Belgium - Wikitravel

8/10/2019 Belgium - Wikitravel

1/24


2/24


http://wikitravel.org/en/Belgium 2/24

Time Zone UTC +1DoTalk [+] Buy

CurrencyItems

[+] EatGeneral rulesSpecialitiesInternational

[+] Drink Water Beer Jenever Pubs

[+] SleepBudgetHotels

LearnWork Stay safeStay healthyContactRespectGet out

Understand

Belgium is a densely populated country trying to balance the conflicting demands of urbanization, transportation, industry, commercial and intensive agriculture. It imports largequantities of raw materials and exports a large volume of manufactured goods, mostly to theEU.

History

Belgium is the heir of several former Medieval powers, previously named Belgae (or Belgicareference to the Roman Empire period), and you will see traces of these everywhere during

your trip in this country.

After the collapse of the Carolingian Empire in the 9th century, the territory that is nowadaysBelgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg, was part of Lotharingia, an ephemeral kingdomsoon to be absorbed into the Germanic Empire; however, the special character of "Lower Lotharingia" remained intact in the feudal Empire : this is the origin of the Low Countries, ageneral term that encompasses present-day Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

The widely autonomous fiefdoms of the Low Countries were amongst the richest places inMedieval Europe and you will see traces of this past wealth in the rich buildings of Bruges,Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Leuven, Tournai, Mons, etc. These cities progressively fell under

the control of a powerful and ambitious family : the Dukes of Burgundy. The whole realm of the dukes extended from the Low Countries to the borders of Switzerland. Using wealth,strategy, and alliances, the Dukes of Burgundy aimed at reconstituting Lotharingia. The deathof the last Duke, Charles the Bold, put an end to this dream. However, the treasures of theDukes of Burgundy remains as a testimony of their rules in Belgian museums and landmarks.
http://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=CIxTIM3oHVMXbCdKligbr-IGgAozJ2JBBrJ6F5ZUB2dkeEAEg5OnlHFDxmqut-_____8BYLPe0ILgLaABrPrLwgPIAQKpAjTb4gi8DbY-4AIAqAMBqgScAU_QzBv0SH-0-QRr9Oqb6GH5yK_pAVAj3PpKI_YxpGkDVq_XRDRGdce-hwgDBbEVjxfwMmpQPRyf9-ftyD21CbZJVyGas4EfSlNXM8hQLFJbRGeZ8P3TyZaLHJpkSTJMc-VRroAsnFWKHyPc68Y9DMWSurhD5fqD3-cQPeI6nlZyGJ0ZxOVs2nKxFNK5cz8sb2Qb0hi04KZLaZdbseAEAYgGAaAGAoAHvIW0PQ&num=1&cid=5Gjf2yA5QF71b4jTnX5eKFFW&sig=AOD64_071BJT_3E-mwkdCp-onxx5VmKPQg&client=ca-pub-7120751760332646&adurl=http://www.hubkaho.be/HUB_KAHO/Hoofdmenu/Hoofdmenu-Infomomenten/Hoofdmenu-Infomomenten-Infodagen.htmlhttp://wikitravel.org/en/Time_zones


3/24



The powerful Habsburg family then inherited from the Low Countries. Reformation is thereason that Belgium and Netherlands were first put apart: the northern half of the LowCountries embraced Protestantism and rebelled against the Habsburg rule, while the southernhalf remained faithful to both its ruler and the Catholic faith. These two halves roughlycorresponds to present-day Belgium and Netherlands.

Belgium was called Austrian Netherlands, then Spanish Netherlands, depending on which branch of the Habsburg ruled it. The powerful German emperor and Spanish king, Charles

V, was born in the Belgian city of Ghent and ruled from Brussels. Many places in Belgiumare named after him, including the city of Charleroi and even a brand of beer. Every year, theBrusselers emulates his first parade in their city in what is called the Ommegang.

Belgium was briefly a part of the Napoleonic Empire. After Napoleon's defeat, a largeKingdom of the Netherlands was created, comprising the whole of the Low Countries.However, the religious opposition still remained and the split was aggravated by politicaldifferences between Belgian liberals and Dutch aristocrats. Belgium became independentfrom the Netherlands in 1830 after a short revolution and a war against the Netherlands.

It was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II and has many war graves near the

battle zones, most of them are around Ieper (in English archaically rendered as Ypres, withYperite another name for mustard gas due to intensive use there in WWI). It has prosperedin the past half century as a modern, technologically advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. Tensions between the Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and theFrench-speaking Walloons of the south have led in recent years to constitutional amendmentsgranting these regions formal recognition and autonomy.

Terrain

Flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, wooded hills and valleys of ArdennesForest in southeast.

Climate

Temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy. Average annual temperature between 1976-2006: 10C

Electricity

Electricity is supplied at 220-230V 50Hz. Outlets are CEE7/5 (protruding male earth pin)and accept either CEE 7/5 (Grounded), CEE 7/7 (Grounded) or CEE 7/16 (non-grounded)

plugs. Older German-type CEE 7/4 plugs are not compatible as they do not accommodatethe earth pin found on this type of outlet. However, most modern European appliances arefitted with the hybrid CEE 7/7 plug which fits both CEE 7/5 (Belgium & France) and CEE7/4 (Germany, Netherlands, Spain and most of Europe) outlets.

Travellers from the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Italy, Switzerland andother countries using 230V 50Hz which use different plugs simply require a plug adaptor touse their appliances in Belgium.

Travellers from the US, Canada, Japan and other countries using 110V 60Hz may need avoltage converter. However, some laptops, mobile phone chargers and other devices canaccept either 110V or 230V and so only require a simple plug adaptor. Check the voltagerating plates on your appliances before connecting them.

Regions
http://wikitravel.org/en/Ardennes_(Belgium)http://wikitravel.org/en/Ypres


4/24



Cities and regions in Belgium

Belgium consists of three federal regions, listed from North to South:

Flanders The northern,Dutch-speakingregion of thecountry. Itincludes wellknown cities likeAntwerp, Ghentand Bruges. TheFlemish provincesare (from west toeast): West-Flanders, East-Flanders,Antwerp,Flemish-Brabantand Limburg.

Brussels The bilingualcapital region of the country andheadquarters of the EU.

Wallonia The southern, French-speaking region, incorporating a small German speaking region

in the east near the German border. The Walloon provinces are (from west to east):Hainaut, Walloon Brabant, Namur, Lige and Luxembourg.

Cities

Belgium has a very high rate of urbanization and has an astonishing number of cities for sucha small territory

Brussels Belgium's bilingual capital and the unofficial capital of the EU. Today oneof the most multicultural cities in Europe. Brussels has a nice historic centre around the

famous Grand Place with its Gothic town hall and baroque guild halls. Other popular destinations are the Atomium , one of the symbols of Belgium, the European quarter,the palace of justice, the Saint Michael and Gudula cathedral, the stock exchange, theroyal palace, "manneken pis" and the art nouveau houses of Victor Horta. Brusselshouses some important museums, such as the Magritte museum, the comic museumand the royal museum of fine arts.

