Belgium
Belgium16 guides across 3 destinations — where to go, when, what it costs and what to eat.
Destinations in Belgium
Practical essentials for Belgium
Euro (EUR)
Dutch, French and German are all official; English is widely spoken in Brussels and in tourist settings in Bruges and Ghent.
Type C/E, 230V 50Hz
Trains link the cities and city transport takes a tapped contactless bank card — in Brussels, €2.40 a ride on STIB, capped at €8.50 a day — or the local operator's own card.
Service is included in the bill, so rounding up or leaving about 10% for good service is a courtesy rather than an obligation.
Tap water is safe to drink and meets the EU Drinking Water Directive.
Right-hand side; EU and EEA licences are valid as they are, and most other visitors should carry an International Driving Permit alongside their home licence.
112 (police also 101)
Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.
Recent stories from Belgium
Day Trips from Ghent: Seven Places an Hour or Less Away
Seven towns within about an hour of Gent-Sint-Pieters, with the trains, the timings and the current closures that decide whether each one is worth your day.
A Table in Every Quarter: Eating Across Ghent
Ghent's kitchens sort themselves by neighbourhood, and matching the right quarter to the right hour of the day matters more than chasing any single restaurant.
Is Brussels Actually Worth a Trip? A First-Timer's Briefing
Brussels is not love at first sight, but give it two or three days and it becomes the most rewarding city in the Low Countries to eat, drink and wander in.
Ghent in a Day: 24 Hours, Well Spent
A castle, a van Eyck masterpiece, a belfry and a river full of guild houses — all inside one walkable square kilometre. Here is the order that makes it work.
A Rainy Day in Brussels: The All-Indoor Route
Brussels has been building for bad weather since the 1840s: a full day from arcade coffee to last lambic that barely puts you outside, and never asks for a dash longer than a few minutes.
Sleeping Well in Ghent on Every Budget
A converted post office on the canal, a medieval quarter full of small hotels, and a hostel with the best free view in Belgium. Where to stay in Ghent, area by area.
Where to Base Yourself in Brussels: A First-Timer's Guide
Brussels is a city of distinct quarters, and your hotel's postcode decides your trip. Here is how the center, the Sablon, Ixelles and the EU district compare — and the storied address worth knowing.
Where to Stay in Bruges: Neighbourhoods and Grand Classics
Day-trippers leave at five; the city belongs to those who stay. A neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood guide to sleeping well in Bruges.
Brussels for First-Timers: The Complete Guide
Gilded guildhalls, surrealist museums, chocolate windows and lambic beer — a first-visit blueprint for Europe's most underrated capital.
Bruges for less: the smart budget playbook
Belgium’s fairy-tale city has a reputation for tourist pricing, but its best moments — canals, gables, windmills and beer — cost little or nothing if you play it right.
48 Hours in Ghent: The Perfect Weekend Plan
A moated castle before lunch, the Mystic Lamb by noon, canal lights at night — Ghent hour by hour.
Breakfast to midnight: eating your way through Bruges
Bruges is small enough to cross on foot in twenty minutes, which is exactly why eating here can fill an entire day — from the first coffee to the last abbey ale by the canal.