Belgia - Belgium

Madal riik riigis Benelux, Belgia (Hollandi: België, Prantsuse keel: Belgique, Saksa keel: Belgien) istub Lääne-Euroopa ristteel. See abiellub ajalooliste vaatamisväärsustega, mille poolest manner on kuulus, suurejoonelise moodsa arhitektuuri ja maaelu idüllidega. Selle pealinn Brüssel, kus asub Euroopa Liit.

Kuigi Belgia on suhteliselt jõukas riik, on see ka üks poliitiliselt keerukamaid riike maailmas. Flandria (hollandikeelne osa) ja Valloonia (prantsusekeelne osa) keele ja kultuuri erinevused on viinud mitmete kaugeleulatuvate reformideni ja see jätkuv antagonism muudab Belgia poliitika nii keeruliseks, et isegi tavalistel belglastel pole mõtet sellest, mis tegelikult toimub. Kõigest hoolimata moodustavad need kaks poolt riigist, mis sisaldab mõnda Euroopa kõige atraktiivsematest ja ajaloolistest linnadest ning on tõeline kohustuslik vaatamisväärsus kõigile mandri külastajatele.

Saage aru

Põhjamere rannikul lebavad Belgia lähinaabrid Prantsusmaa edelas, Luksemburg kagus, Saksamaa idas ja Holland põhjas.

Belgia on tihedalt asustatud riik, kes püüab tasakaalustada linnastumise, transpordi, tööstuse ning kaubandusliku ja intensiivse põllumajanduse vastuolulisi nõudmisi. See impordib suures koguses toorainet ja ekspordib suure hulga tööstuskaupu, peamiselt ELi.

Ajalugu

Belgia on mitme endise keskaegse riigi pärija ja nende jälgi näete selles riigis igal pool.

Pärast kokkuvarisemist Karolingide impeerium 9. sajandil oli territoorium, mis tänapäeval on Belgia, Holland ja Luksemburg, osa Lotharingiast, efemeersest kuningriigist, mis peagi imendub Germaani impeeriumi; "Alam-Lotharingia" eripära jäi feodaalses impeeriumis siiski puutumatuks: see on madalate riikide päritolu - üldmõiste, mis hõlmab tänapäeva Belgiat, Madalmaid ja Luksemburgi.

Madalmaade laialdaselt autonoomsed linnad kuulusid keskaegse Euroopa rikkamate kohtade hulka ja selle varasema rikkuse jälgi näete Brugge, Brüsseli, Antwerpeni, Genti, Leuveni, Tournai, Monsi jne rikkalikes hoonetes. Need linnad langesid järk-järgult võimsa ja ambitsioonika perekonna kontrolli all: Burgundia hertsogid. Kogu hertsogiriik ulatus Madalmaadest Šveitsi piirini. Rikkust, strateegiat ja liite kasutades võtsid Burgundia hertsogid eesmärgiks Lotharingia taastamise. Viimase hertsogi Charles Boldi surm tegi sellele unistusele lõpu. Kuid Burgundia hertsogite aarded jäävad tunnistuseks nende reeglitest Belgia muuseumides ja vaatamisväärsustes.

Võimas Habsburgide perekond sai seejärel pärandi madalatelt riikidelt. Reformatsioon on põhjus, miks Belgia ja Holland esmakordselt lahku löödi: madalate riikide põhjapoolne pool võttis protestantismi omaks ja mässas Habsburgi võimu vastu, samas kui lõunapoolne pool jäi truuks nii oma valitsejale kui ka katoliku usule. Need kaks poolt vastavad ligikaudu tänapäeva Belgiale ja Madalmaadele.

Belgiat nimetati Austria Hollandiks, seejärel Hispaania Hollandiks, sõltuvalt sellest, milline Habsburgi haru seda valitses. Saksamaa võimas keiser ja Hispaania kuningas Charles V sündis Belgia linnas Gentis ja valitses Brüsselist. Tema järgi on Belgias nimetatud palju kohti, sealhulgas Charleroi linn ja isegi õllemark. Igal aastal jäljendab Brusselers oma esimest paraadi oma linnas, mida nimetatakse Ommegangiks.

Belgia oli lühidalt osa Napoleoni impeeriumist. Pärast Napoleoni lüüasaamist loodi suur Madalmaade Kuningriik, mis hõlmas kõiki madalmaid. Usuline vastuseis jäi siiski püsima ja lõhenemist süvendasid poliitilised erimeelsused Belgia liberaalide ja Hollandi aristokraatide vahel. Belgia iseseisvus Hollandist 1830. aastal pärast lühikest revolutsiooni ja sõda Hollandi vastu.

Esimese ja teise maailmasõja ajal okupeeris Saksamaa ja lahingupiirkondade lähedal on palju sõjahaudu, enamik neist asuvad Ieperi ümbruses (inglise keeles, arhailiselt sulatatud Ypres, kus Yperite on sinepigaasi teise nimega, kuna seal oli seda intensiivselt I maailmasõjas). See on viimase poole sajandi jooksul edenenud kaasaegse, tehnoloogiliselt arenenud Euroopa riigina ning NATO ja EL liikmena. Põhjamaade hollandi keelt kõnelevate flaamide ja lõuna pool asuvate prantsuse keelt kõnelevate valloonide vahelised pinged on viinud põhiseaduse muudatusteni, mis annavad neile piirkondadele ametliku tunnustuse ja autonoomia.

Maastik

Loodeosas lamedad rannikutasandikud, kagus Ardenni metsa keskosad, mägised mäed, metsased mäed ja orud.

Kliima

Mõõdukas; pehmed talved jahedate suvedega. Üldiselt pigem vihmane, niiske ja pilves ilm. Belgia keskmine aastatemperatuur aastakümnetel aastatel 1976–2006 oli 10 ° C - mittemeteoroloogide jaoks mõnevõrra mõttetu näitaja.

Elekter

Elektri toiteallikas on 220–230 V ja 50 Hz. Pistikupesad on CEE7 / 5 (väljaulatuv isane maandustihvt) ja aktsepteerivad kas CEE 7/5 (maandatud), CEE 7/7 (maandatud) või CEE 7/16 (maandamata) pistikuid. Vanemad Saksa tüüpi CEE 7/4 pistikud ei ühildu, kuna need ei mahu seda tüüpi pistikupesast leitud maandustihvti. Kuid enamik kaasaegseid Euroopa seadmeid on varustatud hübriidse CEE 7/7 pistikuga, mis sobib nii CEE 7/5 (Belgia ja Prantsusmaa) kui ka CEE 7/4 (Saksamaa, Holland, Hispaania ja enamik Euroopat) pistikupesadesse.

Suurbritanniast, Iirimaalt, Austraaliast, Uus-Meremaalt, Taanist, Itaaliast, Šveitsist ja kõigist teistest 230 V ja 50 Hz sagedusega riikidest, mis kasutavad erinevaid pistikuid, vajavad reisijad, kes vajavad Belgias oma seadmete kasutamiseks lihtsalt pistikuadapterit.

Reisijad USA-st, Kanadast, Jaapanist ja teistest riikidest, mis kasutavad 110 V 60 Hz, võivad vajada pingemuundurit. Kuid mõned sülearvutid, mobiiltelefoni laadijad ja muud seadmed võivad aktsepteerida kas 110 V või 230 V, nii et selleks on vaja ainult lihtsat pistikuadapterit. Enne nende ühendamist kontrollige oma seadmete pingeplaate.

