Travelling Tips to European Countries: Belgium

About the Kingdom of Belgium

Belgium is located in the west of Europe. The land here generally comprises of flat coastal plains in the north-east, and the south-east is occupied by the Ardennes Forest. Dutch, Flemish dialect, French and German are the official languages of Belgium, with Flemish being the most widely spoken followed by French. For those who don't know, The Flemish Language is kind off the same as Dutch, it is more like a Dutch dialect.  The weather condition here in Belgium is pretty predictable. Months from April to September are the warmest.With temperatures up to 35C°.  During the fall the weather is pretty humid and skies are gray, that explicates why umbrellas and raincoats are a part of the dressing. So, if the visit is planned for holidays during the rainy season, one must not forget to carry sufficient cover for maximum protection, as this is a coastal region.In the winter, temperatures can drop to -18C°. Just in case of emergency, call 100 to get the police, firedepartment or an ambulance. If you need a business phonenumber like  to make a reservation in a restaurant or whatsoever call 1207.

Culture

Belgians are English-friendly and will make every effort to speak in English with a foreigner. Always remember to carry a small gift or at least flowers when invited over dinner. Most of the time, the woman get chocolates or flowers, males get a bottle of wine or in case he is a smoker, some fine sigars. The dresscode to wear will be adverted in the invitation, when invited for a party. Smoking in public is acceptable. But only when stated it is allowed inside.
Smoking regulations in Belgium forbit to smoke in public and governemental buildings, since last year it is also forbidden to smoke in a restaurant, or any other place where they sell food products. smoking in a bar or pub is still allowed till 2014.

Shopping

Brussels, Antwerp, Bruges, Ostend, Namur, Mons, Liège, Ghent and Mechelen are the main shopping centers. Belgium is famous for ceramics and hand-beaten copperware from Dinant, laces from Bruges, crystals from Val Saint Lambert, woodcarvings from Spa and Belgium’s finest chocolates like Cote d'or, leonidas, Godiva, Callebout. In jewelry, diamonds from Antwerp are on high demand and play a big roll in the worlds market. Antwerp is also a big Fashion liked city, with some pretty famous designers coming from this city, like Dirk Bikkemberghs just to name one.

Eating Out

The specialty of most of the restaurants is beef and rabbit meat dishes. Although visitors can find a wide range of ethnic foods, but the most famous are Moules Frittes (Mussels and Fries with a musselsauce) Flemish Carbonades made with a dark beer sauce, and loads more.
Tipping is a custom when in a bar or restaurant. On average, in a bar you give 10 to 20 cents for a small order, 50 cents to 1€ for al larger one. In a restaurant a tip is normal of about 5-10€.

Electricity

Voltage is 230 V and frequency is 50 Hz.

Travel

Delta Air Transport has kicked off its new European airline SN Brussels Airlines lately. It flies to more than 58 destinations in Europe and as well as worldwide. The Brussels Zaventem airport is 12 km from the city and it takes 35 minutes to reach the city from the airport. The airport has facilities like duty free shops, car parking, taxi booking, car hiring, banks, post office, restaurants, and medical help. Internet and fax services are provided for the passengers. The Airport City Express train transports passengers to three main railroad stations - Brussels North, Central and South. One can avail a bus which runs regularly from the airport, taxis can also be hired which wait outside the arrival hall. Tipping the taxi drivers is considered customary. Train runs every 15 minutes.

Another airport, Brussels South Charleroi, is 5 km away from Charleroi and 46 km from Brussels. Ryan air serves as the local airline here and has cheap deals for several European destinations to and from Charleroi. The facilities provided here are bus and train services, café, car hire, and duty free shops.

Ostend airport is 5 km away from the city and car parking, car hire, duty free shops, and restaurants are provided here.

Antwerp airport is just 2 km away from the city. Buses run to the Brussels Central Station every few minutes.

Liege is situated at a distance of 5 km away from the city. Buses run at regular interval here.

The departure tax at Brussels Zayentem is €20.93, Brussels South Charleroi is €3.49, Ostend and Antwerp is €10, and at Liege is €7.

There is a network of high-speed trains, which are operated by Thalys, from Belgium to France, connecting Brussels with other destinations like Bordeaux, Chambéry, Cannes, Marseille, Lyon, Nice, Valence Perpignan, and Rennes. Booking should be made in advance for these trains. The national railway operates through out the day providing service every few minutes to destinations such as Andorra, Austria, France, Czech, Germany, Italy, Poland, Luxembourg, Switzerland, the UK and the Netherlands. Insiders can avail the Inter-Rail pass which allows visitors to travel almost 29 European Countries. This service is valid for residents who have been settled there for more than 6 months.

Duty Free Items

Visitors can carry alcohol, tobacco, cigarettes, coffee and tea without getting customs duty levied on them, but only the goods should be limited. Check out for the limits before carrying such goods. Food items that are not preserved are better avoided.