Flanders

Antwerp (Dutch: Antwerpen, French: Anvers) Belgium's second largest city, alongthe Scheldt river, is landmarked by the enormous Gothic cathedral of Our Lady andespecially known for four things: Rubens, diamonds, fashion and the port, the secondlargest of Europe. Places of interest are the Grote Markt, with the renaissance city halland stair shaped guild houses, the central station, the Plantin-Moretus museum, theMAS museum, the zoo and te Royal Museum of Fine Arts.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Antwerphttp://wikitravel.org/en/Brusselshttp://wikitravel.org/en/Luxembourg_(Belgium)http://wikitravel.org/en/Li%C3%A8ge_(province)http://wikitravel.org/en/Namur_(province)http://wikitravel.org/en/Walloon_Brabanthttp://wikitravel.org/en/Hainauthttp://wikitravel.org/en/Ostkantonshttp://wikitravel.org/en/Walloniahttp://wikitravel.org/en/Brusselshttp://wikitravel.org/en/Limburg_(Belgium)http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Flemish-Brabant&action=edit&redlink=1http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Antwerp_(Province)&action=edit&redlink=1http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=East-Flanders&action=edit&redlink=1http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=West-Flanders&action=edit&redlink=1http://wikitravel.org/en/Brugeshttp://wikitravel.org/en/Ghenthttp://wikitravel.org/en/Antwerphttp://wikitravel.org/en/Flandershttp://wikitravel.org/en/File:Begium.png


5/24



Bruges (Dutch: Brugge) One of Europe's wealthiest cities in the 14th century,nicknamed the 'Venice of the north' because of the canals and romantic atmosphere.The historic centre is mainly medieval, including the famous belfry, a Beguine and theGroeningen museum. Quiet at night, Bruges offers lots of small guest houses and family

businesses greatly outnumbering chain hotels. Damme and Lissewege are popular towns to visit in the environs.Ghent (Dutch: Gent, French: Gand) Once one of Europe's largest cities, Ghent isnow a perfect mixture of Antwerp and Bruges: a cosy medieval centre with canals, alot of churches and a great castle, yet with a lively student population, a modern artscene and some great festivals. The Gothic Saint Bavo cathedral houses the Lamb of God, one of the masterpieces of Flemish medieval painting.Leuven (French: Louvain) A small city dominated by one of Europe's oldestuniversities. Beautiful historic centre and a lively nightlife. Leuven is also known as thehome of Stella Artois and Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's largest brewingcompany.Lier (French: Lire) Charming Flemish city situated along the Nete river with a

beautiful Beguine, a belfry, stair-shaped houses, a Gothic cathedral and small medievalstreets.Mechelen (French: Malines) An important medieval city with a nice historic districtaround the St. Rumbolds cathedral, famous for its carillon school, the oldest andlargest in the world.Tongeren (French: Tongres) The oldest town in Belgium along with Tournai,Tongeren lives up to its promise.Ieper (French: Ypres) Once one of the largest cities in the Low Countries, now

best known for its destruction during the First World War, marked by memorials andcemeteries (Flanders Fields Country, see below).

Wallonia

Binche- Walled town that is famous for its carnival.

Charleroi- Although the name Charleroi Brussels-South Airport suggest otherwise,Charleroi is not a suburb of Brussels, but is actually the largest town in Wallonia (beingmarginally larger than Lige). Sadly, it is not the kind of town that most people wouldwant to visit, unless theyre into heavy industry and urban decay (in which case it is

paradise). Nonetheless, those who venture into the centre will be surprised to find it isfriendly and relaxed (and to find that there are also some nice buildings).

Dinant A small town with a cathedral and citadel in a stunning natural setting on theMeuse river, Dinant is a popular spot for adventure sports such as canoeing and rock-climbing which best visited in winter. Dinant is known as the place where Adolphe Saxinvented the saxophone.

Lige (Dutch: Luik, German: Lttich) The cultural hub of Wallonia - which sits onthe banks of the wide river Meuse - is a many sided city that is definitely worth visitingif you are in Belgium. Besides some industrial scars, it is undeniable that Lige has aunique character, an eclectic mix of architecture from the middle ages to the present, adramatic setting, exciting night-life, a number of museums, and varied natural

surroundings to boot!

Mons(Dutch: Bergen)- Also known as the Bruges of Wallonia, Mons historic centreis simply stunning!
http://wikitravel.org/en/Monshttp://wikitravel.org/en/Li%C3%A8gehttp://wikitravel.org/en/Dinanthttp://wikitravel.org/en/Charleroihttp://wikitravel.org/en/Binchehttp://wikitravel.org/en/Ypreshttp://wikitravel.org/en/Tongerenhttp://wikitravel.org/en/Mechelenhttp://wikitravel.org/en/Lierhttp://wikitravel.org/en/Leuvenhttp://wikitravel.org/en/Ghenthttp://wikitravel.org/en/Bruges


6/24



Namur (Dutch: Namen) The political capital of Wallonia, Namur is a classy townof around a 100,000 inhabitants, that boasts a tidy, well preserved old centre and animpressive citadel at the confluence of the Sambre and Meuse rivers. Similarly toLige, Namur has a a dramatic setting and impressive natural scenery in its immediatesurroundings.

Spa - The elegant small town in the Ardennes which put the word spa into spa-town.

Tournai(Dutch: Doornik)- The oldest town in Belgium along with Tongeren, Tournai isa pleasant town on the banks of the Escaut (Scheldt) with an impressive four-toweredcathedral.

Verviers (pop: 55,936) -- Overlooked by almost everyone, Lige's little brother to theeast was one of the first towns in the world outside Great Britain to be mechanicallyindustrialised in the early 19th century, when British entrepreneur William Cockerill(and his son John) set up shop there in 1799. Verviers -- which is set in the dramaticvalley of the Vesdre -- also contains many traces of its pre-mechanical history, whichdates make to medieval times. While the town might not be everyone's cup of tea, it

will certainly prove fascinating to many others!

Other destinations

Ardennes the most sparsely populated region in Benelux, this is a hilly countrysideregion covered with forests, tiny nature-stone villages and castles, such as the one of Bouillon or Durbuy.Fondry des ChiensWaterlooTyne Cot Cemetery

Abbeys a lot of them famous for brewing beer, such as Orval, Chimay, Postel,Floreffe or Val Dieu.

Get in

Entry requirements

Belgium is a member of the Schengen Agreement.

There are no border controls between countries that have signed and implemented this treaty- the European Union (except Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania and the UnitedKingdom), Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Likewise, a visa granted for anySchengen member is valid in all other countries that have signed and implemented the treaty.But be careful: not all EU members have signed the Schengen treaty, and not all Schengenmembers are part of the European Union. This means that there may be spot customs checks

but no immigration checks (travelling within Schengen but to/from a non-EU country) or youmay have to clear immigration but not customs (travelling within the EU but to/from a non-Schengen country).

Please see the article Travel in the Schengen Zone for more information about how thescheme works and what entry requirements are. Citizens of the above countries are

permitted to work in Belgium without the need to obtain a visa or any further authorisationfor the period of their 90 day visa-free stay. However, this ability to work visa-free does notnecessarily extend to other Schengen countries.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Travel_in_the_Schengen_Zonehttp://wikitravel.org/en/Europe#Get_aroundhttp://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Abbeys&action=edit&redlink=1http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Tyne_Cot_Cemetery&action=edit&redlink=1http://wikitravel.org/en/Waterloohttp://wikitravel.org/en/Fondry_des_Chienshttp://wikitravel.org/en/Ardennes_(Belgium)http://wikitravel.org/en/Verviershttp://wikitravel.org/en/Tournaihttp://wikitravel.org/en/Spa_(town)http://wikitravel.org/en/Namur


7/24



By plane

Brussels Airport (http://www.brusselsairport.be/en/) (also known as Zaventem due to thetown in which it is mainly located) is Belgium's main airport (IATA code BRU ). It is notlocated in Brussels proper, but in surrounding Flanders. The airport is the base of the nationalairline Brussels Airlines [1] (http://www.brusselsairlines.com/). Other full-service airlinesuse BRU, as well as budget carriers such as Vueling [2] (http://www.vueling.com/), JetairFly[3] (http://www.jetairfly.com/) and Thomas Cook[4] (http://www.thomascookairlines.com/).

There is a train ( 7.80) running every 15 minutes to Brussels centre, taking 25minutes, some of them continuing to Ghent, Mons and West Flanders.STIB-bus lines number 12 and 21 (4 at the vending machine/6 on board) departevery 20 to 30 minutes for Place Luxembourg (European Parliament district). The busstops at NATO and Schuman (for the EU institutions) on its way to the centre.De Lijn-bus lines 272 and 471 (3 on board) depart every 30 to 60 minutes for Brussels North Station, just North of the city centre. These buses also serve NATO.A taxi to the centre of Brussels costs around 35 - cheaper if booked in advance.Taxis bleus: +32 2 268 0000, Taxis Autolux: +32 2 411 4142, Taxis verts: +32 2

349 4949.There are also two trains (8.10) per hour to Leuven, taking 14 minutes, and twotrains (10.40) per hour to Antwerp, taking 43 minutes.

