belgium tourist information

Whether you’re looking for a weekend break or a longer trip, Belgium has a lot to offer to tourists.

If you enjoy walking, sports and the outdoors, the Ardennes , which are the green heart of Belgium, are your place to go. If you prefer the beach or enjoy cycling, you will not be able to resist the call of our seaside !

Our prestigious art cities are magnificent, even if you are not a fan of history, architecture or culture.

Belgians love gastronomy . They love good food and will invite you to taste their special beers and cheeses and obviously also their chocolate, bonbons, endives, beef stew, speculaas and the like. And the fries are simply legendary.

But above all, Belgium is a place of fun: it has a very vibrant cultural scene (exhibits, concerts, festivals, theatre, dance, etc.) and its night live is one big celebration.

Adressen en websites

• Visit.brussels Website: https://visit.brussels
• Visit Flanders Website: http://www.visitflanders.com
• Wallonia Tourism Website: http://walloniabelgiumtourism.co.uk/

Welcome to Belgium! We're delighted that you have chosen us for your next holiday.

Discover our surprising regions and let yourself be seduced by all Wallonia, Brussels & Flanders has to offer.

Select your destination and start your discovery. Have a great trip!

VISITWallonia

Avenue Comte de Smet de Nayer 14, 5000 Namur

+ 32 81 84 41 00

[email protected]

visitwallonia.be

Tourist Office for Flanders - Brussels

Grasmarkt 61, 1000 Brussel

+32 2 504 03 00

[email protected]

www.visitflanders.com

Brussels Tourist Agency

Rue Royale 2-4, 1000 Bruxelles

+32 2 513 89 40

[email protected]

visit.brussels

Belgium Travel Guide – everything you need to know to plan your trip

Planning a trip to Belgium? Wonderful! Belgium, the land of chocolate, fries, and beer. Of Art Nouveau and the Flemish Primitives. That tiny country where the administrative center of the EU is located. My home country.

When people tell me they've been to Belgium, they've usually just been to Brussels and/or Bruges. Those are great places for sure but limiting yourself to these two cities would do the country injustice. There are castles in Belgium to be explored, trails to be walked, memorials to go silent for.

Let me show you some of the best places to visit in Belgium, some insider tips and give you all the information you need to plan your own Belgium vacation in this Belgium Travel Guide.

Belgium travel guide: quick facts

1. brussels capital-region, 3. east flanders, 6. flemish brabant, 7. brabant wallon, 10. liège province, 11.belgian luxembourg, entry requirements, fly to belgium, independent travel around belgium, what to pack for belgium in summer, what to pack for belgium in winter, what to pack for belgium in fall, what to pack for belgium in spring, the best time to visit belgium, what to eat in belgium, belgium holidays, cultural things to be aware of in belgium, where to stay in belgium, don't forget travel insurance, safety in belgium, the use of cash and cards in belgium, staying connected while you travel belgium, tipping in belgium, a brief history of belgium.

Size: it's a small country at 30.528 km² or 11,787 sq mi

People living there: more than 11 million

Capital: Brussels

Governmental structure: federal constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system

National day: July 21

Time zone: Central European Time / UTC+1 / GMT+1

Currency: euro (EUR)

Power voltage and socket type(s): 230V, plug types E and C. If these plug types don't match your devices, make sure to bring a universal adapter to be able to charge them

Official religion(s)/Freedom of religion: Freedom of religion. 60% of the population is Roman Catholic, followed by atheist and agnostic citizens, other Christians, and Muslims.

Official language(s) and general knowledge of English: Dutch, French and German are the three official languages. English is widely spoken.

Drives on this side: right

International driver's licence accepted? yes

Phone code: +32

Vaccinations needed? none mandatory.

Can you drink the tap water? yes, so make sure to bring your refillable water bottle

Want to know more interesting facts about Belgium? I have a whole post full of them .

Belgian provinces and the capital of Brussels

Belgium consists of 10 provinces and the district capital of Brussels. Before I tell you a bit more about each of them, watch the video below to try and understand the country's complicated political and language structure.

It's a bit crazy, I know. Luckily, if you're just visiting Belgium, you don't need to worry about any of this too much. What is good to know, is what you can find in each of the provinces and Brussels.

Brussels is its high art, medieval architecture, chocolate, and history, but it's just as much its many local markets, bars with live music and people meeting up in parks for a picnic when the sun comes out. Of course, at the end of the year there are the Christmas markets.

Discover more of Brussels:

• Why you should visit the Brussels Christmas market
• 15 typical Belgian dishes to try in Brussels
• Visiting the European Parliament and House of European History
• Where to stay in Brussels
• Interesting facts about Brussels that will make you want to go

If you prefer a smaller city for a day trip, Mechelen is a good option and if you want to get moving, all you need to do is follow one of the province's many walking or cycling routes.

Discover more of Antwerp:

• Visiting former concentration camp Breendonk Fort
• Where to have coffee, breakfast, and brunch in Mechelen
• Things to do in Antwerp
• Marvelous museums in Antwerp
• Where to have coffee in Antwerp
• Visiting the Antwerp Christmas market

Outside of Ghent, East Flanders is great for those who like to walk and bike. There are plenty of well-signed routes of varying lengths, oftentimes put together according to a theme. If you're feeling a bit lazy, going on a riverboat tour is another option.

Discover more of East Flanders:

• Visiting the Light Festival in Ghent
• Capturing Ghent's graffiti scene
• Inside the belfry of Ghent
• Visiting the Gravensteen Castle in Ghent
• An afternoon boat trip on the river Scheldt

4. West Flanders

The coast isn't just popular for its beaches. There are quite a few war memorial sites, from both World Wars, and the city of Ostend is home to several art galleries and museums. Whether you want to walk, bike, eat, shop, or brush up on your history, West Flanders has something for you.

Discover more of West Flanders:

• 7 hip hotspots in historical Bruges
• “In Bruges” movie locations you can visit
• Bruge Travel Guide
• Best things to do in Ostend

Limburg is home to the only national park of Belgium, the Hoge Kempen National Park, and counts several other natural areas that are great for hiking and walking.

It's also a great place for those interested in industrial heritage. They can visit C-mine , a former mining complex turned into a cultural, entertainment, and small business center.

Discover more of Limburg:

• A weekend in Limburg
• Outlet shopping at Maasmechelen Village
• A weekend in Beringen

Museums for every possible interest keep you busy on a rainy day in between stops at local breweries, vineyards, and other producers.

Discover more of Flemish Brabant:

• A walk in Tervuren park
• The breathtaking bluebells of the Hallerbos

Aside from that, Brabant Wallon is also home to many parks and other outdoor recreational areas, the Hergé Museum – dedicated to the inventor of the comic character Tintin – and a collection of small museums mostly focusing on local life and history.

Discover more of Brabant Wallon:

• Visiting the Abbey of Villers-la-Ville

While the province is named after its capital city, Dinant is much better known. Small in size, its dominated by its citadel perched high upon a cliff overlooking the river Meuse.  

The provincial capital of Mons was European Capital of Culture in 2015 and perfect for a day trip or a weekend away while Pairi Daiza is one of the most popular animal parks in Belgium.  

The capital city of Liège puts up the biggest Christmas market of the country and will easily keep you busy for a weekend while the town of Spa gave its name to spa centers around the world and is the perfect place to unwind.

Discover more of Liège province:

• How to spend 3 unique days in Liège province

Make sure to check out the abbey of Orval, the castle of Bouillon, the smallest city in the world Durbuy, and the historically important Bastogne.  

Want even more inspiration? Check out these fun things to do in Belgium .  

How to travel to Belgium

Travelers from the United States and the rest of the world can generally visit Belgium for three months without a visa on the condition that their passports are valid up until six months after their stay.  

How to get to Belgium

The most budget-friendly way to travel to Belgium is by bus from one of the other European countries. Flixbus is known for its great long-distance bus service and equally pleasant prices.

For more options, have a look at Omio . This platform automatically gives you the best route between two places and allows you to immediately book a ticket as well.  

If you're coming from the UK, you can also travel on the Eurostar from London to Brussels. It's usually a bit faster than flying as you don't need to be at the train station as early as you need to be at the airport and the Eurostar drops you off right in the center of Brussels. Check Omio for timetables and prices

If you're coming from France, Germany, or the Netherlands, the highspeed train Thalys is another fast way of getting to Belgium. It's a bit pricier than a regular train but does offer more comfort and is faster too. Look here for Thalys tickets  

Brussels Charleroi is the airport they optimistically call Brussels South but it's at least an hour's drive from the capital. This is where mostly cheaper airlines arrive.

Antwerp and Ostend airport are two smaller airports which also welcome international flights but you'll be most likely to fly to one of the other two.

For flights to Belgium, check Skyscanner . It gives a good overview of your options and their prices and also allows you to set flight alerts so you can track when those prices go up or down.  

How to travel around Belgium

The NMBS/SNCB trains provide the best option to move between cities and buses from De Lijn (in Flanders), the MIVB (in Brussels) and TEC (in Wallonia) will easily take you to smaller destinations.

Belgium is a small country and the highways are often congested. Renting a car isn’t recommended unless you plan on staying in a small village with hard access to public transport or unless you're planning to road trip and then especially in the south of the country where there's still more nature. If you're interested in getting a rental car for your trip to Belgium, check out AutoEurope .

Taxis are an option, but not really if you don’t want to spend a lot of money. A 15-minute drive can easily cost you €30.  

What to pack for Belgium

Winters can get a bit chilly, but it doesn’t often freeze during the day and it usually doesn’t snow for more than a week or two a year in total.

Just make sure to always pack an umbrella, whatever time of the year you decide to come.  

• a reusable water bottle
• good walking sandals
• light clothing
• a rain jacket
• a warm wind and waterproof coat
• comfortable and warm shoes
• a merino woolen baselayer
• merino woolen socks
• a warm scarf

I created an extensive packing list for Belgium in fall which you can find here .  

Both for fall and spring in Belgium, it's important to pack layers. Some days can still/already be sunny and warm while others will be grey, wet, and cold. You probably won't need a super warm winter coat but it is best to bring something warm and waterproof that you can easily stow away, like this jacket .  

Summer is also festival time in Belgium with multiple festivals big and small taking place just about every weekend. Read more about summer trips to Belgium and some of the best Belgian music festivals .

Winter is the time of the Christmas markets and while not as known for them as Germany, for example, Belgium does have quite a few good ones. I've written more about Christmas markets in Belgium here.

Autumn is a bit of a more quiet time around the country but in spring, everyone is getting excited about the upcoming summer and there are several spring-related things to do, like visiting the purple flower forest , the flower show Floralia , or the rose garden Coloma.  

If you'd like to learn how to make some of these dishes yourself, check out this post with Belgian recipes .  

When traveling somewhere, it's always good to know whether there will be a special holiday during your stay. That's why I've compiled a detailed list of holidays in Belgium which I update annually. It includes not only public holidays but also school holidays and other dates to take into account when planning your trip.  

If you speak French but not English and you're visiting the Flemish side of Belgium, you can always ask whomever you're talking to if it's okay to speak French because you're visiting and don't speak Dutch or English, if you want to be absolutely sure not to offend anyone.

When it comes to socializing, there’s quite the difference between the northern and the southern part of the country. When I worked at the Belga Press Agency, my French speaking colleagues would give each other a kiss when arriving at the office, while my Flemish colleagues would shake hands. That about says it all.

Of course, this is a generalization, but I think you could say that the people from the south are a bit warmer and more open than the people from the northern part of Belgium. We all have cliques and groups we belong to and for an outsider, it’s not always easy to become part of such a group.

If you want to meet Belgians, I’d say the best approach is to just walk up to them because the chances of us walking up to a stranger are rather slim (again, generalizing here).  

Whenever I need to book a hotel somewhere, I always check Booking. com. I love that the site has so many filters you can use to easily get a list of just the places that fit your criteria. So if you're looking for the best places to stay in Belgium, I highly recommend you do it there .  

No matter how well you plan your trip to Belgium, there's always something that can happen that's beyond your control. Your luggage can get lost, you can get sick or you can drop and break that new camera. In all of these cases, good travel insurance has you covered.

I've had ongoing travel insurance ever since I started traveling by myself to make sure I'm covered for every trip I go on but if you travel just a few times a year, you can get insurance for each trip separately.

Don't have travel insurance yet? Check out SafetyWing. They offer super flexible plans that you can even sign up for while you're already on your trip. On top of that, they were the first travel insurance to cover COVID, and when I got COVID, they reimbursed all of my expenses without making a fuss. Their customer support team is great and I can personally recommend them.  

As for the rest of Belgium, you just need to mind your belongings in busy areas but the risks of getting pickpocketed are rather low outside of the big cities. The only other thing that could be dangerous over here is getting into a car. We're not the calmest drivers in the world and traffic can get a bit tense.

There are ATMs, usually from multiple banks, in every town and city. Just make sure to check the fees your bank charges for withdrawing money abroad beforehand so you know whether it's better to take out a big amount at once or not.  

Traveling to Belgium from outside the EU and want to stay connected so you can share photos, call loved ones over WiFi and easily use apps like Google Maps? Then check out Solis Wifi mobile WiFi .

Skyroam offers both day passes and monthly subscriptions providing you with 4G throughout your trips. I've been using their daily passes not just when I travel outside the EU (no roaming charges for me in the EU) but also as a backup for when I think I'll go over my phone's data plan.

Tipping isn't mandatory in Belgium but as in many places, it is appreciated. All taxes and service are included in the bill and people working in the service industry make a living wage so it's common to just round up the bill at places like cafes or small eateries and to add whatever you think is suitable at restaurants.

For more specific guidelines, check out this section on tipping on your Belgium trip .  

In the Middle Ages, Belgium was divided into smaller semi-independent regions such as counties and principalities which were under foreign rule, first by the French, then the Austrians, and then the Spanish. It knew a very brief period of independence in the 14th century after it defeated the French army following a rebellion.

After big European turmoils in the 17th century, Belgium became Austrian again at the beginning of the 18th century until the French annexed the country in 1795. Belgium stayed French until Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo in 1815 and it was merged together with the Netherlands.

The differences between the two were too big, though, and in 1830 a Belgian rebellion broke out that would lead to the official independence of the country in January 1831.

During the reign of the first king, Leopold I, Belgium continued the industrialization process that had started in the 19th century. The country knew a dark period with the rule of Leopold II, who made part of Africa, later known as Belgian Congo, his personal property and committed atrocities against the natives who he exploited mostly for harvesting rubber.

The Belgian Congo became state property in 1908, a year before Leopold II died and would remain a colony until 1960.

Later in the 20th century, Belgium suffered a great deal both during World War I and World War II when it was occupied by the Germans twice. It managed to recover quite well and became one of the founding members of the European Union and of NATO.  

And that's it! I hope this guide to Belgium has given you an idea of what to do in Belgium and will help you plan your own trip here.  

Find below the important posts about Belgium.

Dates of Holidays in Belgium 2024 [Annually updated]

Namur Travel Guide: 15 Best Attractions to visit in Namur!

Mons Travel Guide: 15 Best things to do in Mons, History, Attractions

Dinant Travel Guide: 17 Attractions to visit in Dinant, History, Hotels & Restaurants

15 Fun things to do in Ypres: A Visitor's Travel Guide

16 Best things to do in Ninove: Travel Guide, History, Attractions, Transportation & Markets

15 Amazing Things to do in Kortrijk: Travel Guide: History, Attractions, Transportation & Markets

15 Top Things to do in Tournai: Travel Guide, History, Attractions, Facts and Transportation

Ghent Christmas Market 2023-2024:🎅 Dates, Location, Attractions

15 Best restaurants in Brussels: Where to eat in Brussels?

19 Best Hotels to stay in Brussels – Neighbourhoods, Luxury, Hostels, Family and Airport Hotels

20 Fun Christmas Markets in Belgium to visit in 2023 – 2024

Mechelen Christmas Market 2023-2024:🎅 Dates, Location, Attractions

Charleroi Christmas Market 2023-2024: 🎅 Dates, Location, Attractions

Mons Christmas Market 2023-2024:🎅 Dates, Location, Attractions

Namur Christmas Market 2023-2024: 🎅 Dates, Location, Attractions

Ostend Christmas Market 2023-2024: 🎅 Dates, Location, Attractions

17 Best Bars in Brussels and their signature Drinks

Dinant Christmas Market 2023-2024:🎅 Dates, Location, Attractions

Louvain-la-Neuve Christmas Market 2023-2024: 🎅 Dates, Location, Attractions

Liege Christmas Market 2023-2024:🎅 Dates, Location, Attractions

10 Best Brussels Museums, Art Galleries and Exhibitions

20 Best things to do in Ardennes: My 4 day itinerary

29 Interesting Facts about Brussels

Brussels Travel Guide: 18 Best Things to Do, History, Facts and Hotels

Brussels Christmas Markets 2023-2024: 🎅 Dates, Location, Attractions

Visiting Hallerbos: The Blue Forest of Belgium

Visiting the Villers Abbey: Location, History and Guide!

Fort Breendonk: Concentration camp turned National Memorial

C-mine Genk: Mining site turned to Cultural center

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• 1.1 History
• 1.2 Terrain
• 1.3 Climate
• 1.4 Electricity
• 4 Other destinations
• 5.1 Entry requirements
• 5.2 By plane
• 5.3 By train
• 5.5 Carpooling
• 5.7 By ship
• 5.8 From France
• 5.9 From Germany
• 5.10 From the Netherlands
• 6.1 By train
• 6.2 By bus and tram
• 6.3.1 Car hire
• 6.4 By thumb
• 10.2 Tipping
• 11.1 General rules
• 11.2 Specialities
• 11.3 International
• 12.3 Jenever
• 13.1 Budget
• 13.2 Hotels
• 16.1 Pickpocketing and other crimes
• 16.2 Racism
• 16.4 Alcohol and drugs
• 17 Stay healthy
• 18.1 Mobile

<a href=\"https://tools.wmflabs.org/wikivoyage/w/poi2gpx.php?print=gpx&amp;lang=en&amp;name=Belgium\" title=\"Download GPX file for this article\" data-parsoid=\"{}\"><img alt=\"Download GPX file for this article\" resource=\"./File:GPX_Document_rev3-20x20.png\" src=\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/GPX_Document_rev3-20x20.png\" decoding=\"async\" data-file-width=\"20\" data-file-height=\"20\" data-file-type=\"bitmap\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" class=\"mw-file-element\" data-parsoid='{\"a\":{\"resource\":\"./File:GPX_Document_rev3-20x20.png\",\"height\":\"20\",\"width\":\"20\"},\"sa\":{\"resource\":\"File:GPX Document rev3-20x20.png\"}}'/></a></span>"}'/> A low-lying country in the Benelux , Belgium ( Dutch : België , French : Belgique , German : Belgien ) sits at the crossroads of Western Europe. It marries the historical landmarks for which the continent is famous with spectacular modern architecture and rural idylls. Its capital, Brussels , is home to the headquarters of the European Union .

Although Belgium is a relatively wealthy country, it is also one of the most politically complex countries in the world. Differences in language and culture between Flanders (the Flemish-speaking portion) and Wallonia (the French-speaking portion) have led to several far-reaching reforms, and this continuing antagonism makes Belgian politics so complex that even ordinary Belgians aren't able to make sense of what's truly going on. Despite all this, the two halves form a country that contains some of Europe's most attractive and historical cities, and is a true 'must-see' for any visitor to the continent.

Lying on the North Sea coast, Belgium's immediate neighbours are France to the south-west, Luxembourg to the south-east, Germany to the east and the Netherlands to the north.

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

Visit Belgium provides tourist information for the country.

Belgium is the heir of several former Medieval powers, 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 nowadays Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg, was part of Lotharingia, an ephemeral kingdom soon to be absorbed into the (German) Holy Roman Empire; however, the area of Lower Lotharingia remained intact in the feudal empire: this is the origin of the Low Countries, a general term that encompasses present-day Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

The widely autonomous fiefdoms of the Low Countries were among the richest places in Medieval 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 death of the last duke, Charles the Bold, put an end to this dream. However, the treasures of the Dukes of Burgundy remain as a testimony of their rules in Belgian museums and landmarks.

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

Belgium was called the Austrian Netherlands, then the 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 Belgium are named after him, including the city of Charleroi and even a brand of beer. Every year, the Brusselers emulate 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 large Kingdom of the Netherlands was created, comprising the whole of the Low Countries. However, the religious opposition still remained and the split was aggravated by political differences between Belgian liberals and Dutch aristocrats. Belgium became independent from 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 , with Yperite another name for mustard gas due to intensive use there in WWI). It has prospered in 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 the French-speaking Walloons of the south have led to constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition and autonomy.

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

Temperate; mild winters with cool summers. Generally rather rainy, humid and cloudy. Belgium's average annual temperature in the decade between 1976 and 2006 was 10 °C — a somewhat meaningless measure for non-meteorologists.

