Belgium

Quick Facts

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Local name

België (Dutch), Belgique (French), Belgien (German)

Capital

Brussels

Government

Federal Parliamentary Democracy under a Constitutional Monarch

Nationality

Belgian

Population

10 585 000^[1]

Languages

Dutch, French, German

Religions

Christianity (Catholic, Protestant)

Currency

Euro (EUR) €

Calling Code

+32

Time Zone

CET (UTC+1)

Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

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Introduction

Rathaus Brugge

© All Rights Reserved flomeeh

Small, quiet and unassuming, Belgium has everything its popular neighbours have, but goes relatively unnoticed by many travellers. Its extraordinary artistic heritage puts it on the map for art-lovers, but the country's delights extend well beyond the artistic realm. Cities such as Bruges and Ghent harken back centuries, retaining much of their medieval architecture and providing visitors with a fascinating step back in time. Brussels is the proud capital, not only of Belgium, but also of the European Union, and despite the rather deadening effect of dozens of bureauocrats bustling along its streets, Brussels' central square, the Grand Place, is a sensational highlight which should not be missed by any visitor to Belgium. And of course, while there, one should also not miss out on Belgium's fine choice of beers, chocolate and gourmet foods.

Brief History

Geography

Belgium shares international borders with France, Luxembourg, Germany and the Netherlands.

Regions

Belgium is officially divided into three regions, the Walloon Region, the Flemish Region and the Brussels-Capital Region.

The Flemish Region (or Flanders) is in the northern part of Belgium, where Dutch is the spoken language. The Walloon Region (or Wallonia) is the southern part of the country, where French is the main language. Both of these regions are subdivided into 5 provinces.

The special Brussels-Capital Region is bi-lingual (Dutch and French) and is located within the Flemish Region.

Flemish Region

• Antwerp
• Limburg
• Flemish Brabant
• East Flanders
• West Flanders

Walloon Region (or Wallonia)

• Walloon Brabant
• Hainaut
• Namur Province
• Liège Province
• Luxembourg

Cities

• Brussels (French: Bruxelles, Dutch: Brussel, German: Brüssel) is the capital of Belgium as well as the administrative centre of the European Union.
• Antwerp (Dutch: Antwerpen, French: Anvers)
• Liège (Dutch: Luik, German: Lüttich, Walloon: Lidje)
• Bruges (Dutch: Brugge)
• Ghent (Dutch: Gent)
• Ostend (Dutch: Oostende)
• Charleroi (Walloon: Tchålerwè)
• Leuven (French: Louvain, German: Löwen)

Sights and Activities

Tournai

Tournai is mostly famous because of the Notre-Dame Cathedral, which is on the Unesco World Heritage List. It was built in the first half of the 12th century and is of significance because of its Romanesque nave of impressive dimensions. It also has a wealth of sculptures on its capitals and a transept topped by five towers. These all represent the Gothic style, just like the choir, which was rebuilt in the 13th century.

Coastline

Oostende Beach

© All Rights Reserved steff

Although Belgium has only a short coastline and the weather may not be the same as in Southern Europe, there are some fantastic places to spend a day or so. The beaches are long with fine sand and the waters are safe and clean enough to swim in. The most visited towns and cities are Blankenberghe, Knokke-Heist, Oostende and De Panne, although there are several more. Along the coast there is a tramline, which almost travels the entire length and the boulevards along the beaches are dotted with hotels, appartments and restaurants. Most people who visit these places are from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and France.

Ardennes

The Ardennes are the higher forested areas in the east of the country in Wallone. They also stretch into Luxemburg and northern France though. Most of the area is between 350 and 500 meters high, with the highest point almost being 700 meters in the northeast towards the borders with Germany, where it joins the Eifel Mountains. Forests, rocks, waterfalls, rivers, there are many great things to explore including some fine small towns, with abbeys, castles and other ancient buildings. It is a popular place to go kayaking, biking, hiking or just explore the large area by car.

Other sights and activities

Lights on Town Hall

© All Rights Reserved GayaGamage

• City centres - Belgium has several of the most beautiful cities in Western Europe, including those of Ghent, Brugge, Antwerp and Brussels. La Grande Place in Brussels and the historic centre of Brugge are both on the Unesco list. Other smaller examples are Leuven and Turnhout.
• Namur Citadel
• Beer! - Belgium has several of the best specials beers in the world, including Duvel and Leffe. Try a few each day.

Events and Festivals

Weather

Belgium has a mild climate with almost no extremes. Summers are relatively cool with average daytime temperatures around 20 °C, although temperatures of 35 degrees are not impossible on some days and they can vary from one place to another. The coastal areas will generally not have temperatures over 30 degrees, while more inland it can be 5 to 10 degrees warmers. The higher parts in the east are a bit cooler during summer nights.
Winters, on the other hand, are mild, and temperatures below 0 °C during the day do not occur that often. A snow carpet lasting for more than a few days is relatively rare, except in the Ardennes region in the east where the higher parts might be white for days, if not weeks.
The best months to travel around Belgium are probably May and June, when days are long and apart from occasional showers, rainfall is lowest. September is fairly good as well, although days are shorter. July and August can be good, if it weren't for the crowds on some places.

