BELGIUM TRAVEL GUIDE
Despite being the home of great chocolates and tasty beers, Belgium is often unfairly overlooked as a tourist destination. Brussels, the capital, is home to the European Parliament along with other important world institutions and features an impressive Old Town Square. Elsewhere, many Belgian towns retain their medieval look and feel while the countryside around the southern Ardennes region is perfect for outdoor types.
One of the best things about Belgium is that it is fairly small, so easy to get around and travel between places such as Bruges, Antwerp, Ghent and Brussels. The tourist infrastructure is excellent, with a huge range of hotels, quality restaurants and myriad entertainment options, while the countryside is never far away.
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BELGIUM WEATHER - When To Go
July and August are the best months weather-wise to be in Belgium, with daily averages in the mid-20s°C. The rest of the year is generally mild with lots of grey patches, but most visitors don’t head to Belgium for the weather anyway. Off-season bargains can be had from autumn to spring, with the exception of Christmas, Easter and high profile festival times.
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BELGIUM HIGHLIGHTS - Places to Visit
- Brussels: the capital by far the largest city in Belgium and a hub for the European community. The city is loaded with grand buildings and wide boulevards in the Upper Town section and historic areas in the Lower Town. The Lower Town is the most appealing area from a tourist’s point of view, having the bulk of attractions and shopping. The Grand Place (Grote Markt) is a huge square filled with pleasant buildings, shops and restaurants and is the place to go people watching. Other attractions include the Royal Palace, the famous Manneken Pis statue (of a boy having a pee!), the Belgian Comic Strip Centre (including Tintin!) and the Atomium building. Brussels City Museum and the excellent Musical Instrument Museum are worth a visit, as is the Cantillon Brewery & Beer Museum. Plenty to keep you busy for a short city-break, basically.
- Bruges: compact Bruges lies in the Flanders, Dutch-speaking region of Belgium and is the perfect example of a modern-day medieval city. It is largely pedestrianised in the historic centre and features loads of 13th century buildings and a network of canals. Simply wandering its streets and checking out the many shops, restaurants and museums is a lot of fun. Major noteworthy attractions are the lofty Central Belfort for views, the 14th century Stadhuis gallery and the Groeninge Museum. Bruges is an hour west of Brussels.
- Antwerp: is the diamond capital of the world. Around 70% of all diamonds are bought and sold in Antwerp! But not everyone comes here to buy one of these precious stones. Antwerp is situated on the banks of the Scheldt River in northern Belgium and is home to a staggering amount of agreeable architecture, with elaborate mansions and medieval castles all over the place. The main sight in town is the Gothic cathedral, Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe Katedraalas, along with many galleries and museums. For fine art, including Rubens and Flemish masters, head to the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunst. Also see the Rubenshuis - a popular museum in the former home of this famous artist. Antwerp Zoo is the perfect attraction for kids, while a lively café culture and bar scene lights up the town at night for adults.
- Dinant: this little town in the southeast of Belgium has perhaps the most stunning setting of any town in the country. It is most popular with adventure sports travellers, particularly with rock climbers and canoeists, and lies in the French-speaking Wallonia region. A huge chunk of rock backs the town, which provides the rock climbing opportunities and views over the region, while other main attractions are the gnarly Citadel and the dark, limestone caves. Diniant is an hour from Brussels.
- Ghent: situated midway between Brussels and Bruges, Ghent is a lively student town on the Leie and Scheldt rivers. It is a cosy little town rich in history and criss-crossed by canals. Ghent boasts three abbeys and a distinct medieval landscape as well as a world-class art gallery in the Sint-Baafskathedral. Veerleplein square in front of the Castle and Blandijnberg are lots of fun at weekends, while the Festivities of Ghent (Gentse Feesten) is a popular 10-day free festival in July attracting people from around the world. Ghent is just 30 minutes by train from Brussels.
- Ardennes region: made up of river valleys and forests, this southeastern area is the most intriguing natural area of the country. It is perfect touring country for those with a car and is also good for cycling and walking, particularly in and around the Lesse, Meuse and Ourthe valleys. Tongeren is also nearby, the country’s oldest town which dates from 15 BC. It was used by the Romans as a military base and is surrounded by ancient walls and features many ancient buildings and ruins. Be sure to also check out the Battle of the Bulge remnants at the Bastogne Historical Centre.
- Ypres: this Flanders town in the stunning southwest of the country was the sight of major WWI battles, including the Battle of Passchendaele. The numerous war memorials and cemeteries in and around Ypres are the main draw for visitors, while delightful town architecture, complete with quaint cafés and intriguing shops, await travellers as well.
- Other Belgium highlights: Liège, with its great hiking; the small town of Leuven to the east of Brussels; and medieval Mechelen just north.
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BELGIUM HOSPITALITY - Eat, Drink, Sleep
- Food and Eating Out: contrary to popular belief, Belgian food is not drab although it is quite expensive. Much of the food here takes its influence from the surrounding countries, namely France. Belgians love to cook and the country’s restaurants have many Belgian specialities, including mussels and French fries (moules frites), traditional dark Belgian chocolates and Belgian blonde beer. Belgium has a huge beer culture with literally hundreds of brews on tap. Try as many as possible – you won’t regret it (until the next day).
- Entertainment and Nightlife: Antwerp, Brussels and Ghent have the best entertainment value, mainly owing to their large student populations and subsequent collection of cafés, bars, pubs and clubs. Brussels has scores of bars alone and around 400 beers to choose from, while Leuven is another popular and vibrant town and has loads of live music venues. Belgium is also big on music festivals, both jazz-based and rock concerts, and also has many glitzy casinos.
- Accommodation: Brussels has the best hotels although many are business oriented, usually always full and very expensive. Antwerp, Bruges and Ghent have everything from small guest houses to chain hotels which cater to tourists as well as ‘Eurocrats’ and business types. The Flanders and Ardennes regions are particularly good for cheaper accommodation and feature a string of bed and breakfasts. Try Booking.com and LateRooms.com for hotel deals in Belgium.
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BELGIUM FLIGHTS - Flying from the UK
To compare flight prices from UK airports to Belgium, try the useful Skyscanner website.
Also try travel sites such as Expedia.co.uk or Netflights for flight deals to Brussels and Belgium.
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