Belgium - België

Belgium[1] is a low-lying country on the North Sea coast in West-Europe. In the capital Brussels both European Union and NATO (NATO) institutions sit. With the Germanic languages ​​in the north and east and the Romance language in the south, Belgium is sometimes referred to as 'Europe in miniature'. Belgium is centrally located in Europe and thanks to its excellent transport facilities, this makes Belgium popular as a transit country . The immediate neighbors are France in the south and Netherlands on the northern border. Also in the southeast Luxembourg and in the east Germany.

Info

Belgium is a very densely populated country that balances between the conflicts of increased demand for urbanization, transport, industry, commercial and intensive agriculture. Almost all Belgians – more than 97% – live in cities. Many raw materials are imported and processed transported within the EU.

climate

Moderate with mild winters, mild summers, rainy and often cloudy.

Location

Flat coastal area in the northwest on the North Sea. Central low hills, wooded hills and the valleys of the Ardennes forests in the southeast.

History

Belgium became independent as the Southern Netherlands from the Kingdom of the Netherlands Netherlands in 1830. It is dominated by Germany in World War I and II and has many war graves in the combat zones. It has blossomed into a modern, technologically advanced member of the European Union over the past half century. Tensions between the Flemish from the north and the Walloons in the south have led to state reforms and more autonomy for the communities in recent decades. At the moment, there are still many parliamentary discussions, which are Community-based.

Electricity

The voltage of the Belgian electricity grid is 230V AC with a frequency of 50 Hz and is the same for the whole of Belgium. The Belgian power supply is very reliable, there are rarely power failures. Everywhere there is a good and extensive power supply, places without power supply are practically not found in Belgium. Earthed sockets are not of the CEE-7/4 type (with protective earth, as in the Netherlands and Germany), but of the CEE-7/7 type (with earth pin, as in France). As a result, Dutch plugs often do not fit into a Belgian socket - the other way around. Ungrounded CEE 7/16 "Europlug" plugs will of course also fit.

People who out America, United Kingdom or other countries with different electricity network or voltage/frequency will have to bring a special adapter.

Regions

Due to its trilingualism, Belgium has been divided into regions and communities, each with their own competences, during various state reforms over the past 50 years. The current trend is to transfer more and more powers from the federal government to the various regions and communities. There are three regions in Belgium: the Flemish Region or Flanders, the Brussels-Capital Region also simply called Brussels, and the Walloon Region or Wallonia. The inhabitants are called Flemish, Brussels and Walloon respectively. There are three language communities in Belgium: the Dutch-speaking language community, the French-speaking language community and the German-speaking language community. We will look further at Belgium from the point of view that is most interesting for travelers, namely the division into Flanders and Wallonia. Flanders is Dutch-speaking, Wallonia is French-speaking and Brussels is officially bilingual although it is more French-speaking. The German-speaking part is small, it is located in East Belgium and belongs to Wallonia.

Regions

Towns

• Brussels
• Antwerp
• Bruges
• Charleroi
• Ghent
• Ypres
• Leuven
• shutter
• Namur

Other destinations

• Ardennes
• Belgium coast

Arrive

Passport and visa

Belgium belongs to the Schengen zone.

There are no border controls between countries that have signed and implemented the Schengen Agreements. These are the member states of the European Union (except Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania and the United Kingdom), Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. In addition, a visa issued for a member state of the Schengen zone is valid for all member states that have signed the treaties and have implemented. But beware: not all EU Member States have signed the Schengen Agreements, and there are also Member States of the Schengen Area that are not members of the European Union. This means that there may be customs checks but no immigration checks (if you are traveling within Schengen but to/from a non-EU country) or there may be immigration checks but no customs checks (if you are traveling within the EU but to/from a non-EU country). -Schengen country).

Airports in Europe are divided between "Schengen" and "no Schengen" sections, which correspond to the "domestic" and "foreign" sections in other countries. If you fly from outside Europe to a Schengen country and then travel on to another Schengen country, you can complete the customs and immigration checks in the first country and then proceed directly to the second country without any further checks. Traveling between a Schengen country and a non-Schengen country will result in the usual border controls. Please note that whether or not you travel within the Schengen zone, many airlines require you to always present a passport or identity card. Nationals of Member States of the European Union or of the EFTA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) only need to carry a valid passport or identity card to enter the Schengen zone — they never need a visa, no matter how long the visit takes. Nationals of other countries must carry a valid passport and, depending on nationality, need a visa.

