Tournay-Solvay Park
Parc Tournay-Solvay

**A green hidden gem with the ruins of a chateau tucked away in Boitsfort just outside of Brussels. **

Stroll through Tournay-Solvay Park for a relaxing time outside the bustling centre of Brussels. Right next to Boitsfort station, the park is a local spot and a favourite for trekkers visiting the Sonian Forest. Generally quiet, even on weekends, Tournay-Solvay is loved by locals and generally unknown to most tourists visiting Brussels. If you want a hidden gem or starting point for your walk, it doesn’t get much better than Tournay-Solvay Park.

• Gardens: The park features charming ponds and pretty gardens. The gardens are full of flowers and really look their best in the spring and summer. The rose garden and veggie garden are the prettiest. Don’t miss the statue Kelda, Eternal Spring at the entrance of the veggie garden which is in memory of a young girl.
• Take the path behind the botanical gardens to go into the Sonian Forest. This makes Tournay-Sovay an easy starting or finishing point if you plan on exploring the forest.
• One of the most unique bits of Tournay-Solvay Park is the Replica of the Olmec head found in the village of San Lorenzo in Mexico. Definitely worth a look while you’re around.
• Turn right at the entrance to see the old castle stables from the 1920s. They’re still kind of in use as the Regional Center for Initiation to Ecology. Sadly no horses though!
• Go to the south of the park to see the ruins of the Solvay chateau. It’s currently undergoing restoration, so you can’t go inside. The castle was designed by architects Constant Bosmans and Henri Vandeveld in 1879. It’s worth a quick look while you’re passing by, though, especially since this path leads into the Sonian Forest.