The original do-it-yourself travel guide to Europe SM

BELGIUM
Prime Travel Data

Belgium is in western Europe on the North Sea. It is is bounded by Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and France.

A page of the   Prime Travel Data   section from   Enjoy-Europe.com   by   John Bermont





Michelin Green Guide Belgium
Belgium
Michelin Green Guide



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Important information about this data sheet. Revised 20 January 2008
Native name Belgique and Belgie
Capital Brussels (Bruxelles and Brussel)
Postal code B
Telephone code +32
Language Dutch and French
Currency Euro, divided into 100 euro cent
European Union Member .
Schengen Agreement Member
Time zone GMT+1
Electricity 220 volts, 50 Hz. See chapter 11.


General open hours, often longer in major cities  
Restaurants 1200-1500-, 1900-2300
Banks 0900-1530 M-F (many are closed at lunch)
Post offices 0900-1700 M-F
Stores 0930-1800 M-Sat
City Tourist Offices 0900-1900 (Summer 0900-2000)


Date Holiday Jour de Fête (French)
Feestdag (Dutch)
Jan 1 New Year's Day Nouvel An
Nieuwjaar
  Easter Monday lundi de pâques
pasen
May 1 National Holiday fête du travail
feest van de arbeid
  Ascension Day ascension
hemelvaartsdag
  Whit Monday lundi de pentecôte
pinksteren
Jul 21 Independence Day fête nationale
nationale feestdag
Aug 15  Assumption assomption
maria hemelvaart
Nov 1 All Saints' Day Toussaint
Heiligdag
Nov 11  Armistice armistice
wapenstilstandsdag
Dec 25 Christmas noël
kerstmis


Belgian Offices in the USA
Embassy
T 202-333-6900
F 202-333-3079
Embassy of Belgium, Washington, DC
3330 Garfield St. NW
Washington, DC 20008
Consulates See the embassy website.
Tourist Office
T 212-758-8130
F 212-355-7675
Belgian National Tourist Office
220 E 42nd Street, Suite 3402
New York, NY 10017


American Offices in Belgium
Embassy
T 02-508-2111
F 02-511-2725
United States Embassy, Brussels, Belgium
27 Boulevard du Regent 
B-1000 Bruxelles


USA is known as: États-Unis or as Verenigde Staten

Recommended books for further information:

There are plenty of guide books for Belgium. Michelin Red Guides (hotels and restaurants) and Michelin Green Guides (man-made and natural wonders) are my favorites but there are many other good ones. Some publishers produce "Benelux" books. Because Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxemburg are so small they are often grouped as "Benelux." Notice that I do not recommend any Frommers, Dummies, Steves, or other inferior guides. For some of the reasons please go to the hoi polloi.

As one example of a substandard guide, I have a 400+ page book titled Rick Steves' France, Belgium, & The Netherlands which has not a single mention of Marseille, Dijon, or Aix-en-Provence. That's like leaving Chicago, New Orleans, and Newport Beach out of a USA travel guide. But this book did include enough pages to promote his whirlwind guided bus tours, videos, backpacks, sink stoppers, and Steves' other branded products. A page of sophomoric French phrases plus sort-of maps cap off the disaster. Steves is strong on self promotion but weak on meaningful content.

For the good stuff, the links below take you directly to a page at Amazon.com. That page details the item, and in some cases includes candid comments from others who have bought the item. Enjoy-Europe.com benefits when you order here. Thanks for your support!

Note: emphasis in the titles is mine — to help you in finding the information you need.
Guides
Michelin Green Guide: Belgium Luxembourg, English Edition
Michelin Red Guide Benelux 2007
Fodor's Belgium, 3rd Edition
Insight Guides Belgium
Berlitz Belgium
Blue Guide Belgium, Ninth Edition
Brussels (DK Eyewitness Travel Guides)
Top 10 Brussels & Antwerp Bruges, Ghent (DK Eyewitness Travel Guides)
Fodor's Citypack Brussels & Bruges, 2nd edition


Maps
  Lonely Planet Best of Brussels: The Ultimate Pocket Guide & Map
  Michelin Map Belgium Luxembourg
  Streetwise Brussels Map
 