Only nationals of the following non-EU/EFTA countries have no Visa required to enter the Schengen zone: Albania*, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina*, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chili, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Japan, Croatia, North Macedonia*, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro*, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, San Marino, Serbia*/**, Seychelles, Singapore, Taiwan*** (Republic of China), United States, Uruguay, Vatican CITY, Venezuela, South Korea, as well as persons with a British National (Overseas) passport, a Hong-Kong-SAR passport or a Macau-SAR passport.

Visitors to these visa-free countries are not allowed to stay longer than 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen zone as a whole, and in principle are not allowed to work during the stay (although there are some Schengen countries that allow nationals of certain nationalities to work — see below). The counter starts when you enter a member state of the Schengen zone and does not expire when you leave a certain Schengen country for another Schengen country or vice-versa. However, New Zealand nationals may stay longer than 90 days if they are only visiting certain Schengen countries - see [2] for an explanation from the New Zealand government (in English).

If you are a non-EU/EFTA national (even from a visa-free country, with the exception of Andorra, Monaco or San Marino), make sure that your passport is stamped when entering and leaving the Schengen zone. Without a stamp upon entry, you can be treated as having exceeded the length of stay on departure; without a stamp on departure, you can be denied entry to the Schengen zone the next time because of exceeding the length of stay in a previous trip. If you can't get a stamp, keep documents such as boarding passes, transport tickets and receipts from ATMs, as they can help convince border police that you have stayed legally in the Schengen zone.

Be aware that:

(*) Nationals of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia require a biometric passport to benefit from visa-free travel;

(**) nationals of Serbia with passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate (residents of Kosovo with Serbian passports) must apply for a visa;

(***) Taiwanese nationals must have their ID number registered in their passport in order to enjoy visa-free travel.

By plane

There are 13 airports in Belgium, but the majority have a purely recreational purpose.

• Brussels Airport[3] (IATA code: BRU), located in the municipality of Zaventem, is the largest airport in Belgium with more than 23 million passengers per year. This international airport is located about 25 minutes from the center of Brussels. It is easily accessible by train thanks to the train station located below the airport. The special 'Brussels Airport Express' travels 4 times per hour between the 3 major Brussels stations and the airport. The Brussels Transport Company (STIB/STIB) uses buses to connect Brussels Airport directly with the European district of Brussels. This 'Airport Line', which departs 3 times an hour, is an express bus number 12 during the week and a stop bus number 21 at the weekend. (These buses depart from platform C). The Flemish Transport Company (De Lijn) uses regional buses that take you to Mechelen, Leuven, and the Brussels-North train station. (These buses depart from platform B (BruCargo) and platform A (other lines)). The private bus company 'De Decker - Van Riet' puts a direct bus every hour of the year in 'Antwerp Expressbus' from the airport to the center of Antwerp (These buses leave from the back of platform B). Most airlines use this airport.

• Brussels South Charleroi Airport[4] (IATA code: CRL) is the second largest airport with almost 7 million passengers per year. It is slightly less easily accessible, but this is compensated by all kinds of formulas (for example, you only pay a maximum of € 19.40 for train bus). The nearest train station is Charleroi Sud. From there, transfer to bus line 68 or A, which will take you directly to the terminal. There is a direct bus service every hour between Brussels-South train station and Charleroi airport by Autocars l'Elan [5] (travel time 1 hour). Mainly low-cost airlines use this smaller airport.

• Liège Bierset Airport (Liège Airport) [6] (IATA code: LGG) is the third largest airport in Belgium with 650 thousand passengers per year. Since it is only used for charter flights, no plan has been worked out that would allow you to reach the airport by public transport. However, there is a bus stop.

• Ostend-Bruges Airport (Ostend Airport) [7] (IATA code: OST) is the fourth largest airport in this country with 276 thousand passengers per year. Also only charter flights to be found here. The airport can be reached by train to Ostend and from there you can take a bus (line 6) that takes you to the airport building.

