Belgium is a land of good cultural, artistic, architectural and gustatory surprises, which a tourist guide to Belgium will try to show. On the shores of the North Sea, we discover the coastline and its memories of the Belle Époque, which transport us through the sweetness of Paul Delvaux's paintings after tasting a grilled sole. Then, we descend to Bruges the Legendary by forking through the Westhoek Natural Park and the cultural and natural sites marked by the First World War. Then it is Ghent and its architectural jewels, its medieval canals, a castle on the water... Before leaving Flanders, it is of course necessary to make a detour to Antwerp and its own identity. Limburg and its mining past will also attract curious visitors to the heart of the mines and Flemish Brabant will seduce beer and brewery lovers. And now Brussels is already showing its snout! Surrealism, Art Nouveau, temple of the comic strip, capital of Europe. Finally, more discreet in its communication but without having less to offer, Wallonia is undoubtedly worth a long visit. Waterloo and its lion's hill, Binche and its world-famous carnival, Namur and its citadel with its great paces, Dinant and its elegant rock... And how not to mention Liège, the ŽCité ArdenteŽ which houses in its heart offbeat artists, divine waffles. Finally, Bastogne and its commemorative sites on the Second World War thrill the Ardennes. Wherever you are in Belgium, the Kingdom promises a holiday without fuss.

When to go Belgium ?

The best time to travel to Belgium is between June and September, when temperatures become more pleasant and rains less frequent. February, for carnivals, and December, for Christmas markets, can also be the subject of a few days getaway. Belgium means folklore and tradition. Be sure to check the dates of the festivities in the cities you are visiting. Some parades sometimes cause heavy traffic jams in transport, such as during carnivals. As a worthy European capital: it is preferable to avoid the car to travel around Brussels on European summit days in particular.

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Practical information for travel Belgium

If you only have a weekend to discover Belgium, choose to visit a city and its surroundings rather than touring the country as quickly as possible. Belgium is a slow country to visit, and you'll have to pick up the pace. Bruges or Brussels are the most common choices but never disappointing. In Bruges, avoid the high season at all costs, so you can enjoy a warmer and more welcoming city. Antwerp and Ghent have an undeniable urban dynamism, while Namur and Liège have a more popular, festive character. Two weeks is a reasonable amount of time to get a good overview of Belgium, its major cities and its hinterland. Jacques Brel's "Plat Pays" may be a small territory, but there are many points of interest. An alternative to the traditional (and very touristy) Brussels-Bruges route is to do Brussels - Kortrijk - Ghent - Antwerp.

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How to go Belgium

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How to go alone

It is very easy to go alone in Belgium, the road, rail and air transport networks being very developed and the means to get there are legion (plane, train, bus, car...). However, beware of pickpockets in tourist areas and large cities. Remember to book well in advance during the high season.

How to go on a tour

The offer is diverse and varied to discover Belgium. Discovery of the Belgian countryside, city escapades in Brussels, Bruges or Ghent, romantic and cultural stays, tour on Flemish painters: the possibilities are numerous. The destination lends itself to several types of stay. Given the variety of offers, prices are adapted to small budgets, but also to those who are looking for a charming stay.

How to get around

As far as air travel is concerned, the distances are so short in Belgium that this mode of transport is not suitable. But apart from air travel, the main means of transport are easily accessible: train, bus, car and bicycle. In the big cities, the transport network is so developed that the car is not of much interest.

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Discover Belgium

The Walloon regions seem very similar to those of northern France, in terms of geography, shared history, language and gastronomy. The Flemish regions, on the other hand, are a real change of scenery for the French. If only because of the language, but also because of the use of bicycles, a real social phenomenon, and the existence of navigable canals. Belgium has an impressive density of population and heritage, as well as very different cultures and regional gastronomies. The "Plat Pays" is rich in local beers. Even more exotic is theOstbelgien region in the east of the country, where German is spoken and which boasts some of the most beautiful scenery in Belgium. All this patchwork can be found in Brussels, Belgium's radiant capital, as much for its dual language, cosmopolitan identity and culture, and its European role as for its new French chanson, pop and rap scene.

Pictures and images Belgium

Promenade dans les rues d'Anvers. Snehal Jeevan Pailkar - Shutterstock.com
Les douches de la plage de Zeebrugge font le bonheur des petits ! Toerisme Brugge / Daniel de Kievith
Statue de Rubens et cathédrale Notre-Dame-d'Anvers. Author's Image
Fontaine de Spa. OPT - Jean-Paul REMY

The 12 keywords Belgium

1. #ART NEW

Very popular in the early 20th century, Art Nouveau was inspired by natural forms and structures: flowers and plants, but also their curves, and favored materials such as glass and steel in the midst of the industrial revolution. Belgium is home to many Art Nouveau houses and buildings, many by the master Victor Horta.

