Hidden behind big wooden gates, one of Belgium’s loveliest begijnhoven loops round a long, narrow garden set with grotto, church and religious statues. Its tiled brick houses have lanterns and matching shutters, and behind a sheep-mown lawn area is the excellent Begijnhof Museum . Entering its perfectly preserved kitchen feels like you’ve walked straight into a Flemish Primitive painting. Turnhout’s last begijn died in 2002 and the museum’s many treasures are genuinely local.
