Capital: Brussels ♦ Population: 11.5 million ♦ Currency: Euro (€) ♦ Language: Dutch, French, German (and basically everyone speaks English!)

Blog posts

• Brussels and Bruges (2014)
• Brussels and Ghent (2019)
• The Recollection Diaries 
• Video: Eurotrip Part 1 (2014)

Highlights

She may be small, but she plays one hell of an important role in Europe and in world history. Belgium has an abundance of medieval towns, iconic food, Renaissance architecture and languages spoken. 

Bruges: one of the most beautiful medieval towns, it has been coined “Venice of the East” for a reason. If the weather is nice, it’s fun to wander the canals and picnic on beer and chocolate.

Brussels: not just the capital, it’s also the European Union Headquarters. A must visit is the famously overrated Manneken Pis.

Antwerp: riverside town, nicknamed the ‘diamond district’ from the olden days.

Ghent: a quaint river port with a medieval old town.

Flanders Field: the site of half a million deaths in World War 1. A touching experience, packed with history.

Did you know?

• There are more castles per square mile in Belgium than anywhere else in the world.
• There are more breweries per capita than anywhere else in the world. Belgian beers also tend to be higher in alcohol content than other places, so watch out!
• Belgium produces more than 220,000 tonnes of chocolate per year.

Useful tips

• There is so much iconic food in Belgium, be sure to try it all! (Think waffles, beer, chocolate and fries).
• There is no need to spend up large on fancy chocolate as even the cheapest chocolate from the cheapest supermarkets is still divine.
• Watch out for cyclists – Belgium is immensely bike friendly.
• Lots of attracts are closed on both Mondays and Wednesdays so just check before you go.