Electricity

Electricity is supplied at 220 to 230 V and 50   Hz. 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 accommodate the earth pin found on this type of outlet. However, most modern European appliances are fitted with the hybrid CEE 7/7 plug which fits both CEE 7/5 (Belgium & France) and CEE 7/4 (Germany, Netherlands, Spain and most of Europe) outlets.

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

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

Belgium consists of three regions, listed from north to south:

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

• 50.85 4.35 1 Brussels — Belgium's capital and the unofficial capital of the EU. Nice historic centre and several museums of interest. One of the most multicultural cities in Europe.
• 51.216667 4.4 2 Antwerp — Belgium's second largest city, with a giant cathedral, medieval streets and artistic heritage, and a great place for fashion.
• 51.216667 3.233333 3 Bruges — one of Europe's wealthiest cities in the 14th century, it is touristy yet still very authentic, medieval and quiet at night, with small guest houses and family businesses greatly outnumbering chain hotels.
• 51.05 3.733333 4 Ghent — once one of Europe's largest cities, now a perfect mixture of Antwerp and Bruges: a cosy city with canals, yet with rich history and lively student population.
• 50.883333 4.7 5 Leuven — a small city dominated by one of Europe's oldest universities. Beautiful historic centre and a lively nightlife.
• 50.633333 5.566667 6 Liège — second largest city of Wallonia, along a wide river, industrial cityscape with hiking and resorts in the nearby hills, it has a very strong, independent character and an exciting night-life.
• 51.016667 4.466667 7 Mechelen — a small medieval city with a nice historic district around the cathedral.
• 50.466667 4.866667 9 Namur — capital of Wallonia , at the confluence of Sambre and Meuse with the Citadel.

Other destinations

• 50.866667 4.466667 1 Kraainem — a municipality with a rich industrial history on the outskirts of Brussels with many historical landmarks.
• 50.816667 4.5 2 Tervuren — known for its proximity to the lush Sonian Forest, its parks, and royal summer residence.
• 50.933333 4.383333 3 Grimbergen — known for the beer with the same name, risen to worldwide fame, but still produced in its abbey.
• 50.266667 4.916667 5 Dinant — small city in a stunning natural setting, a popular spot for adventure sports such as canoeing and rock-climbing, best visited in winter
• 50.783333 4.116667 6 Pajottenland — also called the "Tuscany of the north", is a green region west of Brussels, consisting of rolling hills, meadows, small villages and castles. Home of the Geuze beer and great for hiking, biking, and horse riding tours.
• 50.4925 5.864167 7 Spa — the hot water treatments of the spa town that gave its name to all spas in the world has drawn visitors for centuries.
• 50.85 2.883333 8 Ypres , 50.85 2.733333 9 Poperinge and surrounding villages — destroyed during World War I, this former military stronghold is marked by memorials and cemeteries.
• 51.1644 4.1391 10 Sint-Niklaas — known for its market square (the largest in Belgium), its annual balloon festival and nearby scenery along the river Scheldt.

Entry requirements

Belgium is a member of the Schengen Agreement . See Travelling around the Schengen Area for more information on how the scheme works, which countries are members and what the requirements are for your nationality. In summary:

• There are normally no immigration controls between countries that have signed and implemented the treaty.
• There are usually identity checks before boarding international flights or boats entering the Schengen Area. Sometimes there are temporary border controls at land borders.
• A visa granted for any Schengen member is valid in all other countries that have signed and implemented the treaty.

In Belgium, non-EU/EFTA visa-free visitors are permitted to work without the need to obtain any further authorisation for the period of their 90-day visa-free stay. This is an exception to the general Schengen rules that does not extend to most other Schengen countries.

Brussels Airport ( BRU   IATA ), also known as Zaventem due to the town in which it is mainly located, is Belgium's main airport. It is not located in Brussels proper, but in surrounding Flanders . The airport is the base of the national airline Brussels Airlines . Other full-service airlines use BRU, as well as budget carriers such as Ryanair , Vueling and TUIfly Belgium .

There is a train ( €5.10 ) running every 15 minutes to Brussels centre taking 25 minutes, some of them continuing to Ghent , Mons , Nivelles , and West Flanders and bus lines number 12 and 21 ( €3 at the vending machine/ €5 on board) every 20 to 30 minutes to Place Luxembourg (European Parliament district). The bus stops at NATO and Schuman (for the EU institutions) on its way to the centre. There are also two trains per hour to Leuven , taking 13 minutes. 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.

Brussels South Charleroi Airport [ dead link ] ( CRL   IATA ), about 50   km (31   mi) south of Brussels, mostly serves low-cost carriers, such as Ryanair and Wizzair . You can get to Brussels Gare du Midi on a coach in about an hour ( €13 one way, €22 return). If you're going to any other part of Belgium, buy a combination bus+train ticket via Charleroi Sud train station from the 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 €85 as of Jan 2020) and you can check with the taxi driver if they will accept your credit card or not.

Antwerp Airport ( ANR   IATA ) has some business flights, including CityJet 's reasonably priced link to London City airport. Other airports include Oostende, Liège and Kortrijk, but they only handle freight and charter flights.

Flights to airports in neighbouring countries might be worth considering, especially to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport which has a direct rail link to Brussels , also making stops at Antwerp and Mechelen .

Liege Airport ( LGG   IATA ) is located near the city of Liege. A small airport served only by TUIFly , a low cost airline. It has between 5-10 daily mainly from Spain, sometimes to Greece and Morocco. It suffers from very poor transportation options to the city of Liege: there is a bus number 57 running several times a day bus, it goes to the train station of Liege-Guillemins, this bus only runs during the week. Another option is to take bus number 53 or 85 which sometimes go via the airport to the city centre, approx. 30 minutes. TEC buses have no special prices for Liege Airport and will cost €3.50 per person.

Taxis will cost around €25 .

There are direct trains between Brussels and:

• Luxembourg (normal trains, running every hour). All public transport in Luxembourg is free, though you will still need a ticket for the Belgian portion. It takes around 2 hr 30 min from Luxembourg to Brussels, 3 hr from Luxembourg to Liege.
• Lyon , Bordeaux , Paris-CDG airport and many other French cities (TGV operated by SNCF ).
• Aachen , Amsterdam , Cologne , Lille , London , Paris , Rotterdam ( Eurostar ). If you're going to another Belgian city, the "any Belgium Station" ticket includes local transport in your Eurostar ticket. Depending on the distance this may work out cheaper than getting a separate ticket. Passengers travelling from the UK to Belgium go through French passport/identity card checks (done on behalf of the Belgians) in London before boarding, rather than on arrival in Belgium; allow 90 minutes before your timetabled departure to clear these controls. Passengers travelling from all other stations to Brussels are within the Schengen Area.
• Frankfurt , Cologne (ICE operated by Deutsche Bahn )

There are hourly intercity trains from Brussels via Antwerp to Rotterdam and Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The intercity services run from Brussels to Amsterdam via Mechelen, Antwerp, Rotterdam, The Hague and Schiphol. The other direct connection to Amsterdam is the expensive Eurostar (book well in advance for reasonable fares). Alternative is to catch a train from Brussels or Antwerp to Roosendaal (NL), where connecting intercity trains to Rotterdam and Amsterdam are available. Passengers travelling to Belgium from the Netherlands will need to buy their tickets at the NS Internationaal desk or website which are different from the ones that sell tickets for domestic trains. NS Internationaal also sells Eurostar tickets at the same prices as seen on the Eurostar website.

International trains connect with domestic trains at Brussels' Gare du Midi/Zuidstation, and with all ICE and some Eurostar tickets, you can finish your journey for free on domestic trains. For all high-speed trains, you need to book in advance for cheap fares, either online or 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 from Lille Flandres to Tournai and Kortrijk. If your TGV arrives in Lille Europe, it will take a 15-min walk to the Lille Flandres railway station.

Plan your trip with the Deutsche Bahn timetable . It has all domestic and international connections across Europe.

Smoking is not allowed on Belgian trains.

The train fare for passengers 65+ travelling within Belgium is often capped at €6 and is valid for same-day return but such a fare may require travel only after 09:00.

Major European highways like the E19, E17, E40, E411 and E313 pass through Belgium.

The cheapest way to get to Belgium ( €3 / 100   km (62   mi) ) from anywhere in Europe - if you are a little flexible and lucky - is usually taxistop [ dead link ] . Many rides are also offered on BlablaCar .

You can get to Belgium from all over Europe on Flixbus coaches. International buses have stopovers in Antwerp , Brussels North Station , Leuven & Liege .

There are bus companies serving the Bosnian diaspora, which provide a cheap and clean way of getting to the other side of the European continent. Semi tours runs three times per week from various destinations in Bosnia and Herzegovina to Belgium and the Netherlands, off-season about €132 for a return ticket.

Calais and Dunkirk (France), a short drive from western Flanders, receive dozens of ferries a day from Dover in England. The overnight ferries to Zeebrugge from Hull were axed in 2021, though ferries still run from Hull to Rotterdam (Netherlands), which has good road and rail access to northern Flanders.

From France

• There are domestic Belgian trains that terminate in Lille (station Lille-Flanders ).
• Between the De Panne terminus of the Belgian railways (and the coast tram – Kusttram ) and the French coastal city of Dunkirk, there is a bus line run by DK'BUS Marine . It is also possible to take a DK'BUS bus which goes to the closest possible distance of the border and then cross it on foot by walking on the beach and arriving at 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 an international train ticket.
• If your destination in Belgium is further away from the border, you can take the local train from Aachen to Welkenraedt and then change to the InterCity-train connecting Eupen with Oostende , passing by Leuven , Brussels , Ghent and Bruges . The trip from Aachen to Brussels takes less than two hours.

From the Netherlands

• 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 between Turnhout in Belgium and Tilburg in the Netherlands, both of which are termini in the respective 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 train connection is being built.

Being such a small country (300   km as its maximum distance), you can get anywhere in a couple of hours. Public transport, when fully functioning, is fast and comfortable, and not too expensive. Between larger cities, there are frequent train connections, with buses covering smaller distances. A useful site is Smart Mobility Planner , which has a 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 shows that Brussels is a good starting point to explore Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, Namur and Leuven on day trips. Antwerp is popular among those who want to be in a cosmopolitan place, and Ghent is tops with those who like a good mix of open-minded provincialism. Liège is beautiful, but too close to Germany to be a good base for day trips. Mechelen is considered boring by tourists, but has a very good youth hostel next to a train station with trains to everywhere else every 30 min.

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.

• Belgiantrain.be journey planner . Use the official journey planner operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium to find train itineraries and prices ( updated May 2016 )

Most of Belgium is well connected by train, run by Belgian Railways [ dead link ] ( NMBS in Dutch and SNCB in French) 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 train from Brussels airport or by coach from Antwerp or Charleroi airport. Transfers are very easy. All ICE and some Eurostar tickets allow free same-day transfers by domestic trains to any other Belgian station.

The trains are punctual and mostly modern and comfortable.

Normal fares on Belgian trains are cheap compared to Germany or the UK, and there are no seat reservations. 2nd class fares don't go higher than €21.30 for the longest domestic trips (one way). 1st class costs 50% extra. Trains can get very full during rush hour, so you might need a 1st class ticket to get a seat at those times. In the train station, you can pay with cash or credit card. Return tickets are 50% cheaper at the weekend.

Most tickets are sold for a designated route on a designated day, so you can take any train on the day of your ticket. There is no extra validation when you step on a train.

You can buy tickets and plan your journey via the website , app , vending machines, ticket counters and on the train. If you want to buy a ticket on the train, you have to warn the train conductor. Avoid buying tickets on the train, as you will have to pay an extra €7 per ticket. Many smaller stations don't have ticket counters anymore, and if there are, they are not open very often. In every station, there is at least one vending machine. If ticket counters are closed and vending machines don't work, no supplement will be charged on the train if you address the issue to the conductor.

You can pay with cash and credit card. You can also pay with PayPal via the website or app. Contactless payments are accepted in most train stations and at some vending machines. As for paying cash at vending machines, they only allow coins, no paper bills. Not buying a ticket can result in a fine up to €225 .

A cheap option if you're planning several train trips is a Go Pass for travelers under the age of 26, which gives you 10 single 2nd class trips (including train changes if necessary) for €59 . It's valid for a year and can be shared with or given to other people without any restrictions. If you're 26 or older, you can use the Rail Pass . This costs €96 for 2nd class or €146 for 1st. When using these passes make sure you have filled in an empty line by hand before you get on the train. The train conductor can be very picky when the pass is not correctly filled in. However, if you address train station staff before boarding, they will be glad to help you. It is also common practice to ask other people on the platform to use their pen when you do not have one. Senior Citizens can use the Senior Ticket - return rail travel to any destination throughout Belgium for €7.80, starting from 9 a.m. on weekdays (or anytime during the weekend). At 1st class the ticket costs €16.60.

The cheapest option if you travel during Belgian school holidays, for people under 26, is a Go Unlimited pass for €19 per week or €31 a month (only during July and August). This pass allows you to hop on and off any NMBS/SNCB train in 2nd class on any (national) route. You will need a personal MoBIB card for this pass. You can buy this for €5 , only at a manned ticket office. The school holidays are the summer break (two months: July and August), autumn break (the week of November 1), Christmas break (two weeks encompassing both Christmas and New Year's Day), spring break (one week at the end of February - beginning of March), Easter break (two weeks around Easter). The exact dates of the last two holidays vary every year.

If you're visiting a certain event or concert, be sure to check if your train travel isn't already included in the ticket. Some major festivals and concerts like Rock Werchter, Pukkelpop or I Love Techno include train travel in the ticket price. For visiting special places like theme parks or museums, inform for the option ' B-Excursions '. That way you buy your entrance ticket and train ticket in one at the train station. This always is low-priced, normally resulting in normal entrance ticket price plus €4-5 for travel. The desk agent will surely point you out the details.

There are IC-trains (InterCity), L-trains (local, stops at every station), P-trains (extra trains during rush hour) and S-trains (serve suburbs of big cities). For tourists, IC-trains or ICT-trains (tourist trains) are the best option since they are faster, more frequent and more comfortable. You should only use L-trains and S-trains if your destination is not served by an IC-train. L-trains and S-trains tend to be less crowded though, except during rush hour. S-trains are mainly meant for commuters in nearby areas, but can also be used for some in-town trips. As an example, the journey Ghent-Bruges takes 25 minutes on an IC-train and 42 minutes on an L-train, but costs the same.

Train schedules usually change around December 10. Those changes are usually limited to introducing a few new train stations and adding a few regular lines. No lines have been discontinued in a very long time. Here, you can find a map of Belgian railways and stations .

By bus and tram

Buses cover the whole country, along with trams and metro in the big cities. Most routes cover short distances, but it is possible to go from city to city by bus (e.g. FlixBus). However, this is much slower and only slightly cheaper than taking a train. There is also the Kusttram , running along almost the whole Flemish seaside from France to the Netherlands—definitely worth a trip in the summer.

Within cities, a normal ticket for one zone never costs more than €2.50 , and there are various travelcards available. Local transport is provided by different companies: STIB/MIVB in Brussels. De Lijn in Flanders and TEC in Wallonia, and, outside Brussels, they don't accept each other's 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 center of Brussels is only about 300   m (980   ft) by 400   m (1,300   ft) long. Antwerp is much bigger, but a ride on a horse-pulled coach gives a better view than the subway.

Belgium has a dense network of modern toll-free motorways, but some secondary roads in Wallonia are poorly maintained. 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 can cause confusion. For example, Mons in French is Bergen in Dutch; Antwerp is called Antwerpen in Dutch and Anvers in French; Liège in French is Luik in Dutch and Lüttich in German, 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 is the German city of Aachen . Exits are marked with the word Uit (out) in Flemish areas, Sortie in Walloon areas and Ausfahrt in German-speaking ones.

Drivers in Belgium should also be aware of the "priority from the right" rule. At road crossings, traffic coming from the right has the right of way unless otherwise indicated by signs or pavement markings. You're most likely to encounter such crossings in urban and suburban areas. Observant visitors will notice a lot of cars with dents along their right sides! Drive defensively and your car will avoid the same fate.

In Belgium the motorway signs are notoriously inconvenient, especially on secondary roads. There is no uniformity in layout and colour; many are in bad state, placed in an awkward position or simply missing. A good roadmap (Michelin, De Rouck, Falk) or a GPS system is recommended. Belgium is one of the few countries to solely use the European E numbers on major routes.

As well as fixed-speed cameras on motorway and secondary roads there are also average-speed cameras that run for a good number of miles on motorways around major cities.

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 way you will get to see some of the sites of Belgium, as flat as it may be, but architecture in the towns 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 people caring for the street in front of their homes - a real, backdated village community feel.

Speed traps are positioned along roads frequently and drunk driving of only small amounts comes with serious penalties, such as €125 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 months imprisonment and loss of driving licence for 5 years.

The best place for hitchhikers. Just ask for a lift! Having cardboard signs with towns' names on 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 stop should get you a ride in less than 5 minutes during traffic hours.

• Heading to Ghent/Bruges: Good spot near the Shopping Mall called 'Basilix' in Berchem-ste-Agathe. You can reach this place with the bus N°87.

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

• Heading to Liège/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 walk and follow the roadsigns mentioning 'E40'. You should arrive in a small street giving access to a road joining 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. Cars should still be riding slowly at this point and see you are visible to them, so it's not that dangerous.
• Leaving Louvain-la-Neuve (University) to Brussels (north) or to Namur (south), stand at the roundabout next to exit/entrance "8a" near to "Louvain la Neuve-centre" road signs. Quick lift guaranteed. Avoid exit 7 or 9, since they have far less traffic.

Mostly known for its key role in European Union administration, the small nation of Belgium might 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 famous for their long traditions in arts, fashion and fine dining. If you've seen the best of them, the Belgian countryside offers anything from sandy beaches to the densely forested hills and ridges of the Ardennes .

Brussels , the country's vibrant capital, is a modern world city with a highly international character. It combines massive post-modern buildings in its European Quarter with impressive 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. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral , dedicated to the cities patron saints. The Royal Palace is a more recent but no less grand structure. One of the city's most famous landmarks is the Atomium , a remarkable steel structure and remnant of the 1958 World's Fair. And yet, with all those magnificent sights at hand, many travellers' favourite is a tiny bronze fountain in the shape of a peeing boy: the curious Manneken Pis . The Walloon Brabant province, a few kilometres south of Brussels, is certainly worth a visit. There you can visit the Lion's Mound in Waterloo or the beautiful Villers Abbey in Villers-la-Ville.

Perhaps the most popular of the Belgian cities is Bruges . Much of the excellent architecture that arose during the towns Golden Age, roughly the 14th century, remains intact and the old centre is a valued UNESCO World Heritage Site . Among its most prominent landmarks is the 13th century belfry , where the carillonneur still rings the bells on a daily basis. With countless other noteworthy monuments, Bruges is a highly popular destination and get a bit overcrowded during holidays. And then there's Ghent , which in ages past was one of the wealthiest cities in northern Europe. Although larger and much busier than Bruges, its excellent medieval architecture can definitely compete. Its beguinages, belfry and former cloth hall are World Heritage Sites. Or visit Antwerp , the country's current place to be as it is 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 stunning cathedrals . Other pleasant cities with good sights include Leuven , with the oldest Catholic University still in use and Liège .

In Wallonia, don't miss the city of Mons which has been the Cultural Capital of Wallonia since 2002. In 2015 the city had the honour of being the Cultural Capital of Europe. Mons is the largest and most important city in the Province of Hainaut, of which it is the administrative and judicial centre. One of its primary aims, however, has been to safeguard its heritage to better share it with the growing numbers of tourists to the area. Three major masterpieces, the Belfry, the Neolithic flint mines at Spiennes and the Doudou, all of which have been added to UNESCO's World Heritage List, can be found in and around Mons.

For hiking, biking and camping, head to the rugged hills of the Ardennes with their tight forests, 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 and has some fine sights itself too. The city is beautifully located along the rivers Meuse and Sambre 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 love for arts is still today reflected in the range of fine arts museums. The Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts in Brussels and the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten in Antwerp are just a few excellent examples. However, the Belgians love museums, with over 80 of them in the capital alone. Besides arts, they display anything from history and folklore to industry and technology. As some of the worst fighting of 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 military cemeteries.

• Mons International Love Film Festival : yearly festival of cinema (February)
• Ritual Ducasse of Mons : Doudou is the popular name for a week of collective jubilation that takes place in Mons on the weekend of the Trinity each year. There are four key moments: The Descent of the Shrine, The Procession, The Ascent of the Car d’Or and The Battle called Lumeçon (Trinity Sunday).
• Ethias Tennis Trophy : one of the better matches in the world. (October / Mons)
• Ommegang : a parade in Brussels that celebrates the beginning of the reign of Charles V of Habsburg. It takes place on the stunning cityscape of the Grand Place and involves thousands of stunts in period costume.
• Zinnekeparade : the yearly celebration of the Brusseler's spirit - the theme changes each year and involves costumes & chariots made by volunteers and locals.