Piirkonnad

Belgia koosneb kolmest piirkonnast, mis on loetletud põhjast lõunasse:

Linnad

Belgias on linnastumise määr väga kõrge ja nii väikese territooriumi jaoks on hämmastavalt palju linnu

• 50.854.351 Brüssel - Belgia pealinn ja ELi mitteametlik pealinn. Kena ajalooline keskus ja mitmed huvipakkuvad muuseumid. Üks multikultuursemaid linnu Euroopas.
• 51.2166674.42 Antwerpen - Belgia suuruselt teine ​​linn hiiglasliku katedraali, keskaegsete tänavate ja kunstipärandiga ning suurepärase moekohaga.
• 51.2166673.2333333 Brugge - üks Euroopa rikkamaid linnu 14. sajandil, see on turistikas, kuid endiselt väga autentne, keskaegne ja vaikne öösel ning väikeste külalistemajadega ja pereettevõtetega on ahelhotellidest palju rohkem.
• 51.053.7333334 Gent - kunagi üks Euroopa suurimaid linnu, nüüd täiuslik segu Antwerpenist ja Brugesest: hubane kanalitega linn, kuid rikkaliku ajaloo ja elava tudengipopulatsiooniga.
• 50.8833334.75 Leuven - väike linn, kus domineerib Euroopa üks vanimaid ülikoole. Ilus ajalooline keskus ja elav ööelu.
• 50.6333335.5666676 Liège - Valloonia suuruselt teine ​​linn, mööda laia jõge, tööstuslik linnapilt koos matkamise ja kuurortidega lähedal asuvates mägedes. Linn on väga tugeva, iseseisva iseloomuga ja põneva ööeluga.
• 51.0166674.4666677 Mechelen - väike keskaegne linn kena ajaloolise linnaosaga katedraali ümber.
• 50.453.958 Mons - tal on olnud erakordne privileeg, kui kaks ala on kantud UNESCO maailmapärandi nimistusse Nimekiri ja üks sündmus inimkonna vaimse kultuuripärandi esindusnimekirjas.
• 50.4666674.8666679 Namur - kapitali Valloonia, Sambre ja Meuse liitumiskohas tsitadelliga.

Muud sihtkohad

• 50.8666674.4666671 Kraainem - rikkaliku tööstusajalooga omavalitsus Kesklinna äärelinnas Brüssel paljude ajalooliste vaatamisväärsustega.
• 50.8166674.52 Tervuren - tuntud lopsaka Soniuse metsa, parkide ja kuningliku suveresidentsuse läheduse tõttu.
• 50.9333334.3833333 Grimbergen - tuntud samanimelise õlle poolest, mis on kogunud ülemaailmset tuntust, kuid toodetakse siiski kloostris.
• 50.255.6666674 Ardennid - Beneluxi kõige hõredamalt asustatud piirkond, see on metsaga kaetud mägine maapiirkond
• 50.2666674.9166675 Dinant - väike linn suurepärases looduslikus keskkonnas, populaarne koht seiklusspordiks, näiteks kanuusõit ja kaljuronimine, mida on kõige paremini külastatud talvel
• 50.7833334.1166676 Pajottenland - nimetatakse ka "Põhja-Toscanaks", on Brüsselist läänes asuv roheline piirkond, mis koosneb mägedest, heinamaadest, väikestest küladest ja lossidest. Geuze õlle kodu ja sobib suurepäraselt matkamiseks, jalgrattaga sõitmiseks ja ratsutamiseks.
• 50.49255.8641677 Spaa - kõikidele maailma spaadele nime andnud kuurortlinna kuumaveeprotseduurid on sajandeid külastajaid meelitanud.
• 50.852.8833338 Ypres, 50.852.7333339 Poperinge ja ümbritsevad külad - hävitatud I maailmasõja ajal, seda endist sõjaväe tugipunkti tähistavad mälestusmärgid ja kalmistud.
• 51.16444.139110 Sint-Niklaas - tuntud oma turuväljaku (suurim Belgias), iga-aastase õhupallifestivali ja lähedal asuvate maastikega Scheldti jõe ääres.

Tule sisse

Riiki sisenemise nõuded

Belgia on ühenduse liige Schengeni leping.

• Lepingu allkirjastanud ja rakendanud riikide vahel tavaliselt piirikontrolli ei toimu. See hõlmab enamikku Euroopa Liidust ja veel mõnda riiki.
• Enne rahvusvahelistele lendudele või paatidele minekut tehakse tavaliselt isikutunnistusi. Mõnikord on maismaapiiridel ajutine piirikontroll.
• Samamoodi a viisa mis tahes Schengeni liikmele antud teave kehtib kõigis teistes riikides, kes on selle alla kirjutanud ja lepingu rakendanud.
• Palun vaata Reisimine Schengeni piirkonnas lisateavet skeemi toimimise kohta, millised riigid on liikmed ja millised on nõuded teie kodakondsusele.

Eespool nimetatud riikide kodanikel on lubatud Belgias töötada ilma viisata või täiendava loata 90-päevase viisavaba viibimise ajaks. See viisavaba töötamise võime ei pruugi aga laieneda teistele Schengeni riikidele.

Lennukiga

Brüsseli lennujaam (BRU ^IATA), tuntud ka kui Zaventem linna tõttu, kus see peamiselt asub, on Belgia peamine lennujaam. See ei asu Brüsselis, vaid selle ümbruses Flandria. Lennujaam on riikliku lennufirma alus Brussels Airlines. Teised täisteenindusega lennufirmad kasutavad BRU-d, samuti eelarveettevõtjad, näiteks Ryanair, Vueling ja JetairFly.

On rong (€5.10), mis sõidavad iga 15 minuti järel Brüsseli kesklinna 25 minutit, mõned neist jätkavad Gent, Mons, Nivellidja Lääne-Flandria ja bussiliinid nr 12 ja 21 (€3 automaadis /€5 pardal) iga 20–30 minuti tagant Place Luxembourg'i (Euroopa Parlamendi piirkond). Buss peatub kesklinna sõites NATO ja Schumani juures (ELi institutsioonide jaoks). Samuti on tunnis kaks rongi Leuven, võttes 13 minutit. Taksosõit Brüsseli kesklinna maksab umbes €35 - ettetellimisel odavam. Takso bleus: 32 2 268–0000, Taxis Autolux: 32 2 411–4142, Takso verts: 32 2 349–4949.

Brüsseli Lõuna-Charleroi lennujaam (CRL ^IATA), umbes 50 km (31 mi) Brüsselist lõunas, teenindab enamasti odavaid lennuettevõtjaid, näiteks Ryanair ja Wizzair. Bussiga Brüssel Gare du Midi jõuate umbes tunniga (€13 üks viis, €22 tagasitulek). Kui kavatsete minna mõnda muusse Belgia piirkonda, ostke kombineeritud bussirongipilett Charleroi Sud rongijaama kaudu TECi automaatidest väljaspool lennujaama. €19.40 ühesuunaline.

Kui aga olete tõepoolest ummikus, pole taksojuhtide jaoks krediitkaartide võtmine ebatavaline. Taksosõidu hind Brüsselisse on kindlaksmääratud hind (umbes €85 jaanuarist 2020) ja saate taksojuhilt küsida, kas ta aktsepteerib teie krediitkaarti või mitte.

Antwerpeni lennujaam (ANR ^IATA) on mõned ärilennud, sealhulgas CityJetmõistliku hinnaga link Londoni City lennujaama. Muude lennujaamade hulka kuuluvad Oostende, Liège ja Kortrijk, kuid nad korraldavad ainult kauba- ja tellimuslende.

Lend naaberriikide lennujaamadesse võiks olla kaalumist väärt, eriti Amsterdami Schipholi lennujaam millel on otseühendus raudteega Brüssel, peatusi tehes ka Antwerpen ja Mechelen.

Liege'i lennujaam (LGG ^IATA) asub Liege linna lähedal. Väike lennujaam, mida teenindab ainult TUIFly, odavlennufirma. Peamiselt Hispaaniast, mõnikord Kreekast ja Marokost on päevas 5–10. Seda kannatab väga halbade transpordivõimaluste tõttu Liege linna: päevas on mitu korda buss number 57, see sõidab Liege-Guilleminsi rongijaama, see buss sõidab ainult nädala jooksul. Teine võimalus on sõita bussiga nr 53 või 85, mis mõnikord läheb lennujaama kaudu kesklinna, u. 30 minutit. TEC bussidel pole Liege lennujaama jaoks erihindu ja need maksavad €3.50 ühe inimese kohta.

Takso maksab umbes €25.