Brussels South Charleroi Airport [5] (http://www.charleroi-airport.com) (IATA codeCRL ), about 50km south of Brussels, mostly serves low-cost carriers, such as Ryanair [6](http://www.ryanair.com/) and Wizzair [7] (http://wizzair.com/). You can get to BrusselsGare du Midi on a coach in about an hour (13 one way, 22 return). If you're going to anyother part of Belgium, buy a combination bus+train ticket via Charleroi Sud train station fromthe TEC vending machines outside the airport for at most 19.40 one-way.

However, if you are really stuck, it is not unusual for taxi drivers to take credit cards. The price of a taxi ride to Brussels is a set fare (approximately 95 as of May 2006) and you cancheck with the taxi driver if he will accept your credit card(s) or not.

Antwerp Airport [8] (http://www.antwerpairport.be/) (IATA code ANR ) has some business flights, including CityJet [9] (http://www.cityjet.com/)'s reasonably priced link toLondon City airport.

Ostend Airport & Lige Airport have a limited selection of flights by JetAirFly (varyingevery season), but mostly receive business, charter & cargo flights.

Flights to airports in neighbouring countries might be worth considering, especially toAmsterdam Schiphol Airport which has a direct rail link to Brussels, also making stops atAntwerp and Mechelen. Some low-budget airlines (Ryanair, Easyjet) offer a limited selectionof flights to Eindhoven, Maastricht, Kln & Lille, all of which have a selection of publictransit options to Belgian cities.

By train

There are direct trains between Brussels and:

Luxembourg (normal trains, running every hour)Rotterdam, The Hague (normal trains, running every two hours)Paris, Kln/Cologne, Aachen, Amsterdam (Thalys [10] (http://www.thalys.com/))Lyon, Bordeaux, Paris-CDG airport and many other French cities (TGV Bruxelles-France [11] (http://www.voyages-sncf.com/)).
http://www.voyages-sncf.com/http://wikitravel.org/en/Lyonhttp://www.thalys.com/http://wikitravel.org/en/Amsterdamhttp://wikitravel.org/en/Aachenhttp://wikitravel.org/en/Colognehttp://wikitravel.org/en/Parishttp://wikitravel.org/en/The_Haguehttp://wikitravel.org/en/Rotterdamhttp://wikitravel.org/en/Luxembourghttp://wikitravel.org/en/Lillehttp://wikitravel.org/en/K%C3%B6lnhttp://wikitravel.org/en/Maastrichthttp://wikitravel.org/en/Eindhovenhttp://wikitravel.org/en/Mechelenhttp://wikitravel.org/en/Antwerphttp://wikitravel.org/en/Brusselshttp://wikitravel.org/en/Schiphol_Airporthttp://www.cityjet.com/http://www.antwerpairport.be/http://wizzair.com/http://www.ryanair.com/http://www.charleroi-airport.com/http://wikitravel.org/en/Antwerphttp://wikitravel.org/en/Leuvenhttp://wikitravel.org/en/West_Flandershttp://wikitravel.org/en/Monshttp://wikitravel.org/en/Ghenthttp://www.thomascookairlines.com/http://www.jetairfly.com/http://www.vueling.com/http://www.brusselsairlines.com/http://wikitravel.org/en/Flandershttp://www.brusselsairport.be/en/


8/24



London, Ebbsfleet, Ashford, Lille and Calais (Eurostar [12](http://www.eurostar.com/)). Tip: If going to another Belgian city opt for the "anyBelgium Station" ticket (5.50 one-way in 2nd class), and your local transport isincluded in your Eurostar ticket. Depending on the distance this may work out cheaper than getting a separate ticket. Note: Passengers travelling from the UK to Belgium gothrough French passport/identity card checks (done on behalf of the Belgians) in theUK before boarding, rather than on arrival in Belgium. Passengers travelling fromLille/Calais to Brussels are within the Schengen Area.Frankfurt, Kln/Cologne (ICE [13](http://www.bahn.de/p/view/international/englisch/international_guests.shtml))Basel, Switzerland, via Luxembourg (normal trains, 2 daily)

They connect with domestic trains at Brussels' Gare du Midi/Zuidstation, and with allEurostar or ICE and some Thalys tickets, you can finish your journey for free on domestictrains. For all high-speed trains, you need to book in advance for cheap fares, either onlineor using a travel agency. There are no regularly scheduled sleeper trains anymore.

You might want to check the TGV connections to Lille too. The trains from the rest of

France to Lille are more frequent and usually cheaper. There is a direct train connection fromLille Flandres to Ghent and Antwerp. If your TGV arrives in Lille Europe, it will take a 15min walk to the Lille Flandres railway station.

Plan your trip with the Deutsche Bahn timetable [14](http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en). It has all domestic and internationalconnections across Europe.

Smoking is no longer allowed in Belgian trains.

By car

Major European highways like the E-19, E-17, E-40, E-411 E-314 and E-313 pass throughBelgium.

Carpooling

The cheapest way to get to Belgium (3/100km) from anywhere in Europe if you are a littleflexible and lucky is usually taxistop [15] (http://www.taxistop.be)

By bus

You can get to Belgium from all over Europe on Eurolines [16] (http://www.eurolines.be)coaches. International busses have stopovers in Antwerpen, Brussels north-station, Leuven& Liege.

Due to the Bosnian war in the 1990'ies there are bus companies serving the Bosniandiaspora, which provide a cheap and clean way of getting to the other side of the Europeancontinent. Semi tours [17] (http://semi-tours.com) runs three times per week from variousdestinations in Bosnia and Hercegovina to Belgium and the Netherlands, Off-season approx.(132) for a return ticket.

By ship

There is an overnight ferry to/from Zeebrugge from Hull in England, but it is not cheap.There's also a vehicle-only daytime service from Oostende to Ramsgate in England.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Bosnia_and_Hercegovinahttp://semi-tours.com/http://wikitravel.org/en/Ecotourism#CO2_emissionshttp://wikitravel.org/en/Liegehttp://wikitravel.org/en/Leuvenhttp://wikitravel.org/en/Brusselshttp://wikitravel.org/en/Antwerpenhttp://www.eurolines.be/http://www.taxistop.be/http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/enhttp://wikitravel.org/en/Baselhttp://www.bahn.de/p/view/international/englisch/international_guests.shtmlhttp://wikitravel.org/en/Frankfurthttp://www.eurostar.com/http://wikitravel.org/en/Calaishttp://wikitravel.org/en/Lillehttp://wikitravel.org/en/Ashford_(England)http://wikitravel.org/en/Ebbsfleethttp://wikitravel.org/en/London


9/24



Map of Belgium

From France

There are domesticBelgian trains thatterminate in Lille (stationLille-Flanders ).Between the De Panneterminus of the Belgianrailways (and the Coasttram Kusttram ) and theFrench coastal city of Dunkerque , there is a busline run by DK'BUSMarine: [18](http://www.dkbus.com/).It may, however, beoperating only in certaintime of the year. It is also

possible to take aDK'BUS bus which goesto the closest possibledistance of the border and then cross it on foot by walking on the beach and arrivingat a convenient station of the Coast tram, such as Esplanade .

From Germany

You can take a bus between the train stations of Eupen (Belgium) and Aachen(Germany) which is quite fast and less expensive than doing the same trip on aninternational train ticket.

From the Netherlands

For a list of border-crossing buses between Belgium and the Netherlands, you mayconsult the list at [19] (http://www.xs4all.be/~rvdborgt/bus/belgie.html).In order to avoid paying for an international train ticket on the route betweenAmsterdam and Antwerp, you can get off in one of the border stations of Essen(Belgium) and Roosendaal (the Netherlands) and walk to the other on foot. You canfollow the main road between the two places and will need to walk some 10kilometers in a flat and open, though particularly uninhabited terrain.Apart from being a peculiar result of ancient European history, the town of Baarle(formally Baarle-Hertog in Belgium and Baarle-Nassau in the Netherlands) is a

possible change point, since the town's main bus stop Sint-Janstraat is operated by both Flemish (Belgian) and Dutch buses.The Flemish (Belgian) company De Lijn operates a border-crossing bus betweenTurnhout in Belgium and Tilburg in the Netherlands, both of which are termini in therespective country's railway network.