• Graspop Metal Meeting . Yearly heavy metal festival held in the town of Dessel, in June.  

• Carnaval de Binche . Three days in February the town of Binche is transported back to the 16th century for one of the most fantastic festivals of the year. Highlighted by music parades and fireworks, the climax of this event is when the Gilles appear on the Grand Place and throw oranges to the spectators. This infamous festivity has been classified as part of the world's cultural heritage by UNESCO along with its renowned Gilles.  
• Rock Werchter . End of June, beginning of July, Werchter .  
• Dour festival . "European Alternative Music Event" - 12–15 July 2007 - Dour .  
• Pukkelpop . Mid- August  
• Atomium built for the 1958 Brussels World Fair (Expo ’58), it is a 102 metre tall representation of an atomic unit cell. More precisely, it is symbolic of a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. Nine steel spheres 16m in diameter connect via tubes with escalators 32 m long.
• Gentse Feesten . 2nd half of July. Huge, ten day long street festival in the historical centre of the city of Ghent. The biggest street festival in Europe, with theatre, music in all genres, techno parties, and so on - Gentse Feesten  
• Activiteiten Gent & Antwerpen , Rerum Novarumlaan 132 ( Merksem ), ☏ +32 475 696 880 . Great boat tours around Ghent and Antwerp.  
• 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 60s for the French-speakers students. Every year, in October, they organised a bicycle competition. Actually, the course is a pretext to enjoy the event... And to drink beers. This party is one of the most important consumption of beers of the whole Europe.
• Belgian Beer Tour Belgian Beer Tour is a tour operator specialising 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 appeals to connoisseurs and amateurs alike.
• TomorrowLand , De Schorre, Boom .  
• Flowercorso Loenhout , Loenhout Centre . one of the largest flower corsos of Belgium. With the title of Royal Corso their theme cars and floats are totally covered with over flowers and go up to 80 feet length. Every year, start of September €2-8 .  

Belgium has three official languages at the federal level: Dutch , French and German . However, one will quickly notice that the Belgian versions of these languages possess a few idiosyncrasies:

• Flemish Dutch is not always easy to understand for other Dutch speakers. A lot of words used in Flanders would be considered "archaic" even in former Dutch colonies. Furthermore, Flemish Dutch is a lot less guttural than its northern counterpart.
• The French spoken in Belgium, whilst marked by distinct annunciations and intonations, is mostly intelligible to the average French person, and younger generations in urban areas like Brussels tend to speak with a relatively standard French accent. Nevertheless, some "rural" accents can come off as harsh to the casual listener, especially those in and around Charleroi and eastern Wallonia. Anglicised words are also used more often than in France or Quebec. There are also some vocabulary differences from other varieties of French, and numbering system also has its own idiosyncracies.
• The German spoken in Belgium is nearly identical to Hochdeutsch (standard German) but, not unlike Flemish, it does incorporate antiquated words and idioms. German-speaking Belgians also speak a lot more slowly than Germans.

Although Belgium has three official languages, that does not mean that all of them are official everywhere. The official language of Flanders is Dutch and the official language of Wallonia is French. Brussels' official languages are Dutch and French (though French is more commonly spoken) and German is the official language in nine municipalities in Wallonia ( Eupen and its surroundings).

Virtually all Flemish people are bilingual in both Dutch and French, whereas the Walloons are typically monolingual and don't speak any Dutch. Even though German is an official language, less than 1% of the population understands it fluently and you're unlikely to find speakers of the language outside the German-speaking community.

English is usually spoken and understood at a basic level throughout Belgium, but don't expect everyone to be comfortable expressing themselves in it, even younger generations. As an international city, Brussels is one of the most English-friendly cities in Europe; nearly everyone working in the tourism sector can speak it at an advanced level, and most locals have daily exposure to it. English is fairly prevalent in Flanders, as their education system bears some similarities with the Netherlands; however, some people may not be as fluent as expected. In contrast, English is not widely spoken in Wallonia though it is still possible to find English speakers in tourist areas.

Language is a highly sensitive issue in Belgium, and it's possible to accidentally speak the 'wrong' language for the situation. Refer to the section on ' Respect ' for more.

A very small number of inhabitants of Wallonia, particularly the older generations, still speak the Walloon language. This language, while not official, is recognised by the French Community of Belgium as an "indigenous regional language", together with a number of other Romance (Champenois, Lorrain and Picard) and Germanic (Luxembourgish) language varieties. On the flipside, Italian is rather commonplace in Wallonia due to immigration. (At least 10% of Walloons can trace their origins back to Italy.)

Due to its international status, Brussels is home to a myriad of other languages; in addition to English being widespread, it is possible to find people who speak Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, etc.

In Belgium, foreign films and TV shows are available in their original language with French and Dutch subtitles in Flanders and Brussels cinemas and in the Dutch-language TV channels. Only children's TV shows and movies are dubbed.

In Wallonia, all movies and TV shows have a dubbed version in French or German and selected foreign films/TV shows have an original language version (marked with a "VO" in the cinema listing or in the case of TV shows, can be accessed through the remote control).

Belgium uses the euro , like several other European countries . One euro is divided into 100 cents. The official symbol for the euro is € , and its ISO code is EUR. There is no official symbol for the cent.

All banknotes and coins of this common currency are legal tender within all the countries, except that low-denomination coins (one and two cent) are phased out in some of them. The banknotes look the same across countries, while coins have a standard common design on the reverse, expressing the value, and a national country-specific design on the obverse. The obverse is also used for different designs of commemorative coins. The design of the obverse does not affect the coin's acceptability.

Tipping in Belgium is not usually done as service charge is always included. However, you may tip as a sign of appreciation. Usually, this is done by paying in bank notes with a total value slightly higher than the price of the meal and telling the waiter/waitress that they can keep the change.

• Belgian chocolate : A long tradition has given Belgian chocolate a superior refinement process that is recognized worldwide.
• Laces in Bruges
• Designer fashions in Antwerp
• Jewelry in one of Antwerps many jewelry shops
• Belgian comic books and related merchandising, especially in Brussels

Belgians like to eat. Belgium is famous for its good cuisine and people like to go to restaurants frequently. The best description for Belgian food would be " French food in German quantities".

General rules

• As anywhere else in the world, avoid the tourist traps, where the touts are trying to get you in the restaurants. You will get average to bad quality food for average to high prices, and, at busy times, they will try to get rid of you as soon as possible to make space for the next customer. A good example of this is the famous "Rue des Bouchers/Beenhouwersstraat" in Brussels in this picture.
• Belgium is a country that understands what eating is all about and can be a real gastronomic paradise. You can have a decent meal in just about every tavern, from small snacks to a complete dinner. Just pop into one of those and enjoy it.
• If you want to eat really well for not too much money, ask the local people or the hotel manager (that is, supposing he does not have a brother restaurant-manager) to give some advice for a good restaurant. Not a bad idea is to find a restaurant or tavern a little bit outside of the cities (if advised by some locals) they are usually not too expensive but deliver decent to high quality food. And ordering the specialties during the season will be both beneficial for your wallet and the quality of the food.
• Quality has its price: since the introduction of the euro, the price for eating out in Belgium nearly 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 cheap and still very tasty (such as sausages, potatoes and spinach). Normally a dinner (3 dishes) will be around €30-50 depending on your choices of food and restaurant. And for cheap, greasy food, just find a local frituur , also called a frietkot or friterie , it will be the best Belgian Fries you'll have had in ages. However , when you are in such a frituur, it may be best to avoid snacks (other than the fries themselves, and the rich choice in sauces that comes with them), which are generally fried and made out of low-quality scrap meat. Do NOT order a cheeseburger or hamburger in such a place! The so-called burger which you would get if you do, is especially notorious for being fried and containing a mixture of low-quality meat.

Specialities

A number of dishes are considered distinctly Belgian 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 (Mussels with French fries). The traditional way is to cook them in a pot with white wine and/or onions and celery, then eat them up using only a mussel shell to scoop them out. The top season is September to April, and as with all other 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 sauce or with the sauce from Liège, which is based on a local syrup. For this reason they will often be introduced as Boulets Liégeois.

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 from Brussels.

Stoofvlees (or Carbonade flamande) 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 a cheesy 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 a Belgian invention. Whether or not this is true, they certainly have perfected it — although not everybody agrees with their choice of mayonnaise over ketchup as the preferred condiment (ketchup is often 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 is friet 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. These are often topped with powdered sugar, and sometimes other toppings such as whipped cream or even fruits for a big dessert.
• a heavier variety with a gooey center known as Gaufres de Liège / Luikse wafels . These are often eaten without toppings as a street/ take-away snack while shopping and therefore can be found at stands on the streets of the cities. Shops aimed solely at tourists will try to put toppings like whipped cream on this type of waffle rather than the Gaufres de Bruxelles/Brusselse wafels, but this is not usually done by Belgians.

Last but not least, Belgian chocolate is famed around the world. Famous chocolatiers include Godiva, Leonidas, Guylian, Galler, Marcolini and Neuhaus, with Godiva, Leonidas and Neuhaus being official suppliers of chocolate to the Belgian royal family. In nearly all supermarkets, you can buy the brand Côte 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 the surrounding 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 also find 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 of finding 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 game or 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 towns. The Belgian variety is called "Quick". You may also find a local booth serving sausages, hot dogs or hamburgers. Try it: the meat tastes the same, but the bread is much better. Ketchup in this region is made with less sugar (even the Heinz brand). Pizza Hut, Domino's, and Subway also have establishments, but you won't find Burger King. There are no real American restaurants, although there is an American bar on the Toison d'Or in Brussels that serves food.
• Italian: Roughly 500,000 people in Belgium are Italian or have Italian heritage, and ties have been historically close between Belgium and Italy, so finding a tasty pizza or mouth-watering pastas is not difficult, especially in Brussels and Wallonia.
• Mexican: Only in the cities and rather costly for only medium quality. ChiChi's (near Bourse) serves Mexican American food but would not be considered a good value by American standards. ChiChi's uses reconstituted meats.
• Chinese: They have a long tradition of restaurants in Belgium. Rather cheap, but an acceptable quality.
• German/Austrian: Maxburg in the Schuman area (next to Spicy Grill) makes a good schnitzel.
• Greek/Spanish/Italian: Like all over the world, nice, rather cheap, with a good atmosphere and typical music (Greek: Choose meat, especially lamb) (Spanish: Choose paella and tapas) (Italian: Choose anything).
• Japanese/Thai: You usually find them only in the cities and they are rather expensive, but they give you great quality. The prices and the quality are both satisfying in a concentrated cluster of Thai restaurants near Bourse station. Avoid Phat Thai though if you don't want disruptions - as they let pan handlers and flower pushers enter and carry out their "work".
• Arabic/Moroccan: Rather cheap, with a great variety of local dishes, especially with lamb; no fish or pork or beef.
• Turkish: Rather cheap, with a great variety of local dishes, especially with chicken and lamb and also vegetarian dishes, dishes with fish are rare; no pork or beef.
• Belgium offers a wide selection of other international restaurants.

For party-minded people, Belgium can be great. Most cities are close to each other and are either large urban areas (Brussels, Antwerp) or student areas (Leuven, Liège, Ghent), etc. In this little region, you will find the most clubs, cafés, 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, Liège in the famous "carré" district, etc. You can expect a wide variety in music appreciation, going from jazz to the better electronic music to even some solid heavy metal bars. 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. They acknowledge the principle of "live and let live". As long as you don't cause public disturbance, vandalize property and get too drunk, the police will not intervene; this is also one of the main principles of Belgian social life, as drunk and disorderly behaviour is generally considered offensive. Of course, in student communities this is more tolerated, but generally, you are most 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 influence of 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 check.

Tap water is drinkable everywhere in Belgium, but most restaurants do not serve it. Hot spring or some other mineral water is typically served and costs about €2 per bottle. Spa is like bru and chaudfontaine a very famous water brand.

Belgium is to beer what France is to wine; it is home to one of the greatest beer traditions in the world. Like other European countries in medieval times, beers were brewed in a huge variety of ways with many different ingredients. In addition to the standard ingredients of water, malted barley, hops and yeast, many herbs and spices were also used. This activity was often done in monasteries, each developing a particular style. For some reason, uniquely in Belgium many of these monasteries survived almost into modern times, and the process was handed over to a local commercial brewer if the monastery closed. These brewers would often augment the recipe and process slightly to soften the taste to make it more marketable, but the variety survived in this way. These beers are called Abbey beers and there are hundreds and hundreds with a range of complex tastes unimaginable until you've tried them.

The Trappist label is controlled by international law, similar to that of Champagne in France. There are only six Trappist Abbeys in Belgium that produce beer qualified to be called Trappist . In order to carry the Trappist label, there are several rules that must be adhered 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 from the sale of the beer must be directed towards supporting the monastery (similar to a non-profit organization).

Belgium offers an incredible diversity of beers. Wheat / white beers (with their mixture of barley and wheat) as well as Lambic beers (sour-tasting wheat beers brewed by spontaneous fermentation) originated in Belgium. For the non-beer lovers, lambic beers are still interesting to try, as they are often brewed in fruity flavors and don't have a usual beer taste. Several well known mass-produced Belgian beers are Stella Artois, Duvel, Leffe, Jupiler, Hoegaarden. The names given to some beers are pretty imaginative: e.g. 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 Christmas season, 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, De Troch.

White beers: Hoegaarden, Dentergemse, Brugse Witte.

The city of Hasselt is well known in Belgium for its local alcoholic beverage, called jenever . It is a rather strong liquor, but it comes in all kinds of tastes beyond your imagination, including vanilla, apple, cactus, kiwi, and chocolate. Hasselt lies in the east of Belgium, and is about one hour away by train from Brussels and 50 minutes from Antwerp. Trains go two times an hour from Antwerp.

Pubs, or cafés , 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. Smoking in pubs is forbidden by law.

• Couchsurfing . has a lot of members in Belgium  
• Vrienden op de fiets . If you are travelling in Flanders 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 €18.50 per person per night, although you must also pay €9 for membership of this scheme.  
• Hostelling International (Flanders & Brussels) ( Vlaamse Jeugdherbergen ). This is the Flemish HI association with 19 hostels, one of which is in Brussels. ( updated May 2023 )
• Hostelling International (Wallonia & Brussels) ( Les Auberges de Jeunesse ). This is the Wallonia-Brussels HI association with ten hostels, two of which are in Brussels. ( updated May 2023 )

Belgium has many fine hotels. Capital Brussels has countless rather expensive business hotels catering 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.

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

• Pre-school ( kleuteronderwijs ; enseignement maternel ): -6 years
• Primary school ( lager onderwijs ; enseignement primaire ): 6–12 years
• Secondary school ( secundair onderwijs ; enseignement secondaire ): 12–18 years
• University ( universiteit ; université )
• Polytechnic ( hogeschool ; haute école )

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

Having one of the highest labour taxes in Europe, Belgium is struggling to reposition itself as a high-tech country. In that struggle, Flanders is far ahead and much wealthier than Wallonia, in contrast 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 multiple languages (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 go to? It goes to social security. People only pay a small charge for healthcare, for example. And the budget for education, arts and culture is enormous. The budget for defense is however very tiny.

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

With the notable exceptions of certain major urban areas like Brussels (mostly the northern and western sections of the region), Antwerp (the southern neighbourhoods), and Walloon cities bordering France (Mons, Mouscron), Belgium is a very safe country. Tourists will feel perfectly fine by taking basic precautions, like not flashing expensive jewelry or avoiding poorly-lit streets. If you ever fall victim to crime, the emergency phone number in Belgium (fire, police, paramedics) is 112 .

Pickpocketing and other crimes

Violent crimes are generally uncommon in Belgium, but as with much of Europe, petty crimes like pickpocketing do occur, mostly in Brussels and more touristy cities like Bruges and Antwerp.

Aggravated assaults have occurred sporadically throughout the years, but they rarely involve tourists. Brussels and other major cities have seen a surge of assaults against women

As a country marked by continued waves of immigration, Belgium is one of the world's most multicultural nations. However, there are still rural areas with much fewer immigrants and certain types of skin tones can still attract unwanted attention.

People of North African or Middle Eastern ancestry in particular may attract violent stares and resentment from older generations in rural areas and wealthier sections of Brussels and Antwerp . With all that said, Belgians - especially younger ones - are noticeably more welcoming towards Muslims and immigrants than other Europeans, and public expressions against Islam and non-whites are swiftly condemned.

People who are recognisably Jewish, such as men who wear kippot, have also experienced harassment and worse, and should check on current conditions for Jews before they go. This especially applies to Brussels.

By many measures, Belgium is one of the most - if not the most - LGBTQ-friendly nations in the world. Some of Europe's biggest gay prides happen here, and Brussels has one of the world's most lively gay scenes. However, attacks against gays and lesbians are not uncommon in large cities and rural areas.

Alcohol and drugs

Possessing small amounts of marijuana is punishable by a fine. You may get into more serious trouble for smoking weed in public.

As the undisputed land of beers, Belgium has long had a reputation for drunk behaviours, and the country had one of the world's highest alcohol consumption per capita. This rate has, however, dropped significantly since the early 2010s, and public intoxication is nowhere nearly as common as it used to be. Nevertheless, it remains an issue in certain areas.

Stay healthy

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

Tap water is safe to drink throughout Belgium.

As one of Europe's most densely populated countries, Belgium suffers from serious air pollution. This applies for both urban and rural areas.

Belgium has a modern telephone system with nationwide cellular telephone coverage, and multiple 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 cafés offer free Wi-Fi 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 , McDonalds , Lunch Garden , Exki , Carrefour Planet or Starbucks which all offer free Wi-Fi.

Belgium has some of the slowest internet speeds in Western Europe.

Belgium uses the GSM standard of cellular phones (900   MHz and 1800   MHz bands) used in much of the world except parts of the Americas. There are three main companies (Proximus, Orange and Base, and a large number of MVNOs) offering wireless service. The country is almost totally covered.

It is no longer possible to buy anonymous prepaid SIM cards in Belgium as a result of new Belgian anti-terror legislation. Buying a SIM card in advance from Mobile Vikings now requires name and address registration. If you stay for some time, buy a pre-paid cell phone card that you can use in any phone that supports the GSM standard on the 900/1800   MHz bands. With these cards, incoming calls and SMSes are generally free. You can get SIM cards for the three main companies in dedicated phone shops.

All networks provide UMTS and HSDPA (3G) mobile internet coverage, and are rolling out a 4G network, mainly in the big cities.

Giving tips in bars or restaurants is virtually unheard of, even in larger cities. Doing so does shows that you were satisfied with the service given, but you are absolutely not obliged to do so. Depending on the total, a tip of €0.50 to €2.50 is considered generous.

Belgians in general are very proud of their comic book artists. The "Belgian school of comic books" is hailed as a national point of pride. There are dozens of beautiful yet expensive merchandise 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 perfect gift for your Belgian friends and in-laws, for example.

Try to show appreciation for some of the things made in Belgium. For instance, French fries, beers, comic books, chocolate, and the like. Inquiries about them will be welcomed and appreciated by the vast majority of Belgians.

As a rule of thumb, do not speak French in Flanders or Dutch in Wallonia . Even if you're looking to practice your language skills, try not to speak the "wrong" language in the wrong region, as this can sometimes be considered to be offensive. Like with many countries, the best option is to ask first if someone speaks English or French in Flanders, or Dutch/English in Wallonia. Although you will generally find many more French speakers in Flanders than Dutch speakers in Wallonia, the former may not, for political reasons, want to speak French to you. The latter are unlikely to know more than a few Dutch phrases they learnt at school. English as a second (or third) language is more prevalent in Flanders and Brussels. Some people won't hesitate to either dismiss you or at worst give an icy response, if you speak the "wrong" language in the wrong area.

This doesn't apply to the German-speaking areas (as the German-speaking community is an observer in the Flanders-Wallonia dispute) and Brussels. As a tourist, it's better to communicate in English as it's considered to be the "diplomatic" language of the country.

The Flanders-Wallonia dispute and the possibility of Belgium partitioning are highly controversial, emotional issues and should be avoided. You should avoid discussing them where possible.

As with many countries in Europe, Inquiring about someone's salary or talking about your own is uncommon and in conversation is a great way to make someone feel uncomfortable. Similarly, discussing personal, political, or religious convictions are no-go areas until you're better acquainted with someone.

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 themselves French. And, for similar reasons, do not tell the Flemish (and also the people of Brussels) that they are Dutch. Most Flemings, despite speaking Dutch (Flemish), are not and do not consider themselves Dutch. The same applies to the 75,000 German-speaking Belgians, who have a heavy historical background with their neighbour Germany.

Generally speaking, Belgians tend to keep to themselves and those they are most familiar with; it is not uncommon to meet people that live within 5km of their place of birth deep into adulthood, and as a result outsiders may feel as if Belgians are aloof and unfriendly. This definitely applies to Brussels (with its hustle and bustle) and Flanders (where people are definitely more reserved than their Walloon counterparts). Making friends with locals will take time, but it will be worth it.

