Things to do in Belgium

Belgium splits along a language line. Flanders in the north speaks Dutch, Wallonia in the south French, and a small German-speaking pocket sits against the eastern border. Brussels straddles both, officially bilingual, and hosts the EU on top of it.

How the country breaks down

• Brussels. Bilingual capital, EU quarter, comic-strip murals across the old centre.
• Flanders. Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp and Leuven — canal towns and one large port city, all under two hours apart by train.
• Wallonia. French-speaking south, with Liège's river setting and the Ardennes hills further out.
• The Ardennes. Forested hills near the French and German borders, the country's outdoor corner.

Crossing between them

Belgium is small; almost everything is a day trip. Brussels to Bruges runs about an hour by train; Brussels to Antwerp well under an hour. The country built continental Europe's first railway in 1835, between Brussels and Mechelen.

What the country sells

Chocolate and beer carry the marketing. The real draw is the compact cities themselves: Gothic mornings, a canal or museum after lunch, fries and Trappist beer to finish. Group walks and canal cruises dominate the catalogue; private guides add the food and beer side.

Group or private

A shared tour costs about one museum ticket. A private guide runs several times that, mainly worth it for a tight schedule or an uncommon language.

Practical

• Rail pass. A cheap countrywide network makes a car unnecessary; most trips run under two hours.
• Money. Euros; prices sit lower than in Switzerland or France for the same meal or hotel room.
• Beer. Trappist beers come from five licensed Belgian monastery breweries; ask for the local one rather than an import.
• Weather. About 23C in July, 6C in January; grey and wet most of the year, with June to September giving the best odds of a dry week.
• Language. Dutch in the north, French in the south; asking in English works everywhere tourists go.
• Waffles. Brussels-style are light and rectangular; Liège-style are denser, sugared, and eaten without toppings.
• Tipping. Service is usually included; rounding up a euro or two is normal, nothing more.