Words (French and Dutch are both spoken in Belgium)
French Words
  Larousse Concise French/English-English/French Dictionary
  Berlitz French Phrase Book & Dictionary
  Oxford-Hachette French-English/English-French Dictionary
  Collins Gem French Dictionary
  Fodor's French for Travelers
Dutch Words
  Berlitz Dutch Phrase Book
  Hippocrene Dutch-English/English-Dutch Concise Dictionary

Life and Leisure etc.
  Good Beer Guide to Belgium
  The Garden Lover's Guide to the Netherlands and Belgium
  Living and Working in Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg
 

History
  The History of Belgium: Part 1. Cæsar to Waterloo
  The History of Belgium: Part 2. 1815-1865. Waterloo to the Death of Leopold I





Icons tell you where to find services in the Brussels Midi/Zuid train station. http://www.enjoy-europe.com/cds/P1020016-BrusselsMidiZuid.jpg Icons tell you where to find services in the Brussels Midi/Zuid train station.
Travelers Supplies
Shopping easy at


Electrical Plug Adapter
USA to Continental Europe




Grounded Adapter
USA to Continental Europe



Grounded Adapter
UK & Australia to Europe





The Stormbreaker
by Turfer Sport




Women's Petite Macintosh Commuter Coat
by Lands' End




Who wrote this?



Home and general index.

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HOW  TO  EUROPE
The Complete Travelers Handbook
Europe Intro
Clothing
Packing List
Luggage
Guidebooks
Electricity
Photography
Trains
Driving
Telephones
Moving to Europe
Living in Europe
Shopping
Languages
Metric System
Seeing Europe

Learn the basic infrastructure:

Prime Travel Data
Elementary Travel Information for Europe
Austria
Belgium
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland

France
Germany
Greece
Ireland
Italy
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Norway
Portugal
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom

Utilize John Bermont's exclusive:

TRAVELERS YELLOW PAGES
A Directory of Links to Products, Services, and Information
Airlines to Europe
National Tourist Offices
City Tourist Offices
City Information and Tours
Country Information and Tours
Luggage and Backpacks
Discount Air Travel
Villas and Homes for Rent
Hostels in Europe
Hotels in Europe
Auto Rental in Europe
Rail Services of Europe
Eclectic Travel Sites
Internet Search Engines
Photography
Guide Books for Europe
Educational Programs
Newsletters from Europe
Personal Travel Pages
Personal Trip Planning

Get open hours, costs, locations, and more:

Travelers Portfolio
Essential Visitors Information for the Top Sights of Europe
       Amsterdam       
Anne Frank Huis (Anne Frank House)
Rijksmuseum (National Museum)
Van Gogh Museum
       London       
British Museum
Buckingham Palace
National Gallery
Natural History Museum
Palace of Westminster
St. Paul's Cathedral
Tower of London
Westminster Abbey
       Paris coming soon       
Arc de Triomphe
Tour Eiffel (Eiffel Tower)
Hôtel des Invalides (The Invalides)
Musée de l'Armée (Army Museum)
The Opera
Montmarte
Cathédrale Notre Dame
Musée d'Orsay
Musée du Louvre

Exchange rates, weather, maps:

Up-To-The-Minute
Be informed before you go.
       Money Exchange
Currency exchange rates, including the euro, British pound, Swiss Frank.
       Weather in Europe
Current European weather conditions and forecasts. Good luck.
    Maps and Time Zones
Free online maps of Europe. Guide to setting your watch ahead.

Didn't find what you need yet?
Google It !!
 

Copyright
Internet edition
© 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2002, 2001 James J. Broad
© 1987, 1986, 1984, Murphy & Broad Publishing Co.
All rights reserved. Tous droits réservés.
This is copyrighted material. Do not reproduce, copy, plagiarize, store, modify, extract,
transmit, or purloin any part of this publication in any nation in any form or by any means
or for any purpose whatsoever without permission in writing.

Prime Travel Data is an update of chapter 29, "Country Data Sheets," from the first edition of John Bermont's How To Europe, originally published in 1982. See About this Data Sheet for important details regarding some of the information presented above.

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The original
do-it-yourself
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470 pages
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ISBN 0-940792-69-9
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Keywords for this chapter:

belgium travel brussels
antwerp ghent brugge
flanders belgium travel
belgique belgie travel

Prime travel data for independent
budget travel in Belgium.