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11 Best Places to Visit in Belgium

Written by Lura Seavey Updated May 3, 2023

Tourists will find a surprising variety of things to do in Belgium , from beautiful natural settings to historic landmarks and cultural attractions.

Couples looking for romantic places to visit will enjoy the medieval ambience of old cities like Bruges and Ghent, while those traveling with kids will find plenty of family-friendly activities in the capital city of Brussels and the historic port town of Antwerp.

Military history buffs have plenty to look forward to as well, from the remote battlefields of Flanders to numerous excellent museums dedicated to Belgium's role in the two World Wars.

Find all this and so much more with our list of the best places to visit in Belgium.

Medieval Bruges

Upper meuse valley, brussels: the heart of europe, memorials and battlefields of flanders, antwerp: the cultural capital of flanders, canals, castles, and cathedrals of ghent, mons (bergen), the beaches of belgium, belgium's cathedrals and churches, map of places to visit in belgium.

Bruges is one of the most visited cities in Belgium due to its medieval architecture and thoroughly romantic ambience. Bruges' canals are one of its most charming features, and no visit to the town is complete without a scenic canal boat tour .

From the water, you will be able to enjoy a different perspective of the city; land-lovers can likewise stroll along the canals to watch the boats go by, and the local tourist office has free walking tours available. Of particular note are the mansions along the Dijver Canal , some of which now house museums.

The historic center's two main squares, Burg Square (also known as simply "the Burg") and the Markt Square , which sit adjacent to each other in the middle of the city. Markt Square is surrounded by several impressive buildings, but the Halle and its 83-meter belfry are by far the most imposing structure. The belfry, which was started in 1282 and completed in 1482, is home to 47 bells and has a viewing area for tourists who are brave enough to climb the 366 steps to the top.

Aficionados of ecclesiastic architecture will want to visit the Basilica of the Holy Blood on Burg Square, which has a combination of Romanesque and late Gothic styles. The Burg is also home to the historic Town Hall ( Stadhuis ), which was completed in 1420, and the tourist office, which is housed in the Liberty of Bruges , the former Law Courts .

Those staying in Bruges will find many fascinating towns and tourist sites within a short drive. For a walk or pedal bike ride, the trails along the Schipdonkkanaal are particularly nice, and canal boat tours are also available here. The small down of Damme is home to several historic buildings and a traditional Flemish atmosphere.

Located near the coast, Bruges is also convenient to the seaside and beach communities of Knokke and Ostend , as well as the popular cruise ship port at Zeebrugge. Knokke is best known for its upscale resort community of Knokke-Heist , but is also a hub for art lovers, with an astounding 85 galleries and numerous public art installations. Along with the beaches of Ostend, tourists can visit several good museums including the De Plate Museum , with local history, and the Museum of Fine Art .

• Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Bruges
• Top-Rated Day Trips from Bruges

The Meuse River splits the country north and south, E42 from Liege to Namur, and from there to Dinant. The valley is known for its idyllic small towns, dramatic limestone cliffs, and lush forests that are ribboned with trails.

Namur (also called Namen) sits in the heart of the valley and is home to several historic landmarks, as well as a large university. The Namur Citadel sits on an outcropping above the town and is a fun place to explore, as well as an excellent spot for panoramic views of the valley.

In town, the best sightseeing areas are along the Rue de Fer and in the central Old Town , where you will find several good museums, as well as shops and cafés. You can also see historic churches, including the 18th-century Cathedral of Saint Aubain and the Church of Notre-Dame and its ecclesiastical Treasury , which houses several priceless religious items.

About 28 kilometers to the south sits another of Belgium's loveliest cities , Dinant, which is also home to a stately citadel. West of Namur, the village of Floreffe is home to a stunning 12th-century abbey, formerly the Premonstratensian Abbey , which now houses a seminary. The abbey church still contains some of its original features and is a lovely place to visit.

The next town over is Fosses-la-Ville , also home to a 12th-century monastery. Unfortunately, very little of the original is intact, however visitors can still admire the crypt, choir, and tower.

Northeast of Namur near Franc-Waret is Franc-Waret Castle , a beautiful 17th-century fortified residence. Visitors can tour the castle and grounds; the interior has a variety of original furnishings, artwork, and rare items, while the gardens are carefully tended to appear as they did during the castle's heyday.

• Read More: Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Namur

The capital city of Brussels is a must-see destination for any tourist visiting Belgium, home to not only the seat of the Belgian Royal Family but also the central offices of the European Union.

Thanks to the diverse mix of the city's residents, Brussels is known for its variety of restaurants and cafés that represent many gastronomic heritages. In addition to a thriving and lively city center, the Old Town is home to many historic landmarks and fine examples of Baroque and Gothic architecture.

In the heart of the Old Town, tourists will find the main square, the Grand Place (Grote Markt) . This is home to the imposing Brussels Town Hall (Hôtel de ville de Bruxelles), as well as the city's numerous historic Guild Houses ( Gildehuizeb ).

Nearby, on the Rue de l'Etuve, is the famous Mannekin Pis statue. Also nearby is the stunning Saint-Michel Cathedral , a Gothic church that was begun in 1225 and features twin towers and spectacular stained-glass windows.

Overlooking the old city center is the royal family's official residence, the Palais Royale . On the palace grounds is the excavated Coudenberg Palace Archaeological Site , a fascinating dig site of the original palace's foundations and long-buried streets that is open for tourists to explore.

Adjacent to the palace is The Mont des Arts , home to several museums, including the Belgian Royal Museum of Fine Arts , which features an ancient art wing and a modern art wing.

More national museums can be found on the grounds of the expansive Parc du Cinquantenaire , which is located near the European Union Headquarters. Here, you can find the Belgian Army Museum and Museum of Military History , as well as the Royal Art and History Museum .

• Read More: Top-Rated Day Trips from Brussels

Tourists who want to visit some of the most important battlefields, memorials, and conflict-related landmarks will want to start their pilgrimage in Ypres, the sight of some of the most brutal trench warfare during WWI. To get a good overview of the area's involvement and history, as well as see artifacts from the conflicts, visit the In Flanders Fields Museum , located in Ypres's historic Lakenhalle on its main square, the Grote Markt .

After visiting Rijselpoort , the fortified gate where British soldiers set up the command center, tourists typically begin the battlefield tour from Menin Gate. It was from Menin Gate that troops marched into battle, and today it also serves as a memorial to the British soldiers who never returned home after the battles — 54,896 names are inscribed in its surface, and Last Post has been sounded at this spot every night at 8pm since 1928.

The area around Ypres is home to several war cemeteries, including Tyne Cot Cemetery , the largest of the British cemeteries in Flanders. Located about 12 kilometers from Ypres, it is the final resting place for approximately 12,000 soldiers and a memorial to over 35,000 more.

Nearby, tourists will find a smaller memorial dedicated to Canadian soldiers who died in 1915 in the first German gas attack. In the nearby town of Langemark , there is a cemetery for German soldiers with nearly 45,000 graves of the shockingly young men who died here in 1914.

There are additional sites clustered in and around the village of Kemmel , a region that saw heavy fighting. Tourists will find several war cemeteries in the Kemmelberg area, as well as a water-filled crater that was created by the British blasting local mines. Today it is known as Lone Tree Crater , and the body of water is the Pool of Peace .

• Read More: Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Ypres

The port city of Antwerp has many cultural and historic sites to visit ; it's known both for its industry and artistic influences. The majority of the city's most significant buildings are on and around the Grand Place ( Grote Markt ) in the center of the old town. In this area, tourists will find the 16th-century Town Hall (Stadhuis), the Butcher's Hall (Vleeshuis), and Rubens' House (Rubenshuis) .

Those arriving by train into the impressive Central Station ( Middenstatie ) will find a treat waiting for them next door at Chocolate Nation , the world's largest Belgian chocolate museum . This is a big hit with families, conveniently adjacent to the Antwerp Zoo . The zoo, which was founded in 1843, is known not only for its population of over 950 species but also for its beautiful Art Deco architecture and stylized animal habitats.

Antwerp is also known for its excellent museums, which explore a variety of topics. History lovers will enjoy the Red Star Line Museum , which focuses on emigration during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as the Museum aan de Stroom (MAS) , which includes exhibits about local history, as well as artifacts from around the world. The Museum Mayer van den Bergh is an excellent fine arts museum, as is the Royal Museum of Fine Arts .

• Read More: Top-Rated Day Trips from Antwerp

Tourists who want to enjoy the romantic atmosphere of a medieval town without the crowds of Bruges will want to visit Ghent, a rival in architectural and historical significance.

The majority of Ghent's historic guild houses can be found along the Graseli Canal and the Korenlei Canal, including the Koornstapelhuis, which dates from the early 13 th century; the Gildehuis der Metselaars (House of the Masons) built in 1527; and the Tolhuisje (Customs House), which was built in 1682. Those lucky enough to visit in the evening should make time for a canal boat cruise to appreciate the sight of these lovely buildings lit from below.

In the heart of Ghent's Old Town , the impressive Gravensteen is moated by the diverted waters of the Lieve River. This massive medieval fortress was constructed in the late 12 th century and has all the grandeur and classic elements of a fairy-tale castle. Today, it is home to a museum that features artifacts from the building's varied uses, from a royal residence to a textile factory.

If you love exploring castles, you can also visit the beautiful Laarne Castle , which is located just 11 kilometers from Ghent. This pentagonal fortress was built in the 11 th century and also houses historic exhibits.

• Read More: Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Ghent

Located near the French border, Mons sits between the Trouille and Haine rivers along the route between Paris and Brussels. The Grand-Place de Mons sits in the city center and is home to several historic buildings, as well as plenty of shops, cafés, and restaurants along its picturesque cobblestone streets.

The City Hall ( Hôtel de Ville de Mons ) stands at the head of the city's main square, and the remaining four sides of the large courtyard are flanked by buildings dating to the 15th through 18th centuries.

Just a couple of blocks away from the main square at the top of a hill, you will find the Belfry of Mons , also known as El Caitau. This UNESCO-listed bell tower was constructed in the 17th century in the Baroque style and stands at 87 meters tall with a carillon of 47 bells. Here, you can climb the stairs to the observation platform at the top for panoramic views of the city. At the foot of the hill sits the 15th-century Brabant Gothic Collegiate Church of Sainte-Waudru .

Mons is also home to several good museums, and history buffs will want to prioritize a visit to the Mons Memorial Museum , formerly called the War Museum . The museum has over 5,000 artifacts relating to the country's involvement and occupation during both World Wars and also includes interactive exhibits.

Art lovers will appreciate the paintings at the Musée des Beaux Arts (Fine Arts Museum), as well as the unique collections at the Decorative Arts Museum Francois Duesberg .

• Read More: Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Mons (Bergen)

Located about 30 kilometers east of Brussels, Leuven sits on the river Dijle and is home to one of the country's oldest and most famous universities. You can see many fine examples of Gothic and other architectural styles on the university campus and throughout the city, starting with Leuven's City Hall that features 236 figures on its ornate façade.

Just next door across the Grote Markt sits St. Peter's Church ( Sint-Pieterskerk ), a fine cathedral built in the Brabant Gothic style that houses the Museum of Religious Art . The university's most historic buildings can also be found nearby along the Naamsestraat .

Outside the historic city center, Leuven has several lovely tourist attractions for nature-lovers. The Leuven Botanical Garden Kruidtuin, originally created in 1738 as the medicinal plant garden for the university's medical students, is now home to a variety of flora.

About four kilometers from the center of town, the borough of Kessel-Lo is home to a large nature park that is free to visitors, featuring swimming and paddleboating in the lakes, a petting zoo, and other activities.

• Read More: Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Leuven

Although most people don't immediately think of beaches when planning a trip to Belgium, the west coast offers several excellent choices for those who want to soak up some sun and take a dip.

If you're staying in Bruges and Ghent, you can get to most beaches by car in 30- to 45 minutes at most, but day trips from Brussels and even Antwerp are still reasonable at around an hour-and-a-half by car, with additional options via train. Once you're on the coast, it's super-easy to hop from beach to beach on the Coastal Tram, which has 70 stops.

Knokke-Heist is one of the best known of Belgium's beach resort communities and is located near the Dutch border, only about 19 kilometers from Bruges. The town has four beaches along its 12-kilometer coastline, as well as numerous walking, hiking, and cycling trails that wander through the dunes. Visitors will find that Knokke is also home to an astounding number of art galleries, as well as two excellent museums about local and Belgian history.

The town of Ostend may be best known as the main ferry port between Belgium and Great Britain, but it is also home to seaside resorts and beaches, conveniently located only 29 kilometers from Bruges. There is a lovely promenade that runs along the beach, and a breakwater that offers good views of the small city.

Ostend is home to six distinct beach areas, including Sportstrand (Sports Beach), which is dedicated entirely to active fun-in-the-sun, with designated areas for volleyball , kite-flying , and surfing , among other beach sports.

If you want to admire the beautiful architecture of the Koninklijke Gaanderijen (Royal Galleries) while you enjoy the water, head to the western end of the two-kilometer Groot Strand.

The town of Dinant is located 28 kilometers south of Namur and is a popular place to visit for tourists in the upper Meuse Valley.

The heart of this charming town sits in a narrow swath between the Meuse River and an imposing limestone cliff, atop which a citadel has perched since the 11 th century. The Dinant Citadel can be reached via a 408-step stone stairway that was built in 1577, but nobody will judge you if you opt for the scenic cable car ride instead. Once here, you can explore the battlements, former barracks, kitchens, and dungeons, as well as enjoy stunning views of the valley below.

The 16th-century Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame is another of Dinant's major landmarks, featuring a 100-meter onion dome and a unique perch in the side of the cliffs below the citadel. Other top tourist destinations include the Grotte la Merveilleuse , a major limestone cave system that can be explored, and the Rocher Bayard , an impressive pillar of limestone.

The Meuse Bridge is an excellent spot for photography, and boating on the Meuse River is a popular activity in Dinant. The town is also known for being the birthplace of Adolphe Sax, the inventor of the first saxophone, and visitors will find multiple monuments honoring him throughout the town, as well as tour his former home, which is now a museum.

The city of Ghent is home to several of Belgium's most beautiful historic churches, the most lovely of which is the impressive Saint Michael's Church , constructed in the Gothic style of Belgian sandstone. Adjacent to this church is Sint-Michielsbrug ( Saint Michael's Bridge ), and together they are one of the most iconic landmarks in the city.

Another excellent example of Gothic architectural styles is Ghent's Cathedral of St. Bavo (Sint-Baafskathedraal), with a choir dating back to the 13th century and a tower constructed in the 15th century.

Among Antwerp's historic churches is the late Gothic St. Paul's Church ( Sint-Pauluskerk), which is home to paintings by Van Dyck, Rubens, and Jordaens, and the country's largest Gothic cathedral, the Cathedral of Our Lady, which was begun in 1352.

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The 16 Best Things to Do in Belgium

Despite its small size, Belgium offers memorable experiences to travelers. Home to the European Capital (Brussels), the country has three official languages (French, Dutch, and German), over 1,500 beer labels, medieval castles, and many cities with well-preserved medieval architecture. Belgium has world-class art museums, and they excel in creating the best chocolates in the world, so trying the most famous Belgian sweet is far from an everyday experience.

The best time to visit the country is during the spring and summer when the days are often sunny, and there are many festivals. Although three days are enough to see the main attractions in Brussels, a perfect vacation in Belgium includes traveling beyond Brussels and exploring cities that blend tradition and modernity perfectly. Luckily, most places are connected by its efficient railway, and it's easy to plan a Belgian vacation. 

Appreciate the Grand Place's Architecture in Brussels

Built in the 15th century, the Grand Place was known as an important political center. The place underwent several changes through the centuries, but its well-preserved and impressive architecture turned the square into Belgium's most famous landmark. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the place is surrounded by the former guild houses (used for tax collecting in the past), the City Hall, and the Maison du Roi, the royal household of the King of France.

The Grand Place has excellent restaurants, including Le Cirio, Osteria A l'Ombra, and La Maison des Crèpes. The Delirium Café, a famous bar with over 2,000 brands of beers from across the globe, is just a few meters away. 

Discover the Atomium, Belgium's Most Famous Structure

The Atomium represents an elementary iron crystal cell enlarged 165 times. However, Belgium's most famous structure was supposed to be a temporary monument. The Atomium was built for the world's fair Expo 58, the first after World War II. The design is even more impressive inside, and it's possible to enter five of its nine orbs, where visitors will find exhibitions, light displays, a restaurant, and a gift shop. On top of that, the Atomium has a viewpoint with a panoramic view of Brussels.

The Atomium ticket also gives access to the Design Museum Brussels, which is dedicated to design history.

See All the European Wonders at Mini Europe

Mini Europe is located at the foot of Atomium and allows visitors to discover the whole European Union in a few hours. This open-air park features 350 miniatures of essential landmarks from 80 cities in Europe. The park has recreated spots such as the Grand Place (Brussels), Big Ben (London), and the Eiffel Tower (Paris) at a scale of 1/25.

Although it's a popular attraction for visitors with children, the complexity of details impresses people of all ages. For example, the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral (Spain) was perfectly recreated after 24,000 years of work, while the Town Hall of Brussels has 300 handmade sculptures.

Visit at Least One of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts

The Royal Museums of Fine Arts are six renowned art centers in Brussels, and they display the country's most important collection of visual art. The museums have a collection spanning over 20,000 drawings, sculptures, and paintings from different periods in History. Located in the heart of Brussels, the Museum of Ancient Art is the largest of them, and visitors can admire the work of classic artists, such as Van Dyck and Rubens. The Museum of Modern Art has a collection dating back to the 19th century, and the Belgian Surrealist artists are its highlight.

The Magritte Museum and the Fin-de-Siècle Museum are close to the main buildings. The Constantin Meunier Museum and the Antoine Wiertz Museum are located in another part of the city, allowing visitors to discover those artists' work while visiting their homes and studios.

Walk Along the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert

The Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert in Brussels are among the first shopping arcades built on the continent and are close to the Grand Place. It features three galleries named after royal titles: the Queen's Gallery, the King's Gallery, and the Princes' Gallery. Tourists and locals visit the place to admire its classic architecture inspired by the Italian Palace covered with a glass roof. The Galeries Royales display an array of luxury boutiques, jewelry shops, cafés, restaurants, Belgian chocolate shops, a cinema, a theater, and a bookshop. It's also possible to stay at the gallery, as there are hotel rooms and flats on the top floor, overlooking the galleries.

Find Out the Secrets Behind the Belgian Beers

Belgium has approximately 1,500 beers and hundreds of breweries scattered over the country. Although they can be easily purchased anywhere, visiting at least a brewery is a true immersion in the traditional beer culture. Located in Bruges, De Halve Maan Brewery is a family business, and they host tours where visitors can see how the beers are made.

Brewery De Koninck in Antwerpen offers an interactive experience and a tapped tasting before and during the tour. Of course, Brussels has a vast array of breweries, and Cantillon is arguably the favorite among tourists. The family business was created in 1900 and features a museum. 

Try the Best Chocolate and Waffles

Besides beer, Belgium is also famous for its chocolate and waffles. The Place du Grand Sablon in Brussels is a paradise for chocolate lovers, featuring a vast array of world-famous chocolatiers. The Artisan Chocolatier Mary ranks among the most popular shops in the area and exudes sophistication. The Frederic Blondeel sells freshly handcrafted chocolates as they roast the cocoa beans, aiming to highlight the flavor. The Wittame shop has a royal warrant, and their chocolate can be found at parties at the palace.

Waffles are another Belgian tradition, and they are traditionally served with butter and confectioner's sugar, but it's also possible to top it with fruits and cream. Maison Dandoy, Gaufres and Waffles, and the Waffle Factory are popular places to try the famous dessert. 

Take a Day Trip to Dinant

Located in the Wallonia region and 63 miles from Brussels, Dinant is a perfect destination for a day trip from Brussels. The picturesque town was built during the Middle Ages along the Meuse River overlooking a cliff. Visiting the 13th-century gothic church and the Maison Adolphe Sax (Saxophone's inventor) are the highlights of visiting Dinant. The Château fort de Crèvecœur stands above the city and has a panoramic view popular among visitors.

Beer fans can also visit Leffe, a village next to Dinant, which is home to one of Belgium's most famous beers. The Maison Leffe preserves the History of the beer named after the city.

Spend a Day Wandering on the Streets in Bruges

Bruges' historic center has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site thanks to its preserved medieval buildings and Gothic architecture. Tourists are attracted by its cobblestone streets, medieval architecture, and the famous market square, which has been held every Wednesday since 985. Yet, visitors can enjoy the restaurants on the historic buildings during the whole week. The historic center is turned into a vast Christmas market during the holiday season, featuring dozens of stalls, a giant Christmas tree, and an ice rink.

It's possible to spend the day wandering the streets on foot, taking a carriage, or seeing the city on a boat. The canals offer different angles from Brugges, going around the historic center and other areas.