There's a bus (line 45) operated by the Flemish (Belgian) company De Lijn going between the train stations of Genk (Belgium) and Maastricht (the Netherlands).There is another bus (line 20A) departing from Hasselt , going to Maastricht . A trainconnection is non-existing in this place, but it is being built at the moment.
http://www.xs4all.be/~rvdborgt/bus/belgie.htmlhttp://www.dkbus.com/http://wikitravel.org/en/File:Be-map.png


10/24



Get around

Being such a small country (300 km as its maximum distance), you can get anywhere in acouple of hours. Public transport is fast and comfortable, and not too expensive. Betweenlarger cities, there are frequent train connections, with buses covering smaller distances. Auseful site is InfoTEC [20] (http://www.infotec.be/index.aspx?Language=english), which hasa door-to-door routeplanner for the whole country, covering all forms of public transport(including train, bus, subway and tram).

A look on the map may suggest that Brussels is a good starting point to explore Antwerp,Ghent, Brugge, Namur and Leuven on day trips. Antwerp is popular among those who wantto be in a cosmopolitan place, and Ghent is tops with those who like a good mix of open-minded provincialism. Lige is beautiful, but too close to Germany to be a good base for daytrips. Mechelen is considered boring by tourists, but has a very good brand new youth hostelnext to a train station with trains to everywhere else every 30 mins.

To do some local sightseeing, especially in Flanders, a lot of infrastructure is available for cycling. Bikes can be rented virtually everywhere. In the country side of Wallonia,

mountainbikes are available, and rafting is popular along the border with Luxembourg.

By train

Most of Belgium is well connected by train, run by NMBS (SNCB in French) [21](http://www.b-rail.be/) with most of the main routes passing through Antwerp, Namur or Brussels. This is where you'll arrive on international trains, and both can be reached by trainfrom Brussels airport or by coach from Antwerp or Charleroi airport. Transfers are veryeasy. Note that all ICE and some Thalys tickets allow free same-day transfers bydomestic trains to any other Belgian station. Also, there are Thalys trains from Paris directlyto Ghent, Brugge and Oostende with no need to change in Antwerp or Brussels. FromLondon (by Eurostar) you need to switch in Brussels for Antwerp, Leuven or Ghent, but for Brugge, you can change at Lille (France) with no need to make the detour via Brussels. Bothin Lille and Brussels the staff are very helpful and willing to smile.

Destinations are listed at stations in the language of the locality. For example, if travellingfrom somewhere in Flanders to Lige, this will be listed as 'Luik', the Flemish for Lige. If travelling from a French-speaking area to Antwerp, it will be listed as 'Anvers', from aFlemish-speaking area 'Antwerpen'. The exception is Brussels, where destinations are listedin both languages.

Announcements on board trains reflect the official language of the region that the train passesthrough. In Flanders, all announcements will be in Dutch; similarly in Wallonia, allannouncements will be in French. In Brussels, announcements will be in French and Dutch.

Brussels has 3 stations, and all three have two names in French / Flemish: Bruxelles-Midi /Brussel-Zuid, Bruxelles-Central / Brussel-Centraal and Bruxelles-Nord / Brussel-Noord.Many trains stop at all 3, but some trains (Eurostar, Thalys) only stop at Bruxelles-Midi /Brussel-Zuid.

When travelling during rush hour, delays between larger cities are to be expected (5-15minutes). Nevertheless, delays of more than 30 minutes are extremely rare.

Normal fares on Belgian trains are cheap compared to Germany or the UK, with no neednor a possibility to pre-book or reserve. 2nd class fares don't go much higher than 20 for the longest domestic trips, and 1st class costs 50% extra. Trains can get very full during therush hours, so you might need a 1st class ticket to get a seat at those times. You can buynormal tickets online [22] (http://buy.b-rail.be/) or in stations, but not usually in travel
http://buy.b-rail.be/http://www.b-rail.be/http://www.infotec.be/index.aspx?Language=english


11/24



agencies. If you want to buy a ticket on the train, you have to warn the train conductor and asupplement will be charged, unless ticket offices in the departure station are closed. In thetrain station, you can pay with cash or credit card. Not buying a ticket can cost you up to

200. Return tickets are 50% cheaper at the weekend.

Normal tickets are sold for a designated day, so there is no extra validation when you stepon a train.

There are several possibilities to keep the ticket price low. First of all, for people younger than 26, one can buy a 'Go-Pass 1' for one trip at a fixed price of 6, no matter the distance.However, this ticket needs to be ordered on the internet and printed beforehand. Thecheapest option if you're planning several train trips is a Go Pass [23] (http://www.b-rail.be/nat/E/tarifs/passes/go/index.php), which gives you 10 single 2nd class trips (includingtrain changes if necessary) for 50. It's valid for a year and can be shared with or given toother people without any restrictions. The only problem is you have to be younger than 26,

but there's a more expensive version for older people called a Rail Pass . This costs 76 for 2nd class or 117 for 1st. When using these passes make sure you have filled in the line

before you get on the train (strictly speaking: before you enter the platform). The trainconductor can be very picky when the pass is not correctly filled in. However, if you addresstrain station staff before boarding, they will be glad to help you.

The NMBS website has a searchable timetable [24] (http://www.railtime.be) with delayinformation, and a fare calculator [25] (http://www.b-rail.be/cgi-script/tarif/tarif_nat.cgi?lang=E). You can also find a map of Belgian railways and stations [26](http://www.loughrigg.org/b-rail/full1.gif).

As in other European countries, timetables usually change on the second Sunday inDecember. Those changes are usually limited to introducing a few new train stations andadding a few regular lines. No lines have been discontinued in a very long time.

By bus/tram

Buses cover the whole country, along with trams and metro in the big cities. Most routescover short distances, but it is possible to go from city to city by bus. However, this is muchslower and only slightly cheaper than taking a train.

There is also the Kusttram (Coast Tram ) [27] (http://www.dekusttram.be/), which runs for 68 km along almost the whole Flemish seaside from Adinkerke, near the French border, toKnokke-Heist, near the Dutch border. As such, it is the most convenient way to travel fromOostende to Zeebrugge. A full end-to-end trip takes approximately 2 hours. Trams run

every 10 minutes during the summer and every 20 minutes during the winter.Within cities, a normal ticket for one zone never costs more than 2.00, and there arevarious travelcards available. Note that local transport is provided by different companies:STIB/MIVB in Brussels [28] (http://www.stib.be/), De Lijn [29] (http://delijn.be/) inFlanders and TEC [30] (http://www.infotec.be/) in Wallonia, and, outside Brussels, theydon't accept each others' tickets. Tickets are cheaper when bought at ticket machines.

Most tourists will not need the bus companies, as it is much more user-friendly to take trains between cities and go on foot inside them. Only Brussels and Antwerp have a subway, but,even there, you can make your way around on foot. The historic centre of Brussels is only

about 300 by 400 m long. Antwerp is much bigger, but a ride on a horse-pulled coach givesa better view than the subway.

By car
http://www.infotec.be/http://delijn.be/http://www.stib.be/http://wikitravel.org/en/Zeebruggehttp://wikitravel.org/en/Oostendehttp://www.dekusttram.be/http://www.loughrigg.org/b-rail/full1.gifhttp://www.b-rail.be/cgi-script/tarif/tarif_nat.cgi?lang=Ehttp://www.railtime.be/http://www.b-rail.be/nat/E/tarifs/passes/go/index.php


12/24



Belgium has a dense network of modern toll-free motorways, but some secondary roads inWallonia are poorly maintained. (The only place where you have to pay toll is theLiefkenshoektunnel in Antwerpen. A good alternative to circumvent the often congestedKennedytunnel) Signs are always in the local language only, except in Brussels, where they're

bilingual. As many cities in Belgium have quite different names in Dutch and French, this cancause confusion. For example, Mons in French is Bergen in Dutch; Antwerp is calledAntwerpen in Dutch and Anvers in French; Lige in French is Luik in Dutch and Lttich inGerman, and so on. This even applies to cities outside Belgium; driving along a Flemish

motorway, you may see signs for Rijsel, which is the French city of Lille or Aken, which isthe German city of Aachen. Exits will be marked with the word 'Uit' (out) in Flemish areas,'Sortie' in French areas and 'Ausfahrt' in German-speaking ones.