Rongiga

Brüsseli ja:

• Luksemburg (tavalised rongid, mis sõidavad iga tund). Kogu ühistransport on Luksemburgis tasuta. Luksemburgist Brüsselini kulub umbes 2 tundi 30 minutit, Luksemburgist Liege'i - 3 tundi.
• Pariis, Köln, Aachen, Rotterdam, Amsterdam (Thalys )
• Lyon, Bordeaux, Pariisi-CDG lennujaam ja paljud teised Prantsusmaa linnad (TGV-d haldab SNCF).
• London, Ebbsfleet, Ashford, Lille, Calais, Rotterdam, Amsterdam (Eurostar). Kui lähete mõnda teise Belgia linna, sisaldab pilet "ükskõik milline Belgia jaam" (5.50 naela ühesuunaline 2. klass) teie Eurostari piletis kohaliku transpordi. Sõltuvalt vahemaast võib see tulla odavam kui eraldi pileti saamine. Suurbritanniast Belgiasse reisivad reisijad läbivad enne pardale minekut Ühendkuningriigis Prantsuse passi- või isikutunnistuse kontrolli (tehakse belglaste nimel), mitte Belgiasse saabumisel. Lille / Calais'st Brüsselisse reisivad reisijad asuvad Schengeni alal.
• Frankfurt, Köln (ICE opereerija Deutsche Bahn)
• Zürich, Šveits, Luksemburgi kaudu (tavalised rongid, 2 korda päevas)

Brüsselist Antwerpeni kaudu Rotterdami ja Amsterdami Hollandis on tunnitrongid. Kaugliiniteenused sõidavad Brüsselist Amsterdami Mecheleni, Antwerpeni, Rotterdami, Haagi ja Schipholi kaudu. Teine otsene ühendus Amsterdamis on kallis Thalys (broneerige aegsasti mõistlike hindade jaoks). Alternatiiv on sõita rongiga Brüsselist või Antwerpenist Roosendaalisse (NL), kus on olemas ühendusliinid Rotterdami ja Amsterdamisse. Hollandist Belgiasse reisivad reisijad peavad oma piletid ostma NS Internationaali esindusest või veebisaidil mis erinevad siseriiklike rongide pileteid müüvatest. NS Internationaal müüb ka Thalyse pileteid samade hindadega, mida on näha Thalyse veebisaidil.

Rahvusvahelised rongid ühendavad kodumaiste rongidega Brüsseli Gare du Midi / Zuidstationis ning kõigi Eurostari või ICE ja mõne Thalysi pileti abil saate oma reisi tasuta lõpetada siseriiklikes rongides. Kõigi kiirrongide jaoks peate odavate piletihindade jaoks eelnevalt broneerima kas veebis või reisibüroo kaudu. Regulaarse graafikuga magamisronge enam pole.

Samuti võiksite kontrollida TGV-ühendusi Lillega. Rongid ülejäänud Prantsusmaalt Lille'i sõidavad sagedamini ja on tavaliselt odavamad. Lille Flandresist on otseühendus Gentiga ja Antwerpeniga. Kui teie TGV jõuab Lille Euroopasse, võtab see 15-minutilise jalutuskäigu Lille Flandresi raudteejaama.

Plaanige oma reisi Deutsche Bahni sõiduplaan. Sellel on kõik siseriiklikud ja rahvusvahelised ühendused üle Euroopa.

Belgia rongides pole suitsetamine lubatud.

Belgia piires reisivate 65 reisija rongihind on sageli piiratud €6 ja kehtib samal päeval tagasipöördumiseks, kuid selline hind võib nõuda reisimist alles pärast kella 09.00.

Autoga

Suured Euroopa maanteed nagu E19, E17, E40, E411 ja E313 läbivad Belgiat.

Telkimine

Odavaim viis Belgiasse jõudmiseks (€3/ 100 km (62 mi)) kõikjalt Euroopast - kui teil on veidi paindlik ja veab - tavaliselt taksopea. Palju sõidetakse ka edasi BlablaCar.

Bussiga

Belgiasse pääseb kogu Euroopast edasi Eurolines treenerid. Rahvusvahelistel bussidel on vahemaandumised Antwerpen, Brüsseli põhjajaam, Leuven & Liege.

On bussiettevõtteid, kes teenivad Bosnia diasporaa, mis pakuvad odavaid ja puhas viis teisele poole Euroopa mandrit. Poolekskursioonid sõidab kolm korda nädalas erinevatest sihtkohtadest Rumeenias Bosnia ja Hercegovina Belgiasse ja Hollandisse, väljaspool hooaega €132 edasi-tagasi pileti eest.

Laevaga

Inglismaal on Hullist Zeebrugge / öösel parvlaevad, kuid need pole odavad.

Prantsusmaalt

• Aastal on Belgia siseriiklikke ronge, mis lõppevad aastal Lille (jaam Lille-Flandria).
• Belgia raudteede De Panne terminali (ja rannikutramm - Kusttram) ja Prantsusmaa rannikulinnas Dunkirkis on bussiliin, mida juhib DK'BUS Marine: [1]. Samuti on võimalik sõita DK'BUS-bussiga, mis läheb piirile võimalikult lähedale ja ületab selle jalgsi rannas kõndides ning saabudes ranniku trammi mugavasse jaama, näiteks: Esplanaad.

Saksamaalt

• Asukoha rongijaamade vahel saab sõita bussiga Eupen (Belgia) ja Aachen (Saksamaa), mis on üsna kiire ja odavam kui sama reisi tegemine rahvusvahelise rongipiletiga.
• Kui teie sihtkoht Belgias asub piirist kaugemal, võite minna kohaliku rongiga Aachen kuni Welkenraedt ja siis vahetage InterCity-rongile, mis ühendab Eupeni ja Oostende, möödumas Leuven, Brüssel, Gent ja Brugge. Reis Aachenist Brüsselisse võtab aega vähem kui kaks tundi.

Hollandist

• Belgia ja Hollandi vaheliste piiriületusbusside nimekirja leiate nimekirjast aadressil [2].
• Peale selle, et see on muinas-Euroopa ajaloo omapärane tulemus, on ka Baarle (ametlikult Baarle-Hertog Belgias ja Baarle-Nassau Hollandis) on võimalik vahetuspunkt, kuna linna peamine bussipeatus Sint-Janstraat sõidab nii flaami (Belgia) kui ka hollandi bussidega.
• Flaami (Belgia) ettevõte De Lijn opereerib piiriületuse bussi vahel Turnthout Belgias ja Tilburg Hollandis, mis mõlemad on vastava riigi raudteevõrgu otsad.
• Austria rongijaamade vahel sõidab buss (liin 45), mida haldab flaami (Belgia) ettevõte De Lijn Genk (Belgia) ja Maastricht (Madalmaad). Sealt väljub veel üks buss (liin 20A) Hasselt, läheb Maastricht. Rongiühendust ehitatakse.

Liigu ringi

Olles nii väike riik (maksimaalse vahemaana 300 km), pääseb paari tunniga kuhu iganes. Kui ühistransport on täielikult toimiv, on see kiire ja mugav ning mitte liiga kallis. Suuremate linnade vahel on sagedased rongiühendused, bussid läbivad väiksemaid vahemaid. Kasulik sait on Nutikas liikuvuse planeerija, millel on kogu riigi jaoks uksest ukseni marsruuter, mis hõlmab kõiki ühistranspordi vorme (sealhulgas rong, buss, metroo ja tramm).

Pilk kaardilt võib viidata sellele, et Brüssel on hea lähtekoht Antwerpeni, Genti, Brugge, Namuri ja Leuveni avastamiseks päevareisidel. Antwerpen on populaarne nende seas, kes soovivad olla kosmopoliitses kohas, ja Gent on tipus nende seas, kellele meeldib hea segu avatud meelega provintslikkusest. Liège on ilus, kuid liiga lähedal Saksamaale, et olla hea alus päevareisidele. Turistid peavad Mecheleni igavaks, kuid rongijaama kõrval on iga 30 minuti tagant rongijaama kõrval väga hea noortemaja.

Kohalike vaatamisväärsuste tegemiseks, eriti Flandrias, on jalgrattasõiduks palju infrastruktuure. Rattaid saab rentida praktiliselt kõikjalt. Valloonia maalähedases piirkonnas on saadaval mägirattad ja parvetamine on populaarne mööda Luksemburgi piiri.

Rongiga

• Belgiantrain.be reisi planeerija. Rongide marsruutide ja hindade leidmiseks kasutage Belgia riikliku raudteefirma hallatavat ametlikku reisiplaneerit (värskendatud 2016. aasta mais)

Suurem osa Belgiast on hästi ühendatud rongiga, mida juhib NMBS (Prantsuse keeles SNCB), kusjuures enamik põhilisi marsruute kulgeb läbi Antwerpeni, Namuri või Brüsseli. Siit jõuate rahvusvahelistele rongidele ja mõlemale pääseb rongiga Brüsseli lennujaamast või bussiga Antwerpeni või Charleroi lennujaamast. Ülekanded on väga lihtsad. Kõik ICE ja mõned Thalyse piletid võimaldavad tasuta ülekanded samal päeval siseriiklike rongidega mis tahes muusse Belgia jaama. Lisaks on Pariisist Thalysi rongid otse Genti, Brugge ja Oostendesse, ilma et oleks vaja ronge vahetada Antwerpenis või Brüsselis. Londonist (Eurostari poolt) peate Brüsselis ümber istuma Antwerpeni, Leuveni või Genti suunas, kuid Brugge puhul saate ümber istuda juba Lille'is (Prantsusmaa), ilma et oleks vaja teha ümbersõitu Brüsseli kaudu. Lille'is ja Brüsselis on töötajad väga abivalmid ja valmis naeratama.