• Antwerp-Deurne Airport (Antwerp Airport) [8] (IATA code: ANR) with 221 thousand passengers per year, it is the fifth largest airport in Belgium. Apart from the scheduled flights of CityJet, only charter flights depart from this airport. The airport can be reached by train to Antwerp Berchem and from there you can take a bus (line 14) that takes you to the airport building in 10 minutes.

By train

• International: There are high speed trains between Amsterdam, Brussels, Cologne, Paris (Thalys) and London (Eurostar) as well as normal trains between all cities.

Despite the rise of budget airlines, train travel can still be a cheap, fast and certainly more convenient option for transportation. Because train stations are often located in the city centres, the train on the medium distance (for example Enschede - Paris or Bruges - Wolfsburg) can compete very well with the plane.

Currently in Belgium and at the Deutsche Bahn online only to order tickets for the neighboring countries of Belgium, resp. Germany and a number of easily accessible cities further on. Other tickets can only be purchased by telephone or at the counter, or of course in the relevant country. The latter is often much cheaper. Also keep an eye out for the many Sparpreis offers at the Deutsche Bahn, which can be very advantageous for a travel route to or via Germany.

However, it is quite possible to train journey map out from home. The two sites listed immediately below provide information not only about journeys from the Benelux, but also about all train connections throughout Europe and in the Russian part of Asia, e.g. between Moscow and Madrid. It is about this the site of the Belgian railways and the Dutch site of the Deutsche Bahn.

NS Hispeed only offers information about travel between the Netherlands and a few large foreign cities. As a rule, this information is also limited to trains that run directly to or from abroad (i.e. no connections between Utrecht and Paris or between Rotterdam and Germany, because there is always a transfer within the Netherlands). To plan trips within the Netherlands, it is best this website use.

NS Hispeed sells online a small range of journeys departing from the Netherlands to other countries (one-way and return journeys), and a very limited number of routes from abroad to (other) foreign countries (one-way and return journeys). You can book other trips by telephone via the Telesales department (0900-9296, €0.35 p.m.) and at the counters in the Tickets and Service shops at the (medium) large stations. This is the online International counter of the Dutch railways.

Smoking is prohibited on the train in all European countries.

By car

Some of the major arteries of Europe cross Belgium such as the E17, E19, E25, E34, E40, E42 and E46. The quality of the main roads is generally good to very good.

By bus

Internationally, there are a few companies that depart from major cities, such is Eurolines [9] from every major Belgian city to a wide range of destinations. International destinations can also be reached with FlixBus from several major Belgian cities.

An indirect consequence of the Bosnian war in the 1990s, this is now bus companies serving the former Bosnian refugees. These companies provide a clean and cheap regular service to the other side of the European continent. Semi Tours [10] runs three times a week from various places in Bosnia directly to Belgium and the Netherlands. A return ticket in low season costs between €132.00 and €135.00 (depending on the destination).

Also see Bus Tours in Europe.

By boat

There are boat connections to and from England from Ostend and Zeebrugge. From and to Scotland from Zeebrugge (until the end of 2010).

Travel around

With the bus

In Belgium only local and regional buses run. For longer distances, the train is more recommended.

Flanders

The bus network in Flanders is operated by The line[11] and is very extensive; you can easily reach any place in Flanders and in the countryside there are many demand-dependent dial-a-buses.

De Lijn offers various transport tickets:

• Ticket: one-way ticket
• SMS ticket: 1 hour of unlimited travel (can only be done with a Belgian SIM card)
• Day pass: 1 to 5 days of unlimited travel
• Line card: multiple journeys
• Subscription: unlimited travel

Children under 6 do not have to pay.

Wallonia

The bus network in Wallonia is operated by TEC[12] or in full "Transport en Commun en Wallonie", their network is less close and the frequency of the buses could be better, although this is mainly due to the vastness of Wallonia.

TEC offers different transport tickets:

• Ticket: one-way ride
• Day pass: 1 to 5 days of unlimited travel
• Map Inter, Map Inter% and City Map: Multiple Trips
• Subscription: unlimited travel

Brussels Capital Region

The bus network in the Brussels-Capital Region (Brussels for short) is operated by STIB/STIB[13], their network is very close and the waiting times are negligible. The capital also has several metro lines.