Drivers in Belgium should also be aware of the "priority from the right" rule. At roadcrossings, traffic coming from the right has the right of way unless otherwise indicated bysigns or pavement markings. You're most likely to encounter such crossings in urban andsuburban areas.

In Belgium the motorway signs are notoriously inconvenient, especially on secondary roads.There is no uniformity in layout and color, many are in bad state, placed in an awkward

position or simply missing. A good roadmap (Michelin, De Rouck, Falk) or a GPS system isrecommended. Also Belgian roads are always in a state of disrepair. They are however VERY WELL LIT, as this is a remainder of the 80's. Expect good lighting and bad driving.

Car Hire

Some hire cars come equipped with sat nav but it's a good idea to request this when you book your car. It's probably the most reliable way to get from A to B in Belgium. This wayyou will get to see some of the sites of Belgium, as flat as it may be, but architecture in thetowns is something to be admired. You will be pleasantly surprised at just how clean the

towns and villages of Belgium are. Drive through on any afternoon and you will see peoplecaring for the street in front of their homes - a real, backdated village community feel.

Speed traps are positioned along roads frequently and drink driving of only small amountscomes with serious penalties, such as 125 Euros on the spot fine for 0.05 per cent and 0.08

per cent. Over that amount of alcohol in your system and you face anything up to 6 monthsimprisonment and loss of driving licence for 5 years.

By thumb

The best place for hitchhikers. Just ask for a lift! Having cardboard signs with towns' nameson it can really help to get a quick lift.

Leaving Brussels: Heading South (e.g. Namur) get to the underground station named'Delta'.

Next to it you have a huge 'park and ride' and a bus stop. Hitchhiking near the bus stopshould get you a ride in less than 5 minutes during traffic hours.

Heading to Ghent/Bruges: Good spot near the Shopping Mall called 'Basilix' inBerchem-ste-Agathe. You can reach this place with the bus N87.

An alternative spot to go to the north is in Anderlecht, near the Hospital Erasme/Erasmus(Metro station Erasme/Erasmus.)

Heading to Lige/Hasselt: Take the pre-metro to the station 'Diamant' in Schaarbeek.When leaving the station you should see a lot of outgoing cars just below you. Just
http://wikitravel.org/en/Lillehttp://wikitravel.org/en/Li%C3%A8gehttp://wikitravel.org/en/Antwerphttp://wikitravel.org/en/Monshttp://wikitravel.org/en/Brussels


13/24



walk and follow the roadsigns mentioning 'E40'. You should arrive in a small streetgiving access to a road joigning the E40 (the cars are leaving a tunnel at this point).Just hitchhike on the emergency lane at this point, in the portion near the tunnel. Carsshould still be riding slowly at this point and see you are visible to them, so it's not thatdangerous.

Leaving Louvain-la-Neuve (University) to Brussels (north) or to Namur (south), standat the roundabout next to exit/entrance "8a" near to "Louvain la Neuve-centre" roadsigns. Quick lift guaranteed. Avoid exit 7 or 9, since they have far less traffic.

See

Mostly known for its key role in European Union administration, the small nation of Belgiummight leave you surprised by its rich and gorgeous heritage. It boasts a number of fascinatingly historic cities packed with medieval and Art Nouveau architecture and famousfor their long traditions in arts, fashion and fine dining. If you've seen the best of them, theBelgian countryside offers anything from sandy beaches to the densely forested hills andridges of the Ardennes.

Brussels , the country's vibrant capital, is a modern world city with a highly internationalcharacter. It combines massive post-modern buildings in its European Quarter withimpressive historic monuments, such as the World Heritage listed Grand Place , surrounded

by guildhouses and the Gothic town hall . There's Laken Castle and the large St. Michaeland St. Gudula Cathedral , dedicated to the cities patron saints. The Royal Palace is amore recent but no less grand structure. One of the city's most famous landmarks is theAtomium , a remarkable steel structure and remnant of the 1958 World's Fair. And yet, withall those magnificent sights at hand, many travellers' favourite is a tiny bronze fountain in theshape of a peeing boy: the curious Manneken Pis .

Perhaps the most popular of the Belgian cities is Bruges . Much of the excellent architecturethat arose during the towns Golden Age, roughly the 14th century, remains intact and the oldcentre is a valued UNESCO World Heritage Site. Among its most prominent landmarks isthe 13th century belfry , where the carillonneur still rings the bells on a daily basis. Withcountless other noteworthy monuments, Bruges is a highly popular destination and get a bitovercrowded during holidays. And then there's Ghent , which in ages past was one of thewealthiest cities in Northern Europe. Although larger and much busier than Bruges, itsexcellent medieval architecture can definitely compete. Its beguinages, belfry and formercloth hall are World Heritage Sites. Or visit Antwerp , the country's current place to be as itis a hotspot of the Belgian fashion, clubbing, arts and diamonds scenes. Nevertheless, the

city's timeless old centre is right up there with the others, boasting the countries most stunningcathedrals . Other pleasant cities with good sights include Leuven , with the oldest CatholicUniversity still in use, Mechelen and Lige .

For hiking, biking and camping, head to the rugged hills of the Ardennes with their tightfores ts, caves and cliffs . They are home to wild boar, deer and lynx and hide a number of friendly villages, lots of castles and a few other notable sights. The impressive caves of Han-sur-Lesse , the castle of Bouillon and the modern Labyrinth of Barvaux are some of the

best picks. The city of Namur makes a great base from where to explore the Ardennes andhas some fine sights itself too. The city is beautifully located along the rivers Meuse andSambre and from the ancient citadel you'll have a great view over town.

The Belgians brought forward a good number of world famous masters of art, and their lovefor arts is still today reflected in the range of fine arts museums. The Muses Royaux desBeaux-Arts in Brussels and the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten in Antwerp(closed for renovation until the end of 2017) are just a few excellent examples. However, the
http://wikitravel.org/en/Namurhttp://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Barvaux&action=edit&redlink=1http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Bouillon&action=edit&redlink=1http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Han-sur-Lesse&action=edit&redlink=1http://wikitravel.org/en/Ardenneshttp://wikitravel.org/en/Li%C3%A8gehttp://wikitravel.org/en/Mechelenhttp://wikitravel.org/en/Leuvenhttp://wikitravel.org/en/Antwerphttp://wikitravel.org/en/Ghenthttp://wikitravel.org/en/Brugeshttp://wikitravel.org/en/Brusselshttp://wikitravel.org/en/Ardennes


14/24



In Flames performs atGraspop 2008

Atomium

Belgians love museums, with over 80 of them in the capital alone. Besides arts, they displayanything from history and folkore to industry and technology. As some of the worst fightingof both World Wars took place on Belgian territory, there's also a large number of memorials and museums dedicated to those dark times, along some humbling militarycemeteries.

Do

Ducasse de Mons : yearly parade in the city of Mons that celebrates the release of alegendary dragon (which is displayed every year in the city)

Ommegang : a parade in Brussels that celebrates the beginning of the reign of CharlesV of Habsburg. It takes place on the stunning cityscape of the Grand Place andinvolves thousands of stunts in period costume.

Zinnekeparade : the biennial celebration of the Brusseler's spirit - the theme changeseach time and involves costumes & chariots made by volunteers and locals.

