10 ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR TRAVELING TO BELGIUM

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With this selection of tips for traveling to Belgium We hope to help you organize and plan your trip to one of the most amazing and amazing countries in the world.
On many occasions known only to Bruges and Ghent, two of the most beautiful cities in the world, we assure you that Belgium is much more than this pair of jewels, which although highly recommended, we are sure, will be only Two of the awesome places you can meet in this country.

Based on the times we have traveled to the country, the first on a trip to Bruges and Brussels and the second on a trip to Ghent, Leuven and Antwerp, we leave you what are for us 10 essential tips for traveling to Belgium. We start!

1. What is the best time?

Although any time is good to know Belgium, it is important to take into account the weather and other aspects in order to make the trip and enjoy it to the fullest.

High season (July and August): without a doubt, these sunny and warm months are the ones that concentrate the greatest number of travelers in the country, especially in the most tourist areas.
Mid season (May, June and September): despite not being so hot, good weather is usually present during these months, so it is a good option for a trip to Belgium and enjoy cities like Brussels, Bruges, Ghent … etc
Low season (from October to March): considered as the coldest and rainiest months of the year, they would be the least advisable to travel since although the prices are usually much more adjusted, the weather is not very pleasant.

Remember that if your trip to Belgium is in high season, it may be highly recommended to book in advance both flights and accommodation and rental car in case you are going to do a roadtrip.

2. Entry requirements

If you are a Spanish or European Union (EU) citizen, you can enter Belgium only with your ID or Passport, without a visa. If you have another nationality, it is advisable to consult the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Embassy to know what the entry requirements are.

Another of the tips for traveling to Belgium more important is that you always carry the European Health Card with which you can receive medical assistance if necessary. Regardless of this and above all, if you want to have coverage in the best medical centers and have a repatriation included, it is highly recommended to travel with the best travel insurance for Europe.

We always travel insured with Mondo, with whom we carry a totally adequate insurance to the needs that we will have on the trip. Hiring your insurance here with Mondo, just for being a Street Travelers reader, you have a 5% discount.

3. Security

Belgium is a safe country to which you can travel with total peace of mind, although you should not forget some details and precautions, which you should take in any destination and that have a lot to do with the common sense. Some of these precautions would be to try not to leave valuables in very crowded places or leave them in the car and especially in cities like Brussels, ask in the accommodation which areas are unsafe or in which it is preferable not to move at night , especially if you travel alone.

In addition to this, another important thing to keep in mind when traveling to Belgium, is to keep a copy of the important documentation such as ID, Passport, insurance policy or driving license in the cloud so that in case of loss or theft, It is much easier and faster to complete the process.

Witches

4. How to start the trip to Belgium?

Normally when you start a trip to Belgium you will arrive by plane to Brussels, its capital, with one of the many airlines that fly to Brussels Zaventem Airport, 15 kilometers away, or to Charleroi airport, located 55 kilometers south of the capital and where low cost flights usually arrive. To find flights at the best prices, we advise you to use this flight search engine.
You can find information for the transfer in the post on How to go from Brussels airport to downtown.

Once you have solved this issue, the next step will be to reserve the accommodation, especially if you are traveling in high season and if your trip includes cities such as Bruges or Ghent, which are usually the most visited. We recommend using this accommodation search engine, where you will find the best options at the best prices.

Remember that one of the best ways to moving around Belgium is by train. Although it is not essential to book on the most frequent routes, it may be important to check the schedules and places before traveling, in case you want to secure the place, you can book. You can check the schedules and make reservations here.

And finally, with everything booked and although you can make a trip to Belgium for free perfectly, it is interesting to take into account excursions and tours in Belgium, to be able to book them in time if you want to know the best of the country and its tourist attractions, With guide in Spanish.

Tips for traveling to Belgium

5. Route through Belgium

The first and most important thing when organizing the trip is to be clear about how many days you have and especially what kind of trip you want to do. If your holidays are about 10-15 days, the perfect option could be to take a tour of some of the essential places to see in Belgium, among which you can not miss cities such as Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, Leuven, Antwerp, Mechelen, Namur and Dinant, in addition to the visit to the impressive Abbey of Villers la Ville or Damme, one of the most picturesque villages to see in Belgium, located just 6 kilometers north of Bruges.
Remember that as we said before, traveling by train in Belgium is extremely comfortable and simple since it reaches most of the tourist places in the country, so if you do not want to make any visit that is not included in your journey, we recommend using it and enjoy one of the most beautiful countries in the world.
You can check routes, schedules and make train reservations in Belgium here.

Another option to travel to Belgium It is to make trips to the different most important and tourist cities of Belgium, as we have been doing, from your city of origin. In this case, it depends on the days you have, but we believe that it is best to dedicate an average of 2 days to each of the cities to be able to enjoy them and especially, both in Bruges and Ghent to spend a night, since they are cities that dress up when most tourists leave during the day and light up, giving the city a unique and unforgettable atmosphere.

Grand Place of Brussels

6. Brussels

In addition to being the political capital of the European Union, Brussels is one of the essentials of Belgium, despite the unjustified fame of recent times and sometimes be overshadowed by its neighboring Bruges and Ghent.
With the Grand Place as the nerve center of the city and one of its most beautiful places, Brussels also has a beautiful historic center, parks where you can enjoy walks, museums, the famous Comic Route and of course its famous and charming neighborhood Le Sablon, you can't miss it.

