Choosing a weekend getaway in Belgium? Brussels, Bruges, Ghent or Antwerp? All share historical interest, art galleries, good hotels, restaurants and enjoyable shopping. But each city is different. Brussels is more like a vibrant capital, Bruges a medieval wonder, Ghent a venerable university town while Antwerp, city of trade.
Belgium is a small place, hardly larger than Wales or New Hampshire, and all of four cities are located in the northern part of the country, 40 -50 km away from each other.
Languages
The people of Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp speak Dutch. People in Brussels they speak French or Dutch. Generally English is fairly widely understood. There is a third official Belgian language, German, spoken in the eastern cantons.
The Best time to visit Belgium
The Best time for a visit is off-season, March to June in the spring and September to November in the autumn. During school holidays, an around the major feast days, flights and Channel crossings are more expensive, but hotel prices fluctuate wildly according to the ebb and flow of business travel, which means hat hotel prices may actually be cheaper during the high season.
Private citizens in the cities are, in increasing numbers, opening their homes for bed-and-breakfast accommodation. Some of these are delightful historic houses, right in the center. They are good value for money prices in a range of 55 – 95 euros for double room, per night. Best of the apartments tend to be booked up months in advance.
Getting to Belgium
The central hub of Belgium’s rail network is Brussels, which has three main stations: Zuidstation, Central Station and Nord Station. Eurostar trains from London arrive at the Gare du Midi. There are good train connections with Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp.
The Zuidstation or ‘Gare du Midi‘ is connected by bus, tram, metro and taxi to all part of Brussels, but the pictogram signposting is virtually indeipherable, and you may need help just to get out o the station. Help is at hand at the tourist office in the Eurostar.
You need a valid passport to enter Belgium, valid at last three months beyond the end of your stay. Citizens of the EU, the USA, Australia and New Zealand need no visa if staying for less than 90 days. Citizens of other countries should consult their Belgian embassy or information.
Travel insurance
Take out travel and health insurance when you book your trip. This will allow you o claim compensation if you have to cancel, are delayed or lose your possessions. It also covers medical costs in case of illness or accident. British citizens can take advantage of reciprocal EU medical agreements as long as they carry a completed E111 form, under which 75 per cent of specified costs can be reclaimed.
Weather in Belgium
Belgian weather is typical for Northern Europe, a mix of sunshine and rain, distributed across the four seasons. Average seasonal temperatures range from 1 C in winter to 19 C in summer.
Shopping in Belgium – Things to buy
All the cities have covered shopping malls which are home to up-market boutiques and clothing chains. As a general rule, shops are open from 10 am to 6 pm and bakeries and newsagents and some other shops may open earlier. Some shops close for lunch but stay open later in the evening. On Sundays, larger shops and supermarkets close, but pâtisseries, chocolate shops, delicatessens and tourist shops are likely to remain open. Some shops stay open late on one night of the week, but none of the cities has a general late-night shopping day.
Chocolate
Belgian chocolate is justly famous. The manufacturers produce high-quality cocoa beans and re-introduce a generous proportion of cocoa butter. They also invented the means to manufacture filled chocolates, pralines, on an industrial scale. As a result these superb chocolates are superb value.
Lace
There were tens of thousands of lace-makers in the 19th century Belgium, many of them living in penury. That industry was undermined by the invention of lace-making machines, and to some degree it still is. If you want to buy proper, hand-made Belgian lace, go to a reputable shop, insist on a label of authenticity, and expect to pay a high price.
Beer
In 1900 there were over 3200 breweries in Belgium, now there are just over 100, but they still generate an astonishing variety of beers. The most famous are produced by the Trappist monasteries, but even the lighter, lager-style beers such as Stella Artois and Jupiler are made to a high standard.
Diamonds
Over three-quarters of world’s uncut diamonds flow through the exchanges of Antwerp, many of these are cut, polished and mounted there. You could find some bargains. If in doubt, consult the Hoge Raad voor Diamant which oversees a reliable system of certification.
Tintin Merchandise
Tintin fans can pick up not only the books, but also T-shirts, figurines, games, postcards, mobile phone covers, key rings, stationery mugs- you name it. The character are copyright, so high-quality legally produced goods come at a fairly steep price.
Customs allowances
Residents of EU face few limits on taking goods out of Belgium, but some restrictions apply to meat products, plants and weapons and narcotics. Alcohol and tobacco must be for personal use only.
