The Legendary Belgium
Belgium is famous for its wonderful legendary cuisine and breathtaking attractions and sights. The charm of this place is very captivating and the more you learn about Belgium, the more it se There is a lot more to Belgium than what appears to be.
The place is loaded with a cord of engaging historic cities like Bruges, Ghent, Namur, Liege or Brussels – each with lots of history to talk about. The country is always on the move with some remarkable architecture remnants to boast of and some great wild nightlife for the fun lovers. ems to enchant you!
Belgium shares a sort of tangled history with Luxembourg and Netherlands. Their past is witness to some of the most important historical events in Western Europe, which explains the rich history remnants of the place. Located on the North Sea between Holland, France and German, Belgium is much like a crossroads of Europe particularly in relation to UK. This is the reason why the architecture and culture of the place has been influenced by so many different nationalities like Romans, Celtics, French, Germanic, and Spanish.
The kingdom of Belgium is today divided into three separate states – Flemish, Walloon, and a smaller Germanic area. Brussels is the capital of Belgium and Antwerp is the second largest city of the place. With a population of 10.4 million, this place is a hodgepodge of influences. The diversity adds to the spice of the life you find here and today this place is growing to be a major financial center in Europe. Today, the city has successfully shaken off its ‘boring’ image and built back its fame with great cities like Bruges, Brussels, Ghent, Antwerp, Flanders, Leuven, Liege, Wallonia and many more!
Places to visit
Belgium is home to some of the best top rated attractions in the world. The Royal Museum of Fine Art at Antwerp, the Waterloo site, the Groeninge Museum at Flanders, the Ypres War Memorials and Flanders Battlefield, Tongeren and Gravensteen Castle at Ghent are some of the major historical attractions of the place that bring alive the old time magic. Some other intriguing remnants include the Town of Spa, Bruges and the Diamond Museum at Antwerp.
There is a lot of similarity between the food and drink of French and Belgian. Each region of Belgium has a special dish to boast of and they use a lot of butter, cream, beer and wine in their daily gourmet. The national specialties include Moules Frites, Endives with Bechamel sauce and Belgian chocolates or waffles. The Belgians are keen on their food outlets and have a very wide and excellent collection of restaurants to suit all budget levels.
The nightlife of Belgium is as good as it gets. Rated very high on quality and wide variety, this place is flooding with over 10 theatres. The major musical ventures include Beurschouwburg and Ancienne Belgique.
Shopping includes a choice of special purchases like ceramics, hand-beaten copperware from Dinant, Belgian chocolates, jewelry from Antwerp, crystals from Val Saint Lambert, woodcarvings from Spa or lace from Bruges, Brussels and Mechelen. The main shopping centres are located at Mons, Namur, Liege, Antwerp, Burges, Ostend, Ghent and Brussels. Many shops remain closed during lunch times. They are open from 10 in the morning to 6 or 7 in the evening. The department stores may remain open for a longer time period, like until 9 pm on Fridays.
When to go
The climate in Belgium and Luxembourg is generally a mild, maritime climate characterized by many days of grey and/or rainy weather. The weather here is quite fickle. People actually celebrate when the sun comes out.
The best time therefore to visit Belgium in between May and September. This helps you to avoid major dampness bouts that are coupled with biting cold. The climate will be perfect for outdoor pursuits like hiking. although the place tends to be crowded with tourists at this time of the year. You might want to time your trip for festivals, but the lion’s share of events take place only in summers.
There are many favorite things you can do in Belgium. The place is full of famous events and some of these include Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film, Eurantica – a major arts and antiques fair, Art Brussels, Beaufort Art by the Sea, Royal Greenhouses open to the public, Festival of Flanders, Holy Blood Procession, Kunsten Festival des Arts, Lesbian and gay pride day, Namur in May, Cats Parade and throwing of cats, Queen Elizabeth International Musical Competition and many more!
Getting there and around
Make sure that when you enter Belgium and Luxembourg, you have a valid passport (for EU tourists it only means a valid identity proof). You need to have this with you while you are touring the place. The no-frills carriers – like Ryanair – give you a roundabout ticket at half the price. The main airline carrier to the country is Brussels Airlines. The major airports in Belgium and Luxembourg are Antwerp, Brussels National Airport, Charleroi, Liege and Luxemburg Airport.
You can use the car-ferry system that exists between Belgium and UK. At the moment, there are three such services available – Superfast Ferries, P&O, and TransEruopa Ferries. The fares & schedules are determined as per the seasonal demand.
If you are using the roadways, Belgium is accessible from various other states like Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France. You can use your car or other automobile to access Belgium this way, using motorways. For bus service that links Belgium with France, Germany, Netherlands, you have the Eurolines. You also can use the train services that exist between France & Belgium (Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français) or Belgium & Germany or Belgium & Netherlands (Nederlands Spoorwegen). For bus service between London and Belgium you have a choice of Eurolines or Busabout. Also you have the Eurostar Channel Tunnel passenger train service is another option.