DOCVILLE - International Documentary Film Festival , Naamsestraat 96, 3000Leuven, +32-16-320300, [31] (http://www.docville.be/). InternationalDocumentary Film Festival in the beginning of May, with national and internationalcompetition in the city of Leuven. Selected films have a focus on cinematography. 4.5-6 euro. edit

Graspop Metal Meeting , [32](http://www.graspop.be/). Yearly heavy metalfestival held in the town of Dessel, in June. edit

Carnival de Binche [33]

(http://www.visitbelgium.com/mediaroom/BincheCarnival.htm) - Three days in

February the town of Binche is transported back to the 16th century for one of themost fantastic festivals of the year. Highlighted by music parades and fireworks, theclimax of this event is when the Gilles appear on the Grand Place and throw orangesto the spectators. This infamous festivity has been classified as part of the world'scultural heritage by UNESCO along with its renowned Gilles.
http://wikitravel.org/en/UNESCO_World_Heritage_Listhttp://wikitravel.org/en/Binchehttp://www.visitbelgium.com/mediaroom/BincheCarnival.htmhttp://www.graspop.be/http://www.docville.be/http://wikitravel.org/en/File:Atomium.JPGhttp://wikitravel.org/en/File:Graspop_2008.JPG


15/24



Rock Werchter [34] (http://www.rockwerchter.be) - end of June, beginning of July,Werchter.Dour festival [35] (http://www.dourfestival.be) - "European Alternative MusicEvent" - 12-15 July 2007 - Dour.Pukkelpop [36] (http://www.pukkelpop.be) - mid- august

Atomium built for the 1958 Brussels World Fair (Expo 58), it is a 102 meter tallrepresentation of an atomic unit cell. More precisely, it is symbolic of a unit cell of aniron crystal magnified 165 billion times. Nine steel spheres 16 meters in diameter connect via tubes with elevators 32 meters long.

Gentse Feesten [37] (http://www.gentsefeesten.be), 2nd half of July. Huge, ten daylong street festival in the historical center of the city of Ghent. The biggest streetfestival in Europe, with theater, music in all genres, techno parties, and so on - GentseFeesten

Activiteiten Gent & Antwerpen , Rerum Novarumlaan 132 ( Merksem ), 0475 /696 880, [38] (http://www.janplezier.be/bedrijfsuitje-activiteiten-gent/). Great

boattours around Ghent and Antwerp. edit

24 hours cycling, Louvain-La-Neuve Louvain-La-Neuve is in the Wallonia not far from Brussel, it's a small pedestrian city created in the 60's for the french-speakersstudents. Every year, in October, they organized a bicycle competition. Actually, thecourse is a pretext to enjoy the event... And to drink beers. This party is one of themost important consumption of beers of the whole Europe.

Belgian Beer Tour Belgian Beer Tour is a tour operator specializing in tours of Belgium breweries. It offers a great way for beer lovers to visit their favourite

breweries and discover new ones. The tours cover a wide range of beers and appealsto connoisseurs and amateurs alike.

International Short Film Festival Leuven , Naamsestraat 96, 3000 Leuven, +32-16-320300, [39] (http://www.shortfilmfestival.org/). International Short FilmFestival with many foreign guests and directors. Focus on the best Flemish andEuropean short films. 4.5-6 euro. editTomorrowLand , De Schorre, Boom, [40] (www.tomorrowland.be). editBokrijk , Genk. A reconstructed 19th century village brings history here alive. edit

Talk

Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French and German.

Please note that although Belgium has three official languages, that does not mean that all of them are official everywhere. In fact, language is one of the most politically sensitive/divisiveissues in the country, and it may be considered offensive and unappreciated to speak the"wrong" language (particularly French and Dutch) at the "wrong" region. The only officiallanguage of Flanders is Dutch; Brussels has both Dutch and French as its official languages

albeit the lingua franca is French. The only official language of Wallonia is French, except for the nine municipalities (including the town of Eupen and its surroundings) of the German-speaking Community.
http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Eupen&action=edit&redlink=1http://wikitravel.org/en/German_phrasebookhttp://wikitravel.org/en/French_phrasebookhttp://wikitravel.org/en/Dutch_phrasebookhttp://wikitravel.org/en/www.tomorrowland.behttp://www.shortfilmfestival.org/http://www.janplezier.be/bedrijfsuitje-activiteiten-gent/http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Gentse_Feesten&action=edit&redlink=1http://www.gentsefeesten.be/http://www.pukkelpop.be/http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Dour&action=edit&redlink=1http://www.dourfestival.be/http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Werchter&action=edit&redlink=1http://www.rockwerchter.be/


16/24



A number of inhabitants of Wallonia, particularly the older generations, speak the Walloonlanguage. This language, while not official, is recognized by the French Community of Belgium as an "indigenous regional language", together with a number of other Romance(Champenois, Lorrain and Picard) and Germanic (Luxembourgian) language varieties.

If you need to fill out government forms or submit documents in support of your applicationfor government services (e.g. a visa, resident permit), please take note that you need to giveyour responses in French, Dutch or German. The government does not recognise responses

in any other language.

English is widely spoken by the younger generation of Dutch-speaking Belgians. In contrast,French-speaking Belgians rarely speak much English, though it is a much better (and less

bitter) bet to use compared to Dutch. Consequently, one can get around Flanders withoutmuch problem speaking English, but if travelling around Wallonia, bringing a phrasebook along is highly recommended.

Likewise, foreign TV programmes (including news interviews to foreigners) and films aresubtitled to Dutch in Flanders (except those catering to young children), and dubbed toFrench in Wallonia.

Buy

Currency

Belgium has the euro () as its sole currency along with 24 other countries that use thiscommon European money. These 24 countries are: Austria, Belgium , Cyprus, Estonia,Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, the

Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain (official euro members which are allEuropean Union member states) as well as Andorra, Kosovo, Monaco, Montenegro, SanMarino and the Vatican which use it without having a say in eurozone affairs and without

being European Union members. Together, these countries have a population of 327 million.

One euro is divided into 100 cents. While each official euro member (as well as Monaco,San Marino and Vatican) issues its own coins with a unique obverse, the reverse, as well asall bank notes, look the same throughout the eurozone. Every coin is legal tender in any of the eurozone countries.

Items

Belgian chocolate : A long tradition has given Belgian chocolate a superior refinement process that is recognized worldwide.Laces in BrugesDesigner fashions in AntwerpJewelry in one of Antwerps many jewelry shopsBeer Belgian comic books and related merchandising, especially in Brussels

EatBelgians like to eat. Belgium is famous for its good cuisine and people like to go torestaurants frequently. Best description for Belgian food would be "French food in Germanquantities".
http://wikitravel.org/en/Brusselshttp://wikitravel.org/en/Antwerphttp://wikitravel.org/en/Antwerphttp://wikitravel.org/en/Brugeshttp://wikitravel.org/en/Vaticanhttp://wikitravel.org/en/San_Marinohttp://wikitravel.org/en/Montenegrohttp://wikitravel.org/en/Monacohttp://wikitravel.org/en/Kosovohttp://wikitravel.org/en/Andorrahttp://wikitravel.org/en/Spainhttp://wikitravel.org/en/Sloveniahttp://wikitravel.org/en/Slovakiahttp://wikitravel.org/en/Portugalhttp://wikitravel.org/en/Netherlandshttp://wikitravel.org/en/Maltahttp://wikitravel.org/en/Luxembourghttp://wikitravel.org/en/Latviahttp://wikitravel.org/en/Italyhttp://wikitravel.org/en/Irelandhttp://wikitravel.org/en/Greecehttp://wikitravel.org/en/Germanyhttp://wikitravel.org/en/Francehttp://wikitravel.org/en/Finlandhttp://wikitravel.org/en/Estoniahttp://wikitravel.org/en/Cyprushttp://wikitravel.org/en/Austria


17/24



Restaurants at Rue desBouchers/Beenhouwersstraat, Brussels

Moules et frites/Mosselen met friet ,Brussels

General rules

As anywhere else in the world, avoid the tourist traps, where the touts are trying to getyou in the restaurants. You will getaverage to bad quality food for averageto high prices, and, at busy times, theywill try to get rid of you as soon as

possible to make space for the nextcustomer. A good example of this is thefamous "Rue desBouchers/Beenhouwersstraat" inBrussels in this picture.