Food and Beverage in Belgium
Belgian chips are a meal in themselves, but a good chip friterie has a wide range of acompaniments including sausages, meat balls, fish cakes and een a stew of beef cooked in beer. Together they make delicious, very cheap and very Belgian meal.
From fries, steak , fillet Americain, Belgian endive to Patisseria and assortment of wafles Belgian culinary offer is immense and affordable. Delicatessens, bread shops and patisseries offer delicious prepared food -sandwiches, flans, tarts, tubs of salad.
Many restaurants offer set menus at a fixed price for two or three courses. You can also eat well in most cafes and bars, which offer simple dishes like soup, salad, pasta or steak and chips, or traditional snacks such as croque monsieur (ham and cheese on toast).
In certain dishes, beef is served raw. This applies to Filet American and the widely adopted Italian dish carpaccio. Fish is served raw in the Japanese influenced fusion dishes, and in salmon or tuna carpaccio. Oysters are likewise eaten raw.
Tours in Belgium
Local tourist offices organize regular guided walks around all four Belgian city centers. The most effective way of getting a quick overview of a Belgian city is to hop-on one of the many sightseeing buses covering all the main sights and offering multilingual headphones.
Themed walks and Tours
Guided historical walking tours have a wide range of themes, including Jewish history, industrial architecture and beer. Arau in Brussels offers many tours focusing on Art Noveau.
A Walk through the Brussels of Leopold II
Put on your best walking shoes, because you’re going to cover at least 5 km of pavement and take in half a dozen museums. You don’t have to do them all, of course, and don’t try this on a Monday, when most of the museums are closed. Start at the Schuman metro station in the heart of the European Quarter, close to the Justus Lipsius Building. If you’re feeling energetic, stride u Rue Archimede to admire the wierdest Art Nouveau building of them all — the Hotel Saint Cyr in Square. Otherwise, head into the Parc du Cinquantenaire and take your pick of the museums. To refresh yourself, go to Place Jourdan, where there are cafés and restaurants to suit all pockets.
Cross the Parc Leopold to visit the wacky Musee Wiertz, then walk about 1 km to the delightful Musee Communal d’Ixelles. If you’ve had enough already, you could slink into the trendy Café Belga. In the 1930s Flagey radio building push on down the Chausee de Vleurgat to the Musee Constantin Meunier. Now you are only 10 minutes away from the Musee Horta. From here you can get a tram home, or wander around the Art Nouveau houses in the vicinity and finish the day at the super-trendy Salons de L’Atalaide.
Horse — drawn Carriage Tours
It is possible to travel through all four city centers by horse and carriage, or horse -drawn tram. This is particularly popular in Bruges, a city well suited to such transport. Although it is expensive and short — lived, the experience is unforgettable.
Art and Cultural Tours
Belgium’s rich art history is on display in all the four cities Some specialist tour groups are accompanied by lecturers. Voyages Jules Vernes has escorted short breaks to study the Flemish masterpieces of Bruges or the Grand place of Brussels. Cox & Kings organizes tours with such titles as ”Baroque to Art Noveau”.
Visit of CBBD’s Museum in Brussels
We’ve all heard of Tintin, perhaps the most famous Belgian in the world. But this comic-strip hero is just one of hundreds produced in Belgium overthe last century. The comic strip is called the ‘‘ninth art”. Centre Belge de la Bande Desinee or CBBD library of Brussels contains over 40 000 volumes. Set out in a renovated fabric warehouse it presents the history of the form, shows how the strips are made, and explores some key characters and their creators.
Horta Museum
In the late 19th century, Brussels was a center for avant-garde design, and a rapidly growing city. To feed the market or stylish mansions, architects scavenged history for ideas and the result was the so-called ”eclectic style. In 1893, the gifted architect Victor Horta created a totally new style, labelled as ”Art Nouveau”. Style is characterized by sensuous curves and artistic surprises, elaborated with wrought iron, stained-glass, mosaics, murals and finely rafted woodwork. Horta brought this style to full maturity when he built his own house, now presented to the public as Musee Horta.
Visit of Musee des Instruments de Musique
The Musee des Instruments de Misque, often referred to as ‘Le MIM‘, has a supreme collection of musical instruments from ancient to modern. Collection counts totaling more than 6000 pieces rearranged with headphones that enables visitors to hear what the instruments actually sound like. Cafe MIM on the roof top offers one of the best views over Brussels in a nice setting.
Battlefield Tours
Specialist battlefield tour operators organize complete trips, including transport and accommodation. Guided day trips or specialized tours are also offered to Waterloo.
