Best things to do in Aalst

Witness the site of Napoleon Bonaparte's defeat at Memorial Waterloo 1815, which commemorates one of the world's most famous battles. In the center is the Lion Mount, where a proud lion sculpture watches over the hill's peak. Walk up to the top for a view of the entire battlefield. Enter the museum, where you'll find a panorama of the battle representing the soldiers from all sides facing off across the open space. Video presentations give you an overview of the history behind the Napoleonic Wars. Purchase your tickets on arrival and wear comfortable walking shoes for the walk up the hill.

St. Rumbold's Cathedral (Dutch: Sint-Romboutskathedraal, French: Cathédrale Saint-Rombaut) is the Roman Catholic metropolitan archiepiscopal cathedral in Mechelen, Belgium, dedicated to Saint Rumbold, Christian missionary and martyr who had founded an abbey nearby. His remains are rumoured to be buried inside the cathedral. State-of-the-art examination of the relics honoured as Saint Rumbold's and kept in a shrine in the retro-choir, showed a life span of about 40 years and a death date between 580 and 655, while tradition had claimed 775 AD.
In 1999, the tower of the cathedral was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France site, in recognition of its architecture and its importance in civic duties such as a watchtower.

Museum François Duesberg was opened on 21 September 1994 and is devoted to decorative arts from the period 1775 to 1825. The museum is located in Mons (Hainaut) opposite the collegiate Saint Waltrude Church in the former buildings of the National Bank of Belgium. It houses a large collection of objects in perfect condition: it has a prestigious collection of clocks and mantel clocks, exceptional gilded French bronzes, porcelain (mainly from Paris and Brussels), pottery, jewelry (including the famous Mons-punch), and numerous items of similar quality.
It was founded by François Duesberg and his wife Betty whose collections focus on the periods of Louis XVI, that of Charles X of France and of the First French Empire under Napoleon.

The Botanic Garden Meise is located in the grounds of Bouchout Castle in the town of Meise, just north of Brussels in the province of Flemish Brabant. It is one of the largest botanical gardens in the world with an extensive collection of living plants in addition to a herbarium of over 3 million specimens. The current garden was established in 1958 after it moved from the centre of Brussels; the former site is now the Botanical Garden of Brussels. Researchers at the garden conduct research particularly on Belgian and African plants.
The Botanic Garden contains about 18,000 plant species—about 6% of all known plant species of the world. Half are in greenhouses, the other half, including cultivated and indigenous plants, are outdoors. The gardens are grouped around the castle and lake of the Bouchout domain.
The mission statement of the Botanic Garden Meise specifies the increasing and spreading "the knowledge of plants" and contributions to "the conservation of biodiversity."
The Botanic Garden was property of the Belgian federal government, but after several years of negotiations it was eventually transferred to the Flemish Community effective 1 January 2014. The French Community still has its own employees and representation in the board of directors. The plants, library, etc. remain property of the federal State but given as commodate to the Flemish Community.