2. #COMICS

102 Schtroumpfs défilé Bruxelles © Alexandros Michailidis - shutterstock.com.jpg

Belgium has almost 700 comic strip authors. Hergé opened the ball with Tintin and Snowy in 1929. Morris imagined Lucky Luke in 1946. André Franquin drew Spirou in 1947, Marsupilami in 1952, and Gaston Lagaffe in 1957. Peyo designed the Smurfs in 1954. And Jean Roba's Boule et Bill in 1959 was a precursor to modern comics.

3. #BEFFROIS

The Belgian belfries, listed by Unesco, are towers supporting bells that punctuated the economic and social life of cities in the Middle Ages (working hours, lunch break, tocsin, festivals ...). The belfry was also a watchtower in front of potential dangers and represented the independence acquired by the cities in front of the feudal regime.

4. #BEGUINAGES

Beguinages date back to the Middle Ages and are listed by UNESCO. Single women came together to help each other, without taking vows. However, they lived devoutly and carried out social and medical work. Each beguinage included a dispensary, manufacturing workshops, a church and modest-sized houses.

5. #CANAL

The gradual reclamation of the land from the 11th century onwards pushed the sea further and further away and dug canals for irrigation and water drainage, which were very convenient for transporting goods to the centre. These can be found in Bruges, but also in Ghent and in the Belgian countryside linking the cities together.

6. #DENTELLE

106 Dentelle © AnnekeDeBlok - iStockphoto.com.jpg

Since the 16th century, Belgium has been renowned for the quality of its lace-making crafts. The work is divided between two production centers: Brussels, which specializes in bobbin lace with cut threads, and Bruges, which is the capital of the fairy stitch from Binche and of bobbin lace with continuous threads.

7. #RED DEVILS

107 Supporters des Diables rouges © katatonia82 - shutterstock.com.jpg

Whether you like soccer or not, you have to admit that it has one quality: it brings Belgians (Flemings, Walloons, etc.) together around the same ball! The Red Devils' golden generation made it all the way to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup against France, before being eliminated in the first round in Qatar in 2022.

8. #EUROPE

Brussels is home to the European Commission and the European Parliament. What's more, Belgium is fortunate to be at the crossroads of Latin and Northern European cultures. As a result, its richness is unparalleled: Belgians are very open-minded culturally, and speak English and German in addition to French and Dutch.

9. #NORTH SEA

109 Mer du nord © SL_Photography - iStockphoto.com.jpg

A little cold, perhaps, but full of charm, with its tides, breakwaters, iodized air and vast sandy beaches. The Belgian coastline, with almost 70 kilometers of coastline, is part of the Belgian childhood, with its sand castles decorated with paper flowers and mica windmills, and its pedal-powered "cuistax" rides.

10. #FLEMISH PAINTING

With the technique of glazing, this oil painting allows a luminosity, a transparency and nuances unseen in Europe. It depicts the religious, the daily life of the inhabitants. The Mystic Lamb by the Van Eyck brothers in 1432 was the foundation of the primitive movement, embodied by Memling, Van der Goes and Bosch. Brueghel the Elder and Rubens followed in the Renaissance.

11. #PLAT COUNTRY

"With cathedrals for only mountains / And black steeples as masts of cocagne..." Brel sang so well the Plat Pays. If Belgium deserves this reputation for its western part (the seaside and its hinterland), on the other hand, Wallonia is much more hilly, especially going down to the Ardennes, in the southeast of the country.

12. #VÉLOS

This means of transport is very popular throughout the country, whether you're going to school, to work, to the disco... You'll be surprised by the number of facilities available for cyclists (cycle paths, ramps, bike parks, etc.). Just be careful if you're driving or walking: they're the kings of the road!

You are from here, if...

You say the "x" in Bruxelles "ss", like the "x" in Auxerre, including in the adjective "bruxellois". The "x" in Bruxelles derives from the Latin name Bruxellae, whereas the city's original name is Brussel in Dutch. You also pronounce the "s" in Antwerp, otherwise nobody understands.

You order beer "on tap", not "on draught". What's more, you don't order the cheapest "pils" on sale, but a beer of character from among the triples, IPAs, browns, blondes, ambers and so on.

You ride your bike day and night, rain or shine. You may even have learned to ride before you learned to walk! You know how to find your bike in a parking lot with a thousand two-wheelers on top of each other. You use bike ramps on stairs.

You never refuse to attend a carnival or a ducasse. Folklore and festivities with family and friends are essential to you and reinforce the identity of your region.

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