Enter a Medieval Castle in Ghent

Few cities can claim they have a medieval castle located in the city center. The Gravensteen castle (or Castle of the Counts) in Ghent was built in the 9th century and is intertwined with the complex city's political History. One of the most well-preserved castles in Flanders is open for visitors, and during the tour, people can enter the count's residence, stables, torture chamber, ramparts, and gatehouse.

It's also possible to see the castle on a 40-minute guided boat tour through Medieval Ghent. The tour passes by other important landmarks, such as the St. Bavo's Cathedral and monasteries that date back to the 13th century. 

See the Famous Ghent Altarpiece

The Van Eyck brothers painted the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb in the 15th century, popularly known as the Ghent Altarpiece. The painting consists of 18 panels representing scenes from the Bible, starting with Adam and Eve. The masterpiece is displayed at St. Bavo's Cathedral, a landmark in the city.

St. Bavo's Cathedral is the most famous of the Drie Kerke , three medieval churches near each other, and a famous Ghent tourist attraction, even among non-religious visitors. The Saint Nicholas' Church and Saint Michael's Church also feature a Gothic style and are open to visitors. 

Have a Drink at Graslei and Korenlei in Ghent

Graslei and the Korenlei are quays dating back to the 11th century. Considered one of the most beautiful spots in Ghent, the place is one of the city's postcards thanks to the image of its historical buildings reflecting on the Lys River's waters. Most old houses along the river were turned into cafés and restaurants, where locals and tourists sit for a drink. The place becomes crowded during summer when more people take boat tours along the river.

One of the most famous spots at Graslei and the Korenlei is the Lovely Grasbrug, a bridge connecting Graslei and the Korenmarkt, a popular shopping area. 

Admire the Details at the Antwerp Central

The Antwerp Central Station is often ranked among the most beautiful train stations in the world, and it was inaugurated in 1905. Also known as the Railway Cathedral, the place was inspired by the Roman Pantheon, and it bears a resemblance to a religious building. The combination of glass, stones, and metals has created this unique station, also known for its heritage preservation and modern technologies.

Bars and restaurants surround the station. The Zoo Antwerpen, one of the best in the country, is just a few steps away from the station, and many families with children travel to Antwerp to visit it. 

Hire a Private Tour to Explore the Diamond District

Antwerp is widely known for being home to diamond mining companies responsible for supplying diamond dealers in many countries. The Diamond District is filled with jewelry shops, diamond workers, and merchants. It's possible to visit the area independently or hire a private tour that explains the details of the whole process involving the diamonds. The tours also stop by famous fashion ateliers in the city.

The DIVA, a museum dedicated to diamonds, jewelry, and silver, is essential for understanding the history of Antwerp and diamond dealing. The place is undergoing renovation, but visitors can stop by their atelier and museum shop until they reopen in March 2023.

Visit Pairi Daiza, One of the Best Zoos in Europe

Pairi Daiza, located in Brugelette, is a private zoo and botanical garden spanning over 65 hectares and home to over 7,000 animals from different continents. This award-winning Zoo has been voted the best in Europe, and it's recognized for its work in taking care of endangered species. They offer different experiences to visitors, including being a zoo keeper for one day and a special tour for children (available only in French).

Visitors can also have an immersive experience by spending a night at the Pairi Daiza Resort, which gives guests access to the Zoo one hour before it opens to the public. 

Spend a Day at Villers Abbey Ruins

The Villers Abbey, situated at Villers-la-Ville, was built in the 12th century and destroyed during the French revolution. The bucolic location kept attracting visitors, including the writer Victor Hugo. The ruins are open year-round, giving a glimpse of life back then, as they offer guided tours and walks and host open-air concerts, theater plays, and art exhibitions.

The ruins are located 20 miles from Brussels and can be reached by train or bus. Locals mainly visit the place, so it's an excellent activity for travelers trying to skip the crowds. The best time to see the site is during the spring and summer. 

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Belgium Itinerary: How to See the Best of Belgium in 3 or 4 Days

By Author Jurga

Posted on Last updated: May 27, 2023

Visiting Belgium for the first time and are not sure where to start with planning your trip? Then this post is for you. In this article, we feature a suggested Belgium itinerary that brings you to the most beautiful places in Belgium in three or four days . Read on!

Our tiny country is squeezed in between the top-tourist destinations like London , Amsterdam , or Paris and is therefore often overlooked. But Belgium has a lot to offer to any type of traveler!

Since I know that many people don’t have a lot of time to explore Belgium deeper, here are my very best recommendations for a short first trip to Belgium .

Even if you are visiting Belgium for just one or two days, you will be able to plan your trip using our tips below. But if you have the time, I recommend spending at least 3 or 4 days in Belgium .

My recommended three day Belgium itinerary includes the capital city Brussels and the most beautiful towns of Flanders – Antwerp, Ghent, and Bruges.

If you have four days in Belgium I also strongly recommend visiting one of the historic war sites in Belgium – either Ypres and WWI battlefields or Bastogne and its WWII museums and monuments.

TIP: The distances in Belgium are not big and there are good railway connections between all major towns. Therefore you can base yourself in any city and make day trips from there – that way you don’t have to pack/unpack all the time. But you can, of course, stay in a different town every day as well. Find out!

Good to know: Since most of the main highlights of Belgium are towns, you can visit Belgium in any season. 

Recommended Belgium itinerary:

Day 1: Brussels

Brussels is the capital of Belgium and a city every tourist has to see at least once. In my opinion, one day is plenty of time in order to see the main highlights of Brussels. If you want to visit museums (Musical Instruments Museum is my favorite and there are so many more) and less centrally located areas you will, of course, need more time.

Here is my suggested itinerary for Brussels in one day:

In the morning, take a walk in the town center and don’t miss the following places:

• Grand Place and the Town Hall. The central square of Brussels is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most beautiful town squares in the world. Surrounded by the decorative 17the century guild houses, the impressive City Hall and the Maison du Roi (now the Brussels City Museum) it’s a place not to be missed. My favorite time to go is in the evening when the crowds are smaller and the buildings are nicely lit.
• Manneken Pis.  According to one of the legends, the little peeing boy saved the city from the fire and is the ultimate symbol of Brussels. The iconic bronze statue will surprise you with its small size. Depending on the day you visit, you might see him naked or dressed. Manneken Pis has over 1000 costumes for all kinds of different occasions. Here you can read the real story of Manneken-Pis and how he became so popular.
• Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert . The 19th-century pedestrian gallery with numerous boutiques and restaurants is not to be missed.
• St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral . Finished at the beginning of the 16th century, the impressive Gothic cathedral took over 300 years to build. It is here that all significant Belgian monarchy’s celebrations take place: coronations, weddings, and state funerals.
• Royal Palace of Brussels.  The official palace of the Belgian King in the center of Brussels is used for all kinds of official events and can be visited from the end of July till the beginning of September. The Royal family itself lives in the Castle of Laeken, on the outskirts of Brussels.
• Mont des Arts. This ‘hill of the arts’ is a nice garden overlooking the Sablon area and the City Hall of Brussels.
• Brussels Stock Exchange . Impressive architecture.

In the afternoon take a metro to the Heysel area and visit   Atomium . If you have an hour to spare, you may want to visit Mini Europe  as well. It’s one of the nicest family-friendly attractions in Brussels. Combination tickets are available for both attractions.

In the evening head back to the city center of Brussels, see the nicely lit Grand Place, and check out the famous dining area –  Rue des Bouchers. I don’t advise dining here as the restaurants are real tourist traps, but this street has such a unique atmosphere that no visit to Brussels would be complete without passing by here.

A bit hidden out of sight, the ‘sister’ of the Manneken Pis – Jeanneke Pis can be found in a small alley next to the Rue des Bouchers.

LEARN MORE: Best Things to Do in Brussels

Some practical tips for visiting Brussels:

• Brussels is a good base for exploring Belgium. There are direct train connections to all the major towns.
• Where to eat. Like in many cities, there are many good restaurants in Brussels, but there are real tourist traps as well. One of our favorites for traditional Belgian food in the center of Brussels is ‘t Kelderke located right on Grand Place. Despite its central location, this restaurant managed to maintain high-quality standards for many years. Recently we discovered a really nice Italian restaurant – Spago that I would also recommend.
• Safety. Brussels is a rather safe city, but – as in any other big city – there are some areas to avoid and simple safety tips to follow. For more information, please check our guide – is Brussels safe?
• Where to stay. If you decide to use Brussels as your base for exploring Belgium, I would advise staying close to the Central Station (e.g. Hilton Grand Place ) – from there you can easily get to the airport and to the other towns. Here you can read our complete guide to the best places to stay in Brussels and here you can find the top 10 of the most popular hotels in Brussels center .

READ ALSO: Brussels Christmas Market & Brussels Flower Carpet

Day 2: Antwerp

Antwerp is my personal favorite Belgian town. It’s not as big as Brussels, not as touristic as Bruges or Ghent, and therefore has a more authentic feeling. I strongly suggest that you spend the whole day in Antwerp.

Since we live nearby, I have quite a few more detailed blog posts highlighting the  best things to do in Antwerp with kids ,  exploring Antwerp by bike , etc.

Below are my suggestions for the main places you have to see in Antwerp.  Below, you can find a link to our more detailed guide to the best things to do in Antwerp, including a suggested city walk with the map.

• Central Station
• Antwerp Zoo
• Rubens House
• Groenplaats
• Cathedral of Our Lady
• Grote Markt
• Steen Castle
• MAS rooftop terrace
• The New Port House
• Starline Museum

LEARN MORE: Best Things to Do in Antwerp & Antwerp Hidden Gems

Some practical tips for visiting Antwerp:

• Antwerp is very well located and has excellent connections to Brussels Airport and Brussels city center (35-40 min), but also to Ghent (50 min) and Bruges (1h30).
• In my view, Antwerp is as good a place to base yourself for exploring Belgium as Brussels. Depending on when you visit, it’s likely that it will be somewhat cheaper to stay in Antwerp than in Brussels. Here you can find accommodation in Antwerp .

Day 3: Ghent and Bruges

While some people choose to spend the whole day in each Ghent and Bruges, you can see the very best these cities have to offer in just half a day as well. So if you are short on time, you can visit Ghent and Bruges on the same day. The train between the two towns only takes 35 minutes.

Alternatively, you can take an organized day trip from Brussels  – they will take you to the most beautiful spots of these two must-see Flemish towns.

I suggest that you go to Ghent first (you’ll see why later). The Dampoort Railway Station is the one closest to the old historic town center.

Here are the main places not to be missed in Ghent:

• Gravensteen. The 10th-century castle is worth a short visit.
• Leie river. Take a walk along Graslei and Korenlei and past  St Michael’s Bridge.  A great way to explore Ghent is by taking a short boat trip.
• Saint-Bavo’s Cathedral . Inside you can opt to visit the famous  Ghent Altarpiece , aka the Mystic Lamb painting.
• Belfry and Cloth Hall and St. Nicholas Church are also worth a short visit.

Have lunch in Ghent, then head back to the Dampoort Railway Station and take a train to Bruges.

I always advise visiting Bruges toward the evening because it’s crowded with tourists during the day. Bruges is a fairytale-like place, but it’s difficult to truly appreciate it if you have to squeeze your way through the crowds.

However, only a very small percentage of tourists actually stay in Bruges, so in the evening the city is completely deserted, and you can have the whole place to yourselves. 

If you come by train, plan to stay late in the evening and explore the beautiful canals after all the day tourists have left. It’s my very best tip for anyone visiting Bruges for the first time.

Here are the main things to do in Bruges for first-time visitors:

• Lake of Love – Minnewater .
• The old beguinage Ten Wijngaerde.
• Belfort of Bruges – you can climb this medieval tower for beautiful views.
• Market Place – the central town square of Bruges.
• Burg Square is really beautiful too. Take a narrow passageway left from the City Hall towards the Vismarkt (Fish Market), then go right (South) and follow the canals in the direction of the Church of Our Lady .
• A real must-do in Bruges is a boat ride on the canals .
• If you have some time left, you could visit one of the breweries – De Halve Maan Brewery or Bourgogne des Flanders Brewery .

Have dinner in one of the many restaurants in Bruges and head back to the canals. As I said, it’s a very different atmosphere in the evening.

LEARN MORE: Best Things to Do in Bruges

TIP: if you are planning to visit the WWI battlefields (see below), then it’s best to stay in Bruges to avoid driving up and down too much.

Day 4: World War I Battlefields near Ypres

To some people, WWI battlefields are the main reason to visit Belgium. But the majority of tourists never even consider it…

I have to admit that it took us many years to get there (and we live in Belgium), but it was so worth it! There is so much history in those war cemeteries, fields, and trenches! 

We now visited Ypres and the WWI battlefields several times, with our kids, and it’s an experience I would recommend to everyone. Below, you can find a link to a detailed guide for your visit.

Here are the main places not to miss when visiting the WWI battlefields:

• Ypres: In Flanders Fields Museum and the Menin Gate
• Tyne Cot Cemetery and Memorial
• Langemark German War Cemetery
• Yser Tower – IJzertoren Diksmuide
• Trench of Death, Diksmuide
• Essex Farm Cemetery
• Vladslo German War Cemetery

LEARN MORE: Ypres and the WWI Battlefields

Some practical tips for visiting the WWI battlefields:

• You will need a car to get there, or you can join an organized day tour from Bruges .

TIP: If you are interested in the history of the Second World War, you may want to visit Bastogne town in the French-speaking part of Belgium.

LEARN MORE: Bastogne War Museum & Mardasson Memorial

If you only have three or four days in Belgium, then this itinerary is all you need. If you have more time and are looking for ideas on what else to see, check our other blog posts about Belgium for more inspiration.

You could also consider visiting the French-speaking part of Belgium with beautiful places like Namur, Dinant , Durbuy, etc. Luxembourg is also just a 2,5 hours drive from Brussels and there are lots of beautiful places to visit near Luxembourg .

Winter TIP: If you are visiting Belgium in winter , don’t miss our Christmas markets. Here you can find our selection of the best Christmas markets in Belgium .

Summer TIP for families: If you are visiting Belgium with kids, take them to a theme park. Here you can read about our recommended Belgian theme parks .

Belgium FAQ

Here are some frequently asked questions that our readers ask about visiting Belgium:

As a minimum, we recommend 3-4 days in Belgium. With 3 days, you can briefly visit the most beautiful cities such as Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, and Bruges. If you have 4 days, you can also visit some of the famous Belgian war sites.

Belgium is a year round destination and because most landmarks are located in the cities, you can visit at any time of the year. For the best weather, come between April and September. In summer, Belgium hosts lots of festivals and events. From mid-November until January, you can visit Belgian Christmas markets.

Belgium is a small country and it’s possible to stay in one place and see everything. For that, Brussels is probably the best place to stay. Alternatively, Antwerp or Ghent are also well located for exploring the main cities in Belgium. If you decide to stay in Brussels, we recommend staying close to the Central Station. That way, you can easily make day trips to other destinations in Belgium.

Yes, Belgium is absolutely worth visiting! There is so much history, stunning architecture, and arts. Also Belgian food is worth a trip in itself.

The main highlights of Belgium are its cities. Don’t miss Brussels, the canals of Bruges, Antwerp city center, and charming Ghent. If you are interested in war history, Belgium has some interesting war sites, especially around Ypres and Bastogne.

Belgium has a reputation for being a rainy country. However, in recent years, we often have very long periods with no rain at all. While there is always a chance that it will rain in Belgium, you can also have the most beautiful sunny weather during the entire trip. In principle, the driest months in Belgium are between April and September.

READ ALSO: Fun & Interesting Facts About Belgium

More tips for visiting Benelux:

• Brussels in summer: Brussels Flower Carpet
• Belgium in winter: What It’s Like to Travel in Belgium in Winter & Brussels Christmas Market & Antwerp Christmas Market & Bruges Christmas Market
• Antwerp: Best Things to Do in Antwerp & Hidden Gems of Antwerp
• Amsterdam: Best Things to Do in Amsterdam & 1 Day in Amsterdam & 2 Days in Amsterdam
• Netherlands: Best Day Trips in the Netherlands & Best Tulip Fields in the Netherlands
• Luxembourg: Best Day Trips from Luxembourg

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Friday 16th of August 2024

Hi, thanks for you article.

I liked the activies in Brussels, however, the idea to visit Mini Europa is completely ridiculous. No Belgian would ever suggest this place to be a highlight, especially not for a 3-4 day trip.

Kind regards.

Well, I'm a Belgian and so is my family, and we have been to Mini-Europe a few times. We also took some international visitors and everyone always enjoyed it. Many overseas tourists love it too, so we like to show our readers different options and let them decide what they like to see and do. Thousands of amazing reviews (e.g. on GYG - also from Belgians and people from neighboring countries) show that many people find it more than worth it. But I'm sure there are plenty of others - like you - who have different opinions (often without ever having set a foot inside ;)). In fact, I personally wouldn't go to the Atomium just for it alone, but in combination with the Mini-Europe, it becomes well worth a detour from the city center. But that's just my opinion. And yes, there are plenty of other great things to do in Brussels, especially for museum enthusiasts.

Joe Hartnett

Saturday 13th of July 2024

Hello Jurga: We are strongly considering visiting Belgium next Spring. It is best to know that we are also 65+ years old. We like to take our time and not rush. Belgium looks very interesting to me. Do you think that 12 days would be too long to visit Brussels, Ghent, and Bruges? Thanks, Joe

Tuesday 6th of August 2024

@Jurga, Thanks Jurga These smaller towns don't appear in the guide books

Monday 15th of July 2024

Hi Joe, 12 days is a nice amount of time to explore Belgium, but I would venture outside these main cities as well. Spend a few days in Brussels, a few in Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges. Visit the war sites if you are interested, spend some time at the coast (we love a seaside walk between De Haan and Wenduine, for example, or the sand dunes of De Panne, and Oostende is well worth a visit too). If you are visiting during the orchard blossom season, visit the area around Sint-Truiden - Borgloon (don't miss the “Reading between the Lines” See-through Church). Hallerbos near Brussels is worth seeing when the bluebells bloom. If you want to see some nice smaller towns, check out Mechelen, Leuven, Hasselt, Ypres, or Lier in Flanders or Namur, Dinant, Durbuy, Liege, Bastogne, or the Caste of Bouillon in the French-speaking part of Belgium. There is so much to see and you won't have difficulties filling two weeks or even more. Have a great trip!

Need your advise. We are planning a trip that starts in Paris and we want see Bastogne, Beigium because our father was in the Battle of the Bulge. We also want to stop in Bayeux and Deauville France. Please let me know how you would plan the travel and if it is doable in 4 - 5 days. Your expertise and advise very welcome. Thank you, margaret

Hi Margaret, the best way to visit all these places would be by renting a car. We use this website to find the best deals for car hire. We also recommend using Google Maps to plan your trip, estimate driving times and distances, etc. Just keep in mind that depending on when you travel, traffic can be very busy around the main cities so you need to factor in some extra time for potential traffic jams. I don't know if you have looked at the map already. Bastogne is about 4 hours drive from Paris and in a totally different direction than Bayeux or Deauville (which are both also at least 3 hours drive away). If you have 4-5 days outside of Paris, you could plan a nice little road trip, but if you only have that much time including the city and want to use Paris as your base, then you have to prepare for some very long drives on at least two days. Also, driving in and around Paris can be quite stressful if you aren't used to it, so I would never use the city as your base if renting a car. Hope this helps. Good luck with the planning and have a great trip!

Wednesday 26th of June 2024

Hi there, I am taking my son to the Spa Grand Prix in July (staying in Trois -Ponts) and am going to combine it with some sightseeing around Belgium. Having read your fabulous article, we will visit Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent and Bruges. I am trying to decide the best way to travel, my options are i) to drive from UK to Calais via the shuttle and then do Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels and then to Spa. How easy is it to drive around and park in these towns and cities? ii) Fly to Brussels and a) hire a car or b) take train to the various places and just hire a car to go to Spa iii) Euro star and train to the various places and then hire a car at Brussels to travel to Spa

If I drive, we will leave Spa on Sunday evening and get the shuttle back sometime on Monday, any recommendations are where to stay over / visit on the way back to Calais?

Thanks in advance.

Thursday 27th of June 2024

Hi Nicola, only you can decide what makes the most sense for you. Overall, you don't need a car to explore the main cities and if you have one, it will likely make things more complex. Some places (like Antwerp) have low-emission zones where not all cars are allowed, in Brussels, there are very strict speed limits, and in most cities, parking is very expensive and not always easy to find. Plus, there are constant traffic jams, all over Flanders and around Brussels. July will be quieter than normal since it's a school holiday, but still. If it were me, I would do as much as possible by train and only rent a car to visit Spa (although even that is possible by public transport, but is a bit less straightforward than places that can easily be reached by train). And yes, Eurostar is usually so much more relaxing than flying, especially if you are coming from London. Otherwise, if you live close to an airport, that could be easier. Once again, see what makes sense for you. And if you drive between Spa and Calais, you could stop at Dinant or Namur for a few hours. But if you are looking for a place closer to Calais, then Lille in France is the nicest option. It's a beautiful city.