Rongid on täpsed ning enamasti kaasaegsed ja mugavad.

Belgia rongide tavahinnad on Saksamaa või Ühendkuningriigiga võrreldes odavad, ilma vajaduseta ega võimalust reserveerida. 2. klassi hinnad ei lähe kõrgemale kui €21.30 pikimate sisereiside jaoks (ühesuunaline). 1. klass maksab 50% lisatasu. Rongid võivad tipptundidel väga täis saada, nii et selleks ajaks võib vaja minna istekoha saamiseks 1. klassi piletit. Raudteejaamas saab maksta sularaha või krediitkaardiga. Edasi-tagasi piletid on nädalavahetusel 50% soodsamad.

Enamik pileteid müüakse määratud marsruudil määratud päeval, nii et saate pileti päeval sõita mis tahes rongiga. Rongile astudes pole täiendavat valideerimist.

Oma marsruuti saate planeerida SNCB / NMBS kaudu veebisaidil, rakendus (saadaval inglise keeles, annab reaalajas teavet hilinemiste ja tühistamiste kohta) või küsides jaama töötajatelt.

Pileteid saab osta veebisaidil, rakendus, müügiautomaadid, piletilettid ja rongis. Kui soovite rongis pileti osta, peate rongi dirigenti sellest hoiatama. Vältige rongis piletite ostmist, kuna peate lisatasu maksma €7 pileti kohta. Paljudel väiksematel jaamadel pole enam piletilette ja kui on, siis pole need eriti tihti avatud. Igas jaamas on vähemalt üks automaat. Kui piletilettid on suletud ja müügiautomaadid ei tööta, ei küsita rongilt lisatasu, kui pöördute selle küsimuse poole dirigendi poole.

Maksta saab sularaha ja krediitkaardiga. PayPaliga saate maksta ka veebisaidi või rakenduse kaudu. Kontaktivabasid makseid aktsepteeritakse enamikus rongijaamades ja mõnes automaadis. Mis puudutab sularaha maksmist müügiautomaatides, siis lubavad nad ainult münte, mitte paberarveid. Pileti ostmata jätmine võib kaasa tuua kuni trahvi €225.

Odav võimalus, kui plaanite mitut rongireisi, on a Mine passima[3] alla 26-aastastele reisijatele, mis annab teile 10 ühekordset 2. klassi reisi (vajadusel koos rongivahetustega) €53. See kehtib aasta ja seda saab ilma piiranguteta teistele inimestele jagada või teistele anda. Kui olete 26-aastane või vanem, saate seda kasutada Raudteepass. See maksab €83 2. klassile või €128 1. kuupäevaks. Nende pääsmete kasutamisel veenduge, et oleksite enne rongile minekut käsitsi tühja rida täitnud. Rongijuht võib olla väga valiv, kui pass pole õigesti täidetud. Kui pöördute rongijaama töötajate poole enne pardale minekut, on neil hea meel teid aidata. Samuti on tavaks paluda teistel platvormil olevatel inimestel kasutada oma pliiatsit, kui teil seda pole.

Odavam variant, kui reisite Belgia koolivaheajal, on alla 26-aastastele inimestele a Minge piiramatuks passima €15 nädalas või €25 kuus (ainult juulis ja augustis). See läbipääs võimaldab teil hüpata mis tahes (üleriigilisel) liinil mis tahes 2. klassi NMBS / SNCB rongile ja sealt maha. Selle pääsme jaoks vajate isiklikku MoBIB-kaarti. Selle saate osta €5, ainult mehitatud piletikassas. Koolivaheaeg on suvevaheaeg (kaks kuud: juuli ja august), sügisvaheaeg (1. novembri nädal), jõuluvaheaeg (kaks nädalat, mis hõlmab nii jõule kui ka uusaastapäeva), kevadvaheaeg (üks nädal veebruari lõpus - märtsi algus), lihavõttepaus (kaks nädalat umbes lihavõtted). Kahe viimase puhkuse täpsed kuupäevad on igal aastal erinevad.

Kui külastate kindlat üritust või kontserti, kontrollige kindlasti, kas teie rongireis pole juba piletis. Mõni suurem festival ja kontsert nagu Rock Werchter, Pukkelpop või I Love Techno sisaldavad piletihinna rongisõitu. Erikohtade, näiteks teemaparkide või muuseumide külastamiseks teavitage sellest valikut "B-ekskursioonid". Nii ostate oma sissepääsupileti ja rongipileti ühes rongijaamas. See on alati madala hinnaga, mille tulemuseks on tavaliselt sissepääsupileti hind pluss €4-5 reisimiseks. Lauaagent juhib teid kindlasti üksikasjadele.

Seal on IC-rongid (InterCity), L-rongid (kohalikud, peatused igas jaamas), P-rongid (lisarongid tipptunnil) ja S-rongid (teenivad suurlinnade äärelinnu). Turistide jaoks IC-rongid või IKT-rongid (turismirongid) on parim valik, kuna need on kiiremad, sagedasemad ja mugavamad. L-ronge ja S-ronge peaksite kasutama ainult siis, kui teie sihtkohta ei teenita IC-rong. L- ja S-rongid on siiski vähem rahvast täis, välja arvatud tipptunnil. S-rongid on mõeldud peamiselt lähipiirkondade pendelränduritele, kuid neid saab kasutada ka mõnel linnasõidul. Näiteks Ghent-Bruges kestab teekond IC-rongil 25 minutit ja L-rongil 42 minutit, kuid maksab sama palju.

Rongide sõiduplaanid muutuvad tavaliselt 10. detsembri paiku. Need muudatused piirduvad tavaliselt mõne uue rongijaama kasutuselevõtmise ja mõne liiniliini lisamisega. Ühtegi liini pole väga pikka aega katkestatud. Siit leiate a Belgia raudteede ja jaamade kaart.

Busside ja trammidega

Bussid hõlmavad kogu riiki, suurte linnade trammide ja metrooga. Enamik marsruute läbib lühikesi vahemaid, kuid linnast linna on võimalik sõita bussiga. See on aga palju aeglasem ja ainult veidi odavam kui rongiga sõitmine. Seal on ka Kusttram [4], mis kulgeb peaaegu kogu Flaami mere ääres Prantsusmaalt Hollandini - suvel tasub kindlasti reisida.

Linnades ei maksa ühe tsooni tavaline pilet kunagi rohkem kui €2ja saadaval on erinevaid reisikaarte. Kohalikku transporti pakuvad erinevad ettevõtted: STIB / MIVB Brüsselis [5], De Lijn Flandrias ja TEC Valloonias ja väljaspool Brüsselit ei aktsepteeri nad üksteise pileteid. Piletid on piletiautomaatidest ostes odavamad.

Enamik turiste ei vaja bussifirmasid, sest palju mugavam on sõita rongidega linnade vahel ja minna nende sees jalgsi. Ainult Brüsselil ja Antwerpenil on metroo, kuid ka seal saate jalgsi ringi liikuda. Brüsseli ajalooline keskus on ainult umbes 300 m (980 jalga) ja 400 m (1300 jalga) pikk. Antwerpen on palju suurem, kuid sõit hobuste vedatud treeneriga annab parema ülevaate kui metroo.

Autoga

Belgias on tihe moodsate tasuta kiirteede võrk, kuid Valloonias on mõned kõrvalteed halvasti hooldatud. Märgid on alati ainult kohalikus keeles, välja arvatud keeles Brüssel, kus nad on kakskeelsed. Kuna paljudel Belgia linnadel on hollandi ja prantsuse keeles üsna erinevad nimed, võib see tekitada segadust. Näiteks, Mons prantsuse keeles on Bergen hollandi keeles; Antwerpen kutsutakse Antwerpen hollandi keeles ja Anvers Prantsuse keeles; Liège prantsuse keeles on Luik hollandi keeles ja Lüttich saksa keeles jne. See kehtib isegi väljaspool Belgiat asuvate linnade kohta; sõites mööda Flaami kiirteed, võite näha viiteid Rijsel, mis on Prantsusmaa linn Lille või Aken, mis on Saksamaa Saksamaa linn Aachen. Väljapääsud on tähistatud sõnaga Uit (välja) Flaami piirkondades, Sortie Vallooni piirkondades ja Ausfahrt saksakeelsetes.

