Belgium Travel Guide
- Official name: Belgique, België, Belgien
- Capital: Brussels
- Language: 3 official languages: 60%Dutch, 39%French and 1%German
- Religion: 75% Roman Catholic; 25% Protestants and others. In absolute numbers about 180 000 Muslims.
- Currency: euro
Belgium Sights and Museums
Brussels is the city of choice for Eurocrats, Brussels is sumptuous, historic and luxuriously cosy. With artistry richer than chocolate, architecture as graceful as its cuisine and diversity frothier than the beer, Brussels is an heirloom of northern culture at its best.
If you're hunting for hidden treasures in Belgium , Ghent is it! Ghent is a small Belgian city with 297 bars, 50.000 students, an alive music scene with free concerts every day and good shopping and second hand shopping. It's located between Brussels and Bruges . It's a romantic car-free centre with a lot of pretty medieval buildings and a living nightlife.
It's the Belgian city with most protected monuments. Churches, cathedrals, a castle, many museums, historical sites, monasteries, very old bars and pubs, bridges …
Belgium Entertainment
The festival of Ghent , in the second half of July, is the most famous event with a long and rich history and is very popular among both natives and strangers, attracting about 100.000 people a day. There's 24 hour a day partying, good eating and drinking, cultural events of all sorts, several stages spread out in the city centre with free concerts for all audiences, street artists, workshops and an incredible atmosphere to never forget.
Belgium Transports
How to get there by train: Brussels' three main train stations are Gare Centrale (Central Station), Gare du Midi (South Station), and Gare du Nord (North Station). The recently renovated Gare du Midi is the main station for international connections: the Eurostar (www.eurostar.com) and Thalys (www.thalys.com) fast trains stop here. Most other international trains stop at both Gare du Nord and Gare du Midi while some also stop at Gare Centrale. There are information offices at all three stations, open from early morning to late evening. For all national inquiries, tel: 02 528 28 28.
- By bus: Of the two Eurolines offices, the main one is at Gare du Nord, and most buses depart from here (www.eurolines.be; Gare du Nord office; Rue du Progrès 80; tel: 02 274 13 50; Gare du Midi office; Ave Fosny 13; tel: 02 538 20 49). Eurolines buses from Brussels serve the following cities: Amsterdam (4.5hrs, seven daily); Cologne (4.5hrs, one daily); Frankfurt (5.5hrs, two daily); London (8.5hrs, five daily); and Paris (3.5hrs, 11 daily).
- By plane: Brussels Airport (tel: 02 753 42 21, flight information tel: 0900 70 000; www.brusselsairport.be) is northeast of Brussels . The departures hall is on level 3, where you'll find an information desk and free airport maps. The arrivals hall is on level 2 and has a post office, ATM, car-rental agencies and tourist information counters. The bus terminus is on level 0 and the train station is on level -1. The Airport City Express train) runs between Brussels Airport and the city's three main train stations ( 05:30-23:30 , every 15mins). The trip takes 15 to 25 minutes (depending on your station). Taxis wait outside the airport arrivals hall. Official taxis have a yellow and blue plaque near the number plate.
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