Belgium is a low lying country on the North Sea coast in Western Europe . With the majority of West European capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels , the seat of both the European Union and NATO, Belgium sits at the crossroads of Western Europe . Its immediate neighbours are France to the southwest, Luxembourg to the south east, Germany to the east and the Netherlands to the north.

How to Get In

By plane

Brussels National Airport (also known as Zaventem due to the town in which it is mainly located) is Belgium 's main airport, IATA code BRU. It is not located in Brussels proper, but in surrounding Flanders . The airport is the base of the national airline SN Brussels Airlines and of its low budget sister company Virgin Express. All other full-service airlines use BRU, as well as budget carriers such as Vueling and SkyEurope. There is a train (2.80 €) running every 15 minutes to Brussels centre taking 25 minutes, some of them continuing to Ghent and West-Flanders and a bus line number 12 and 11 (3 €) every 20 to 30 minutes to Place Luxembourg (European Parliament) district. The bus stops at NATO and Schuman (for the EU institutions) on its way to the centre. There are also two trains per hour to Leuven , taking 13 minutes. A taxi to the centre of Brussels costs around 20 € (as of 2004) when booked in advance, otherwise around 30 €. Taxis bleus: 02 268 0000, Taxi Brussels: 02 411 4142, Taxis verts: 02 349 4343.

There are two other airports in Belgium with scheduled flights. Ryanair and Wizzair fly to Charleroi airport (aka "Brussels South", IATA code CRL), about 60km away from Brussels . You can get to Brussels Gare du Midi on the Ryanair coach in about an hour (€10.50 each way). If you're going to any other part of Belgium , ask at the Ryanair ticket desk for a combination bus+train ticket via Charleroi Sud station (€10 each way if bought in the airport, but more expensive in stations).

Note that Charleroi airport has no cash withdrawal or currency exchange facilities, and they are also hard to find in Charleroi town. You are strongly advised to bring some cash euros with you!

However, if you are really stuck, it is not unusual for taxi drivers to take credit cards. The price of a taxi ride to Brussels is a set fare (approximately 95 Euros as of May 2006) and you can check with the taxi driver if he will accept your credit card(s) or not.

Antwerp Deurne airport (IATA code ANR) has some business flights, including VLM's reasonably priced link to London City airport. Other airports include Oostende , Li?ge and Kortrijk , but they only handle freight and charter flights.

Flights to airports in neighbouring countries, might be worth considering, especially to Amsterdam Schiphol which has a direct rail link to Brussels and Antwerp . Budget airline route information available from Low Cost Airline Guide and WhichBudget will give you all the budget airline routes and booking links.

By train

There are direct trains between Brussels and:

* Amsterdam , Luxembourg (normal trains, running every hour)

* Paris , K?ln/Cologne, Amsterdam (Thalys)

* Lyon , Bordeaux , Paris-CDG airport and many other French cities (TGV Bruxelles-France).

* London (Eurostar)

* Frankfurt , K?ln/Cologne (ICE)

* Berlin , Hamburg (night train)

They connect with domestic trains at Brussels ' Gare du Midi/Zuidstation, and with all Eurostar or ICE and some Thalys tickets, you can finish your journey for free on domestic trains. For all high-speed and sleeper trains, you need to book in advance for cheap fares, either online or using a travel agency.

You might want to check the TGV connections to Lille too. The trains from the rest of France to Lille are more frequent and usually cheaper. There is a direct train connection from Lille Flandres to Ghent and Antwerp . If your TGV arrives in Lille Europe, it will take a 15 min walk to the Lille Flandres railway station.

Plan your trip with the Deutsche Bahn timetable. It has all domestic and international connections across Europe .

By car

Major European highways like the E-19, E-17, E-40, E-411 and E-313 pass through Belgium .

By bus

You can get to Belgium from all over Europe on Eurolines coaches, but it's often cheaper and more convenient to fly in with a low cost carrier. See the "by plane" section for more information.

By ship

There are overnight ferries to/from Zeebrugge from Hull in England and Rosyth in Scotland , but they are not cheap. There's also a vehicle-only daytime service from Oostende to Ramsgate in England .

Get around

Being such a small country (300 km as its maximum distance), you can get anywhere in a couple of hours. Public transport is fast and comfortable, and not too expensive. Between larger cities, there are frequent train connections, with buses covering smaller distances. A useful site is InfoTEC, which has a door-to-door routeplanner for the whole country, covering all forms of public transport (including train, bus, subway and tram).

To do some local sightseeing, especially in Flanders , a lot of infrastructure is prepared for bikes.

By train

Most of Belgium is well connected by train, run by NMBS (SNCB in French) with most of the main routes passing through the Gare du Midi/Zuidstation in Brussels . This is where you'll arrive on international trains, and it's directly reachable by train from Brussels airport or by coach from Charleroi airport. Transfers are very easy. Note that all Eurostar & ICE and some Thalys tickets allow free same-day transfers by domestic trains to any other Belgian station.

The lines are very punctual and most of the trains are quite modern and comfortable.