Getting There

By Plane

Brussels Airport (BRU) is the primary international airport. It is located in the small town of Zaventem, near Brussels. It deals primarily with flights from and to European cities, although a number of African and Middle Eastern cities are serviced and Jet Airways provides flights from India and the USA.

The second major airport is Brussels South Charleroi Airport, which is used primarily for Ryanair flights. There are smaller international airports at Antwerp, Liège and Ostend. The latter two are primarily used for charter flights.

By Train

There are many options if you want to travel to Belgium by train. The main hub is Brussels, from where trains leave in all directions, including direct trains to London, Paris and Amsterdam and even as far as Moscow!

For travelling from London check the Eurostar website for details, including connections to Paris. And remember that this ticket is valid to all other Belgian cities for the same price as Brussels if travelling within 24 hours of your Eurostar trip.

The Thalys has connections to Amsterdam, Paris and Cologne. From Brussels with the TGV you can travel further south to Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille and Nice, some of them directly. Sometimes it is cheaper to go to Lille first, and connect there to the TGV southwards.

The ICE connects Brussels with German cities like Frankfurt and Cologne.
Check the Deutch Bahn Timetable for all other destinations further away in Europe.

By Car

There are many roads including major European highways that link Belgium with France, the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. The most important ones are (E numbers are generally used):

• The A1/E19 Brussels - Mechelen - Antwerp - Netherlands (Breda)
• The A3/E40 Brussels - Leuven - Liège - Germany (Aachen)
• The A4/E411 Brussels - Namur - Arlon - Luxembourg (Luxembourg (city)
• The A14/E17 Antwerp - Sint-Niklaas - Ghent - Kortrijk - France (Lille)

By Bus

Eurolines offers connections throughout Europe from Brussels with regular connections in Antwerp and Liege.

By Boat

There are a few connections by ferry.
United Kingdom

• Superfast Ferries has overnight ferries service 3 times a week from Rosyth (Scotland) to Zeebrugge (arrive 11:30 next day).
• P&O Ferries offers daily overnight ships between Hull (England) and Zeebrugge as well.

Getting Around

By Plane

As distances are small, there are no regular passanger flights between cities in Belgium.

By Train

Belgium has an extensive train network. Check the NMBS website for information about connections, prices and other details.

There is also an enjoyable Coastal Tramline (Dutch only).

By Car

Belgium has a well lit Highway Network. That said, compared to its neighbours roads are slightly less maintained and more fatal accidents happen as well. Also, signs are sometimes placed in wrong positions. But generally though it is a fairly safe and enjoyable way of getting around. Most international agencies offer rental cars at airports or their downtown offices. Hertz and Avis, as well as Budget are safe options.

By Bus

De Lijn (Dutch only) in Flanders and TEC in Wallonia offer regional bus connections, but generally trains are much more comfortable, enjoyable and compatitively priced.

By Boat

There is not really a need to travel around by boat, other than some some short trips within cities like Bruges or crossing the Schelde River in Antwerp. Also, there are no regular ferries linking the ports in Belgium as most transport is by the coastal tram or other modes of transport (see above). That said, you can join a cruise and relax on one of many rivers and canals.

Red Tape

If you are a European Union (EU) citizen, you may enter without any restriction as per your EU citizenship rights. If you are not an EU citizen and Belgium is the first stop on your visit, you will need to obtain a Schengen Visa. This visa is valid for any country in the Schengen zone.

• See http://www.diplomatie.be/en/travel/visa/default.asp for more (official) information on belgian visa and immigration policy

Money

See also: Money Matters

Belgium has adopted the Euro (ISO code: EUR, symbol: €) as its official currency. One Euro is divided into 100 cents, which is sometimes referred to as eurocents, especially when distinguishing them with the US cents.

Euro banknotes come in denominations of €5, €10, €20, €50, €100, €200, €500. The highest three denominations are rarely used in everyday transactions. All Euro banknotes have a common design for each denomination on both sides throughout the Eurozone.

The Euro coins are 1 cent, 2 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, €1 and €2. Some countries in the Eurozone have law which requires cash transactions to be rounded to the nearest 5 cents. All Euro coins have a common design on the denomination (value) side, while the opposite side may have a different image from one country to another. Although the image side may be different, all Euro coins remain legal tender throughout the Eurozone.

Work

Study

Language

Belgium has three official language. Besides German which is spoken in a small part in the east, these include French in Wallonia and Dutch in Flanders. Brussels is officially bi-lingual.

Have a look at the Dutch Phrasebook and German Phrasebook to learn some useful travel lingo.

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Health

Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

The country calling code to Belgium is: 32
To make an international call from Belgium, the code is: 00

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