Although it is a city that you could meet in one day, whenever you can, we recommend you stay a couple of days to be able to know all the essential places to visit in Brussels and the best things to do in Brussels.

In addition, if you do not want to miss anything important about the city, it is to follow these guides optimized for days:

Brussels guide in one day
Brussels guide in two days
Brussels guide in 3 days

And if you want to get to know the city in depth, nothing better than booking one of the best free tours in Brussels Free! or any of these guided tours in Spanish.

Atomium, one of the places to visit in Brussels

7. Witches

Without a doubt, Bruges is one of the great jewels of Belgium, Europe and even the world. Declared a World Heritage Site, it is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world where you will feel yourself going back in time. With medieval style, its historic center represents a pleasure for the senses as you walk the cobbled streets surrounded by charming locals, who have preserved the typical architecture of yesteryear.
As we mentioned before with Brussels, Bruges can be known in one day, although whenever possible we recommend you stay one night to enjoy the illuminated city, as we are sure, it will be one of the most special and unforgettable moments.

When traveling to Belgium, to get to know the best of the city we recommend you follow this guide of Bruges in one day and complete this list of the best places to visit in Bruges among which you can not miss Grote Markt, the Muelle del Rosario and the Park Minnewater
In addition to these guides, to know the history of the city and not miss anything, we recommend you book this free tour of the old town Free! or any of these guided tours, all with a guide in Spanish.

Remember that you can reach Bruges by train from Brussels Midi station in an hour's journey. You have all the information in the post How to go from Brussels to Bruges (train or bus).
Another option if you do not have much time and are staying in Brussels, is to book this tour by bus or this one that also includes the city of Ghent, both with a guide in Spanish and considered two of the best excursions in Brussels.

Witches

8. Ghent

Always competing in beauty with its neighbor Bruges, Ghent is another of the jewels of Europe as well as being one of the places you can not miss at travel to Belgium.
With a medieval architecture that we are sure will surprise you, canals, stone bridges and a castle that will leave you speechless, touring Ghent will be another unforgettable moment of your trip to Belgium that you will do, want to stay forever in its historic center.

As in the previous options, Ghent can be traveled in one day, although whenever possible it is highly recommended to stay at least one night to enjoy the lighting and tranquility that gives the sun's fall in one of the most visited cities from Belgium.

To get to know the best of the city, we recommend you to follow this Ghent route in one day and this list of places to visit in Ghent, among which you can not miss the impressive Graslei and Korenlei Docks, the San Miguel Bridge, the Castle of the Counts of Flanders, the Church of St. Nicholas in addition to the views of the city from the Belfort tower.

In addition to these guides, if you want to know the city in depth, it is highly recommended to book this free tour of Ghent Free! or this visit by Ghent, both with a guide in Spanish.

Do not forget that you can get to Ghent by taking the train in the direction of Ostende, which departs from the main stations in Brussels and takes 45 minutes. You have more information in the post How to go from Brussels to Ghent (train or bus) or book this tour with a guide in Spanish.

Ghent

9. Belgian gastronomy

Another of the great reasons to travel to Belgium is without a doubt the Belgian cuisine, which we are sure you will love and will become part of your memories along with the trip. Although we know that it is impossible to make a list of all the typical dishes, we do want to leave you a selection of some of the most famous so that you can have a reference and at least try some of them so that your travel experience is also gastronomic .

Frites: French fries, but not just any. They are probably the most famous in the world and from what we have read the secret is that they are fried with ox fat.
Moules avec frites: mussels with french fries. Yes, it sounds weird, but it is one of the most famous Belgian cuisine dishes and as such, you can't stop trying it !.
Flemish carbonnades: Meat cooked with beer that is usually accompanied by french fries.
Frikandel: Fried sausage to which sauce, potatoes and any other ingredient that the restaurant offers as a novelty is added.
Chocolate: Little more to add to this ingredient. If you like chocolate, Belgium is your country.
Waffle: Another essential in Belgium. It is a sweet paste that is cooked in a grid-shaped mold and is usually accompanied with sugar, chocolate, cream or jam and fruits.

Waffles in Brussels

10. More tips for traveling to Belgium

Other of the best tips for traveling to Belgium They are:

As we mentioned earlier, it is highly recommended to spend whenever you can one night in Bruges and Ghent to enjoy both illuminated cities.
If you visit Antwerp, don't miss this Antwerp route in one day and complete this list of places to visit in Antwerp, so you don't miss anything.
Remember that in order not to pay commissions and always have the current change we recommend you use the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot. You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.
In Belgium, in the train stations, on most occasions, you will find the names of the cities in Belgian, not in English. For example: Leuven you will find it written as Leuven. Brussels Midi is Brussels Midi Zuid ... It's something to keep in mind, especially when it comes to getting tickets at the vending machines and when getting off at the correct station.
In Belgium the common voltage is 230V, the frequency 50 Hz and the plugs are of type E.

Do you want to organize a trip to Belgium?
Get it here:
The best offers of Flights to Brussels here
The best hotels at the best prices in Belgium here
Book the best tours and excursions in Belgium in Spanish here
Book your Brussels Airport transfer here
Book your travel insurance with a 5% discount here
Rent your car in Belgium at the best price here