STIB/STIB offers various transport tickets:

• Ticket: one-way ride
• Day pass: 1 to 5 days of unlimited travel
• City map: multiple rides
• Subscription: unlimited travel

By tram

The most famous tram line in Belgium is the coast tram, which is the longest tram line in the world! It connects all cities on the Belgian coast and carries hundreds of thousands of passengers, especially during the summer months. The major cities of Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent have tram lines. The tickets are the same as for the bus (STIB in Brussels, De Lijn in Antwerp and Ghent).

By car

It is also comfortable to travel by car. The roads are generally good, although some roads have a backlog of maintenance (potholes or defective markings). All major roads in Belgium are lit until 1 am. Dangerous points on highways (such as entrances and exits and cloverleaves) are continuously lit, so that driving at night is not a problem.

Listen to the radio for the most up-to-date traffic information, which is provided by, among others, Studio Brussel (in Flanders) and Radio 21 (in Wallonia).

You can also find a lot of information on the internet at:

• Federal Police
• Flemish Traffic Center (Flanders)
• TrafiRoute (Wallonia)
• MobIris (Brussels)

By bike

Cycling in Belgium is doable. Flanders is bike mad although they don't ride a bike much themselves. Track races, cyclo-cross and road races such as the Tour of Flanders attract huge crowds, and sports enthusiasts follow the other great classics such as Omloop het Volk, Liège-Bastogne-Liège or the Waalse Pijl. You can also ride the Tour of Flanders yourself the day before the actual Tour takes place, but then you must have a good condition! You can choose the 70 km, the 140 km or the 270 km. During the summer months, the majority of Belgians follow the Tour de France, especially when it passes over Belgian territory. Many Belgians follow the Tour de France with a mobile home over the full length or tailor their holiday to it so that they can enjoy a few days along the course.

Apart from this madness, the bicycle is not used very often for daily trips, not to mention cities with many students such as Leuven and Ghent. Whether this is cause or effect is not clear, but in any case, the condition of the bicycle paths is often abominable, certainly in comparison with countries such as the Netherlands. Obstacles for cyclists are a bad road surface, a narrow or non-existent cycle path, unclear or otherwise life-threatening traffic structures, dangerous maneuvering past parked cars, and the fact that there is generally little attention from motorists (both in motion and when getting in and out). . Especially in the cities you have to be careful that you don't get mowed off the road. With a bit of luck it is quiet enough on the rural regional roads for relaxed cycling. Unfortunately, it is often these kinds of roads that invite the most to tear through, and offer the worst road surface due to tree roots, etc.

Fortunately, there are also plenty of quieter roads, cycle paths along rivers, and so on. Along these types of rather touristic routes, in Flanders many cycling routes to provide. You can also use the so-called cycling nodes so that you can determine your own route. You can cycle completely around Flanders following a cycling route where trekking huts are provided along the route. Flanders is fairly flat, in the Flemish Ardennes you can sometimes encounter a hill or one of the calf-biters on the route of the Tour of Flanders. Although not very high, the gradient of these hills commands respect. On the Muur van Geraardsbergen, the Bosberg in Galmaarden, or the Kemmelberg, most people have to get off their bicycles and go up on foot.

Flanders also knows a number of LF routes, these are the Long Distance Cycling Routes van Vlaanderen, these are fully signposted, and you can follow them with the signs from Tourism Flanders:

• North Sea Route
• City route
• Flanders cycling route
• Schelden-Delta
• Dender-Waasland
• Flandrienroute
• Gravejans route
• Artevelde route

Wallonia has some higher points such as the Botrange, Baraque Michel and Baraque Fraiture which are all between 650m and 700m. The experienced cyclist can make beautiful cycling trips, especially the area around Vielsalm and Trois Ponts has some steep slopes, which are called "Cote". These slopes are covered during the Liège-Bastogne-Liège classic. Liège-Bastogne-Liège is sometimes called the fairest cycling classic in Belgium; the best rider wins, while the Tour of Flanders always involves a bit of luck due to falls and congestion on the many steep slopes. On top of the Cote du Stockue stands a tribute to Eddy Merckx.