Normal fares on Belgian trains are cheap compared to Germany or the UK , with no need nor a possibility to prebook or reserve. 2nd class fares don't go much higher than €20 for the longest domestic trips, and 1st class always costs 50% extra. Trains can get very full during the rush hours, so you might need a 1st class ticket to get a seat at those times. You can buy normal tickets online or in stations, but not usually in travel agencies. If you want to buy a ticket on the train, you have to warn the train conductor and a supplement may be charged. You can pay with cash money or credit card.

Normal tickets are sold for a designated day, so there is no extra validation when you step on a train.

The cheapest option if you're planning several train trips is a Go Pass, which gives you 10 single 2nd class trips (including train changes if necessary) for €45. It's valid for a year and can be shared with or given to other people without any restrictions. The only problem is you have to be younger than 26, but there's a more expensive version for older people called a Rail Pass. This costs €68 for 2nd class or €104 for 1st. When using these passes make sure you have filled in the line before you get on the train. The train conductor can be very picky when the pass is not correctly filled in.

The SNCB website has a searchable timetable with delay information, and a fare calculator. A map of Belgian railroads and stations and another one more detailed but not printable.

Please note that train schedules, usually change around December 10.

By bus/tram

Buses cover the whole country, along with trams and metro in the big cities. Most routes cover short distances, but it's possible to go from city to city by bus - slower but slightly cheaper than taking a train. There's also the Kusttram, running along almost the whole Flemish seaside from France to the Netherlands - definitely worth a trip in summer!

Within cities, a normal ticket for one zone never costs more than €1.50, and there are various travelcards available. Note that local transport is provided by different companies - STIB/MVIB in Brussels , De Lijn in Flanders and TEC in Wallonia , and outside Brussels they don't accept each others' tickets.

By car

Belgium has a dense network of modern toll-free motorways, but some secondary roads are in poor condition. Signs are always in the local language only, except in Brussels , where they're bilingual. As many cities in Belgium have quite different names in French and Flemish, this can cause confusion. For example, Mons in French is Bergen in Flemish; Antwerp is called Antwerpen in Flemish and Anvers in French; Li?ge in French is Luik in Flemish, and so on. This even applies to cities outside Belgium ; driving along a Flemish motorway, you may see signs for Rijsel, which is the French city of Lille .

Drivers in Belgium should also be aware of the "priority from the right" rule. At road crossings, traffic coming from the right has the right of way unless otherwise indicated by signs or pavement markings. You're most likely to encounter such crossings in urban and suburban areas. Observant visitors will notice a lot of cars with dents along their right sides! Drive defensively and your car will avoid the same fate.

In Belgium the motorway signs are notoriously inconvenient, especially on secondary roads. There is no uniformity in layout and color, many are in bad state, placed in an awkward position or simply missing. A good roadmap (Michelin, De Rouck, Falk) or a GPS system is recommended.

What to do

* Carnival 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 - 29 june - 2 july 2006 , Werchter.

* Dour festival - "European Alternative Music Event" - 13-16 July 2006 - Dour.

* Gentse Feesten - 15 july - 24 july 2006 . Huge, ten day long street festival in the historical center of the city of Ghent . The biggest street festival in Europe , with theater, music in all genres, techno parties, and so on - Gentse Feesten

How to go

Package holidays are normally more convenient and often cheaper if you plan on skiing for a week only. Airport transfers, flights and accommodation are usually included.

However, they have the disadvantage that they mostly run from Saturday to Saturday, they feature few resorts outside the mainstream, and there is a distinct lack of self-catering accommodation or rooms in private houses in most brochures. These types, however, make up the most popular forms of accommodation in the country.

The increase in low-cost carrier flights to Salzburg , Munich and Friedrichshafen has meant that an increasing number of visitors arrange their own transport and accommodation.

What to Eat

Belgium is famous for its good cuisine and Belgians like to go to restaurant frequently. However as a small country in the centre of western Europe, the cuisine is influenced not only by the surrounding countries, but also by many others. This is also emphasized by many foreigners coming to this country to make a living here, for instance by starting a restaurant. Resto.be will help you find almost any restaurant in Belgium , comments and appreciations must not be taken literally. You can find all types of restaurants:

What to Drink

Beer

Imagine you've only been drinking red and yellow lemonade with a bit of alcohol thrown in all your life, and then suddenly you are introduced to the best varieties of wine available. This is what it can be like for people from countries like the US or other ones which mostly have industrial production blond lagers on offer, who then come to Belgium and are introduced to what is arguably the richest beer culture on the planet.

Like other European countries in medieval times, beers were brewed in a huge variety of ways with many different ingredients, apart from the standard water, malted barley, hops and yeast many herbs and spices were used. This activity was often done by monasteries, each developing its particular sort. 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 monestary 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.

Stay Safe

Except for certain neighbourhoods in Charleroi , Brussels and Antwerp , Belgium is a safe country. Being aggressive or even unhelpful towards strangers is very unnatural for Belgians in general.

Also be aware of a mild form of resentment towards Muslims and North African ethnicities.

Always use your common sense, of course. Don't walk in empty streets in the middle of the night, showing off your expensive equipment or jewelry.

Stay Healthy

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