Belgium Travel Guide
A crossroads of Germanic and Latin Europe, Belgium packs fairytale medieval canal towns, comic strip heritage, Art Nouveau architecture, and world-renowned beer, chocolate, and fries into a compact, easily walkable country.
Cheapest Regions & Best Value
Wallonia (Liege, Dinant, Namur, Charleroi) and student university districts in Leuven and Ghent.
High-Cost / Peak Tourist Areas
Bruges historical center hotels in peak summer, and Brussels European Quarter hotels on midweek diplomatic days.
Belgium Money-Saving Strategies
SNCB/NMBS Weekend Tickets offer 50% off return train travel between any two Belgian stations from Friday evening through Sunday night. Travelers under 26 can buy Youth Multi passes (10 train trips anywhere in Belgium for €62, just €6.20 per journey). Weekend hotel rates in Brussels drop up to 50% when EU politicians leave.
Flagship Destinations & Major Bases
4 destinationsBrussels
2 Days IdealThe capital of Europe is a bilingual metropolis of gilded baroque guildhalls on Grand Place, whimsical comic strip murals, Art Nouveau architecture, and the world’s greatest beer and chocolate traditions. Hotel rates plummet on weekends when EU diplomats leave.
Bruges
2 Days IdealEurope’s best-preserved medieval mercantile city, Bruges charms with swans floating on misty canals, cobblestone bridges, and soaring brick belfries. Staying overnight allows you to experience quiet, lamplit lanes after day trippers leave.
Ghent
2 Days IdealOften called Belgium’s best-kept secret, Ghent has all of Bruges’s medieval canal beauty combined with a vibrant university population, the moated Gravensteen castle, and the world-famous Adoration of the Mystic Lamb altarpiece.
Antwerp
2 Days IdealBelgium’s diamond capital and fashion trendsetter features one of the world’s most spectacular railway stations (Centraal), monumental Peter Paul Rubens baroque masterpieces, and trendy dockland bars in Het Eilandje.
Regional Cities, Coastlines & Countryside
3 destinationsLeuven
1dJust 15 minutes by train from Brussels Airport and 25 minutes from Brussels city center, Leuven is home to the world’s oldest Catholic university, an extraordinary lace-like Gothic Town Hall, Stella Artois brewing, and the Oude Markt (the longest bar in the world).