Discover Belgium

Nestling between the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France, Belgium occupies 30,518 square kilometres and is home to 10.2 million people. Belgium is Europe in a nutshell, multicultural and multilingual. Flanders in the north, a flatland criss-crossed by canals, is proud of its great art cities, Antwerp, Bruges and Ghent. To the south in Wallonia, you will find the rolling hills of the Ardennes, numerous castles, and the cities of Liege, Namur, and Tournai.

Belgium is a small country (11,730 square Miles, the size of Maryland) with a population of slightly less than 10 million. It has been a constitutional monarchy since 1830. There are three languages (Dutch, French and German). However, English is widely spoken. Many people think that "Flemish" is a separate and independant language. It's not. Flemish is just another name for the Dutch language, spoken with a "Belgian" accent. The three regions (Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels) have self-government in many spheres. Belgium has retained its old-world charm in the preservation of its ancient buildings and historical traditions.

Getting There

By Airport:
Brussels Airport is connected with frequent trains to the center of the town. The ride takes 17 minutes

By Roads
Road are very good. Since Dutch is spoken in the northern part of the country and French in the Southern part, several towns and villages have two names, one in French and one in Dutch. Here is a list of the most important towns and their different language names. The bold names are the local ones.

Antwerpen - Anvers - Antwerp
Gent - Gand - Ghent
Kortrijk - Courtrai
Brugge - Bruges - Bruges
Brussel - Bruxelles - Brussels
Liege - Luik
Mons - Bergen
Namur - Namen
Oudenaarde - Audenarde
Tournai - Doornik
Mechelen - Malines
Aalst - Alost By Train The Belgian National Railways operate the densest rail network in the world and the majority of the international lines pass through Brussels, the center of this network. There is a frequent efficient train service from Brussels to almost all parts of the country. Look in our special train section for the departure schedules of the most important lines.