A great discovery after years on my wish list. The detailed collections take you through a fascinating history of photography. I really recommend the guided tours, if you can join one, to hear the personal stories behind many of the works. Another nice surprise was the building itself - a sympathetic conversion of architectural heritage, and easily reached by public transport.

We visited the photography museum of Charleroi for the special exhibition on ‘Photography as a weapon of class struggle’ and soon realised we would have to come back to explore the permanent collection in full. The place is huge! We loved the setting: a neo-gothic red-brick former Carmelite Convent with white inside walls and an atmospheric cloister. Several reviewers complain the museum is way out of town and difficult to reach. Everything is relative, of course, but it’s only about 4 km from the centre. As seasoned city trippers we had no difficulties finding it. Upon leaving the main railway station (Charleroi-Sud) we found the bus station on the left and bought a one-day pass (cheaper than a return ticket, we were told). In under 15 minutes busses 70, 71 and 170 (platform 13) leave you in front of the museum. Get off at ‘Place de Mont-sur-Marchienne’. Because not all buses take the same route on the way back to the centre we didn’t wait at the bus stop in front of the museum but walked to the next stop a few hundred meters in the direction of the centre where more busses pass. The only problem are possible transportation strikes. We made a pit stop at the lovely museum café looking out over a garden at the back. It offers a number of reasonably priced light lunch options and sweet treats. We had a tasty soup with a freshly made omelette and couldn’t resist the fruit pie with cream. With our Belgian Museum Pass we paid an extra 3.5 euros to visit the special exhibitions and the permanent collection. Otherwise the entrance fee is 7 euros, but there are several reduced rates. Very affordable for a museum where you may happily spend a few hours.