Belgia juhid peaksid olema teadlikud ka reeglist "prioriteet paremalt". Teeületuskohtadel on paremalt tuleval liiklusel eesõigus, kui märkide või teekattemärgistustega ei ole märgitud teisiti. Selliseid ülesõidukohti kohtate kõige tõenäolisemalt linnas ja äärelinnas. Tähelepanelikud külastajad märkavad palju autosid, mille paremal küljel on mõlgid! Sõitke kaitsvalt ja teie auto väldiks sama saatust.

Belgias on kiirteemärgid teatavasti ebamugavad, eriti kõrvalmaanteedel. Paigutus ja värv ei ole ühtlased; paljud on halvas seisukorras, pannakse ebamugavasse olukorda või lihtsalt puuduvad. Soovitatav on hea teekaart (Michelin, De Rouck, Falk) või GPS-süsteem. Belgia on üks väheseid riike, kes kasutab peamistel marsruutidel ainult Euroopa E-numbreid.

Lisaks fikseeritud kiirusega kaameratele kiirteel ja kõrvalmaanteedel on ka keskmise kiirusega kaameraid, mis sõidavad suurte linnade ümbruses kiirteedel palju miile.

Autorent

Mõni rendiauto on varustatud satelliitnavigatsiooniga, kuid auto broneerimisel on hea seda taotleda. See on ilmselt kõige usaldusväärsem viis A-st B-sse jõudmiseks Belgias. Nii näete mõnda Belgia asukohta nii tasasel kujul kui see võib olla, kuid linnade arhitektuur on imetlusväärne. Teid üllatab meeldivalt, kui puhtad on Belgia linnad ja külad. Sõitke igal pärastlõunal läbi ja näete inimesi, kes hoolitsevad oma kodu ees tänava eest - see on tõeline aegunud külakogukond.

Kiiruslõksud on maanteede ääres sageli paigas ja ainult väikeste joobes juhtimisega kaasnevad tõsised karistused, näiteks €125 kohapeal trahv 0,05 protsenti ja 0,08 protsenti. Üle selle alkoholi koguse teie süsteemis ja teid ootab kuni 6-kuuline vangistus ja juhiloa kaotamine 5 aastaks.

Pöialt

Parim koht autosõitjatele. Küsige lihtsalt lifti! Pappmärkide olemasolu linnade nimedega aitab tõesti kiiret tõsta.

• Brüsselist lahkumine: suundudes lõunasse (nt Namur) jõuate metroojaama nimega Delta.

Selle kõrval on tohutu park ja sõit ja bussipeatus. Autosõit bussipeatuse lähedal peaks liiklustundidel sõitma vähem kui 5 minutiga.

• Suund Genti / Brugge: hea koht Berchem-ste-Agathe kaubakeskuse Basilix lähedal. Sellesse kohta pääseb bussiga nr 87.

Alternatiivne põhjasuund on Anderlechtis Erasme / Erasmuse haigla lähedal (metroojaam Erasme / Erasmus.)

• Heading to Liège/Hasselt: Take the pre-metro to the station 'Diamant' in Schaarbeek. When leaving the station you should see a lot of outgoing cars just below you. Just walk and follow the roadsigns mentioning 'E40'. You should arrive in a small street giving access to a road joigning the E40 (the cars are leaving a tunnel at this point). Just hitchhike on the emergency lane at this point, in the portion near the tunnel. Cars should still be riding slowly at this point and see you are visible to them, so it's not that dangerous.
• Leaving Louvain-la-Neuve (University) to Brussels (north) or to Namur (south), stand at the roundabout next to exit/entrance "8a" near to "Louvain la Neuve-centre" road signs. Quick lift guaranteed. Avoid exit 7 or 9, since they have far less traffic.

Vaata

Mostly known for its key role in European Union administration, the small nation of Belgium might leave you surprised by its rich and gorgeous heritage. It boasts a number of fascinatingly historic cities packed with medieval and Art Nouveau architecture and famous for their long traditions in arts, fashion and fine dining. If you've seen the best of them, the Belgian countryside offers anything from sandy beaches to the densely forested hills and ridges of the Ardennes.

Brussels, the country's vibrant capital, is a modern world city with a highly international character. It combines massive post-modern buildings in its European Quarter with impressive historic monuments, such as the World Heritage listed Grand Place, surrounded by guildhouses and the Gothic town hall. There's Laken Castle and the large St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral, dedicated to the cities patron saints. The Royal Palace is a more recent but no less grand structure. One of the city's most famous landmarks is the Atomium, a remarkable steel structure and remnant of the 1958 World's Fair. And yet, with all those magnificent sights at hand, many travellers' favourite is a tiny bronze fountain in the shape of a peeing boy: the curious Manneken Pis. The Walloon Brabant province, a few kilometres south of Brussels, is certainly worth a visit. There you can visit the Lion's Mound in Waterloo or the beautiful Villers Abbey in Villers-la-Ville.

Perhaps the most popular of the Belgian cities is Bruges. Much of the excellent architecture that arose during the towns Golden Age, roughly the 14th century, remains intact and the old centre is a valued UNESCO World Heritage Site. Among its most prominent landmarks is the 13th century belfry, where the carillonneur still rings the bells on a daily basis. With countless other noteworthy monuments, Bruges is a highly popular destination and get a bit overcrowded during holidays. And then there's Ghent, which in ages past was one of the wealthiest cities in northern Europe. Although larger and much busier than Bruges, its excellent medieval architecture can definitely compete. Its beguinages, belfry and former cloth hall are World Heritage Sites. Or visit Antwerp, the country's current place to be as it is a hotspot of the Belgian fashion, clubbing, arts and diamonds scenes. Nevertheless, the city's timeless old centre is right up there with the others, boasting the countries most stunning cathedrals. Other pleasant cities with good sights include Leuven, with the oldest Catholic University still in use and Liège.

In Wallonia, don't miss the city of Mons which has been the Cultural Capital of Wallonia since 2002. In 2015 the city had the honour of being the Cultural Capital of Europe. Mons is the largest and most important city in the Province of Hainaut, of which it is the administrative and judicial centre. One of its primary aims, however, has been to safeguard its heritage to better share it with the growing numbers of tourists to the area. Three major masterpieces, the Belfry, the Neolithic flint mines at Spiennes and the Doudou, all of which have been added to UNESCO's World Heritage List, can be found in and around Mons.

For hiking, biking and camping, head to the rugged hills of the Ardennes with their tight forests, caves and cliffs. They are home to wild boar, deer and lynx and hide a number of friendly villages, lots of castles and a few other notable sights. The impressive caves of Han-sur-Lesse, the castle of Bouillon and the modern Labyrinth of Barvaux are some of the best picks. The city of Namur makes a great base from where to explore the Ardennes and has some fine sights itself too. The city is beautifully located along the rivers Meuse and Sambre and from the ancient citadel you'll have a great view over town.

The Belgians brought forward a good number of world famous masters of art, and their love for arts is still today reflected in the range of fine arts museums. The Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts in Brussels and the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten in Antwerp are just a few excellent examples. However, the Belgians love museums, with over 80 of them in the capital alone. Besides arts, they display anything from history and folklore to industry and technology. As some of the worst fighting of both World Wars took place on Belgian territory, there's also a large number of memorials and museums dedicated to those dark times, along some humbling military cemeteries.

Tehke

• Mons International Love Film Festival: yearly festival of cinema (February)
• Ritual Ducasse of Mons: Doudou is the popular name for a week of collective jubilation that takes place in Mons on the weekend of the Trinity each year. There are four key moments: The Descent of the Shrine, The Procession, The Ascent of the Car d’Or and The Battle called Lumeçon (Trinity Sunday).
• Ethias Tennis Trophy: one of the better matches in the world. (October / Mons)
• Ommegang: a parade in Brussels that celebrates the beginning of the reign of Charles V of Habsburg. It takes place on the stunning cityscape of the Grand Place and involves thousands of stunts in period costume.
• Zinnekeparade: the yearly celebration of the Brusseler's spirit - the theme changes each year and involves costumes & chariots made by volunteers and locals.
• DOCVILLE - International Documentary Film Festival, Naamsestraat 96, 3000 Leuven, ☏ 32-16-320300. International Documentary Film Festival in the beginning of May, with national and international competition in the city of Leuven. Selected films have a focus on cinematography. €4.50-6.  

