The Manneken-Pis, the most famous icon of Belgium.
by Walter, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 Belgium
Belgium is a small country in the centre of Western Europe. Due to its central location, its capital Brussels is the seat of the European Union as well as NATO. Belgium shares a border with the Netherlands in the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, and France to the Southwest. Belgium can be split into two language divisions - the Flemish north where the people predominantly speak Flemish while the south called Walloonia where they speak French.
Major cities in Belgium are:
Brussels, the capital
Antwerp, the most thriving city in Belgium
Liège the largest city in Wallonia
Bruges, one of the biggest and best preserved old city in Europe after Venice.
Dinant
Ghent
Leuven
Table of Contents
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Fast Facts about Belgium
Official Name: Kingdom of Belgium
Capital: Brussels (1,750,000)
Population of Belgium: 10,339,000
Currency: Euro
Languages spoken: Dutch, French, German
Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant
Size: 32,820 sq km (12,672 sq miles)
Continent: Europe
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Grote Markt, Antwerp, Belgium.
by Maros Mraz, licensed under GNU Free Documentation License
When to visit Belgium
The weather is unpredictable, but for the best bet, go between May and September. The drawback is that everybody else will think the same, and as a result, expect everywhere to be more crowded during these months.
What to wear in Belgium
Assuming you are going to Belgium in the months of May to September, bring lightweight clothing for the warm days, medium weight clothing for the cooler days, and keep your umbrella and raincoat handy at all times.
Getting into Belgium
By Flight
The Brussels International Airport, www.brusselsairport.be, (BRU) is located in the town of Zaventem outside of Brussels. It is the base of Brussels Airlines, www.brusselsairlines.com, the national airline for Belgium. Flight from London to Brussels takes approximately 50 minutes. Airport City Express train, www.b-rail.be between the airport and Brussels takes approximately 25 minutes. It costs 2.80 E and runs once every 15 minutes. In addition, buses #12 and 13 goes from the airport to Place Luxembourg, the European Parliament, every 20-30 minutes for 3Euro. Taxis from airport to Brussels cost 30euro; if booked in advance, they cost 20euro. Call Taxis Bleus 02 268 0000, Taxi Brussels 02 411 4142 and Taxis Verts: 02 349 4343.
In addition to the Brussels Airport, Brussels is also served by two other airport, Charleroi Airport, www.charleroi-airport.com, (CRL), 46km from Brussels, served by low cost carriers Ryanair, www.ryanair.com and Wizzair, www.wizzair.com, and Antwerp Deurne Airport (ANR), for business flights and VLM www.flyvlm.com to London City airport.
For wider options, you may also consider flying into Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) which has rail links to Brussels and Antwerp.
By Train
There is a selection of rail connections available with Brussels.
From London, you can take the Eurostar, www.eurostar.com, that goes to the Brussels South railway station; from there, you get free connection to other stations in Belgium. On the London end, the Eurostar presently (Sept 2007) stops at Waterloo station, but will move to St Pancras station on 14 November 2007, at which time, it will be called the High Speed 1.
You can also reach Brussels using the high-speed Thalys, www.thalys.com, train, which connects with Cologne (in 2 hours 23 minutes), Paris (1 hour 20 minutes) and Amsterdam (2 hours).
You can reach Brussels from Frankfurt-am-Main on the German high-speed ICE train. It runs once a day and costs 93 euros each way.
You can also take the Eurocity train that links Brussels with Amsterdam, via Rotterdam, The Hague and Schiphol airport.
Belgium Entry Requirements
Nationals of the EU do not require a visa. Nationals of Australia, Canada and US do not require a visa if visiting Belgium for up to three months in a 6-month period.
Where to stay in Belgium
Click on the name of the towns listed below to view hostels and budget accommodation available for booking there.
Click here for Budget Hostel Listing with Price and Room Availability
Antwerp
Bouillon
Bruges
Brussels
Champlon
Gent
Knokke
Leuven
Namur
Torhout
Tournai
Ypres
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User Feedback on Accommodation
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One of the many canals of Bruges, Belgium.
by Jean-Christophe Benoist, licensed under GNU Free Documentation License
Getting around in Belgium
There are no domestic flights within Belgium, it being such a small country. Belgium National Railway, www.b-rail.be (Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Belges, SNCB) offers a comprehensive with other major cities in Europe.
Where to go in Belgium
Antwerp, today a new and upcoming fashion capital.
Ardennes region, for its mountain scenery
In Brussels, visit the Manneken-Pis statue, the St Michael and St Gudule's Cathedral, the Mont des Arts park and the Place Royale
Things to see and do in Belgium
If you are a chocolate lover, Belgium is the destination for you. In Brussels, visit the Chocolate and Cocoa Museum, www.mucc.be, and in Bruges, Choco-Story, www.choco-story.be.
Take a canal ride along the waterways of Bruges.
Enjoy Belgian waffles.
Sightseeing Tours of Belgium
The following are local tours that are available for you to book:
ANTWERP Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
BRUGES Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
BRUSSELS Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
GHENT Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
Money matters in Belgium
Belgium uses the Euro (EUR, symbol €). Banknotes are in denominations of €500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5 while coins are in denominations of €2 and 1, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents. Banking hours differ between cities but are generally Mon-Fri, 9:00am to 4:00pm.
At time of writing (Oct 2007), USD1.00 = EUR0.71 For the latest exchange go to the Oanda Currency Converter.
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