 1.32 km for 25 m
Waypoints
A
Start point
Parking
Get Directions
1
1.18 km
St. Anthony's Chapel - Meise Botanic Garden
Highlight • Religious Site
The Sint-Antoniuskapel is a pillar chapel cemented with false joints on a rectangular plan, a low bevelled bluestone plinth and a gable roof. The chapel probably dates from the last quarter of the 19th century as it is not yet marked on the topographical map of 1867, but it is on the one of 1902.
(Inventory of Immovable Heritage)
(Inventory of Immovable Heritage)
Translated by Google •
Tip by
2
1.38 km
Island Garden
Highlight • Structure
In the heart of Botanic Garden Meise, a former castle domain, there is a small island in the middle of the pond of Boechout Castle. An ideal place to house a new botanical collection with various water, bank and marsh plants and trees from all over the world. The winning competition design by Gijs Van Vaerenbergh architects i.s.m. Atelier Arne Deruyter proposed to realize the project in 2 conceptual steps.
To make the water and marsh garden accessible and to enable crossing from the shore, a 400 m long, meandering concrete platform was first poured through the island. By pouring directly on the existing island (and on deeper pile foundations), one large structure was created in a simple 'in situ' manner that traverses the entire water garden. The existing island served as 'formwork' for this path.
The excavation and raising in various places then brought the water into the original island. The island thus changed into an archipelago of several islands, with a 'microtopography' of levels just below and above the water surface, creating a broad spectrum of diverse water and swamp biotopes: a mangrove, a fern moss, an alder marsh forest, a Japanese water garden, an indoor pool...
(Tourism Flanders)
To make the water and marsh garden accessible and to enable crossing from the shore, a 400 m long, meandering concrete platform was first poured through the island. By pouring directly on the existing island (and on deeper pile foundations), one large structure was created in a simple 'in situ' manner that traverses the entire water garden. The existing island served as 'formwork' for this path.
The excavation and raising in various places then brought the water into the original island. The island thus changed into an archipelago of several islands, with a 'microtopography' of levels just below and above the water surface, creating a broad spectrum of diverse water and swamp biotopes: a mangrove, a fern moss, an alder marsh forest, a Japanese water garden, an indoor pool...
(Tourism Flanders)
Translated by Google •
Tip by
3
1.63 km
The Thatched Cottage - Meise Botanic Garden
Highlight • Monument
This picturesque neo-Gothic building dates from the early 19th century. In 1990 it was badly damaged in a storm. It also lost the thatched roofing that gave it its name.
The Wicker House is an example of a folly - a small decorative structure typical of English landscape gardens. Shortly after 1800, the current domain of the Botanic Garden was redesigned in that style.
(Information board on site)
The Wicker House is an example of a folly - a small decorative structure typical of English landscape gardens. Shortly after 1800, the current domain of the Botanic Garden was redesigned in that style.
(Information board on site)
Translated by Google •
Tip by
4
2.05 km
Historic ice cellar - Meise Botanic Garden
Highlight • Structure
The site of a presumably 18th-century icehouse is today only indicated by an artificial earthen mound enclosing a brick dome. The semi-underground cellar, with an area of approximately 20 m2, is currently filled with earth and rubble. The entrance was cleared again in 2007. The icehouse is of the simple type with a short straight entrance.
(Inventory of Immovable Heritage)
(Inventory of Immovable Heritage)
Translated by Google •
Tip by
5
3.15 km
English Bridge and Grotto - Meise Botanic Garden
Highlight • Bridge
The English Bridge with accompanying cave is located west of the plant palace on Wemmel territory. It was probably realized in the period 1805-1810, when this area was laid out as an English garden, probably after a design by François Verly (1760-1822). In any case, it is indicated on the primitive land registry plan of Wemmel (1821). On the outside, the whole is finished with sandstone tubers, today heavily overgrown with ivy. In the southern side wall of the segmental arch bridge there is a marble high relief presumably representing the resurrection of the phoenix. On the other side a coat of arms with the mention Bon devoir gaigne. Above the entrance to the cave, a coat of arms overgrown with the coat of arms of the Roose family, who were responsible for the English landscaping.
(Inventory of Immovable Heritage)
(Inventory of Immovable Heritage)
Translated by Google •
Tip by
6
3.28 km
Plant Palace (Plantenpaleis), Meise Botanic Garden
Highlight • Structure
A large part of our collections do not thrive in our climate. That is why the Plant Palace was built. It is one of the largest and most beautiful publicly accessible greenhouse complexes in Europe.
The many thousands of plant species are planted according to their biome, the large vegetation zones of the earth with their typical climate.
During your walk through the greenhouses you will discover plants from the desert, the savannah, the tropical rainforest,... and how they have adapted to their living conditions. Or you sniff the scents in the Mediterranean biome. One of the greenhouses is dedicated to human influence. The evolution greenhouse takes you through time and tells you how land plants have evolved, from millions of years ago to now.
(Botanical Garden Meise)
The many thousands of plant species are planted according to their biome, the large vegetation zones of the earth with their typical climate.
During your walk through the greenhouses you will discover plants from the desert, the savannah, the tropical rainforest,... and how they have adapted to their living conditions. Or you sniff the scents in the Mediterranean biome. One of the greenhouses is dedicated to human influence. The evolution greenhouse takes you through time and tells you how land plants have evolved, from millions of years ago to now.
