Belgium Travel Guide

Belgium — Travel Tips

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Social Conventions

Flemish Belgians will often prefer to answer visitors in English rather than French, even if the visitor's French is good. It is customary to bring flowers or a small present for the hostess, especially if invited for a meal. Dress is similar to other Western nations, depending on the formality of the occasion. If black tie/evening dress is to be worn, this is always mentioned on the invitation. Smoking is banned in venues where food is served.

International Travel

Getting There By Air

The main airline is Brussels Airlines (www.brusselsairlines.com), which was created following a merger between SN Brussels Airlines and Virgin Express in March 2007.

Departure Tax

None.

Main Airports

Brussels Airport (BRU) (www.brusselsairport.be) is 12km (8 miles) northeast of the city (journey time - 35 minutes). To/from the airport: The Airport City Express train (www.b-rail.be) connects all three main railway stations (Brussels North, Central and South) with the airport (journey time - 20 minutes). The airport station is located on level one below the terminal. Other trains also depart frequently for the city and for destinations all over Belgium. Coaches depart from the airport bus station on ground level for major cities in Belgium, France and The Netherlands. Buses run regularly to and from the city and the bus station is located below the arrivals hall. Taxis are only available from outside the arrivals hall; all licensed taxis are recognizable by their yellow and blue license emblems. A tip is generally included in taxi fares. Some hotels offer courtesy coaches. Facilities: Car parking, car hire, post office, banks, bureau de change, bars, restaurants, duty-free shops, medical facilities, and conference and business facilities.

Brussels South Charleroi (CRL) (www.charleroi-airport.com) is 5km (3 miles) from Charleroi and 46km (29 miles) from Brussels. To/from the airport: Buses depart every 30 minutes to Charleroi (journey time - 10 minutes). There are regular coaches to Brussels (journey time - 1 hour), and a bus link to the local rail station. Facilities: Automatic money changer, car hire, cafe, business lounge and duty-free shop.

Getting There By Water

P&O Ferries (tel: 08716 645 645, in the UK only; www.poferries.com) serves Zeebrugge from Hull with overnight sailings (journey time - 14 hours) and Superfast Ferries (tel: 0870 234 0870, in the UK only; www.superfast.com) connects the same port with Rosyth, near Edinburgh, (journey time - 18 hours). Transeuropa Ferries (tel: 01843 595 522, in the UK; www.transeuropaferries.com) links Ramsgate with Ostend for passengers traveling with cars (journey time - 4 hours).

Getting There By Rail

Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Belges (SNCB) (Belgian National Railways) (tel: (02) 528 2828; www.b-rail.be), operates frequent day and night trains to destinations all over Europe. Trains à Grande Vitesse (TGV) (tel: 0844 848 4064, Rail Europe, in the UK only; www.tgv.com) operates between Belgium and France, departing from Brussels Midi station.

Further high-speed trains are operated by Thalys (tel: (02) 528 2828; www.thalys.com), linking Brussels with Paris, Amsterdam and Cologne. Journey time from Paris is 1 hour 20 minutes, Amsterdam is 2 hours 20 minutes, and Cologne 2 hours 25 minutes.

Eurostar (tel: 0870 518 6186, in the UK only; www.eurostar.com) connects Brussels with Lille and London St Pancras via the Channel Tunnel (journey time - 1 hour 51 minutes).

Rail Passes

InterRail: InterRail Global Passes are valid for travel in up to 30 European countries. There are two InterRail Global Pass types to choose from: ‘flexi passes’ and ‘continuous passes’. A flexi pass entitles you to unlimited travel on a fixed number of days during your trip . A continuous pass entitles you to unlimited travel every day of your trip. With a One Country Pass you can choose from unlimited travel on 3, 4, 6 or 8 days of your choice during a month.Available from Rail Europe (tel: 0844 848 4064, in the UK; www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail).

Eurailpass: Offers broadly the same freedoms as the InterRail Passes, but is for sale solely to non-European residents. Tickets are valid for 15 days, 21 days, one month, two months or three months. Available from The Eurail Group (www.eurail.com).

Getting There By Road

Belgium is connected to the rest of Europe by an excellent network of motorways. All roads are well signposted. Although frontier formalities between Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and The Netherlands have now all but vanished, motorists (particularly on smaller roads) should be prepared to stop when asked to do so by a customs official.

Eurotunnel runs shuttle trains for cars, bicycles, motorcycles, coaches, minibuses, caravans and campervans between Folkestone in Kent, UK, and Calais, France. The journey takes about 35 minutes from platform to platform. Fares are charged according to length of stay and time of year and whether or not you have a reservation. For further information, contact Eurotunnel (tel: 08443 353535, in the UK; www.eurotunnel.com).