• Graspop Metal Meeting. Yearly heavy metal festival held in the town of Dessel, in June. 

• Carnaval de Binche. Three days in February the town of Binche is transported back to the 16th century for one of the most fantastic festivals of the year. Highlighted by music parades and fireworks, the climax of this event is when the Gilles appear on the Grand Place and throw oranges to the spectators. This infamous festivity has been classified as part of the world's cultural heritage by UNESCO along with its renowned Gilles. 
• Rock Werchter. End of June, beginning of July, Werchter. 
• Dour festival. "European Alternative Music Event" - 12–15 July 2007 - Dour. 
• Pukkelpop. Mid- August 
• Atomium built for the 1958 Brussels World Fair (Expo ’58), it is a 102 metre tall representation of an atomic unit cell. More precisely, it is symbolic of a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. Nine steel spheres 16m in diameter connect via tubes with escalators 32 m long.
• Gentse Feesten. 2nd half of July. Huge, ten day long street festival in the historical centre of the city of Ghent. The biggest street festival in Europe, with theatre, music in all genres, techno parties, and so on - Gentse Feesten 
• Activiteiten Gent & Antwerpen, Rerum Novarumlaan 132 (Merksem), ☏ 32 475 696 880. Great boat tours around Ghent and Antwerp. 
• 24 hours cycling, Louvain-La-Neuve Louvain-La-Neuve is in the Wallonia not far from Brussel, it's a small pedestrian city created in the 60s for the French-speakers students. Every year, in October, they organised a bicycle competition. Actually, the course is a pretext to enjoy the event... And to drink beers. This party is one of the most important consumption of beers of the whole Europe.
• Belgian Beer Tour Belgian Beer Tour is a tour operator specialising in tours of Belgium breweries. It offers a great way for beer lovers to visit their favourite breweries and discover new ones. The tours cover a wide range of beers and appeals to connoisseurs and amateurs alike.
• International Short Film Festival Leuven, Naamsestraat 96, 3000 Leuven, ☏ 32-16-320300. International Short Film Festival with many foreign guests and directors. Focus on the best Flemish and European short films. €4.50-6.  
• TomorrowLand, De Schorre, Boom. 
• Flowercorso Loenhout, Loenhout Centre. one of the largest flower corsos of Belgium. With the title of Royal Corso their theme cars and floats are totally covered with over flowers and go up to 80 feet length. Every year, start of September €2-8. 

Talk

Vaata ka: Dutch phrasebook, French phrasebook

Belgium has three official languages at the federal level: Dutch, French and German. However, one will quickly notice that the Belgian versions of these languages possess a few idiosyncrasies:

• Flemish Dutch is not always easy to understand for other Dutch-speakers. Flemings tend to sound more formal than the Dutch, and certain vowels may be pronounced differently, often in a way that sound like British English. Flemish Dutch is also a lot less "guttural" than its northern counterpart.
• The French spoken in Belgium, whilst marked by distinct annunciations and intonations, is mostly intelligible to the average French person, and younger generations in urban areas like Brussels tend to speak with a relatively standard French accent. Nevertheless, some "rural" accents can come off as harsh to the casual listener (especially those around Charleroi and near the German border). Walloon French also incorporates rather archaic sayings and idioms, and Anglicized words are used more profusely than in France or Quebec.
• The German spoken in Belgium is nearly identical to Hochdeutsch (standard German) but, not unlike Walloon French, incorporates antiquated sayings. German-speaking Belgians also speak a lot more slowly than Germans.

Although Belgium has three official languages, that does not mean that all of them are official everywhere. The official language of Flanders is Dutch and the official language of Wallonia is French. Brussels' official languages are Dutch and French (though French is more commonly spoken) and German is the official language in nine municipalities in Wallonia (Eupen and its surroundings).

Virtually all Flemish people are bilingual in both Dutch and French, whereas the Walloons are typically monolingual and don't speak any Dutch. Even though German is an official language, less than 1% of the population understands it fluently and you're unlikely to find speakers of the language outside the German-speaking community.

English is widely spoken by the younger generations in the Dutch-speaking areas and Brussels. In contrast, English is not as widely spoken in the French-speaking areas, though it is still possible to find English speakers. English may not be understood by the oldest of Belgians.

It's important to note that language is a highly sensitive issue in Belgium, and there's no place in Europe other than Belgium where you can get into trouble for using the "wrong language". Refer to the section on 'Respect' for more.

A very small number of inhabitants of Wallonia, particularly the older generations, still speak the Walloon language. This language, while not official, is recognized by the French Community of Belgium as an "indigenous regional language", together with a number of other Romance (Champenois, Lorrain and Picard) and Germanic (Luxembourgian) language varieties. On the flipside, Italian is rather commonplace in Wallonia due to immigration. (At least 10% of Walloons can trace their origins back to Italy.)

Due to its international status, Brussels is home to a myriad of other languages; in addition to English being widespread, it is possible to find people who speak Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, etc.

In Belgium, foreign films and TV shows are available in their original language with French and Dutch subtitles in Flanders and Brussels cinemas and in the Dutch-language TV channels. Only children's TV shows and movies are dubbed.

In Wallonia, all movies and TV shows have a dubbed version in French or German and selected foreign films/TV shows have an original language version (marked with a "VO" in the cinema listing or in the case of TV shows, can be accessed through the remote control).

Osta

Money

Exchange rates for euros As of 04 January 2021: US$1 ≈ €0.816 UK£1 ≈ €1.12 Australian $1 ≈ €0.63 Canadian $1 ≈ €0.642 Exchange rates fluctuate. Current rates for these and other currencies are available from XE.com

Belgium uses the euro, like several other European countries. One euro is divided into 100 cents. The official symbol for the euro is €, and its ISO code is EUR. There is no official symbol for the cent.

All banknotes and coins of this common currency are legal tender within all the countries, except that low-denomination coins (one and two cent) are phased out in some of them. The banknotes look the same across countries, while coins have a standard common design on the reverse, expressing the value, and a national country-specific design on the obverse. The obverse is also used for different designs of commemorative coins. The design of the obverse does not affect the use of the coin.

Tipping

Tipping in Belgium is not usually done as service charge is always included. However, you may tip as a sign of appreciation. Usually, this is done by paying in bank notes with a total value slightly higher than the price of the meal and telling the waiter/waitress that they can keep the change.

Items

• Belgian chocolate: A long tradition has given Belgian chocolate a superior refinement process that is recognized worldwide.
• Laces in Bruges
• Designer fashions in Antwerp
• Jewelry in one of Antwerps many jewelry shops
• Õlu
• Belgian comic books and related merchandising, especially in Brussels

Sööma

Belgians like to eat. Belgium is famous for its good cuisine and people like to go to restaurants frequently. Best description for Belgian food would be "French food in German quantities".

General rules

• As anywhere else in the world, avoid the tourist traps, where the touts are trying to get you in the restaurants. You will get average to bad quality food for average to high prices, and, at busy times, they will try to get rid of you as soon as possible to make space for the next customer. A good example of this is the famous "Rue des Bouchers/Beenhouwersstraat" in Brussels in this picture.
• Belgium is a country that understands what eating is all about and can be a real gastronomic paradise. You can have a decent meal in about every tavern, from small snacks to a complete dinner. Just pop into one of those and enjoy it.
• If you want to eat really well for not too much money, ask the local people or the hotel manager (that is, supposing he does not have a brother restaurant-manager) to give some advice for a good restaurant. Not a bad idea is to find a restaurant or tavern a little bit outside of the cities (if advised by some locals) they are usually not too expensive but deliver decent to high quality food. And ordering the specialties during the season will be both beneficial for your wallet and the quality of the food.
• Quality has its price: since the introduction of the euro, price for eating out in Belgium nearly doubled. Expensive food like lobster or turbot will always cost a lot of money at any restaurant. But you can also find some local and simple dishes, rather cheap and still very tasty (such as sausages, potatoes and spinach). Normally a dinner (3 dishes) will be around €30-50 depending your choices of food and restaurant. And for cheap, greasy food, just find a local frituur, also called a frietkot või friterie, it will be the best Belgian Fries you'll have had in ages. However, when you are in such a frituur, it may be best to avoid snacks (other than the fries themselves, and the rich choice in sauces that comes with them), which are generally fried and made out of low-quality scrap meat. Do NOT order a cheeseburger or hamburger in such a place! The so-called burger which you would get if you do, is especially notorious for being fried and containing a mixture of low-quality meat.

