Belgium: Traveling

Means of Transport Recommended in Town

Recommendation

Brussels has three Metro lines. You can buy travel cards for 1 or 5 days which are cheaper than paying for individual journeys. The main bus network is STIB/MIVB. You can buy a ticket for bus, metro and train journeys in the city with the same ticket. For details see the STIB website. In Antwerp, in addition to buses, there are trams.

Taxis are to be found near railway stations, or you can phone them or hail them in the street. They are quite expensive. There is a standard charge before you even start driving, then a specific rate per kilometer.

For further information about transport in Brussels, see the Easy Expat website; for Antwerp, see the Transport and Travel section on the University of Antwerp website.

Maps of Urban Networks

Brussels Metro map
Brussels Transport network maps
Maps of Belgian cities

Transportation From Airport to City Centre:

Airport	Distance	Taxi	Bus	Train	Car Rental
Brussels -Zaventem (BRU)	11 km / 7 miles	EUR 30-40 / 20-30 min	Available	EUR 2.80	Available

Means of Transport Recommended in the Rest of the Country

Recommendation

The Belgian rail network was the first to be built on mainland Europe and is the densest in the world. Of course, density is far from uniform across the country because the recent trend has been to drop unprofitable lines. Efforts are generally being poured into large international routes, either completely electrified or in the process of being electrified.

The high-speed train network will comprise a total of 300 km of line, half of which will be newly converted to take speeds of up to 300 km/h.

There are no scheduled domestic flights in Belgium.

Rail Companies

SNCB

Airlines

You Can Consult the List of Airlines Banned Within the EU. Look Also at the rating of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Traveling By Yourself

Recommendation

Belgium has a highly developed motorway network -the densest in the world. High-capacity motorways are centred around Brussels or cut across the country, such as the Wallonia motorway. The motorways are supported by a network of expressways.

Most of the motorways are part of European routes. They facilitate access to neighbouring countries and generally make it possible to travel easily from one town to another or to cross a region.

The toll-free highways are generally lit at night. A car insurance is compulsory. Road signs are written in Dutch in the Flemish part of the country and in French in the Walloon region. Be careful of the right of way. Trucks: be careful of the concentration of trucks in the border zone on Sunday evenings and especially in bad weather conditions, as well as in the hours preceding the time when trucks are not allowed to drive over the weekend in the countries surrounding Belgium (10.00 pm). It is advisable to have some Euros in case you need to pay a fine. If unable to pay immediately, vehicles that are registered abroad may be immobilised.

Road Maps

Information sur les autoroutes

Find an Itinerary

Mappy
ViaMichelin

Different Forms of Tourism

Historical

- In Brussels: the Grand-Place, the Atomium (vestige of the 1958 World Fair)
- In Bruges: the Grand-Place and its Belfry, the canals
- In Ghent: the City hall, the Saint Michel Bridge, Saint Nicolas Church and the Belfry
- In Antwerp: the cathedral, the port.

Cultural

Belgium is not a homogeneous country with one national identity. As such, it is therefore difficult to give a general overview that applies to all Belgians. Each area will have its own particularities. The three predominant cultures are: 1) in the north, Flanders - primarily Dutch, 2) in the south, Wallonia - primarily French and 3) the northeast - primarily German influenced.

Nature

Coastal beaches
Ardennes forest

Religious

The religious heritage is huge. Further information can be found on the website Tourisme.be.

Thermal

Spa city and Ostend city. Find more information on Belgium Tourist Office.

Beach

A few km of beach only, which does not attract many foreign tourists.

Winter Sports

Skiing in the Ardennes area.

Outdoor Activities

In a protected natural setting, you can do numerous outdoor activities, from mountain biking to kayak and many more.

Shopping

Special purchases include ceramics and hand-beaten copperware from Dinant; Belgian chocolates; crystal from Val Saint Lambert; diamonds; jewelry from Antwerp; lace from Bruges, Brussels and Mechelen (Malines), woodcarvings from Spa and comic-strip books by a number of talented Belgian cartoon artists from Brussels.
Main shopping centers are located in Antwerp, Bruges, Brussels, Ghent, Liège, Mechelen, Mons, Namur and Ostend.

Tourism Organizations

Belgian Tourism Board
Tourism Promotion Board Wallonie-Bruxelles
Flanders Tourism Board (in Flemish)
Belgian Tourist Office

Health and Safety

Health Precautions

Rabies may be present in animals, although risk to travellers is very rare. For those at high risk, vaccination before arrival should be considered. Vaccinations against Hepathitis B and Tetanus are recommanded.

For Further Information on Sanitary Conditions

Belgium pages on the website of the World Health Organization

For Further Information on Safety Conditions

Travel advice of the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Travel advice of the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Time Difference and Climate

Time and Time Difference

It is %T:%M %A In Brussels (GMT+1 in winter, GMT+2 in summer)

Summer Time Period

March to October