Belgium is a country that understandswhat eating is all about and can be a realgastronomic paradise. You can have adecent meal in about every tavern, from small snacks to a complete dinner. Just popinto one of those and enjoy it.

If you want to eat really well for not too much money, ask the local people or the hotelmanager (that is, supposing he does not have a brother restaurant-manager) to givesome advice for a good restaurant. Not a bad idea is to find a restaurant or tavern alittle bit outside of the cities (if advised by some locals) they are usually not tooexpensive but deliver decent -> high quality food. And ordering the specialties duringthe season will be both beneficial for your wallet and the quality of the food.

Quality has its price: since the introduction of the euro, price for eating out in Belgiumnearly doubled. Expensive food like lobster or turbot will always cost a lot of money

at any restaurant. But you can also find some local and simple dishes, rather cheapand still very tasty (such as sausages, potatoes and spinach). Normally a dinner (3dishes) will be around 30 - 50 eurosm depending your choices of food and restaurant.And for cheap, greasy food, just find a local 'frituur', it will be the best Belgian Friesyou'll have had in ages.

Specialities

A number of dishes are considered distinctlyBelgian specialities and should be on every

visitor's agenda.Mussels are a firm favorite and a side-dish of Moules et frites/Mosselen met friet (Musselswith French fries). The traditional way is tocook them in a pot with white wine and/or onions and celery, then eat them up using onlya mussel shell to scoop them out. The topseason is September to April, and as with allother shellfish, do not eat the closed ones.Belgium's mussels always come from the

nearby Netherlands. Imports from other countries are looked down on.

Balletjes/Boulettes are meatballs with fries. They will either be served with a tomato sauceor with the sauce from Lige, which is based on a local syrup. For this reason they will often

be introduced as Boulets Ligeois.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Brusselshttp://wikitravel.org/en/File:AuPreSale_Moules.JPGhttp://wikitravel.org/en/Brusselshttp://wikitravel.org/en/File:RueDesBouchers.JPG


18/24



Frikadellen met krieken are also meatballs, served with cherries in a sauce of cherryjuice.This is eaten with bread.

Stoemp is mashed potatoes and carrots with bacon and sausages. It is a typical meal fromBrussels.

Stoofvlees is a traditional beef stew and is usually served with (you have guessed it already)fries.

Witloof met kaassaus/Chicons au gratin is a traditional gratin of chicory with ham and acheesy bechamel sauce, usually served with mashed potatoes or croquettes.

Konijn met pruimen : rabbit cooked in beer and dried plums.

Despite the name, french fries (frieten in Dutch, frites in French) are proudly claimed as aBelgian invention. Whether or not this is true, they certainly have perfected it although noteverybody agrees with their choice of mayonnaise over ketchup as the preferred condiment(ketchup is considered to be "for kids").

Every village has at least one frituur/friterie , an establishment selling cheap take-away fries,with a huge choice of sauces and fried meat to go with them. The traditional thing to try isfriet met stoofvlees , but remember the mayonnaise on it .

Waffles (wafels in Dutch, gaufres in French) come in two types:

Gaufres de Bruxelles /Brusselse wafels : a light and airy variety.a heavier variety with a gooey center known as Gaufres de Lige /Luikse wafels .

The latter are often eaten as a street/ take-away snack while shopping and therefore can befound at stands on the streets of the cities.

Last but not least, Belgian chocolate is famed around the world. Famous chocolatiersinclude Godiva, Leonidas, Guylian, Galler, Marcolini and Neuhaus, but the best stuff can befound at tiny boutiques, too small to build worldwide brands. In nearly all supermarkets, youcan buy the brand Cte d'Or, generally considered the best 'everyday' chocolate (for

breakfast or break) among Belgians.

International

As a small country in the centre of western Europe, the cuisine is influenced not only by thesurrounding countries but also by many other countries. This is also emphasized by many

foreigners coming to this country to make a living here, for instance by starting a restaurant.You can find all types of restaurants:

French/Belgian: A traditional Belgian restaurant serves the kind of food you will alsofind in the best French restaurants. Of course there are local differences: at the coast(in France as well as in Belgium) you have a better chance to find some good seafood,like mussels, turbot, sole or the famous North Sea shrimp. In the southern woods of the Ardennes (remember the battle of the Bulge?), you are better off choosing gameor local fish like trout.

English/Irish: There are Irish bars and pubs everywhere and Belgium is no exception,try the Schuman area of Brussels for more Irish pubs than you can shake a stick at.There is also an English pub just off of Place de la Monnaie in central Brussels.

American: There are McDonald's or lookalikes in most every town. The Belgian


19/24


20/24



marketable, but the variety survived in this way. These beers are called Abbey beers andthere are hundreds and hundreds with a range of complex tastes unimaginable until you'vetried them.

The Trappist label is controlled by international law, similar to that of Champagne inFrance. There are only six Trappist Abbeys in Belgium that produce beer qualified to becalled Trappist . In order to carry the Trappist label, there are several rules that must beadhered to during the brewing process. The beer must be fermented within the walls of the

abbey, the monks of the abbey must be involved in the beer-making process, and profit fromthe sale of the beer must be directed towards supporting the monastery (similar to a non-

profit organization).

Belgium offers an incredible diversity of beers. Several well known mass-produced Belgian beers are Stella Artois, Duvel, Leffe, Jupiler, Hoegaarden. The names given to some beersare pretty imaginative: eg Verboden Vrucht (Forbidden Fruit), Mort Subite (Sudden Death),De Kopstoot (Head Butt), Judas and Delirium Tremens.

Warmly recommended are also Kriek (sweet and sour cherry beer) and, for the Christmasseason, Stille Nacht (Silent night).

Plain blond draughts (4%-5,5%): Stella Artois, Jupiler, Maes, Cristal, Primus, Martens,Bavik.

Trappist ales (5%-10%): Achel, Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westvleteren, Westmalle.

Geuze: Belle-Vue, the lambic Mort Subite (Sudden Death), Lindemans in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Timmermans, Boon, Cantillon, 3 Fonteinen, Oud Beersel, Giradin, Hanssens, DeTroch.

White beers: Hoegaarden, Dentergemse, Brugse Witte.

Jenever

The city of Hasselt is well known in Belgium for it's local alcoholic beverage, called jenever . It is a rather strong liquor, but it comes in all kinds of tastes beyond your imagination, including, but not limited to, vanilla, apple, cactus, kiwi, chocolate and muchmore. Hasselt lies in the east of Belgium, and is about one hour away by train from Brusselsor Antwerp.

Pubs

Pubs, or cafs , are wide spread. They all have a large variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic,hot and cold beverages. Some serve food, others don't. Some might be specialised in beer,or wine, or cocktails, or something else. As from July 1st 2011, smoking in pubs is forbidden

by law.

Sleep

Budget

Couchsurfing , [41] (http://www.couchsurfing.org). has a lot of members in Belgium editVrienden op de fiets , [42] (http://www.vriendenopdefiets.nl). If you are travelling inFlanders by bicycle or by foot, there is a list of 260 addresses where you can stay at

private homes with bed and breakfast for no more than 19,00 per person per night,
http://www.vriendenopdefiets.nl/http://www.couchsurfing.org/http://wikitravel.org/en/Sint-Pieters-Leeuw


21/24



although you must also pay 8 for membership of this scheme. edit

Hotels

Belgium has many fine hotels. Capital Brussels has countless rather expensive business hotelscatering to the European Union's bureaucrats, and while you can usually get a good room for under 100, prices can spike if there's a big EU shindig in town.

