Belgium Guide

Belgium is a small, highly developed and densely populated country (10 million people) at the cross-roads of Western Europe. Belgium is one of the founding members of the European Community and is the seat of NATO and its capital.

With a ferry to Belgium, you will see it has a high standard of living. That is evident in its excellent food, housing, health care, education and infrastructure, its world records for high productivity and low poverty, and the appreciation of foreigners residing in the country.

Belgium's immediate neighbours are France to the southwest, Luxembourg to the south east, Germany to the east and the Netherlands to the north. There are regular Belgium ferries to the UK too including the popular Ostend to Ramsgate route, operated by Transeuropa Ferries and LD Lines.

Dutch and French are both spoken in Belgium. The weather is seasonal, with warm weather from May to September and snow likely during winter months.

Travel in Belgium

Belgian National Railway has a large rail network with regular and frequent trains on most lines. To travel by car, 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'. because of its size, there are no internal flights in Belgium. The port town of Ostend is conveniently located right next to the rail station.

Belgium's sandy beaches are popular with tourists from Holland and Germany

Things to see

Visit a reinvented Antwerp, which is now regarded by some as a hotbed of fashion and modern design, or visit the political capital of the new Europe, Brussels. Admire the medieval heart of Ghent which boasts many historic buildings, including three abbeys. Key attractions include St Bavo's Cathedral, the place of Charles V's baptism and home to The Adoration of the Mystical Lamb, the Van Eyck brothers' masterpiece.

One particularly iconic sight in Brussels is the Manneken Pis, a statue of a small boy urinating into a fountain. There are many stories behind this statue, all of which you will be able to hear when you visit. The Manneken Pis has several costumes, so you will often see him dressed up.