By train

Belgium has the densest rail network [14] in the world, so you can easily reach practically every corner by train, possibly extended with a short bus trip. The density of the public bus network is very high, so with the combination of train and bus you can reach any location in Flanders within a few hundred meters of steps up to a maximum of 1500m. Wallonia is less densely populated, public transport is less frequent and the density is not as high.

The most important stations in Belgium are: Brussels-South (mainly for international connections), Brussels-Central, Mechelen, Gent-Sint-Pieters and Antwerp Central.

For young people up to the age of 25, there is a so-called Go Pass available for €51.00 which is good for 10 trips through Belgium.

If you often have to do long distances and you are 26 years or older, you can do a Rail Pass buy for €76.00. In first class it costs € 117.00.

At the weekend you get a 50% discount on a regular ticket 'round trip'. This discount cannot be added to other discounts.

There is also the Key Card (€20.00) with which you can make 10 single journeys for a validity area around your departure station. These are short journeys (up to 20 km).

Seniors can travel cheaply in Belgium by train (€6.00 ​​round trip) with the senior ticket. On working days, this ticket is only valid from 09:00. During the weekends in the summer period, the senior rate is not valid, but during the weekends in the winter there is no restriction.

Furthermore, many formulas are possible, you can study for a few hours before you have mastered all the possibilities. For example, you can also buy combinations of train and bus. There is a clear website with all rates [15] for all periods and target groups. In fact, if you ask for the cheapest rate formula at the counter of a station, the clerk does not always have the time and sense to search extensively for what is most interesting for you, so you should pay attention to that yourself.

We keep detailed information about offers and special rates in the travel topic cheap trains in Belgium and the rest of Europe

with the thumb (hitchhike)

In general fair to good. Less good for smaller municipalities or non-motorways or highways due to reduced through traffic; sometimes there are helpful people from the local population. Petrol pump/gas stations on motorways and roads are often good points to take along. For fast, continuous lifts, keep traveling on highways and highways! Keep in mind that the large number of traffic cloverleafs and fly-overs (separate intersections of highways) in Belgium, and the lack of petrol pump/gas stations and service points at some points, does not always make it easier to travel quickly over long distances. to be moved.

It is not official at the beginning of driveways where traffic is directed to the motorway or highway, but in general it is tolerated/allowed, especially if you stay before the traffic sign for the motorway/motorway or at a place on the verge where cars/ slow down cars or drive slowly, and it is possible for drivers/drivers to stop briefly and let someone get in quickly. Traffic lights and (smaller) roundabouts also offer possibilities.

Language

There are three official languages ​​in Belgium: Dutch and French each in half of the country, and German which is spoken only in a small part in the northeast of the province of Liège by about 65,000 people. English is often used by Belgians as a neutral language between Dutch and French. Although there are a number of dialects in Flanders, Standard Dutch is perfectly understood and spoken everywhere.

Which language one speaks is often a sensitive point for Belgians. Both the Dutch-speakers and the French-speakers have a certain pride in their language and expect immigrants to learn the language of their own region in order to integrate. This is often a sine qua non for a job and the income associated with it, but not for those who come to work for the many international organizations in Brussels. In Belgium, the Dutch are often accused of not defending their own language enough and switching too easily to English or French. The German speakers are sometimes jokingly referred to as the "last real Belgians" because a significant proportion of them are trilingual. But there are also many multilingual Belgians outside the eastern cantons.

To look at

To do

music festivals

Compared to other countries, Belgium has quite a lot of music festivals in the summer months. The largest/best known are:

• Graspop Metal Meeting - Dessel
• Werchter Classic[16] - Werchter.
• rock Werchter[17] - Werchter.
• Lokerse parties - Lokeren
• Dranouter festival - Dranouter
• Dour festival[18] - dour.
• Pukkelpop - Hasselt
• Tomorrow Land - Tree

To buy

• Belgian chocolate: a long tradition has ensured that Belgian chocolate has a superior refined taste. Belgian chocolates are famous worldwide.
• Textiles in Bruges, in particular side, named after the city Ghent.
• Belgian fries.
• Belgian "beers", small beer brands with a wide distribution among connoisseurs abroad.