Specialities

A number of dishes are considered distinctly Belgian specialities and should be on every visitor's agenda.

Mussels are a firm favorite and a side-dish of Moules et frites/Mosselen met friet (Mussels with French fries). The traditional way is to cook them in a pot with white wine and/or onions and celery, then eat them up using only a mussel shell to scoop them out. The top season is September to April, and as with all other shellfish, do not eat the closed ones. Belgium's mussels always come from the nearby Netherlands. Imports from other countries are looked down on.

Balletjes/Boulettes are meatballs with fries. They will either be served with a tomato sauce or with the sauce from Liège, which is based on a local syrup. For this reason they will often be introduced as Boulets Liégeois.

Frikadellen met krieken are also meatballs, served with cherries in a sauce of cherryjuice. This is eaten with bread.

Stoemp is mashed potatoes and carrots with bacon and sausages. It is a typical meal from Brussels.

Stoofvlees (or Carbonade flamande) is a traditional beef stew and is usually served with (you have guessed it already) fries.

Witloof met kaassaus/Chicons au gratin is a traditional gratin of chicory with ham and a cheesy bechamel sauce, usually served with mashed potatoes or croquettes.

Konijn met pruimen: rabbit cooked in beer and dried plums.

Despite the name, French fries (frieten in Dutch, frites in French) are proudly claimed as a Belgian invention. Whether or not this is true, they certainly have perfected it — although not everybody agrees with their choice of mayonnaise over ketchup as the preferred condiment (ketchup is often considered to be "for kids").

Every village has at least one frituur/friterie, an establishment selling cheap take-away fries, with a huge choice of sauces and fried meat to go with them. The traditional thing to try is friet met stoofvlees, but remember the mayonnaise on it .

Waffles (wafels in Dutch, gaufres in French) come in two types:

• Gaufres de Bruxelles/Brusselse wafels: a light and airy variety.
• a heavier variety with a gooey center known as Gaufres de Liège/Luikse wafels.

The latter are often eaten as a street/ take-away snack while shopping and therefore can be found at stands on the streets of the cities.

Last but not least, Belgian chocolate is famed around the world. Famous chocolatiers include Godiva, Leonidas, Guylian, Galler, Marcolini and Neuhaus, with Godiva, Leonidas and Neuhaus being official suppliers of chocolate to the Belgian royal family. In nearly all supermarkets, you can buy the brand Côte d'Or, generally considered the best 'everyday' chocolate (for breakfast or break) among Belgians.

International

As a small country in the centre of western Europe, the cuisine is influenced not only by the surrounding countries but also by many other countries. This is also emphasized by many foreigners coming to this country to make a living here, for instance by starting a restaurant. You can find all types of restaurants:

• French/Belgian: A traditional Belgian restaurant serves the kind of food you will also find in the best French restaurants. Of course there are local differences: at the coast (in France as well as in Belgium) you have a better chance to find some good seafood, like mussels, turbot, sole or the famous North Sea shrimp. In the southern woods of the Ardennes (remember the battle of the Bulge?), you are better off choosing game or local fish like trout.
• English/Irish: There are Irish bars and pubs everywhere and Belgium is no exception, try the Schuman area of Brussels for more Irish pubs than you can shake a stick at. There is also an English pub just off of Place de la Monnaie in central Brussels.
• American: There are McDonald's or lookalikes in most towns. The Belgian variety is called "Quick". You may also find a local booth serving sausages, hot dogs or hamburgers. Try it: the meat tastes the same, but the bread is much better. Ketchup in this region is made with less sugar (even the Heinz brand). Pizza Hut, Domino's, and Subway also have establishments, but you won't find Burger King. There are no real American restaurants, although there is an American bar on the Toison d'Or in Brussels that serves food.
• Italian: Roughly 500,000 people in Belgium are Italian or have Italian heritage, and ties have been historically close between Belgium and Italy, so finding a tasty pizza or mouth-watering pastas is not difficult, especially in Brussels and Wallonia.
• Mexican: Only in the cities and rather costly for only medium quality. ChiChi's (near Bourse) serves Mexican American food but would not be considered a good value by American standards. ChiChi's uses reconstituted meats.
• Chinese: They have a long tradition of restaurants in Belgium. Rather cheap, but an acceptable quality.
• German/Austrian: Maxburg in the Schuman area (next to Spicy Grill) makes a good schnitzel.
• Greek/Spanish/Italian: Like all over the world, nice, rather cheap, with a good atmosphere and typical music (Greek: Choose meat, especially lamb) (Spanish: Choose paella and tapas) (Italian: Choose anything).
• Japanese/Thai: You usually find them only in the cities and they are rather expensive, but they give you great quality. The prices and the quality are both satisfying in a concentrated cluster of Thai restaurants near Bourse station. Avoid Phat Thai though if you don't want disruptions - as they let pan handlers and flower pushers enter and carry out their "work".
• Arabic/Moroccan: Rather cheap, with a great variety of local dishes, especially with lamb; no fish or pork or beef.
• Turkish: Rather cheap, with a great variety of local dishes, especially with chicken and lamb and also vegetarian dishes, dishes with fish are rare; no pork or beef.
• Belgium offers a wide selection of other international restaurants.

Juua

For party-minded people, Belgium can be great. Most cities are close to each other and are either large urban areas (Brussels, Antwerp) or student areas (Leuven, Liège, Ghent), etc. In this little region, you will find the most clubs, cafés, restaurants per square mile in the world. A good starting point can be places with a strong student/youth culture: Leuven around its big university, Liège in the famous "carré" district, etc. You can expect a wide variety in music appreciation, going from jazz to the better electronic music to even some solid heavy metal bars. Just ask around for the better clubs and there you will most likely meet some music fanatics who can show you the better underground parties in this tiny country.

The government has a mostly liberal attitude towards bars, clubs and parties. They acknowledge the principle of "live and let live". As long as you don't cause public disturbance, vandalize property and get too drunk, the police will not intervene; this is also one of the main principles of Belgian social life, as drunk and disorderly behaviour is generally considered offensive. Of course, in student communities this is more tolerated, but generally, you are most respected if you party as hard as you like- but with a sense of discretion and self-control.

Officially, drugs are not allowed. But as long as you respect the aforementioned principles, you are not likely to get into serious trouble. Beware though, that driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs is not tolerated and traffic laws are strictly enforced in this matter. Especially in the weekends on main roads, you have a good chance of being stopped for an alcohol check.

Water

Tap water is drinkable everywhere in Belgium, but most restaurants do not serve it. Hot spring or some other mineral water is typically served and costs about €2 per bottle.Spa is like bru and chaudfontaine a very famous water brand.

Õlu

Belgium is to beer what France is to wine; it is home to one of the greatest beer traditions in the world. Like other European countries in medieval times, beers were brewed in a huge variety of ways with many different ingredients. In addition to the standard ingredients of water, malted barley, hops and yeast, many herbs and spices were also used. This activity was often done in monasteries, each developing a particular style. For some reason, uniquely in Belgium many of these monasteries survived almost into modern times, and the process was handed over to a local commercial brewer if the monastery closed. These brewers would often augment the recipe and process slightly to soften the taste to make it more marketable, but the variety survived in this way. These beers are called Abbey beers and there are hundreds and hundreds with a range of complex tastes unimaginable until you've tried them.

The Trappist label is controlled by international law, similar to that of Champagne in France. There are only six Trappist Abbeys in Belgium that produce beer qualified to be called Trappist. In order to carry the Trappist label, there are several rules that must be adhered to during the brewing process. The beer must be fermented within the walls of the abbey, the monks of the abbey must be involved in the beer-making process, and profit from the sale of the beer must be directed towards supporting the monastery (similar to a non-profit organization).

Belgium offers an incredible diversity of beers. Wheat / white beers (with their mixture of barley and wheat) as well as Lambic beers (sour-tasting wheat beers brewed by spontaneous fermentation) originated in Belgium. For the non-beer lovers, lambic beers are still interesting to try, as they are often brewed in fruity flavors and don't have a usual beer taste. Several well known mass-produced Belgian beers are Stella Artois, Duvel, Leffe, Jupiler, Hoegaarden. The names given to some beers are pretty imaginative: e.g. Verboden Vrucht (Forbidden Fruit), Mort Subite (Sudden Death), De Kopstoot (Head Butt), Judas and Delirium Tremens.