Waterloo Tour
Among the fields and farm-houses near Waterloo, some 15 km south of Brussels, Napoleon was finally defeated. The battlefield has been a touristic site virtually since the battle itself. The modern Visitor center, next to the Butte de Lion mound, is a useful place to start. Google search: Route du Lion 254-4, 1420 Braine Lalleud or skip the lines with Tiquets online sale for more details.
Leper (Ypres)
This place was one of the great medieval trading cities in Flanders. Its historic past was all but erased when it became the focal point of bitter trench warfare in World War I. Today, it is the center for visits to the trenches and the many cemeteries. Ypres is site of the Menin Gate, the memorial arch marking the road along which, so many soldiers marched, never to return.
The real the most informative and deeply moving experience is ”In the Flanders Fields” , a superb museum depicting the background and course of the war, its experiences, textures and horrors.
Booking Hotel in Belgium
The 1920s were a period of economic prosperity and cultural transformation in Belgium, giving rise to Art Deco, a style distinguished by bold geometric designs and rich adornment. From Art Deco hotels to stunning Art Deco jewelry, this style became linked with richness and extravagance. Aside from Art Deco styled hotels, Belgium is recognized for its residential and modern-style hotels, some of which are included below.
Residential Hotels
There is no other place quite like this utterly charming and fascinating small hotel of Le Dixseptieme. Hotel is infact a former 17th century Spanish ambassador residence. It has a number of suites, ingeniously devised beneath the roof beams, and furnished with a mixture of antique charm and modern flair.
Another spectacularly styled hotel that feels like a large and elegant private home is Manos Premier Hotel. Many of its rooms are characterful suites and some of them with private roof terraces.
Art Deco Hotels
In Le Plaza Hotel you feel a bit like a guest of Louis XVI in the palatial foyer and public rooms of this grand hotel, with its stucco, gilt and lavish ceiling paintings. The rooms maintain the same high standard of spacious comfort.
The Barsley Hotel, located on the south side of Avenue Louise Warwick, was renovated by French designer Jacques Garcia in an extravagant Edwardian style. The rooms exude luxury and comfort.
The Comfort Art Hotel Siru is located just south of Gare du Nord, a short walk from the city center. The elegant Art Deco Hilton Brussels City is located opposite the Comfort Art Hotel, facing Place Rogier. It features chrome and sensual wood surfaces, as well as pleasant geometric details.
Modern-style hotels
The Stanhope Hotel is an attractive hotel near the Royal Palace, decorated in a modern interpretation of British country style. Each of the 101 rooms was designed by a contemporary Belgian artist, resulting in distinct, unique effects.
The Bloom Hotel is a new addition to the list of iconic Brussels hotels with character. It is a functional and modern hotel with all-white rooms decorated with frescoes by a young European artist. This hotel is conveniently located behind the Botanical Garden, with easy access to Gare du Nord and the city center.
The White Hotel is another hotel with individually decorated rooms. The welcome pack includes an excellent guidebook with the best sights in Brussels.
Youth Hostels
Youth hotels and hostels offer by far the cheapest accommodation in Belgium under 40 euros for a double room. The youth hostels follow the patterns of hostels throughout the world. The youth hotels come closer to normal hotels with individual rooms and shared washing facilities.
It is advisable to check whether breakfast is included in the price quoted as it can cost 15 euros extra or more if you pay separately. A hotel breakfast usually consists of a buffet, with cereals, croissants, cold meals and cheese, fruit, yoghurts and jams, juices and sometimes bacon and eggs.
Great location – friendly staff – Excellent stay – Booking hotel in Brussels by Trivago
👉For latest holiday best hotel offers in Belgium visit our Partner booking links here⤵️
🌐 HOTELS IN BELGIUM BY TRIVAGO
Promotion:
Keywords: @Weekend Getaway in Belgium @bhibelgium @bookinghotelin @waytomakeatravel @bhihotels @bhicruises @bhitours #bookdirectly @bookdirectly @promotions #booking hotel in brussels @bhibrussels @hotels in brussels #brusselmuseumss #toursinbelgium #belgiumcuisine #belgiumtoursandhotels #accommodationinbelgium #belgiumhotels #bookinghotelinbrussels #excursionsbelgium
Other similar stories: Experience Bruges – Travel tips, tours and hotels Gateway to the North Sea Creative Stockholm
Home Travel stories World Tours About
Leave a Reply