Learn

The different stages of education are the same in all communities:

Basic education (Dutch: basisonderwijs ; French: enseignement fondamental ),consisting of

Pre-school ( kleuteronderwijs ; einseignement maternel ): -6 yearsPrimary school ( lager onderwijs ; enseignement primaire ): 6-12 years

Secondary school ( secundair onderwijs ; enseignement secondaire ): 12-18 yearsHigher education ( hoger onderwijs ; enseignement suprieure )

University ( universiteit ; universit )Polytechnic ( hogeschool ; haute cole )

Education is organized by the regions (Dutch-speaking Flanders on the one hand, Frenchand German speaking Wallonia on the other) and the small federal district of Brussels hasschools run by both the Flemish and Walloon authorities. Both states recognize independentschool networks, which cater to far more students than the state schools themselves. MostFlemish students go to a Flemish Catholic school. However, every independent school needsto follow the official state curriculum, and catholicism in Flanders has long been extremelyliberal anyway.

Work

Having one of the highest labour taxes in Europe, Belgium is struggling to reposition itself as ahigh-tech country. In that struggle, Flanders is far ahead and much wealthier than Wallonia, incontrast to the previous decades, where Wallonia's steel industry was the main export of Belgium. Highly skilled people will have the most chance to find work, and knowing multiplelanguages (Dutch, French, English and perhaps German) is almost a standard requirement.Interim offices providing temporary jobs are flourishing in a search to avoid the high labour taxes.

Belgium has one of the highest tax rates in the world. An employer who pays a salary about 1500 a month actually pays another 1500 or more in taxes. Where does this money goto? It goes to the social network. People only pay a small charge for healthcare, for example.And the budget for education, arts and culture is enormous. The budget for defense ishowever very tiny.

Although Belgium is undesirable for building wealth, it's a good place for someone whoalready is wealthy to reside because there is very little capital gains tax (some forms of capitalgain is not taxed at all).

Stay safe
http://wikitravel.org/en/Brussels


22/24



Except for certain neighbourhoods in central Brussels and the outer edge of Antwerp (the port and docks), Belgium is a safe country. Belgians are somewhat shy and introverted, butgenerally helpful towards strangers.

For those landing in Charleroi and Lige, those are the regions that boast the highest crimerates in Southern Belgium. But if you keep an eye on your belongings, and avoid wanderingalone at night, nothing really serious is likely to happen to you.

Muslims and people of North African ancestry may experience mild resentment, a problemthat is particularly acute in Brussels and Antwerp. The Burqa is illegal in public.

Marijuana laws are quite lenient - possession of up to 5 grams or one female plant isdecriminalised but confiscated.

The emergency phone number in Belgium (fire, police, paramedics) is 112 .

Stay healthy

In the winter, like most other European countries, only influenza will cause you aconsiderable inconvenience. No inoculations are needed to enter or leave Belgium.

Contact

Belgium has a modern telephone system with nationwide cellular telephone coverage, andmultiple internet access points in all cities, free in most libraries. Also in multiple gas stations,

NMBS/SNCB train stations and diners on the highways there is Wi-Fi available.

Many cafs offer free WiFi nowadays, but don't write it on the door for whatever reason...

if you can't find any you can always fall back on Quick or McDonalds which bothoffer free WiFi.

Respect

Don't associate the country with the European Union, or at least don't tell Belgian people about it. Although the EU has chosen to put most of its headquarters inBelgium, it doesn't mean that Belgians have anything to do with it. Most Belgian

people don't care about the EU any more than an other person in another country inthe continent. Foreigner's perception of Belgium as being 'the EU country' is not onlystrange to Belgians but also very offensive to them because it sounds like you bypassthem to focus on a organization in which they are just one country amongst 28 (don'tforget, the EU also has institutions headquartered in other countries too). Youwouldn't call the United States 'the UN country' just because the UN has itsheadquarters in New-York, so don't do the same to Belgium.

Belgians don't like to talk about their income or politics. You must also avoid asking people about their views on religion.

The Flanders-Wallonia question or dispute and the high number of separatist andextreme-right votes in Flanders are controversial topics and you must avoid asking

people about their views on these as well. Keep any opinions or biases toyourself .
http://wikitravel.org/en/Antwerphttp://wikitravel.org/en/Brusselshttp://wikitravel.org/en/Li%C3%A8gehttp://wikitravel.org/en/Charleroihttp://wikitravel.org/en/Antwerp


23/24



Do NOT try to speak French in Flanders, and Dutch in Wallonia! Speaking the"wrong" language can be considered very offensive in the two regions, and you willeither be ignored or at worst get an icy response and substandard service. However,the closer you get to the language border this will happen less frequently. The situationis also less intense within the legally bilingual Brussels though French is usually a better

bet there. Across the country, the lingua franca between both Flemings and Wallonshas become English especially among the younger generations, to avoid being spokento in the "other language". That is why as a tourist, it is best to start a conversation inEnglish or the "correct" language, that is Dutch in Flanders and French in Wallonia.

Do NOT tell the Walloons (and most of the people of Brussels) that they are French.Most Walloons, despite speaking French, are not and do not consider themselvesFrench and dislike being associated with their neighbour France.

And for the same reason, do NOT tell the Flemish (and also the people of Brussels)that they are Dutch. Most Flemings, despite speaking Dutch (Flemish), are not and donot consider themselves Dutch and dislike being associated with their neighbour the

Netherlands.

Belgians in general are very proud of their comic book artists. The "Belgian school of comic books" is hailed as a national pride. In Belgium, comic books are valuable

books printed with a hard cover. There are dozens of beautiful yet expensivemerchandizing items, and the Belgians are fond of them. A plastic figurine of a comic

book character or a special artwork of a hailed comic book artist would be a perfectgift for your Belgian friends and in-laws, for example.

Giving tips shows that you were content with the service given, but you are certainlynot obliged to do so. It is sometimes done in bars and restaurants. Depending on thetotal, a tip of 0,50 to 2,50 is considered generous.

It is considered EXTREMELY IMPOLITE in Belgium to give unwarranted advice.Belgian people are usually quiet and good-humoured but they will surprise you with

big anger if you jump in to give them your opinion on what they are doing without themasking for it. Do not tell people what they should do with their life in Belgium, ever.

Have respect for the things that are made in Belgium (or at least considered to bemade). For example, you have to be respectful for the Belgian made fries.

Get out

For party-minded people, Belgium can be great. Most cities are close to each other and areeither large urban areas (Brussels, Antwerp) or student areas (Leuven, Lige, Ghent), etc. Inthis little region, you will find the most clubs, cafs, restaurants per square mile in the world.A good starting point can be places with a strong student/youth culture : Leuven around its

big university, Lige in the famous "carr" district, etc. You can expect a wide variety inmusic appreciation, going from jazz to the better electronic music. Just ask around for the

better clubs and there you will most likely meet some music fanatics who can show you the better underground parties in this tiny country.

The government has a mostly liberal attitude towards bars, clubs and parties. Theyacknowledge the principle of "live and let live". As long as you don't cause publicdisturbance, vandalize property and get too drunk, the police will not intervene. This also oneof the main principles of Belgian social life, as this sort of behaviour is generally considered


24/24


offensive. Of course, in student communities this is more tolerated, but generally, you aremost respected if you party as hard as you like- but with a sense of discretion and self-control.

Officially, drugs are not allowed. But as long as you respect the aforementioned principles,you are not likely to get into serious trouble. Beware though, that driving under the influenceof alcohol and drugs is not tolerated and traffic laws are strictly enforced in this matter.Especially in the weekends on main roads, you have a good chance of being stopped for an

alcohol control.

This article is an outline and needs more content. Ithas a template, but there is not enough information

present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!

Category: Outline articles

This page was last modified on 29 August 2014, at 21:50.Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses,see each image for details.
http://wikitravel.org/shared/How_to_re-use_Wikitravel_guideshttp://wikitravel.org/shared/Copylefthttp://wikitravel.org/en/Special:Categorieshttp://wikitravel.org/en/Wikitravel:How_to_edit_a_pagehttp://wikitravel.org/en/Wikitravel:Plunge_forwardhttp://wikitravel.org/en/Wikitravel:Where_you_can_stick_ithttp://wikitravel.org/en/Wikitravel:Article_templateshttp://wikitravel.org/en/Wikitravel:Outline_articleshttp://wikitravel.org/en/Wikitravel:What_is_an_articlehttp://wikitravel.org/en/Category:Outline_articles

Documents

Belgium - Wikitravel