Food

Belgium is famous for its chocolate and its beers. More than 1,100 different beers are prepared in Belgium. The country is also known for its good and diversified cuisine and Belgians regularly go to restaurant. Even in a small village you will easily find a restaurant, tavern or brasserie. Belgian cuisine is closest to French cuisine.

Typical Belgian dishes are:

• chicory (a vegetable discovered by accident in Belgium)
• rabbit (with or without plums)
• mussels with fries
• stoemp
• endive
• sprouts (called "Brussels sprouts" in English)
• stew (in French "carbonades flamandes")
• eel (whether or not "in green", or prepared in another way)
• Waterzooi
• asparagus (whether or not "the Flemish way")

In addition to the Belgian itself, you can also find a wide range of international cuisine in Belgium.

With the exception of the cafes, because they are not allowed to serve fries, you can find Belgian fries in almost all eateries, and there are very many of them. The Belgians are also the inventors of the French fries, although they are called French fries in English with a "misnomer". Nobody will be surprised if you are just eating on the street, at least as far as chips are concerned.

Belgium is a country that understands what food is all about and is a gastronomic paradise. It is impossible not to find something to your liking, only in the many cafes the dining options are rather limited due to legal restrictions. For the more expensive matters you then have the wide range of restaurants. Eating is more than consuming food, it is also a very social event for Belgians.

The health rules are very strict for all eateries and so are the controls, whether it is a restaurant, brasserie/tavern, chip shop or cafe. "Picking up fries" is a common and popular pastime among literally all classes of the population and whoever brings up the idea can immediately count on the general acclaim of his company, at any time of the day (and night), excluding the early morning hours. The taste and quality of the chips are therefore at an excellent level, across the entire range, from the deep-fat fryer to the restaurant. Did you know that even the frying oil or fat is regularly checked by the F.A.V.V. (Federal Agency for Food Safety)?. Woe to the restaurant-brasserie-tavern-fryer who hasn't changed his oil or fat in time!

If you don't know where to eat, you can always ask local people or the hotel manager for advice. Belgian restaurants don't employ recruiters, let alone paid locals who give supposedly impartial advice; so you can usually rely on the good advice. There is something for every budget, from cheap to very expensive. It is often the case that the meal itself is relatively reasonable, but that the drink with the meal and especially the aperitif or the wines add up quite quickly.

Going out

Belgium has a huge variety of beers. What the wine is for France is the beer for Belgium. A café with an offer of 20 different types of beers is quite normal, in some you can find two hundred! The most famous beers are: Stella Artois (pilsner beer), Duvel (blonde beer, not to be confused with devil's beer), Leffe, Jupiler, Hoegaarden, Palm and Maes Pils. A special mention is given to the Trappist beers that are only allowed to bear this name under strict conditions, including that they are indeed traditional Trappist work, and not a marketing stunt. The six beers are West-Vleteren (Blond, eight and twelve), Westmalle (Extra, Dubbel and Trippel), Achel (Blond 5 and 8, Bruin 5 and 8, Extra Bruin), Orval (Orval and Orval Vert), Rochefort ( Six, Eight and Ten) and Chimay (Dorée, White, Blue and Red). The respect for the tradition behind it is so great that not so long ago the country was in turmoil because an abbey mentioned changing the source for their water; there is also a Dutch Trappist beer, La Trappe Koningshoeve.

Then there are the triples which should not be confused with the Trappist beers. The concept of tripel is nowhere defined, but the brewers apply an unwritten rule that a tripel is a blond beer of top fermentation with refermentation in the bottle. The high alcohol content is obtained by chaptalization, adding sugars that are converted into alcohol and carbon dioxide during fermentation. Enkele belangrijke tripels zijn: Petrus Gouden Tripel - St Bernardus Tripel - Affligem Tripel - Saint Feuillien Triple - Bornem Tripel - Gouden Carolus Tripel - Maredsous Tripel 10° - Corsendonk Agnus en Grimbergen Goud.

Al jaren zijn de Belgische bieren goed vertegenwoordigd op internationale bierwedstrijden. Winnaars van beste bier ter wereld zijn bv. Delirium Tremens, of recent nog West-Vleteren wat tot ongenoegen van de vaste klanten een ware stormloop veroorzaakte, letterlijk aan de poort van de abdij.