Joan Williams

Saturday 27th of April 2024

I saved your article for years (due to Covid). We were finally in Belgium this past week. I found your suggestions extremely helpful. We had dinner at Spago and it was very good. We toured Brussels and went to Bruges and Ghent in one day. We skipped Antwerp and went to Leuven instead. A local we met on the train suggested it. The people are very friendly and helpful. Thanks for a very helpful article.

Monday 29th of April 2024

Glad to hear that you enjoyed the trip, Joan, but it's a pity you missed Antwerp. Next time ;).

Brussels   Travel Guide

Courtesy of Getty Images |

20 Best Things to Do in Brussels, Belgium

Of all the tourist attractions in the Belgian capital, most visitors will want to make a beeline for the UNESCO-listed Grand-Place ; time your visit for the morning to avoid the crowds – and make sure to stop off at the Manneken-Pis statue, another

• All Things To Do

Grand-Place Grand-Place free

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Grand-Place sits in the heart of Brussels and is renowned for its many Gothic and Baroque-style buildings. Delightfully ornate guildhouses line the square, which is home to the dramatic City Hall and Maison du Roi  (which houses the Brussels City Museum), both of which are open to the public. At Christmas, enjoy the Winter Wonders sound and light show at night along with a massive Christmas tree, and every August, admire an enormous carpet made of flowers  on the Grand-Place.

Travelers love the Grand-Place for its stunning architecture. Recent reviewers suggested visiting during the day to admire the architectural details of the buildings, and at night to soak up the vibrant atmosphere that takes over the square. Because of its popular, the Grand-Place is a magnet for crowds – a common complaint among visitors – but if you time your visit for a weekday or early in the morning on a weekend, it'll be less hectic. Be aware that the bars and restaurants around here tout inflated prices, according to past travelers, but arguably it is worth the investment to enjoy the stunning setting.

Atomium Atomium

The most popular tourist attraction in Brussels, the Atomium is a depiction of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. It was originally built for the 1958 World's Fair in Brussels and embodies the faith in scientific progress that characterized that time period. Today, the iconic landmark is considered a symbol of both Brussels and Belgium.

Inside, a permanent three-floor exhibition charts the Atomium's history. The highlight is definitely the stunning panorama over the city that can be seen from the building's upper sphere. The highest sphere contains a restaurant, where it's worth stopping for a drink or classic Belgian dishes.

Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert free

A stately Renaissance-style arcade built in the mid-1800s, Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert (Royal Gallery of Saint Hubert) was one of the first shopping malls in Europe. With a glass roof once known as the "umbrella of Brussels," the building – which comprises three separate galleries, the Queen's Gallery, King's Gallery and Princes' Gallery – once attracted literary stars Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas.

Around 6 million visitors come to the Galeries every year to enjoy high-end stores selling everything from clothing to chocolate to diamonds; major Belgian brands to watch out for include leather specialists Delvaux and the original boutique of Neuhaus, inventors of the praline. The Galeries Royales also house restaurants, galleries, a cinema, a bookstore and a boutique hotel, Hotel des Galeries.

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Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium

U.S. News Insider Tip: If you're keen to check out more art, a short walk from the museum you'll find the unmissable cultural center Bozar . The building is another gem by Victor Horta and houses a cinema, a Michelin-starred restaurant and reliably hip exhibitions. – Clodagh Kinsella

The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium is a group of six different art museums, four of which are currently open to the public: the Oldmasters Museum, Meunier Museum, Wiertz Museum and Magritte Museum. Together, they contain a collection of 20,000 works dating from the 15th century to modern day.

Manneken-Pis Manneken-Pis free

This bronze statue of a little boy peeing ( manneken pis translates to "little man pee" in Dutch) embodies the rebellious Brussels spirit, as well as the country's love of surrealism. It was first a public fountain that played an essential role in providing drinking water, but as it has lost that role, it has only gained in renown.

Though the original statue dates back to the 17th century, the one on display is actually a replica; the original was moved to the Brussels City Museum in the 1960s after it had been stolen one too many times. The statue has donned about 900 different costumes, which can be admired at the nearby GardeRobe Manneken Pis , a small museum that displays a fraction of the statue's costumes.

Mini-Europe Mini-Europe

This fun-packed open-air theme park north of central Brussels features scale models of more than 350 of Europe's most famous landmarks, from Athens' Acropolis and the canals of Venice to London's Big Ben and Paris' Eiffel Tower. What's more, each replica is equipped with visual and sound effects, and many of the park's miniature attractions are interactive, so visitors can make Mount Vesuvius erupt or dismantle the Berlin Wall. Among the scale models is an extensively landscaped parkland that's decorated with 60,000 plants.

Many past visitors agreed that Mini-Europe is a great place to bring children. They particularly liked the interactive nature of some exhibits, and clever scenography that changes to keep up with real-world events, such as displays reflecting Brexit or the climate crisis. Many took advantage of the on-site cafe, which they described as basic, but convenient, while others reported that there are good facilities in general, and that the attraction is located close to public transport.

Hôtel de Ville de Bruxelles (City Hall of Brussels) Hôtel de Ville de Bruxelles (City Hall of Brussels)

Built in the 15th century, the Hôtel de Ville de Bruxelles (City Hall) is a jewel of Gothic architecture, its façade decorated with endless sculptures and its tower topped by a spire supporting the city's protector, St. Michael. While the building caught fire during the prolonged bombardment of the city by the French in 1695, the façade and tower are still original; they were among the only parts of the Grand-Place to survive.

While strolling around the Grand-Place, you'll want to explore the interior of the City Hall. Inside, you'll find tapestries, paintings and coats of arms depicting six centuries of the city's history. You can take a self-guided tour using a companion smartphone guide, or opt to pay a bit more for a guided tour. In addition to an English-speaking guide, you'll also get the chance to climb the hall's tower for spectacular 360-degree views of the city. Note that you can only climb the hall's tower if you pay for the guided tour.

St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral free

Built in the Brabantine Gothic style, this cathedral is so named for its chapel dedicated to St. Michael and for housing the relics of St. Gudula – the two patron saints of Brussels. Work began on its current structure in the 13th century and took some 300 years to complete. Inside, you will find stained-glass windows, statues of the 12 apostles, paintings and a new Grenzing organ. Below the current church are the remains of an 11th-century Romanesque church and crypt.

Past visitors appreciated the architecture of the church, with its stunning façade and mesmerizingly grand interior; some noted the beauty of the stained-glass windows and the carved wooden pulpit, while others advised that it is particularly stunning at Christmas owing to its festive decor. The general view was that the archaeological remains beneath the cathedral were only worth paying to access for those that have a special interest in the subject. 

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Parc du Cinquantenaire Parc du Cinquantenaire free

Built in 1880 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Belgium's independence, the Parc du Cinquantenaire is a large French-style park located at the eastern end of the European Quarter (also known as Leopold Quarter). The park's centerpiece is a huge triumphal arch that is topped by a bronze horse-drawn carriage and flanked by the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History and Autoworld, a vintage car museum that’s a hit with car lovers. The park is also home to the Art & History Museum, Belgium's oldest mosque and a pavilion by famed Art Nouveau architect, Victor Horta.

Past visitors said the park is a relaxing and peaceful place to get away from the hustle and bustle of Brussels, but also that it regularly hosts events like arts festivals, concerts and other celebrations. Many referred to its huge size, its well-maintained gardens and, if you're hungry, an on-site food truck offering waffles; others said it was great for running or taking photos.

Musical Instruments Museum Musical Instruments Museum

Partly housed in the former Old England department store, a landmark 1899 Art Nouveau building, the Musical Instruments Museum (also known as the "MIM") is located about a half-mile from the Grand-Place . Inside, you'll find more than 1,200 instruments from around the globe displayed across four floors; there are some rare instruments in the collection, including 16th-century bells. What's more, the museum gives visitors the opportunity to hear what these instruments sound like, greatly adding to the fun. On the top floor, a restaurant offers fantastic views of the city.

Recent visitors were impressed with the variety of instruments inside the museum, its unique concept and the lovely Art Nouveau building itself. Almost all suggested taking advantage of the free audio guide, which allows visitors to hear the sounds of the instruments; this is all the more important as there is limited signage in English. Travelers also recommend allowing at least two hours for a visit to have the time to properly experience the museum.

Église Notre-Dame des Victoires du Sablon Église Notre-Dame des Victoires du Sablon free

U.S. News Insider Tip: Continue walking west from the Place du Grand Sablon and you'll soon reach the vibrant Marolles district. This is a brilliant place to browse for antiques and vintage design; the Place du Jeu de Balle hosts a huge flea market. – Clodagh Kinsella

This impressive Brabantine Gothic church's origins date back to the 13th century, when it was a chapel belonging to the local crossbowmen's guild. Its legend is wrapped up with the theft of a statue of the Virgin Mary from an Antwerp church, an event detailed in the city's annual Ommegang procession. In the late 15th and early 16th centuries, it was converted into a larger Gothic church to house the growing number of pilgrims on the Compostela route. The church's interior features stunning stained-glass windows, and a chapel and crypt dedicated to the prominent Thurn und Taxis family, who long controlled the Brussels postal service.

Museum of Natural Sciences Museum of Natural Sciences

Set aside plenty of time for this museum, which will delight the science and dinosaur lover of all ages. With some 38 million specimens on hand (only a fraction of which are on display), the museum has the largest natural history collection in Europe behind those in Paris and London.

Don't miss the dinosaur gallery, the largest room in Europe devoted to dinos, to see a replica of the largest and most complete male T. rex known today, along with 30 realtivley complete iguanodon skeletons that were discovered in Belgium in 1878. There is also a gallery devoted to human evolution with interactive and life-size 3D reconstructions.

Train World Train World

Railway enthusiasts will enjoy a stop at Train World, which lies in a railway station on the route of Belgium's first ever train track.

Inside, you can learn about the history of Belgium's pioneering railway, see the Pays de Waes, the oldest remaining steam engine in Europe, and also check out Le Belge, the first locomotive to be built in Belgium. There are many interactive elements that bring the museum's exhibits to life, including one that gives visitors the chance to feel what it's like to drive a train.

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Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History

The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History traces the world's military history from the Middle Ages to today, displaying weaponry, uniforms, artwork and airplanes from various points in time across nearly 450,000 square feet of space. There's a particularly robust World War I exhibit broken up into two galleries, and you should also spend a fair amount of time in the aviation hall, which features more than 100 aircraft, including zeppelins, F-16s and more. Through the museum you can also gain access to the panoramic terrace atop the triumphal arch in the Parc du Cinquantenaire .

Recent visitors said that the museum's large size means that you could easily spend a whole day here. Many praised the aircraft collection and the amazing views from the terrace. On the downside, there was a sense that the museum could do with some updates, as some exhibits are a little dusty, and others reported that there is not a lot of information in English. What's more, some displays may be off-limits due to ongoing renovation work.

Horta Museum Horta Museum

Architecture lovers should not pass up the chance to see where Victor Horta – one of the founders of the Art Nouveau movement – lived and worked. Don't be deceived by the relatively plain façade: inside the building, which was constructed between 1898 and 1901, there are four floors of wonderful Art Nouveau decoration.

As you walk through the Horta Museum, admire the gorgeous spiral staircase, sinuous wrought iron features, and an array of murals, stained glass and mosaics that are largely intact from the house's original construction. There are also documents related to Horta's life and work, and along with temporary exhibitions.

Royal Palace of Brussels Royal Palace of Brussels free

While the Belgian royal family doesn't live in the Royal Palace, as the king's administrative residence and main workplace, it has a major role in their daily lives and is used for receiving visiting dignitaries. The building dates back to King Leopold II and contains many impressive reception rooms; alongside the opulent Throne Room, where speeches and Christmas concerts are held, the stunning Mirror Room features a ceiling that is covered by nearly 1.5 million jeweled scarab beetles (courtesy of a 2002 installation by prominent Belgian artist Jan Fabre). A recent renovation due to end in late 2024 has left the building's exterior gleaming.

Every summer since 1965, the Royal Palace of Brussels has opened its doors to the public just after the July 21 bank holiday until the third week of August (exact dates vary each year); visitors are welcome from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. One-hour self-guided smartphone tours allow travelers to glimpse the palace's public rooms free of charge. Due to renovations, the palace will not be open to visitors in 2024; when visits resume, check the Royal Palace of Brussels website for booking details.

Cantillon Brewery Cantillon Brewery

Founded in 1900, the pioneering Cantillon was long the only active brewery in Brussels. While there has been a recent revival in the local brewing scene, it remains the only operational lambic brewery, and a visit is an absolute must – indeed the brewery and its on-site museum were included in the book “1,000 Places to See Before You Die.”

Besides lambic, you can enjoy traditional beers like gueuze and kriek, admire the historic brewing equipment on a tour, or even attend a public brewing session to see the action firsthand.

Choco-Story Brussels Choco-Story Brussels

The first ever chocolate museum in Belgium charts the history of the sweet stuff from the Aztecs through to the rise of chocolate in Europe and the invention of the Belgian praline. Along with the history of chocolate, you'll also learn how chocolate is made, starting with the harvesting of cocoa pods and beans and the various techniques used to create the chocolate products we know and love.

Fun and interactive tours include a demonstration where visitors can see how pralines are made, and, naturally, there are tasting sessions so you can actually try the chocolates yourself. For a hands-on experience, you can pay extra to participate in a chocolate-making workshop.

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Belgian Comic Strip Center Belgian Comic Strip Center

U.S. News Insider Tip: Comics mania in Brussels isn't limited to museums: the walls of the city are also adorned with more than 80 comic murals. The tourist board outlines various routes taking you to artworks in different neighborhoods on its Comic Strip Trail page. – Clodagh Kinsella

Belgium is the birthplace of many legendary comic characters, including Tintin and the Smurfs, and is also home to more than 700 comic strip artists. In fact, Belgians are just as crazy about comics as the French, so it's no wonder the city pays tribute to the comic art in the form of a dedicated museum.

Parc de Laeken Parc de Laeken free

This sprawling English-style park was completed in 1880 by the same architect behind the city's Bois de la Cambre.

Besides a vast monument to King Leopold I, the park contains numerous points of interest for tourists, including the royal family's official home, the Royal Palace , which can be admired from the outside; and the nearby Royal Greenhouses of Laeken , which open to the public in spring.

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Travel Advisory July 26, 2023

Belgium - level 2: exercise increased caution.

Reissued with obsolete COVID-19 page links removed.

Exercise increased caution in Belgium due to  terrorism.

Country Summary : Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in Belgium. Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, local government facilities, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, parks, major sporting, music, and cultural events, educational institutions, airports, and other public areas.

Read the country information page for additional information on travel to Belgium.

If you decide to travel to Belgium:   

• Be aware of your surroundings when traveling to tourist locations and crowded public venues.
• Monitor local media for breaking events and be prepared to adjust your plans.
• Enroll in the  Smart Traveler Enrollment Program  ( STEP ) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Follow the Department of State on  Facebook  and  Twitter . 
• Review the  Country Security Report  for Belgium.
• Visit the CDC page for the latest Travel Health Information related to your travel.
• Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the  Traveler’s Checklist .

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Must be valid for at least three months beyond your planned date of departure from  the Schengen area . The 12-page U.S. emergency passport is not valid for visa-free entry into Belgium.

2 pages minimum

Not required for stays under 90 days

10,000 Euros or equivalent

Embassies and Consulates

U.s. embassy brussels.

27 Boulevard du Régent (the Consular Section is at 25 Boulevard du Régent) B-1000 Brussels Belgium Telephone:  +(32) (2) 811-4000 Emergency After-Hours Telephone: +(32) (0) 2-811-4000 Fax: +(32) (2) 811-4546 Email:  [email protected]

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Entry, Exit and Visa Requirements

Traveling Through Europe : Belgium is a party to the Schengen Agreement. If you are planning to visit or travel through European countries, you should be familiar with the requirements of the Schengen Agreement. 

• Your passport should be valid for at least three months beyond the period of stay. If you plan on transiting or visiting a Schengen country review our U.S. Travelers in Europe page .
• You will need sufficient proof of funds and a return plane ticket .

Visit the  Embassy of Belgium  website for the most current visa information.

The Government of Belgium does not recognize the 12-page U.S. emergency passport, issued by U.S. embassies and consulates overseas, as a valid travel document for visa-free entry into Belgium. If traveling on this emergency passport, you may be refused boarding and/or entry by immigration officials. Only direct transit through Belgium for a destination in the United States is permitted with an emergency passport. You should check entry requirements of any other country of destination to make sure the emergency passport is accepted for entry.

HIV/AIDS RESTRICITONS:  The U.S. Department of State is unaware of any HIV/AIDS entry restrictions for visitors to or foreign residents of Belgium.

Find information on dual nationality , prevention of international child abduction , and customs regulations on our website.

Safety and Security

Terrorism:  Terrorist groups and those inspired by such organizations are intent on attacking U.S. citizens abroad, including possible attacks in Europe. Terrorists are increasingly using less sophisticated methods of attack – including knives, firearms, rudimentary IEDs, and vehicles – to more effectively target crowds. Frequently, their aim is unprotected or vulnerable targets, such as:

• High-profile public events (sporting contests, political rallies, demonstrations, holiday events, celebratory gatherings, concerts, etc.)
• Hotels, clubs, and restaurants frequented by tourists
• Places of worship
• Parks/festivals
• Shopping malls and markets
• Public transportation systems (including subways, buses, trains, and airports/scheduled commercial flights)

For more information, see our Terrorism page.

• Low-level street crime including robberies, smash and grab car robberies, purse snatchings, stealing electronics, and pickpocketing is common, particularly in major cities, in public areas such as restaurants, the Brussels metro at night, buses/trams, and all train stations. Thieves often operate in teams, by bumping into or shoving the target, especially in crowds. Be alert to distractions.
• Theft from vehicles is common. Always drive with your windows up and the doors locked, as thieves sometimes target cars stopped at traffic lights. Thieves may smash the window and grab valuables. Use parking garages when possible, and if you must use street parking, look for a spot near a street light. Do not leave anything visible on the seats, floor, or dashboard.
• Theft of bags on trains has increased, particularly the Brussels-Amsterdam route. Thieves often target light bags placed overhead. Keep bags with cash, valuables, and travel documents close to you, rather than in the overhead shelf on trains.
• Carry only a minimal amount of cash, credit cards, and necessary personal identification. 
• Avoid wearing expensive jewelry and watches.

Demonstrations   occur frequently . They may take place in response to political or economic issues, on politically significant holidays, and during international events. Avoid areas around protests and demonstrations. 

• Police routinely monitor protestors and demonstrations.
• Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly become violent. Check local media for updates and traffic advisories.
• Monitor the  Embassy website for demonstration alerts.  

International Financial Scams: U.S. citizens have lost tens of thousands of dollars in scams in Belgium. See the  Department of State  and the  FBI  pages for more information.

• Common internet scams include confidence schemes, in which friends, family, or others receive a message that a U.S. citizen traveler is stranded in Belgium and in need of funds to pay for customs fees.
• U.S. citizens in the United States who have been victimized by Internet crime should report it to the  Internet Crime Complaint Center .
• Check ATMs or other machines for skimmers or removeable readers. When possible utilize bank ATMs. In bars and restaurants, have the card swiped in front of you and do not let it be taken away.

Victims of Crime: U.S. citizen victims of sexual assault are encouraged to contact the U.S. Embassy for assistance. Report crimes to the local police at 101 . For all other emergencies, please dial  112 . Contact the U.S. Embassy at  +(32) (2) 811-4000 . Remember that local authorities are responsible for investigating and prosecuting crime.

The Belgian Commission for Financial Assistance to Victims of Intentional Acts of Violence  provides financial compensation, under specific circumstances, for victims of crime and for those who have suffered injuries and consequent losses caused by such incidents. The Commission also provides for dependents or immediate family members of homicide victims. For more information, contact the Commission by phone at  32-2-542-7208; 32-2-542-7218; 32-2-542-7224; 32-2-542-7229, or 32-2-542-7244;  by e-mail at  [email protected]  or  [email protected] ; or visit the  Ministry of Justice website  (French and Dutch only).

See our webpage on  help for U.S. victims of crime overseas .

• Help you find appropriate medical care
• Assist you in reporting a crime to the police
• Contact relatives or friends with your written consent
• Provide general information regarding the victim’s role during the local investigation and following its conclusion
• Provide a list of local attorneys
• Provide our information on  victim’s compensation programs in the United States 
• Provide an emergency loan for repatriation to the United States and/or limited medical support in cases of destitution
• Help you find accommodation and arrange flights home
• Replace a stolen or lost passpor

Domestic Violence:  U.S. citizen victims of domestic violence may contact the Embassy for assistance.

