Famous for its waffles, chocolate and beer, Belgium is far more than just delicious food (although that’s a very valid reason for visiting!). From fairy-tale medieval cities like Bruges and Ghent to the buzzing creativity of Brussels, this small country packs in world-class art, history and charm on every cobbled street.
Getting around Belgium is easy thanks to its compact size and efficient infrastructure. Trains are the most convenient way to travel between major cities like Brussels, Bruges and Antwerp, with frequent and reliable connections. Buses and trams are widely available for local travel, especially within cities. Car hire is a good option if you plan to explore rural areas such as the Ardennes (Belgians drive on the right-hand side of the road). Flights are rarely necessary within the country due to short distances, but Belgium’s main airports offer strong international connections. For most travellers, a combination of trains and public transport is more than sufficient.
Belgium is a small country with a temperate maritime climate, which means mild summers, cool winters and the possibility of rain at any time of year. The best time to visit depends on what you want from your trip: sunshine and festivals, cosy Christmas markets or quiet cobbled streets without the crowds.
I always book my accommodation through trusted providers like booking.com and Hostelworld, but always read the reviews carefully.
Belgium is part of the Schengen area, so some visitors will not need a visa, but you may need to keep an eye on your Schengen area day count, depending where you’re from.
I always recommend checking the official government advice from your own country of citizenship. For example, I’m from the UK so I use the UK Government’s Foreign travel advice website, and navigate to the “Entry requirements” section of the country I wish to visit. That will show me the most up-to-date advice and the correct links to use to apply for a visa officially, without being scammed. E.g. “Belgium: Entry requirements”.
Be aware that if you just google “Belgium visa”, you’ll find lots of 3rd party websites offering to do the application for you, which at best will charge you quite a lot of money and at worst may scam you completely.
If you would rather someone else take care of the application for you to save you time and hassle, I can recommend iVisa. iVisa offer an end-to-end visa application service where they take care of the entire application for you. You just need to sign up via their website and fill out the information they need from you for the application. Note that they charge a fee for this service, so it will be more expensive than applying directly yourself.
Here are some of the resources I’ve found particularly useful for travelling in Belgium. Download the apps before you go to ensure a smooth and stress-free experience! Check out my Useful Travel Resources page for my complete go-to list of websites and apps.
Currency:
Euro (EUR)
Capital City:
Brussels
Languages:
Flemish (a form of Dutch), French, and some German (depending on the region)