Voor de zoetbekken is er ook kriekbier (Liefmans, Mort Subite) en bijvoorbeeld Kasteelbier. Vele bieren hebben de laatste twintig jaar een verschuiving meegemaakt naar zoete smaken. Een tegenhanger van de zoete tendens is het traditionele gebrouwen lambiek en kriekbier van brouwerij Cantillon of Drie Fonteinen. Ben je nu verward? Inderdaad, kriekbier is van oorsprong een zuur bier en is later verzoet omdat de mensen op café steeds een klontje suiker bijvoegen. De zoete varianten kunnen op gebied van suikergehalte gerust de vergelijking met frisdranken zoals cola en ice-tea doorstaan.

Overal in het land kan je lokale bieren vinden die je enkel in die streek kan proeven. Zo is bijvoorbeeld Sint Idesbald niet gemakkelijk om te vinden maar wel een zeer sterke aanrader. Sommige speciale bieren, zoals West-Vleteren, mogen zelfs niet op café worden verkocht. Plaatsen die zich specialiseren in werk voor fijnproevers hebben er meestal wel enkele op voorraad, soms staan ze zelfs gewoon op de kaart, maar dit betekent toch dat het soms even zoeken is.

Brouwerij De Landtsheer in Buggenhout heeft met zijn Malheur 12 de gouden medaille gekregen in de categorie Belgian Style Dubbel. Het bier is uitgeroepen tot beste bruine bier van Europa. Het is een vol en rond bruin bier met bruin schuim met een zweem van koffiebitter noten en honing afkomstig van de kandijsuiker.

In de eindejaarsperiode worden er ook gelegenheidsbieren uitgebracht zoals Bush Noel, Stille Nacht, Dobbele Palm, en Hoegaarden Spécial.

• Meer uitleg over 'geuze', het bekende bier zoals traditioneel gebrouwen door 'De 3 Fonteinen'.

stay overnight

Je hebt de keuze tussen bed & breakfast, jeugdherberg, campings and hotels. In elke categorie heb je ruime keuze. In de Ardennen zal je gemakkelijk een weekendhuisje kunnen huren, voor vele Belgen is dit een bijverdienste.

Tijdens de piekperioden is er bijna sprake van een volksverhuizing, en aangezien België niet zo bijzonder groot is betekent dit concreet dat Vlaanderen massaal in de Ardennen gaat wonen, terwijl Wallonië massaal naar de kust trekt. Met uitzondering van de plaatselijke bevolking die als particulier een huisje of kamer verhuurt, heeft dit als gevolg dat bijna alle accommodatie (en andere horeca-zaken) mensen in dienst heeft die de taal van de buren over de taalgrens spreken.

To learn

In België geldt de leerplicht van zes tot achttien jaar. Je bent niet verplicht om naar school te gaan, privé-onderwijs is mogelijk maar het wordt zelden gedaan.

Het Belgisch schoolsysteem ziet er zo uit:

• kleuteronderwijs (2,5 tot 6 jaar)
• lager onderwijs (6 tot 12 jaar)
• middelbaar onderwijs (12 tot 18 jaar)
  • ASO: Algemeen Secundair Onderwijs
  • TSO: Technisch Secundair Onderwijs (plus eventueel zevende jaar)
  • BSO: Beroeps Secundair Onderwijs (plus eventueel zevende jaar)
  • KSO: Kunst Secundair Onderwijs
  • Buso: Buitengewoon Secundair Onderwijs (gehandicapten, leerlingen met leerstoornissen ...)
• hoger onderwijs (hogeschool of universiteit) (boven 18 jaar)
  • Hogeschool Korte Type (Professional Bachelor)
  • Hogeschool Lange Type (Bachelor-Master)
  • Universiteit (Bachelor-Master)

To work

België probeert zich tegenwoordig te profileren als een land van de hightech, daarbij sterk gehinderd door belasting op arbeid die zo ongeveer de hoogste in Europa is. In deze ommezwaai ligt Vlaanderen ver voor op Wallonië, in tegenstelling tot de vorige decennia waarin de staalindustrie van Wallonië Belgiës grootste export was.