Warmly recommended are also Kriek (sweet and sour cherry beer) and, for the Christmas season, Stille Nacht (Silent night).

Plain blond draughts (4%-5.5%): Stella Artois, Jupiler, Maes, Cristal, Primus, Martens, Bavik.

Trappist ales (5%-10%): Achel, Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westvleteren, Westmalle.

Geuze: Belle-Vue, the lambic Mort Subite (Sudden Death), Lindemans in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Timmermans, Boon, Cantillon, 3 Fonteinen, Oud Beersel, Giradin, Hanssens, De Troch.

White beers: Hoegaarden, Dentergemse, Brugse Witte.

Jenever

The city of Hasselt is well known in Belgium for its local alcoholic beverage, called jenever. It is a rather strong liquor, but it comes in all kinds of tastes beyond your imagination, including vanilla, apple, cactus, kiwi, chocolate. Hasselt lies in the east of Belgium, and is about one hour away by train from Brussels and 50 minutes from Antwerp. Trains go two times an hour from Antwerp.

Pubs

Pubs, or cafés, are wide spread. They all have a large variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic, hot and cold beverages.Some serve food, others don't.Some might be specialised in beer, or wine, or cocktails, or something else.Smoking in pubs is forbidden by law.

Magama

Eelarve

• Couchsurfing. has a lot of members in Belgium 
• Vrienden op de fiets. If you are travelling in Flanders by bicycle or by foot, there is a list of 260 addresses where you can stay at private homes with bed and breakfast for no more than €18.50 per person per night, although you must also pay €9 for membership of this scheme. 

Hotellid

Belgium has many fine hotels. Capital Brussels has countless rather expensive business hotels catering to the European Union's bureaucrats, and while you can usually get a good room for under €100, prices can spike if there's a big EU shindig in town.

Õpi

The different stages of education are the same in all communities:

• Basic education (Dutch: basisonderwijs; French: enseignement fondamental), consisting of
  • Pre-school (kleuteronderwijs; einseignement maternel): -6 years
  • Primary school (lager onderwijs; enseignement primaire): 6–12 years
• Secondary school (secundair onderwijs; enseignement secondaire): 12–18 years
• Higher education (hoger onderwijs; enseignement supérieure)
  • University (universiteit; université)
  • Polytechnic (hogeschool; haute école)

Education is organized by the regions (Dutch-speaking Flanders on the one hand, French and German speaking Wallonia on the other) and the small federal district of Brussels has schools run by both the Flemish and Walloon authorities. Both states recognize independent school networks, which cater to far more students than the state schools themselves. Most Flemish students go to a Flemish Catholic school. However, every independent school needs to follow the official state curriculum, and Catholicism in Flanders has long been extremely liberal anyway.

Work

Having one of the highest labour taxes in Europe, Belgium is struggling to reposition itself as a high-tech country. In that struggle, Flanders is far ahead and much wealthier than Wallonia, in contrast to the previous decades, where Wallonia's steel industry was the main export of Belgium. Highly skilled people will have the most chance to find work, and knowing multiple languages (Dutch, French, English and perhaps German) is almost a standard requirement. Interim offices providing temporary jobs are flourishing in a search to avoid the high labour taxes.

Belgium has one of the highest tax rates in the world. An employer who pays a salary about €1500 a month actually pays another €1500 or more in taxes. Where does this money go to? It goes to social security. People only pay a small charge for healthcare, for example. And the budget for education, arts and culture is enormous. The budget for defense is however very tiny.

Although Belgium is undesirable for building wealth, it's a good place for someone who already is wealthy to reside because there is very little capital gains tax (some forms of capital gain is not taxed at all).

Stay safe

With the notable exceptions of certain parts of Brussels (mostly the northern and western sections of the region) and Antwerp, Belgium is a very safe country. Tourists should not have to fear for their lives when taking basic precautions and knowing where they are going. Crimes such as murder are uncommon and natural hazards are rare.

As with much of Europe, however, petty crimes like pickpocketing do occur regularly, mostly in Brussels and more touristy cities, Bruges and Antwerp being prime examples. Aggravated assaults have occurred sporadically throughout the years, but they rarely involve tourists, except in Brussels.

Muslims and people of North African or Middle Eastern ancestry may experience mild resentment from certain people, a problem that is particularly acute among older generations, in rural areas, and wealthier sections of Brussels and Antwerp. The burqa and niqab on illegal in public. With all that said, Belgians are noticeably more welcoming towards Muslims than other Europeans, and public expressions against Islam have become widely condemned.

People who are recognisably Jewish, such as men who wear kippot, have also experienced harassment and worse, and should check on current conditions for Jews before they go.

Marijuana laws are quite lenient, with small amounts only punishable by fines. You may get into trouble for smoking weed in public, though.

The emergency phone number in Belgium (fire, police, paramedics) is 112.

Terveks jääda

In the winter, like most other European countries, only influenza will cause you a considerable inconvenience. No inoculations are needed to enter or leave Belgium.

Tap water is safe to drink throughout Belgium.

Ühendage

Belgium has a modern telephone system with nationwide cellular telephone coverage, and multiple internet access points in all cities, free in most libraries. Also in multiple gas stations, NMBS/SNCB train stations and diners on the highways there is Wi-Fi available.

• Many cafés offer free Wi-Fi nowadays, but don't write it on the door for whatever reason...
• if you can't find any you can always fall back on Quick, McDonalds, Lunch Garden, Carrefour Planet või Starbucks which all offer free Wi-Fi.

Belgium has some of the slowest internet speeds in Western Europe.

Mobile

Belgium uses the GSM standard of cellular phones (900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands) used in much of the world except parts of the Americas. There are three main companies (Proximus, Orange and Base, and a large number of MVNOs) offering wireless service. The country is almost totally covered.

It is no longer possible to buy anonymous prepaid SIM cards in Belgium as a result of new Belgian anti-terror legislation. Buying a SIM card in advance from Mobile Vikings now requires name and address registration. If you stay for some time, buy a pre-paid cell phone card that you can use in any phone that supports the GSM standard on the 900/1800 MHz bands. With these cards, incoming calls and SMSes are generally free. You can get SIM cards for the three main companies in dedicated phone shops.

All networks provide UMTS and HSDPA (3G) mobile internet coverage, and are rolling out a 4G network, mainly in the big cities.

Respect

Giving tips in bars or restaurants is virtually unheard of, even in larger cities. Doing so does shows that you were satisfied with the service given, but you are absolutely not obliged to do so. Depending on the total, a tip of €0.50 to €2.50 is considered generous.

Belgians in general are very proud of their comic book artists. The "Belgian school of comic books" is hailed as a national point of pride. There are dozens of beautiful yet expensive merchandise items, and the Belgians are fond of them. A plastic figurine of a comic book character or a special artwork of a hailed comic book artist would be a perfect gift for your Belgian friends and in-laws, for example.

Try to show appreciation for some of the things made in Belgium. For instance, French fries, beers, comic books, chocolate, and the like. Inquiries about them will be welcomed and appreciated by the vast majority of Belgians.

Do not speak French in Flanders or Dutch in Wallonia. Even if you're looking to practice your language skills, try not to speak the wrong language in the wrong region as it can be considered offensive. Some people won't hesitate to either dismiss you or at worst give an icy response. This doesn't apply to the German-speaking areas (as the German-speaking community is an observer in the Flanders-Wallonia dispute) and Brussels. As a tourist, it's better to communicate in English as it's considered to be the "diplomatic" language of the country.

The Flanders-Wallonia dispute and the possibility of Belgium partitioning are highly controversial issues and should be avoided. You should avoid discussing them where possible.

As with many countries in Europe, Inquiring about someone's salary or talking about your own is uncommon and in conversation is a great way to make someone feel uncomfortable. Similarly, discussing personal, political, or religious convictions are no-go areas until you're better acquainted with someone.

Do not tell the Walloons (and most of the people of Brussels) that they are French. Most Walloons, despite speaking French, are not and do not consider themselves French. And, for similar reasons, do not tell the Flemish (and also the people of Brussels) that they are Dutch. Most Flemings, despite speaking Dutch (Flemish), are not and do not consider themselves Dutch. The same applies to the 75,000 German-speaking Belgians, who have a heavy historical background with their neighbour Germany.