(Botanical Garden Meise)
Translated by Google •
Tip by
7
3.54 km
Hunting Pavilion - Meise Botanic Garden
Highlight • Monument
A little northwest of the entrance on J. Van Gijsellaan is a belvedere pavilion, which was probably built in the early 19th century. The current name as 'hunting pavilion' probably refers to an older hunting pavilion that was located on the same site. Due to its elevated location on a hill, the belvedere also has an iconic character.
It is an octagonal brick tower of one and a half storeys - probably previously plastered - on a cemented plinth under a flat roof. Striking is the strongly protruding wooden cornice under the roof cornice. Three round-arched windows with blue stone sills and T-shaped wooden joinery and one rectangular opening at the top closed by shutters. Round-arched door with wooden lintel and hinged door.
(Inventory of Immovable Heritage)
It is an octagonal brick tower of one and a half storeys - probably previously plastered - on a cemented plinth under a flat roof. Striking is the strongly protruding wooden cornice under the roof cornice. Three round-arched windows with blue stone sills and T-shaped wooden joinery and one rectangular opening at the top closed by shutters. Round-arched door with wooden lintel and hinged door.
(Inventory of Immovable Heritage)
Translated by Google •
Tip by
8
3.79 km
The Plant Palace - Victoria Greenhouse
Highlight • Structure
The greenhouse complex "Het Plantenpaleis - de Victoriakas" is the largest and one of the most beautiful in Europe. The Plantenpaleis alone covers approximately 1 hectare.
Masterpieces under glass:
Our most infamous plant is perhaps the giant arum (Amorphophallus titanum). When it blooms, it forms an inflorescence reaching 1.5 to sometimes over 3 meters tall, making it the largest unbranched inflorescence of any plant. The bloom lasts only a few days, so it's crucial to catch it at the right time. Amorphophallus titanum grows wild only in the rainforests of Sumatra. The flowering plants exude the odor of rotting flesh, which attracts pollinating insects.
In the Tropical Wetlands greenhouse at the Plantenpaleis, the giant water lilies in the pond immediately catch the eye. Victoria cruziana has large, floating leaves with raised edges. The air in and between the ribs at the base of the leaf creates enormous buoyancy: it can support up to 40 kilos. During the summer, the leaves are typically between one and two meters in diameter. Annual photo shoots of babies on the leaves of the giant water lily are held at this time.
The giant water lilies have been cultivated in the Botanical Garden for over a hundred years. From the end of September onwards, the leaves die back. The pond is empty during the winter. In February, we sow new plants so that they will have leaves again in spring.
In the Tropical Rainforest greenhouse of the Plant Palace, you'll encounter the Laurent palm fern (Encephalartos laurentianus). This endangered species is native to a valley on the border of DR Congo and Angola. The Laurent palm fern was discovered in 1902 by Louis Gentil, an employee of the then Botanical Garden. The seven now-mature trees were grown from seeds brought back from Congo in the 1930s and 1950s. The plants first flowered in the 1990s.
More information at plantentuinmeise.be/nl/pQe0zFX/topstukken-onder-glas
Masterpieces under glass:
Our most infamous plant is perhaps the giant arum (Amorphophallus titanum). When it blooms, it forms an inflorescence reaching 1.5 to sometimes over 3 meters tall, making it the largest unbranched inflorescence of any plant. The bloom lasts only a few days, so it's crucial to catch it at the right time. Amorphophallus titanum grows wild only in the rainforests of Sumatra. The flowering plants exude the odor of rotting flesh, which attracts pollinating insects.
In the Tropical Wetlands greenhouse at the Plantenpaleis, the giant water lilies in the pond immediately catch the eye. Victoria cruziana has large, floating leaves with raised edges. The air in and between the ribs at the base of the leaf creates enormous buoyancy: it can support up to 40 kilos. During the summer, the leaves are typically between one and two meters in diameter. Annual photo shoots of babies on the leaves of the giant water lily are held at this time.
The giant water lilies have been cultivated in the Botanical Garden for over a hundred years. From the end of September onwards, the leaves die back. The pond is empty during the winter. In February, we sow new plants so that they will have leaves again in spring.
In the Tropical Rainforest greenhouse of the Plant Palace, you'll encounter the Laurent palm fern (Encephalartos laurentianus). This endangered species is native to a valley on the border of DR Congo and Angola. The Laurent palm fern was discovered in 1902 by Louis Gentil, an employee of the then Botanical Garden. The seven now-mature trees were grown from seeds brought back from Congo in the 1930s and 1950s. The plants first flowered in the 1990s.
More information at plantentuinmeise.be/nl/pQe0zFX/topstukken-onder-glas
Translated by Google •
Tip by
B
5.68 km
End point
Parking
Way Types & Surfaces
Way Types
4.31 km
905 m
196 m
128 m
< 100 m
< 100 m
Surfaces
2.12 km
1.39 km
1.13 km
550 m
267 m
167 m
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Elevation
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Weather
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Friday 26 June
34°C
21°C
33 %
Additional weather tips
Max wind speed: 11.0 km/h
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Our route recommendations are based on thousands of hikes, rides, and runs completed by other people on komoot.
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