Er is het meeste vraag naar hoog opgeleide werknemers, en daarbij is het bijna een standaard vereiste om meerdere talen te spreken (Nederlands, Frans, en Engels of Duits). Om de druk op de lonen enigszins te omzeilen wordt meer en meer gebruikgemaakt van "tijdelijke" vacatures, opgevuld via de vele bloeiende interim-kantoren.

De voordelen van de hoge belastingen zijn de uitstekende sociale voorzieningen zoals de verplichte maar goedkope gezondheidsverzekering, en werkloosheidsuitkeringen en een pensioen voor iedereen.

Safety

Behalve voor sommige buurten, is België een veilig land.Agressief gedrag of ronduit weigeren om toeristen hulp te bieden is hoogst ongebruikelijk.

Let goed op je bezittingen in de metro.

Health

Er zijn geen inentingen nodig om België binnen te komen.

respect

Belgen zijn nogal bescheiden, je zult moeilijk een Belg vinden die opschept over zijn land behalve dan over zijn bier en zijn frieten met biefstuk of frieten met mosselen.

Enkele punten:

• Belgen en hoofdzakelijk Vlamingen, gaan over het algemeen buitenlanders helpen in de taal die hun het beste ligt; aangesproken worden in een andere taal bekijken ze meestal positief omdat dit hun de kans geeft hun talen aan te scherpen. Je wordt dus zeer gemakkelijk geholpen als anderstalige. In Wallonië spreekt niet iedereen Engels. Je wordt sneller geholpen als je iemand in het Frans aanspreekt.
• Belgen houden de hoogte van hun maandloon en hun politieke voorkeur liever voor zichzelf.
• Er is behoorlijk wat racisme tegenover moslims in België (dit is voornamelijk te wijten aan het verschil van mentaliteit en wat nu juist als 'respect' beschouwd wordt) en er zijn ook veel tegenstanders van het racisme, een discussie beginnen over extreem-rechts kan in verkeerde of goede aarde vallen. Als je een Arabische naam hebt of een Noord-Afrikaans uiterlijk kan er een gereserveerdheid zijn. Hetzelfde geldt voor discussies met als onderwerp Vlaanderen en Wallonië.

Sinterklaas en Zwarte Piet

Eén van de belangrijkste tradities in België is het sinterklaasfeest. Zoals algemeen bekend wordt Sinterklaas vergezeld door Zwarte Pieten. De laatste jaren zijn de protesten omtrent een vermeende racistische karikatuur van deze Zwarte Pieten explosief toegenomen, voornamelijk bij de landelijke intocht van de goedheiligman half november. Indien je van plan bent om ook te gaan actievoeren bij de intocht of een andere sinterklaasgerelateerde gebeurtenis, realiseer je je dan vooral dat het een kinderfeest betreft en de kinderen echt de tijd van hun leven hebben gedurende het sinterklaasfeest. Het zou geen goede zaak zijn als je het feest voor hen verpest, temeer ook omdat er de laatste jaren steeds meer wijzigingen zijn doorgevoerd om Zwarte Piet minder racistisch te maken. Als je desondanks zelf tegenstander van Zwarte Piet of het sinterklaasfeest bent, is het uit respect voor degenen die het wel willen vieren beter om hen gewoon het feest te gunnen en zelf dan niet mee te doen.

Contact

België heeft alle voorzieningen van hedendaagse communicatie met een nationaal dekkend mobiel netwerk van drie providers die alle drie landelijk GSM en 2G dekking hebben. 3G is op het Proximus netwerk zo goed als landelijk verder is 4G er enkel in de grote steden als Antwerpen, Gent en Leuven (Brussel niet).Er zijn meerdere internettoegangsmogelijkheden (access points) in alle steden. Internetcafés zal je vinden in de grote steden omdat de mensen thuis allemaal een internetaansluiting hebben.

This is a usable article. It contains information on how to get there, as well as the main attractions, nightlife and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but dive in and expand it!

Provinces of Belgium
Antwerp · Hainaut · shutter · Limburg · Luxembourg · Namur · East Flanders · Flemish Brabant · Walloon Brabant · West Flanders

Countries in Europe

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Destinations
Continents: Africa · Asia · Europe · North America · Oceania · South America Oceans: Atlantic Ocean · Pacific · Indian Ocean · Arctic Ocean · Southern Ocean Polar regions: Antarctica · Arctic Also see: Room