Coach: Eurolines (tel: 0870 514 3219, in the UK only; www.eurolines.com) runs regular coach services from the UK to Belgium. Travelers can book a 15- or 30-day pass.

Duty Free

Overview

Belgium is within the European Union. If you are traveling from the UK, you are entitled to buy fragance, skincare, cosmetics, Champagne, wine, selected spirits, fashion accessories, gifts and souvenirs - all at tax-free equivalent prices. There are no longer any allowance restrictions on these tax-free items.

If you are arriving from a non-EU country, the following goods may be imported into Belgium by persons over 17 years of age without incurring customs duty:

• 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco.
• 2L of wine, 1L of spirits or 2L of sparkling wine or 2L of non-sparkling wine or 2L of fortified wine.
• 50g of perfume and 250mL of eau de toilette.
• Other goods up to €64.45 or €24.79 for nationals under 15 years (subject to change - contact the embassy for up-to-date information).
• 500g of coffee or 200g of coffee extract.
• 100g of tea or 40g of tea extract.

Prohibited Imports

Unpreserved meat products. Other unpreserved foodstuffs must be declared.

Internal Travel

Getting Around By Air

As Belgium is such a small country, there are no internal flights.

Getting Around By Water

Belgium's waterways offer a pleasant way to enjoy the country, whether it be on a one-hour canal cruise or an extended voyage between major cities. Numerous operators offer everything from boat hire to luxury cruises - details are available from relevant tourist offices.

Getting Around By Rail

NMBS/SNCB (Belgian National Railways) (tel: (02) 528 2828; www.b-rail.be) operates a comprehensive railway network with regular trains on most lines. There are more frequent trains on the main lines. Further information is available from Rail Europe (tel: 0844 848 4064, in the UK only; www.raileurope.co.uk).

Fares: First- and second-class, single and return tickets are available. However, a return ticket is double the single fare and is only valid on the day of issue. Children under 12 travel free in second class (restrictions apply).

Discount travel: Weekend return fares are available from Friday (after 1900) to Sunday for the outward journey and on Saturday and Sunday for the return journey. A 50% reduction card is also for sale for use at weekends. Go Pass 10 offers preferential tariffs for 10 second-class trips within one year to people under 26. The Rail Pass offers preferential tariffs for 10 second-class trips within one year to people over 26. People aged 65 and over benefit from special tariffs. Both are available from NMBS/SNCB (tel: (02) 528 2828; www.b-rail.be).

Rail Passes

InterRail One-Country Pass: offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month within Belgium. Travel is not allowed in the passenger's country of residence. Travelers under 26 years receive a reduction. Children's tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar (www.eurostar.com) and some ferry routes. Available from Rail Europe (www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail).

Getting Around By Road

Traffic drives on the right. Main towns are connected by toll-free motorways. Motorways are designated by a white ‘E' on green signs, other trunk roads by the prefix ‘N', and minor roads by a ‘P'.

Bus: Extensive regional bus services are operated by the bus companies which publish regional timetables. The main operators are De Lijn (tel: (070) 220 200; www.delijn.be) in Flanders, and TEC (tel: (010) 235 353; www.tec-wl.be) in French-speaking Wallonia. There are long-distance stopping services between towns.

Taxis: Plentiful in all towns. The tip is included in the final meter price. If there are no taxi stands, taxi companies may be telephoned for a small extra charge.

Car hire: Both self-drive and chauffeur-driven cars are available. All the major car hire companies are present in Belgium.

Regulations: The national speed limit is 120kph (75mph) on motorways, 90kph (56mph) on single lane roads and 50kph (31mph) in town. It is compulsory for seat belts to be worn in the front and back of vehicles. Children under 12 are not permitted to travel in the front seat of a car. A warning triangle must be displayed at the scene of a breakdown or accident. It is compulsory to carry a fire extinguisher or first aid kit in all vehicles. Trams always have priority on roads.

Emergency breakdown service: Royal Automobile Club de Belgique (tel: (02) 287 0911; www.racb.be). The emergency assistance number is (078) 152 000

Documentation: For non-EU nationals an international driving license is recommended. EU nationals taking their own cars to Belgium should obtain a Green Card.

Getting Around Towns and Cities

There is a good public transport system in all the major towns and cities, with underground, tram and bus services in Antwerp and Brussels, bus and tramways in Charleroi, Ghent and Ostend and bus systems elsewhere. There is a standard flat-fare system, with discounts for five- and 10-journey multi-ride tickets. One-day tickets and multi-mode tourist travelcards are also available.