Belgium
Belgium would easily be western Europe's most underrated country, and yet with several beautifully preserved historic cities, amazing food, two major cultures and arguably, the world's best beer, it's a mystery as to why this is the case.
Major Cities
- Brussels
- Antwerp
- Bruges
- Ghent
- Liege
Suggested Itineraries
- Two days: a day in Brussels and a day in Bruges
- One week: Two days in Brussels, a day in each of Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp, and some time in the Ardennes
- Two weeks: As above, and visit Ypres, and spend some time in Wallonia
Accomodation
Hostels
There are two Hostelling International affiliated youth hostel organisations in Belgium: the Wallonia-based LAJ and the Flanders-based VJH.
Getting In and Out
Rail
There are nine routes in and out of Belgium by train:
To the Netherlands:
- Antwerp to Roosendaal: this the the main railway to the Netherlands, which currently carries the upmarket Thalys trains from Paris and Brussels, and the slightly slower Intercity trains, both on to Rotterdam, The Hague and ultimately Amsterdam. Note that until the high-speed track is completed in the Netherlands, there's not a lot of benefit in paying the extra for the Thalys trains.
- Liege to Maastricht: a minor line, useful if you're in the area.
To Germany:
- Liege to Aachen: a major thoroughfare, this route has high-speed Thalys trains running from Brussels to Cologne, and high speed Intercity Express trains from Brussels to Cologne and Frankfurt.
To Luxembourg
- Liege to Luxembourg: an infrequent and slow, but very scenic route and well worth the trip if you have the time.
- Arlon to Luxembourg: this line has an hourly service between Brussels and Luxembourg, as well as a couple of Eurocity services each day to Basel and Zurich, via Strasbourg..
To France
- Namur to Paris
- Brussels to Paris
- Ghent to Lille
To the United Kingdom
- Brussels to London: The Eurostar service, via the Channel Tunnel, possibly the most convenient way to travel to the UK from Belgium. Book well in advance, or pay through the nose.
Sea
To the United Kingdom
- Zeebrugge to Hull