In short, there is so much of fun and excitement at Belgium that a single tour to this wonderful place might not suffice. Make sure you are pepped up for the trip because this place, once labeled as ‘boring’ by some, has really come alive today!
The place is loaded with a cord of engaging historic cities like Bruges, Ghent, Namur, Liege or Brussels – each with lots of history to talk about. The country is always on the move with some remarkable architecture remnants to boast of and some great wild nightlife for the fun lovers. ems to enchant you!
Belgium shares a sort of tangled history with Luxembourg and Netherlands. Their past is witness to some of the most important historical events in Western Europe, which explains the rich history remnants of the place. Located on the North Sea between Holland, France and German, Belgium is much like a crossroads of Europe particularly in relation to UK. This is the reason why the architecture and culture of the place has been influenced by so many different nationalities like Romans, Celtics, French, Germanic, and Spanish.
The kingdom of Belgium is today divided into three separate states – Flemish, Walloon, and a smaller Germanic area. Brussels is the capital of Belgium and Antwerp is the second largest city of the place. With a population of 10.4 million, this place is a hodgepodge of influences. The diversity adds to the spice of the life you find here and today this place is growing to be a major financial center in Europe. Today, the city has successfully shaken off its ‘boring’ image and built back its fame with great cities like Bruges, Brussels, Ghent, Antwerp, Flanders, Leuven, Liege, Wallonia and many more!
Places to visit
Belgium is home to some of the best top rated attractions in the world. The Royal Museum of Fine Art at Antwerp, the Waterloo site, the Groeninge Museum at Flanders, the Ypres War Memorials and Flanders Battlefield, Tongeren and Gravensteen Castle at Ghent are some of the major historical attractions of the place that bring alive the old time magic. Some other intriguing remnants include the Town of Spa, Bruges and the Diamond Museum at Antwerp.
There is a lot of similarity between the food and drink of French and Belgian. Each region of Belgium has a special dish to boast of and they use a lot of butter, cream, beer and wine in their daily gourmet. The national specialties include Moules Frites, Endives with Bechamel sauce and Belgian chocolates or waffles. The Belgians are keen on their food outlets and have a very wide and excellent collection of restaurants to suit all budget levels.
The nightlife of Belgium is as good as it gets. Rated very high on quality and wide variety, this place is flooding with over 10 theatres. The major musical ventures include Beurschouwburg and Ancienne Belgique.
Shopping includes a choice of special purchases like ceramics, hand-beaten copperware from Dinant, Belgian chocolates, jewelry from Antwerp, crystals from Val Saint Lambert, woodcarvings from Spa or lace from Bruges, Brussels and Mechelen. The main shopping centres are located at Mons, Namur, Liege, Antwerp, Burges, Ostend, Ghent and Brussels. Many shops remain closed during lunch times. They are open from 10 in the morning to 6 or 7 in the evening. The department stores may remain open for a longer time period, like until 9 pm on Fridays.
When to go
The climate in Belgium and Luxembourg is generally a mild, maritime climate characterized by many days of grey and/or rainy weather. The weather here is quite fickle. People actually celebrate when the sun comes out.
The best time therefore to visit Belgium in between May and September. This helps you to avoid major dampness bouts that are coupled with biting cold. The climate will be perfect for outdoor pursuits like hiking. although the place tends to be crowded with tourists at this time of the year. You might want to time your trip for festivals, but the lion’s share of events take place only in summers.
There are many favorite things you can do in Belgium. The place is full of famous events and some of these include Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film, Eurantica – a major arts and antiques fair, Art Brussels, Beaufort Art by the Sea, Royal Greenhouses open to the public, Festival of Flanders, Holy Blood Procession, Kunsten Festival des Arts, Lesbian and gay pride day, Namur in May, Cats Parade and throwing of cats, Queen Elizabeth International Musical Competition and many more!
Getting there and around
Make sure that when you enter Belgium and Luxembourg, you have a valid passport (for EU tourists it only means a valid identity proof). You need to have this with you while you are touring the place. The no-frills carriers – like Ryanair – give you a roundabout ticket at half the price. The main airline carrier to the country is Brussels Airlines. The major airports in Belgium and Luxembourg are Antwerp, Brussels National Airport, Charleroi, Liege and Luxemburg Airport.
You can use the car-ferry system that exists between Belgium and UK. At the moment, there are three such services available – Superfast Ferries, P&O, and TransEruopa Ferries. The fares & schedules are determined as per the seasonal demand.
If you are using the roadways, Belgium is accessible from various other states like Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France. You can use your car or other automobile to access Belgium this way, using motorways. For bus service that links Belgium with France, Germany, Netherlands, you have the Eurolines. You also can use the train services that exist between France & Belgium (Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français) or Belgium & Germany or Belgium & Netherlands (Nederlands Spoorwegen). For bus service between London and Belgium you have a choice of Eurolines or Busabout. Also you have the Eurostar Channel Tunnel passenger train service is another option.
In short, there is so much of fun and excitement at Belgium that a single tour to this wonderful place might not suffice. Make sure you are pepped up for the trip because this place, once labeled as ‘boring’ by some, has really come alive today!