Tourism: The tourism industry is generally regulated and rules are regularly enforced. Hazardous areas/activities are identified with appropriate signage and professional staff is typically on hand in support of organized activities. In the event of an injury, appropriate medical treatment is widely available throughout the country. Outside of a major metropolitan center, it may take more time for first responders and medical professionals to stabilize a patient and provide life-saving assistance. U.S. citizens are encouraged to purchase medical evacuation insurance . 

Local Laws & Special Circumstances

Criminal Penalties:  You are subject to local laws. If you violate local laws, even unknowingly, you may be expelled, arrested, or imprisoned. Individuals establishing a business or practicing a profession that requires additional permits or licensing should seek information from the competent local authorities prior to practicing or operating a business.

Furthermore, some laws are also prosecutable in the United States, regardless of local law. For examples, see our website on  crimes against minors abroad  and the  Department of Justice  website.

Arrest Notification:  If you are arrested or detained, ask police or prison officials to notify the U.S. Embassy immediately. See our  webpage  for further information.

Faith-Based Travelers: See the following webpages for details:

• Faith-Based Travel Information
• International Religious Freedom Report – see country reports
• Human Rights Report – see country reports
• Hajj Fact Sheet for Travelers
• Best Practices for Volunteering Abroad

LGBTI Travelers: There are no legal restrictions on same-sex sexual relations or the organization of LGBTI events in Belgium.

See our  LGBTI Travel Information  page and section 6 of our  Human Rights report  for further details.

Travelers Who Require Accessibility Assistance: While in Belgium, individuals with disabilities may find accessibility and accommodation very different than in the United States.

• Belgian law requires that any  new  building with public or community space must be accessible for persons with disabilities.
• Many existing buildings as well as public transportation systems are less adapted to individuals with disabilities.
• General information on the accessibility of tourist accommodations, public transportation, museums, and other tourist facilities can be found on official tourism sites for Belgium’s three major regions:  Brussels ,  Wallonia , and  Flanders .

Students: See our  Students Abroad  page and  FBI travel tips .

Women Travelers: See our travel tips for  Women Travelers .

High-quality medical facilities and services are widely available in Belgium. The large university hospitals can handle most medical problems. Equivalents for most, but not all, U.S. medications are available through local pharmacies with a prescription from a Belgian physician. The responsiveness of emergency services is also generally excellent.

For emergency services in Belgium, dial 112.

Ambulance services are widely available.

We do not pay medical bills.  Be aware that U.S. Medicare/Medicaid does not apply overseas. Most hospitals and doctors overseas do not accept U.S. health insurance.

Medical Insurance:  Make sure your health insurance plan provides coverage overseas. Most care providers overseas only accept cash payments. See  our webpage  for more information on overseas insurance coverage. Visit the  U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  for more information on type of insurance you should consider before you travel overseas.

We strongly recommend supplemental insurance to cover medical evacuation.

Always carry your prescription medication in original packaging, along with your doctor’s prescription. Check with the  Belgian Federal Public Health Service  to ensure the medication is legal in Belgium.

Vaccinations:  Be up-to-date on all  vaccinations  recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Further health information:

• World Health Organization
• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  (CDC)

Air Quality:  Visit  AirNow Department of State  for information on air quality at U.S. Embassies and Consulates.

The U.S. Embassy maintains a  list of doctors and hospitals . We do not endorse or recommend any specific medical provider or clinic.

Travel and Transportation

Road Conditions and Safety:

• Belgium’s road network is generally well-built and maintained.
• Adequate lighting exists on major highways, but on rural roads it is often insufficient or nonexistent.
• Roadside assistance and information on road conditions are available in English from Touring Mobilis, telephone 02 286-3040. Belgian police will also provide information on road conditions, telephone 02-642-6666.
• Emergency services are efficient and responsive. For police emergencies, dial 101 by phone within Belgium. For all other emergencies, dial 112.

Traffic Laws:

• Traffic coming from the right generally has priority at uncontrolled intersections, even if coming from a smaller street.
• The  maximum speed limit on Belgian highways  is 120 kilometers (72 miles) per hour but is not always posted.
• The  maximum speed in urban areas  is 50 km (30 miles) per hour, but in central Brussels it is 30 km (19 miles) per hour.
• While Belgian authorities strictly  enforce speed limits , many Belgians still drive significantly faster than the posted limit. Claiming ignorance of the speed limit may not prevent you from getting a significant fine for speeding, and your vehicle may be impounded if you can’t pay the fine on the spot. Automated radars with cameras are common and violators are issued citations through the mail.
• Belgian police also conduct  breath analysis checks for alcohol use , particularly at night and during major holidays. The legal limit for operating a motor vehicle is .5 grams of alcohol per liter of blood (.05 percent Blood Alcohol Content).
• You must use your seat belt  while driving in a vehicle.
• Bicycling  is very common in Belgium, for both recreational and more traditional transportation purposes. Wear helmets at all times and follow vehicle travel rules (stopping at lights, crosswalks, etc.). Follow bike paths when available.

Public Transportation:  Brussels and most major cities of Belgium have extensive and efficient public transportation systems. Trains, buses, and ferries connect Brussels with other major cities in Belgium and with the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Luxembourg, and The Netherlands. Traveling by train is considered to be safer than driving.

See our  Road Safety page  for more information. Visit the website of the  Belgian national authority responsible for road safety.

Aviation Safety Oversight:  The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has assessed the government of Belgium’s Civil Aviation Authority as being in compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) aviation safety standards for oversight of Belgium’s air carrier operations. Further information may be found on the  FAA’s safety assessment page .

Brussels Airport Delays: Travelers have experienced significant delays at passport control at Brussels airport, during both arrival and departure.  We recommend outbound passengers check with your airline to find out their cutoff time for check-in and seek your airline’s recommendations on how to mitigate potential passport control delays.

Maritime Travel:  Mariners planning travel to Belgium should also check for  U.S. maritime advisories and alerts . Information may also be posted to the  U.S. Coast Guard homeport website , and the  NGA broadcast warnings .

For additional travel information

• Enroll in the  Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)  to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Call us in Washington, D.C. at 1-888-407-4747 (toll-free in the United States and Canada) or 1-202-501-4444 (from all other countries) from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
• See the  State Department’s travel website  for the  Worldwide Caution  and  Travel Advisories .
• Follow us on X (formerly known as "Twitter") and Facebook .
• See  traveling safely abroad  for useful travel tips.

Review information about International Parental Child Abduction in Belgium .  For additional IPCA-related information, please see the  International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act ( ICAPRA )  report.

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Brussels is a lively city that’s always on the go. It has an incredible wealth of culture, heritage and architecture just waiting to be discovered. Explore its must-see places, museums, exhibitions, quirky corners and vibrant events.

Not to be missed, grand-place.

Often considered the most beautiful square in the world, the Grand-Place of Brussels' reputation precedes it! Today, it still has a political and administrative function as it houses the City of Brussels Town Hall, which remains the workplace of the mayor and most of their aldermen. As a prestigious venue, it hosts many festive events - concerts, fairs, folklore events, the Christmas tree and nativity scene, sound and light shows, the flower carpet in the summer, etc. - or symbolic events, such as the celebration of sportsmen and women after fine performances. Its story began as a market square in the 12th century. Gradually, the square was filled with houses and halls, then primarily made of wood. The splendid Gothic town hall was built in the 15th century in three phases; the same 15th century saw the installation of trade guilds in the houses that border the Grand-Place. Even more so than at present, the square was the nerve centre of Brussels life: economically, as already mentioned, with intense sales activity (several halls devoted to the sale of bread - the present King's House or Broodhuis in Dutch -, meat, linen, etc.), culturally (theatrical performances), judicially (with executions taking place on the square) and, of course, local politics. It was bombarded by Louis XIV's troops in 1695 and was subsequently almost entirely rebuilt. It underwent further major renovations and modifications during the following centuries, especially in the 19th century, which gave it its current appearance. The Grand-Place of Brussels has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998.

Halfway between sculpture and architecture, the Atomium was designed and built for the Brussels World's Fair (1958), for which it was the flagship building and emblem. Representing an iron unit cell (9 iron atoms) magnified 165 billion times, the monument with its unique silhouette has, over time, grown to become the symbol of Brussels and Belgium. On the inside the Atomium offers, not just the most beautiful view of Brussels, but also an entirely astounding and surreal ride through its interior spaces and volumes which alone makes a visit worth it. The Atomium ticket automatically includes the entrance to the Design Museum Brussels (150m away).

Manneken-Pis

You're no doubt familiar with the Manneken-Pis, the bronze statuette that attracts crowds with cameras just a stone's throw from the Grand-Place. But how did this statue come into being? Originally, the statuette was a simple decoration adorning one of the many fountains that supplied the city with water in the Middle Ages. Although other statues had previously borne its name, the famous little boy relieving himself, who everyone knows today, is the work of Jérôme Duquesnoy l'Ancien, who made it in 1619. He has gone from being a public fountain to a legendary figure. In addition to his purely material appearance, Manneken-Pis has, on various occasions, taken on the symbolic roles of protector of the city and spokesman for the people of Brussels, personifying them in a way that is often mischievous and irreverent. Today, he embodies the rebellious yet modest spirit that reigns in Brussels. Over the years, it has become customary to dress the statue up for special occasions. Fitted out with numerous costumes and decorations, sometimes gifts from important political figures, his wardrobe includes more than 1,000 pieces, which can be admired at the GardeRobe MannekenPis, a museum opened in 2017. The oldest was donated by the Elector of Bavaria in 1698. Sadly, Manneken-Pis has been subjected to numerous acts of vandalism. The original statuette, stolen and damaged on several occasions, now rests safely in the Brussels City Museum (housed in the King's House on the Grand-Place).

City of Brussels Town Hall

Of all of the town halls in the country, the City of Brussels town hall is undoubtedly one of the most majestic! This Gothic building, built in the 15th century, is enhanced by its setting on the Grand-Place, often described as the most beautiful square in the world... Admire the accuracy of its proportions, the countless sculptures that adorn its facades and the incomparable brilliance of its tower, whose spire supports the archangel Saint Michael, the city's protector. This City of Brussels laid the first stone of the sumptuous building back in 1401. In 1695, during the bombardment of the city by Louis XIV's troops, the town hall was burned down, but the walls and the tower remained standing. Its reception rooms and aldermen's chambers contain beautiful Brussels tapestries from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, sumptuous Gothic woodwork, coats of arms of the old guilds and paintings from the City of Brussels museum's collections.

The Bois de la Cambre

The Bois de la Cambre, one of the largest parks in the Brussels-Capital Region, owes its name to La Cambre Abbey. It's laid out in an English style and resembles a forest, with walks, pony rides, jogging and playgrounds. Nestled in the heart of the Bois de la Cambre, Chalet Robinson welcomes you in its restaurant and offers boats and pedalos or a game of pétanque. Located on Robinson Island, the origin of the name is unknown but, according to legend, a group of walkers who were lost in the Bois de la Cambre saw a captain appear on the water in his boat, and he took them to this green island. The Le Flore bar offers tapas made with fresh seasonal produce, while the Woodpecker is ideal for a snack. The nearby Villa Lorraine, Villa in the Sky and Villa Emily are fine, gourmet restaurants. Looking to go out in a club? Head to Les Jeux d'Hiver, one of the most famous in Brussels. Just a short distance away is the Villa Empain, an Art Deco jewel which today houses the Centre for Art and Dialogue between Eastern and Western Cultures. DROHME Park leisure park at the former Boitsfort hippodrome lies on the southernmost edge of the Bois de la Cambre.

Museum of the City of Brussels

Two majestic buildings that stand opposite each other on Brussels' Grand Place have a long-standing rivalry: on one side you have Brussels' City Hall, and on the other the Broodhuis (Bread House), a UNESCO World Heritage Site which houses the Brussels City Museum. The rivalry between these two buildings is no coincidence. In the 15th century, the Duke of Brabant replaced the 13th century wooden bread market building with a prestigious building that would be a symbol of his power and face off against the imposing building on the other side of the Grand Place that symbolised the city's independence. The building owes its French name of Maison du Roi (King's House) to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, who once ruled over a large part of the globe and once owned the Bread House. After being destroyed in the 16th century, it was rebuilt in the Gothic Revival style in the 19th century by city architect Victor Jamaer. But it's not all about the Broodhuis' history and facade. Inside the Brussels City Museum gives a comprehensive overview of Brussels' history, with particular attention given to the arts, crafts,urbanism and architecture . The original Manneken Pis is also housed here for security reasons, but as for his wardrobe, which is a thousand times larger than even the most passionate fashionista's, you can marvel at that in its dedicated museum on Rue du Chêne - Eikstraat. Combined ticket giving access to the Brussels City Museum -Maison du Roi and the Garderobe MannekenPis.

Attractions and museums

Institute of natural sciences.

The Institute of Natural Sciences: a great day out, naturally! In the largest Dinosaur Gallery in Europe, you can meet the famous Bernissart Iguanodons, T.rex, Triceratops, Diplodocus, and 34 other species. But that’s not all! The Earth is swarming with life - rediscover it in the new Gallery, Living Planet, through an aesthetic, family-friendly and scientific approach to biodiversity. Learn about the human body and how we evolved in the Gallery of Humankind and go back in time in the Gallery of Evolution. You can also find out about urban species in BiodiverCITY, discover 250 years of the history of Natural Sciences through 14 iconic specimens, beware of the kings of the Cretaceous seas in the Mosasaur Hall or admire the magnificent crystals in the Mineral Hall. And last but not least, don't miss the temporary exhibitions and all the activities of the Educational Service: more information at www.naturalsciences.be.

Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium

The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium assemble six different museums: the Oldmasters Museum, Modern Museum, Meunier Museum, Wiertz Museum, Magritte Museum and the Fin-de-Siècle Museum.

Train World

Train World is a unique railway experience that takes you from the very first steam locomotives to the flashing high-speed trains! It is a universe that appeals to all the senses in order to grasp the many different dimensions of the railways. A visit to Train World is an active and surprising outing. You can walk among locomotives, take a seat in 100-year-old trains, visit a railway house and walk across a real railway bridge. You will even experience how it feels to drive a train!

Mini-Europe

The whole of Europe animated in miniature! Be amazed! Mini-Europe is a park featuring all the wonders of Europe, in miniature. Bonsai trees, flowery groves and dwarf trees embellish the 350 monuments which have been reproduced at scale 1/25. Thousands of lifelike figurines and animations! Set off the eruption of the Vesuvius and admire the takeoff of the Ariane rocket. The two hour walk, which is both entertaining and educational, will let you (re)discover the 27 member states of the European Union and the United Kingdom, their historical, architectural and cultural wealth This establishment has been awarded the Brussels Health Safety Label

MIMA the Millennium Iconoclast Museum of Art

The MIMA is situated on the remarkable site of the former brewery Belle-Vue beside the canal in the center of Brussels. The MIMA is a new museum with an international vocation that advances contemporary, accessible and viral creations such as Street Art. The MIMA presents temporary exhibitions, encounters, projections, concerts, performances as well as a permanent collection. It also houses an art shop, a restaurant and two magnificent panoramic viewing points over the canal and Brussels in a magnificent building covering four different floors.

Centre for Fine Arts - Bozar

It’s impossible to talk about culture in Belgium without mentioning the Centre for Fine Arts located in Brussels. Whether it comes to exhibitions, concerts, theater performances, movies or projects concerning literature and architecture, BOZAR will always put originality and innovation first. They prove to keep a finger on the pulse with their varied and sophisticated programme. Besides emphasizing the importance of creation, quality and a rich artistic offering, BOZAR is especially concerned about the total experience of the visitors.

Comics Art Museum

The Center’s prestigious great hall, light pit, mezzanines, auditorium and side rooms are available for hire throughout the year for dinners, cocktail parties, press conferences etc. Guests at these events may visit the center’s exhibitions free of charge. With absolute respect for the general public of the Center, cocktail parties, gala dinners, seminars, press conferences and high-level meetings can be held in the same venue, either outside opening times if located in areas normally open to the public such as the light pit or the famous entrance hall with its emblematic street lamp, or during opening hours if they are held in side rooms not open to the public. Every year the BCSC hosts over 120 events: press conferences, seminars, business meeting and presentations, weddings and private parties… These can take up to 1,200 persons standing.

Historical venues

Brussels from all angles

GardeRobe MannekenPis

The incredible Manneken-Pis dressing room awaits you at 19 Rue du Chêne, a stone's throw away from the famous fountain. A representative selection of more than one hundred costumes is presented according to seven themes: geography, folklore, charity and citizens’ associations, trades, celebrities and characters, sports and designers. They show the richness of this fabulous and uncommon collection, which today includes nearly 1,000 items! The sculpture’s clothing – which is a tradition dating back to the 17th century! – is still part of the folklore and historical heritage of the city of Brussels. Combined ticket giving access to the Brussels City Museum -Maison du Roi and the Garderobe MannekenPis.

BELvue museum

Chips, beer and chocolates... surely there is more to Belgium than that? Democracy, prosperity, solidarity, pluralism, migration, languages and Europe: these are the themes used by the BELvue Museum to help you to discover Belgium. Each one is developed through present-day testimonials and then traced right through history. This is a modern, original way of gaining a fuller understanding of modern-day Belgium. Have a look at the gallery too: there are more than 200 objects to view, each one forming a tangible memory of Belgium. Here are just a few examples: a lithograph by Magritte, a motorcycle, crystal vases by Val Saint-Lambert, and a football signed by the Red Devils. The very essence of Belgian-ness! Speciale openingstijden op schoolvakanties en feestdagen 9.30 tot 17.00 uur 24/12 en 31/12 9u30 tot 16u00 Het BELvue Museum is elke woensdag vanaf 14u en de eerste zondag van de maand gratis toegankelijk.

Bruxella 1238 - Musée archéologique de la Ville de Bruxelles

Next to the stock exchange building, in the heart of Brussels, is a fascinating little archaeological site. It contains the remains of the Franciscan monastery founded in Brussels in 1238 and the tomb of Duke John I of Brabant. The foundations and various other objects offer a glimpse of an unknown side of the history of Brussels, and at the same time give a good idea of the different aspects of an archaeological dig.

The Cauchie House

The Cauchie House is one of the most exceptional Art Nouveau masterpieces in Brussels. Built in 1905, it was originally the home to Paul Cauchie and Caroline Voet, a couple of artists and decorators. The majestic sgraffito on the façade and the opulent decorations of the bel-étage served as a manifesto for their artistic skills. We invite you to join us for a guided tour to discover its history and unique artworks. Open on the first weekend & the third Saturday of the month. Individual guided tours, group guided tours, private and corporate events.

Design Museum Brussels

The Design Museum Brussels, established after the acquisition of a private collection by the Atomium, is a place dedicated to design and its history. Since 2015, the museum's collection, the Plastic Design Collection, circumscribes the landscape of plastics in design from the 1950s to the present day. Alongside this collection, the museum opened Belgisch Design Belge, a new permanent exhibition space dedicated to Belgian design and its history. Enriched by a programme of temporary exhibitions, the Design Museum Brussels also explores other fields of design creation and its impact on society and our daily lives. Through exhibitions, guided tours, workshops, conferences and events, the museum aims to ensure that design is intelligible to one and all.

Brussels Comics Figurines Museum

Where Comics come to life ! The Brussels Comics Figurines Museum will immerse you in a private collection of figurines from the world of Belgian comics (Tintin, Spirou, The Smurfs...), American comics (Spider-Man, Batman...), mangas and many others. You will also find these characters in other formats: with video games, explanatory videos or during a projection of cartoons in a period movie theater. This immersive, sound-enhanced experience will appeal to the whole family. It will bring back many memories for adults and will also be suitable for the youngest: the visit is easily accessible, with very visual and colorful displays. Trip Advisor awarded the Moof the certificate of excellence in the year 2014 to 2024. It is located in Brussels, behind the big statue of the white Smurf, in the HORTA gallery on LEVEL -1.

The Belgian Chocolate Makers (Sablon)

Founded in 2020 by Italian chocolatier Elisabetta Passafaro, The Belgian Chocolate Makers offer their Chocomeli brand handcrafted chocolates. Everything is handmade in their Brussels store. They select and roast premium cocoa beans from selected plantations (especially from Congo, Philippines and Haiti). In their boutique-workshop, a stone's throw from the Mont des Arts, watch them make their sweets and fall in love with their creations: chocolates, bars, figurines, lollipops, but also ice creams, sorbets, macaroons and waffles. They organize chocolate workshops everyday to share their passion with their clients and visitors.

