Wander Bruges' medieval canals
Often called 'the Venice of the North,' with cobbled lanes and gabled houses along canals best seen by a short boat tour or on foot.
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Western Europe
Things to do in Belgium
Medieval city squares, a beer culture with more styles than any country on earth, and chocolate and fries taken as seriously as any national cuisine.
Explore Belgium on the map →Budget$$
Best for4-6 days
CapitalBrussels
VisaSchengen visa-free up to 90 days in any 180-day period for US/UK/Canada/Australia passport holders; ETIAS pre-registration is expected for visa-exempt visitors but was not yet live as of mid-2026.
CurrencyEuro (EUR)
LanguagesDutch, French, and German (all official, regionally split)
InternetExcellent
Typical lodging$40–$100/night
Driving sideRight
Power & voltage230V / 50Hz (Type C/F plug)
Time zoneUTC+1
Emergency number112
Dialing code+32
★★★★★ Culture★★★★★ Food★★★★★ Photography
Visa rules and emergency numbers can change without notice. Confirm the specifics for your nationality and dates before you travel.
Travel smart
Tap water is safe to drink. Not expected. Service is usually included.
Belgium has more than 1,500 beer varieties and several Trappist monasteries that still brew commercially under centuries-old rules, a brewing tradition recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. Its compact size and central location mean Bruges' canals, Brussels' Grand Place, and Antwerp's diamond district are all within a couple of hours of each other by train.
When to go
SpringApril–May
Mild with occasional rain, and the flower carpet and tulip fields near Ghent add seasonal color.
SummerJune–August
Warm and the busiest tourist season, especially in Bruges, outdoor café terraces and beer festivals run through the summer.
AutumnSeptember–October
Comfortable and quieter, with mellow light for photographing the canals and old towns.
WinterNovember–February
Cold and often grey, but Christmas markets in Brussels and Bruges are genuinely charming.
20 things to do
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Culture & history
12Explore Brussels' Grand Place
A UNESCO-listed square ringed by ornate guildhalls, illuminated at night and hosting a biennial flower carpet display of hundreds of thousands of blooms.
Climb Bruges' Belfry Tower
366 steps up a 13th-century bell tower overlooking the old town's red-roofed skyline, still the city's tallest structure.
Explore Ghent's Gravensteen Castle
A remarkably intact medieval fortress in the middle of the city, with a small torture-instrument museum and rooftop views over Ghent's canals.
Visit the Atomium in Brussels€22
A 102-metre stainless steel structure built for the 1958 World's Fair, representing an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times, with an observation deck at the top.
Cycle the Flanders Fields WWI battlefields near Ypres
Preserved trenches, cemeteries, and the In Flanders Fields Museum document the region's central and devastating role in the First World War.
Explore the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels
A major collection spanning Flemish primitives to Magritte, including a dedicated museum for Belgium's most famous surrealist.
Wander Antwerp's diamond district and cathedral
One of the world's major diamond trading centers, alongside a Gothic cathedral housing several Rubens masterpieces.
Visit a Belgian comic strip mural trail in Brussels
Belgium's deep comic tradition (Tintin, The Smurfs) shows up as large murals scattered through the capital's streets, mapped as a self-guided walking route.
Visit the Magritte Museum in Brussels
The world's largest collection of work by surrealist painter René Magritte, housed in a dedicated museum near the Royal Palace.
Explore Bruges' Béguinage courtyard
A tranquil walled courtyard once home to a lay religious community of women, now housing Benedictine nuns, with whitewashed houses around a quiet green.
Ride a canal boat tour through Ghent at night
Ghent's illuminated medieval skyline reflects off the canals after dark, a quieter and less crowded alternative to Bruges' daytime boat tours.
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Adventure & outdoors
1Explore the Ardennes forest region
Hilly, densely forested countryside in southern Belgium, popular for hiking, caving, and kayaking well away from the coastal and city crowds.
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Food & drink
6Taste Trappist beer at its monastic source
A handful of monasteries, including Chimay and Orval, still brew commercially under strict rules, visitor centers nearby offer tastings even where the abbeys themselves stay closed.
Eat Belgian fries (frites) from a proper friture
Twice-fried in the traditional method and served in a paper cone with a wide range of sauces: a genuine national dish, not a side order.
Sample Belgian chocolate at a chocolatier
Hundreds of small chocolate shops across Brussels and Bruges make pralines by hand, a craft distinct from mass-market Belgian chocolate exports.
Eat mussels and fries (moules-frites) in Brussels
Belgium's classic pairing: a pot of mussels steamed in wine or beer broth, served with a side of fries, at brasseries across the capital.
Attend a Belgian beer festival
Events like the Zythos Beer Festival in Leuven bring together hundreds of Belgian breweries under one roof for tastings across every style.
Try waffles the proper Belgian way
Liège waffles (dense, caramelized, eaten plain) and Brussels waffles (lighter, rectangular, topped) are genuinely different. Try both to settle your own preference.
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Nature & scenery
1Explore Dinant's cliffside old town on the Meuse
A dramatic riverside town beneath a citadel and cliff face, and the birthplace of the saxophone's inventor, Adolphe Sax.
Common questions
▾Do I need a visa for Belgium?
US, UK, Canadian, and Australian passport holders can enter visa-free for up to 90 days within any 180-day period under Schengen rules.
▾Is Bruges or Ghent the better day trip from Brussels?
Bruges is more postcard-perfect and consequently more crowded; Ghent has similar medieval charm with a livelier, more local student-town feel and noticeably fewer tour groups.
▾Do I need to know French or Dutch to get around?
No. English is widely spoken in tourist areas and among younger Belgians, though be aware the country is linguistically split (Dutch-speaking Flanders in the north, French-speaking Wallonia in the south) and language politics can be a sensitive topic locally.
▾What's the difference between Belgian and other European beer culture?
Belgium has an unusually wide range of styles, Trappist ales, lambics, saisons, often brewed by monasteries under centuries-old methods, and beer is typically served in its own branded glass rather than a generic pint.
▾How many days does Belgium need?
4-5 days covers Brussels, Bruges, and Ghent comfortably as easy day trips or short stays, since the whole country is compact enough to cross by train in a few hours.
▾How much does it cost to visit the Atomium?
Adult admission is about €22, covering the panoramic top sphere and permanent exhibitions. It's one of Brussels' pricier single attractions relative to its size, so combination tickets with nearby Mini-Europe can offer better value if you're visiting both.