Macadam Gallery

Since 2012, Macadam Gallery has committed to defend artists whose research revolves around architectural language, mediums and perspective. Macadam is a promise of innovative creation in both content and form. Its artist crew works towards the visual experience and are committed to share a new way of seeing and perceiving. The dialogues between the gallery's emerging and established artists reflect Macadam's commitment to promote a vision of true art that is open to the world. Macadam Gallery presents and promotes to its collectors works by Invader, Thomas Devaux, Johan van Mullem, Oli-B, David Mesguich, Jan Kaláb, Andrzej Urbanski, Daniel Mirchev, Emeric Chantier, Åsa Johansson, Jaime Poblete, David Moreno, François Bonnel, Sali Muller, Tomislav Topić, Esmaël Bahrani, James Austin Murray, Katy Ann Gilmore, RODA and more. After more than ten years in the Marolles, this 2024 Macadam continues its art journey in a new location: Rue du Charme 34, 1190 Forest, Brussels. Like the art that it represents, Macadam reinvents itself, changes its skin, and opens its doors in a new space where there will be exciting exhibitions, events and artist residencies. The team is thrilled and proud to welcome you into a new space dedicated to the promotion of sensibility and contemporary Belgian and international art.

Musée Banksy Museum

Just a stone's throw from Place Sainte-Catherine, the Banksy Museum brings together the largest number of life-size Banksy murals. The World of Banksy Brussels showcases recreations of works by the Bristolian street artist that are exhibited nowhere else, and pieces from other, international artists.

Art galleries

Belgian Beer World experience

Belgium, the land of beer? That's for sure! Belgium boasts more brands of beer than any other country in the world. And another unique feature: Belgian beer culture has UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status. Belgian beer quite simply holds an extraordinary mix of influences, creativity and... Belgitude. Discover what makes Belgian beer so special at Belgian Beer World, more than a beer museum, an interactive experience!

Museums & tourist attractions

Van Eetvelde Hotel & LAB·An

According to Horta himself, the plans for this house, conceived in 1895, were the most audacious he ever drew. And he did so for a prominent figure, as the client, Baron Edmond van Eetvelde, was the Secretary General of the Independent State of Congo - in reality the unofficial 'Minister of the Congo' - and, therefore, a very close ally of King Leopold II. The future owner asked the architect for a house 'for his family', but with as large a living room and dining room as possible, given his frequent social engagements. The house is unusual in that it is flanked by two other buildings: a building to the left of it, which was intended to serve both as an extension to the original house and as a rental house and a building to the right of it, a small annex to the main house.

René Magritte Museum (house)

The René Magritte Museum is situated in the house where the famous, surrealist artist lived and worked for 24 years (1930-54). Magritte lived on the ground floor and built in the back of the garden Studio Dongo, where he executed designs for publicity work. He painted most of the time in the living room annex atelier. In that room he would produce more or less half the amount of his paintings and gouaches. The headquarters of the Belgian Surrealists was also in the Esseghemstraat 135, where they held their meetings on Saturday evenings and where they organized several tableaux vivants. The Museum of Abstract Art is located in the adjacent building. www.abstractartmuseum.be Visits at weekends: only via online reservation.

Jewish Museum of Belgium

Located in the Sablon district of Brussels, the Jewish Museum of Belgium takes a fresh look at Jewish history and culture through exhibitions and activities focusing on sharing, discovery and accessibility for all sectors of the public. Firmly anchored in the present day, it is an artistic and cultural place that is lively, dynamic and multidisciplinary, led by a team that values openness, boldness and modernity, and whose goal is to promote a knowledge and understanding of Jewish history, religion and culture. Through its three principal missions, namely the preservation of Jewish heritage in Belgium, temporary exhibitions reflecting topical subjects and educational activities for school groups, the team is gradually constructing the public face of the New Museum that will open its doors by 2025. Pending the start of work, visitors can discover a selection of the permanent collection as well as several temporary exhibitions in two buildings covering a total area of five floors. At the same time, the Museum organises a wide range of activities such as conferences, concerts, workshops and literary evenings.

Maison Hannon

The Maison Hannon, on the corner of Avenue Brugmann and Avenue de la Jonction, was built in 1902, at the request of the couple Marie and Édouard Hannon, by their friend, the architect Jules Brunfaut. Conceived as a symbolist and dreamlike universe, the house is one of the masterpieces of art nouveau in Brussels, a union of Belgian and French art of the time. Jules Brunfaut, unfamiliar with the new style, was inspired by other architects' houses, such as those of Victor Horta (personal house, Tassel and Wessinger hotels), Ernest Blérot (personal house, now destroyed) and Octave Van Rysselbeghe and Henry Van de Velde (Otlet hotel). Combining the beaux-arts style with that of modernity, or art nouveau at that period, the Maison Hannon is a singular work, an intimate and personal house, bringing together the tastes and passions of its commissioners. The Maison Hannon will open its doors to the public on June 1, 2023, as a house museum.

Tootbus Brussels

Jump aboard the Tootbus and discover Brussels' sights and sounds. With 18 stops, this 100% electric bus invites you to explore the city as you please. Hop on, hop off and indulge in a gourmet experience, a cultural stop or a stroll to discover a neighbourhood. Climb aboard our double-decker buses and enjoy a breathtaking view of the capital's gems: the majestic Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula, the vast royal estate of Laeken, the imposing Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Koekelberg, the charming Sablons district… Along the way, let our audio guides tell you the stories of these emblematic sites in one of 11 languages available. To accompany you on your exploration, the free Tootbus app even offers commented routes. Make the most of the capital at a reduced price with the Brussels Card. The Hop-on Hop-off option grants you unlimited access to our buses for 24, 48 or 72 hours. Try the Tootbus experience all over Brussels !

Sewer Museum

Why not visit the Brussels sewers and the Sewers museum during your next excursion in Brussels. A visit of Brussels' sewerage network - led by experienced guides or ex-workers - is extraordinary, full of surprises, but above all fascinating. The sewers have become vital to our way of life, so much so that it's hard to imagine what it was like before they existed. A visit of the Sewers Museum (and a real sewer!) is therefore an amazing, unusual and thrilling experience. Brussels' first sewerage network came into use in the 17th century, but they were very limited and a large part of the city's waste still found its way into the river Senne. The river carried waste and carrion and regularly overflowed, or dried out in the summer, leaving behind less-than-pleasant smells. It was partially due to this, that the government in the second half of the 19th century decided to completely transform the Senne and its neighbouring streets by building great boulevards to cover the insalubrious area. Between the two world wars a second transformation: a portion of the Senne was diverted and then covered over. The sewerage network improved and grew over the years, going from 45 km in 1847 to the 350 km that we have today. The entrance to the museum is housed in one of the toll pavilions that used to collect taxes on goods that entered the city.

Tram Museum

Trams, trolleybuses, buses, and taxis that have crisscrossed the capital for 150 years can be seen in these warehouses built in 1897. During the opening season you can make a trip with one of the historical vehicles and relive the atmosphere of the early 20th century on the Avenue de Tervuren and in the Sonian Forest. A dedicated Museum line with old buses takes you to the areas between the Museum and the Place Royale: Cinquantenaire Park, the European quarter, the squares quarter… Additionally, you can rent the vehicles as well as the museum halls for any kind of event.

LEGO® Discovery Centre Brussels

Step into the ultimate LEGO® adventure! With more than 3000m2 and 12 activity zones, the LEGO Discovery Centre Brussels is an immersive place dedicated to children between 2 and 10 years old and their families. Come play with over 2 million LEGO bricks, attend one of our creative workshops led by our Master Model Builders, embark on a train ride through a giant LEGO world, watch LEGO movies in our 4D cinema and much more! A place where imagination goes wild! The shop closes every day one hour after the attraction closes. Opening hours may vary, check the schedule on: www.legodiscoverycentre.com

The Giant Wheel: The View

A new permanent tourist attraction in Brussels, the giant Ferris wheel known as "The View", invites you to climb high above the city and enjoy an unforgettable experience. As the highest point in Brussels, it offers you a breathtaking panoramic view of the capital. The giant Ferris wheel is itself illuminated at night, thanks to its multicoloured lighting, making it an imposing sight on the Brussels skyline! The View was designed and developed following the success of the Budapest Eye. Like in Antwerp, it is 55 metres high and can accommodate 8 passengers per cabin, of which there are 42. Whether you are an adult, a child or a person with reduced mobility, The View is suitable for everyone and its semi-enclosed cabins give you a feeling of security. Open to all, it welcomes people of all ages, for an intergenerational experience. First it was Paris, then Budapest, and now it's time to discover Brussels in a different way and enjoy a special moment with your family on "The View"! Technical information: Height: 55 metres 42 cabins, 6 people per cabin An audio presentation of Brussels is available in each cabin

Erasmus House & Beguinage Museums

The Erasmus House, beguinage, and collegiate church of Saints Peter and Guido form a magnificent historical ensemble, right in the heart of the commune. Erasmus House – in which the famous philosopher and scholar stayed from May to October 1521 – is one of the oldest Gothic houses in the Belgian capital. It hosts a sublime collection of paintings, prints and sculptures by 15th-17th century masters like Albrecht Dürer, Hugo Van der Goes, Cornelis Metsys… not to mention portraits of Erasmus inspired by Hans Holbein and Quentin Metsys. A rich collection of 16th century books is a nod to the singular humanist’s thinking. A medicinal plant garden – designed by landscape architect René Pechère – presents around one hundred medicinal plants that were known to 16th century physicians. Beyond it stretches a philosophical garden that is home to the works of contemporary artists like Marie-Jo Lafontaine and Bob Verschueren. The beguinage of Anderlecht is Belgium’s smallest. Founded in 1252, today it consists of two wings framing an enclosed garden with its own well. It housed beguines right up until the French Revolution. The beguinage has been restored in depth and is once again open to visitors each 1st Sunday of the month with guided tours. Discover this entirely restored architectural jewel in a pristine state. A new museum project is currently in the pipeline.

Museum of Abstract Art

The Museum for Abstract Art is the first one of Belgium and the fourth in the world. It is located just next to the house in Jette were René Magritte lived for many years (www.magrittemuseum.be). Both buildings are connected with each other. The museum shows mainly Belgian, abstract art. A collection of more than 750 works of which a third will be shown permanently. The second floor contains the historical avant-garde from the 1920s, with important names such as Servranckx, Vantongerloo, Peeters or Flouquet. In the beginning Magritte also painted in this style and was a friend of them. The ground floor and the third floor contain the second generation of abstract artists (from the 1950s to the 1980s and further), including geometric and lyrical abstract artists (such as Alechinsky, Pol Bury, Bertrand, Rets, Delahaut). Visits at weekends: only via online reservation.

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D visa with the purpose of legal cohabitation with a Belgian or non-EU citizen in Belgium

Please read the important notes on the bottom of the page carefully before lodging your application.

• Last updated on May 20, 2024
• A non-EU foreign national wishing to declare cohabitation in Belgium with a Belgian national or a non-EU foreign national authorized to reside in Belgium, and who wish to apply for family reunification after declaration of legal cohabitation needs to  apply for a D visa at the Embassy of Belgium in Tokyo if the applicant resides in Japan.
• Both the applicant and the partner should be over 21 years old. If this is not the case, please refer to* 1
• Please note that you may submit your visa application only  from 6 months  before the intended date of departure.
• We strongly recommend that you apply as early as possible.
• If you hold a special passport or travel document such as Diplomatic/Official/Service Passport, etc., please contact us by e-mail.

List of supporting documents

Please prepare 1 set of original documents and 2 sets of copies in the order mentioned below. 

If the applicant and/or the partner in Belgium is/are under 21 years old but over 18 years old, it is possible to apply for a  visa only on the condition that they have been living together for at least 1 year before the applicant's arrival in Belgium. 

The following webpage of the Belgian Immigration office provides  more information in detail regarding the above list, please be sure to check it very carefully to complete your visa application file: 

NL:   Visum met het oog op huwelijk of samenwoning in België

FR:  Visa en vue de se marier ou de cohabiter en Belgique  

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• No application will be accepted without VOW (visa on web)  and an e-appointment. Please refer to the “ VOW Guidance ”. 
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17 of the best experiences in Bruges

Dec 16, 2023 • 9 min read

From touring the city by canal boat to eating the tastiest fries, here are the best things to do in Bruges © LALS STOCK / Shutterstock

Bruges is one of the most picturesque cities in Northern Europe, with photo opportunities awaiting you around every corner.

The medieval city center survived multiple invasions and wars over the last 500 years, yet miraculously kept its 15th-century architecture intact – an achievement that won it UNESCO World Heritage status in 2000. 

Beyond the picturesque Gothic facades, you can go sailing through the canals, learn about the Flemish Masters, or visit one of the many museums (perfect for a rainy day, of which there are many). Here's our pick of the very best experiences in Bruges .

1. See Bruges on a canal boat tour

Experience the sights and sounds of Bruges on a boat tour along the picturesque canals for just €12. Doing it on the day you arrive will help orient you in the city while the guide gives you a potted history of your surroundings. You'll pass under  Bonifacius Bridge , a popular 20th-century stone arch crossing usually thronged with snap-happy tourists, as well as the 18th-century Nepomucenus Bridge, watched over by a statue of John of Nepomuk – the patron saint of bridges.

Save some smartphone storage for Rosary Quay, though. Its name comes from the rosary bead sellers that used to dominate the area, but that's not what draws tourists here in their droves. It's the photogenic kink in the canal and the crooked, forward-leaning facades that make for incredible pictures. The boats, formerly all diesel engines, are being replaced by a fleet of fully electric vessels . 

2. Break for a Belgian beer at a Bruges bar 

Beer is a big part of Flemish culture, and there's no shortage of places to have a pint, so take a break from sightseeing to try a local specialty. Tucked away in a little alley near the city center, De Garre is a quirky bar with over 140 varieties of beer. Advertised as "possibly the oldest pub in Bruges," Café Vlissinghe has been pouring beers since 1515. It's still a beloved spot for tourists and residents of Bruges alike. If you're looking for a lively bar scene, head to 't Zand Square  –  Villa Gerard is popular with students and residents. 

3. Indulge your sweet tooth with waffles, pastries, and chocolates

If you have a sweet tooth, get ready to indulge in Bruges – there are chocolate, pastry, and candy shops on every street and the sweet aroma of freshly toasted waffles follows you through the city. For a beautiful and delicious waffle, go to Otto Waffle Atelier where they're made with an intricate pattern. 

Aux Merveilleux De Fred  serves exquisite pastries in an equally stunning tea room. Order a Vergeoise waffle to go with your coffee. Round out your indulgence with chocolate truffles at one of the most popular chocolate shops, Chocolatier Dumon .

4. Go on an architectural walking tour of Bruges 

Pack your comfortable shoes because Bruges is a place for walkers. A wander through the beautiful city center is one of the best ways to admire the Gothic and Flemish architecture. Keep your eyes open for the many treasures such as the emblematic 't Zand's 21st-century  Concert Hall , which looks like a giant, half-submerged goldfish ducking beneath the pavement; the cherry-red Barge Bridge that seemingly twists like the track on a roller-coaster; and the 13th-century Church of Our Lady , with its enormous 115m (377ft) spire. Inside you'll find Michelangelo’s serene Madonna and Child statue from 1504.

Planning tip:  Bruges Tourism Office offers free maps for self-guided walking tours .

5. Visit independent shops along Langestraat 

Take a 10–15 minute walk from Markt, the heart of ancient Bruges, to Langestraat, a street with independently owned restaurants, cafes, and shops. Stop by Cherry Picker Cafe for its unique selection of vinyl records with a bar in the back of the shop before browsing for rare finds at Brocante Cafe , an antique shop and cafe. If you're looking for the perfect made-in-Bruges gift, stop by  Atelier Twee , featuring leather goods made in-house and items created by regional artisans. 

6. Tour a Belgian brewery 

Belgium produces some of the best beers in the world – even those that don't usually enjoy a pint can be converted after a sip. For Belgians, beer is more than a beverage, it's a tradition, with most brasseries serving beers in distinct glasses representing the breweries. Brewery De Halve Maan offers brewery tours and tastings in the heart of Bruges. Sip your chosen brew in the beer hall or catch the elusive Belgian sun on the cozy terrace. 

Planning tip:  Be sure to bring your camera on a sunny day. The tour guide (weather permitting) will take you to the brewery's rooftop, which offers splendid city views. 

7. Take in the magnificent Markt, one of Europe's finest squares

A medieval masterpiece, few European plazas outdo this glorious, car-free square for sheer good looks. A poster child for Belgium, Markt has a bit of Hollywood pizzazz to it – all tall, step-gabled guild houses, glinting neo-Gothic facades, and slow, clip-clopping horse-and-carriage rides. True, some of the buildings may not be as timeless as their restored glory suggests, but little has changed since the first market here in 958 CE.

Just look to the Belfort in the northwest of the square. Finished in 1486, this 83m-high (272ft) octagonal tower was the dominating skyscraper of its day – and so it remains. Grab a coffee from one of the nearby terrace cafes and admire it all from there, or...

8. Climb Belfort for the best views of Bruges

To preserve Bruges' charm, there are no tall modern buildings in the city center. Get the best panoramas over red-tiled rooftops all the way to Zeebrugge – and a workout from climbing the 366 steps – at the top of  Belfort . This 13th-century belfry is one of the tallest points in the historic center. 

Planning tip:  Numbers are limited to 70 visitors at a time for safety reasons. The queue can get quite lengthy at peak times, so arrive early to avoid them.

9. Learn about the Flemish Masters at Groeningemuseum

Given its long history, Bruges is a city of rich culture, and nowhere showcases this like the rich collection of Flemish Primitive and Renaissance works at Groeningemuseum . The art gallery features works by Flemish Masters such as Jan van Eyck, Hans Memling, Hugo van der Goes, and Gerard David, and is the perfect rainy day activity.

10. Enjoy an eclectic program of events at Concertgebouw 

Another treat for a rainy day is the eclectic programming of exhibitions and performances at the Concertgebouw , the modern concert hall of Bruges. You can also book a tour of this stunning 21st-century architectural gem.

11. Admire the works of Hans Memling at the Museum Sint-Janshospitaal

This impeccably restored chapel , which sits at the heart of a wonderful 12th-century hospital building, is home to six masterpieces by the revered 15th-century devotional artist Hans Memling. Undoubtedly Bruges' finest painter, certainly in his lifetime, it wasn't really until the late 19th century that interest was piqued in the innovative portraitist with shows across the world.

Here, you can admire his delicate oil work on the panels of the splendid, gilded reliquary of St Ursula, which is said to hold some of her relics. But don't miss the large triptych of St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist either. It was originally the church's altarpiece.

Planning tip:  Your ticket also gives you access to the restored 17th-century pharmacy through a door at the rear of the chapel.

12. Immerse yourself in history and myths at Burg

Imagine being a square this beautiful and interesting and still not being the most-talked-about square in the city. Anywhere else in the world and the Gothic turrets of the 15th-century Stadhuis (city hall) , the charcoal-colored facade and gilded statues of the Basilica of the Holy Blood – purportedly home to a cloth stained with the blood of Jesus Christ – and the light clip-clop of the horse-drawn carriages would make Burg an unmissable banquet of medieval architecture. Here? It plays second fiddle to Markt. But is still well worth a few hours of your time.

13. Grab a budget meal around 't Zand

There are several universities in Bruges, most notably the College of Europe and the Catholic University College of Bruges, which means plenty of places to find a meal on a budget. The area around 't Zand Square has several student-friendly restaurants, cafes, and bars.

HAP Takeaway Bites uses locally sourced ingredients to make delicious sandwiches, salads and freshly pressed juices. An excellent spot for breakfast or lunch, most items cost around €5–8. For lunches less than €10, try the burgers, croquettes, and fries at Frituur-Bistro 't Bootje or dine on Syrian-style falafel, shawarmas, and wraps at Taboulé .

14. Rent a bike and go beyond the historic city center

Bruges is relatively flat, making it ideal to explore on a bike. There are several good  bike rental outfits  located around the city. Start your ride at the Kruispoort Gate, one of Bruges's four preserved medieval gates, where a bike trail leads the way to photogenic windmills such as Bonne-Chière and Sint-Janshuismolen.

If you want to go on a longer ride, consider the 90-minute roundtrip to Zeebrugge, approximately 15km (9.3 miles) each way, for a view of the choppy North Sea and lunch at a seafood restaurant.

15. Find inner peace at the begijnhof

Ah! Pure silence. Or as close as you're ever going to get in a city that swells with bus-loads of tourists each day. Built in the 13th century as a place for religious women to live piously but with the freedom to go into the city itself, this gabled, white-washed begijnhof still retains a reverent calm among its trees. 

16. Take your fries seriously with frietjes at a frituur

No trip to Belgium is complete with having a cone (or three) of frietjes (fries). Belgians take their fries seriously and Bruges has plenty of frituurs –  small restaurants specializing in fries – around the city. A large portion of fries with sauce is usually around €4. Belgians love a dollop of mayo on their crispy, thick-cut fries and sometimes tuck in with unique condiments such as curry ketchup or samurai sauce (spicy mayo).

17. And then learn why fries are part of the national dish

The quirky Frietmuseum  starts with a detailed history of potatoes and their journey from Peru to Europe and helps you understand why fries became such an important part of Belgian cuisine. Bring your appetite – the museum serves crispy fries made to order with a wide selection of sauces from its own frituur . 

This article was first published Mar 23, 2022 and updated Dec 16, 2023.

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