Belgium

Eco-friendly travel guide to Belgium advises how to be a responsible tourist. Learn how to travel in a sustainable way and how to respect the local people and culture. Make your trip green by supporting locally owned hotels, organic restaurants and other businesses. Read more on how to protect the environment by making conscientious choices and how to travel green in Belgium, Europe.

View from La Roche aux Faucons of the valley and the Ourthe

Air quality: 2.5 / 5

Bus connections: 4.5 / 5

Train connections: 4.5 / 5

Hitchhiking: 5 / 5

National parks: 5 / 5

Outdoor activities: 4.5 / 5

Locals' English level: 4 / 5

Safety: 3.5 / 5

Accommodation: US$30 - $500

Budget per day: US$80 - $700

Responsible Travel

Belgium is a European country in the western part of Europe. The country is renowned for its mouthwatering and exquisite food items and drinks that have created a craze among both men and women globally. It is one of the densely populated countries, ranking 6th in Europe. Brussels serves as the capital city of Belgium and is also the largest city. Unlike some countries with only one or two official languages, Belgium has three official languages; Dutch, French, and German. The most followed religion is Christianity, which constitutes more than 60% of the population. Islam is also followed by a few Belgians, making it a minority group in the country. Belgium has more than 11 million residents, ranking 81st on the world's population index. You will find that it is not a big country than its dominating neighbors such as Germany and France. The country's total area is 30,689 square kilometers, out of which only 0.71 percent of the area constitutes water bodies. Belgium may be a small European country, but it is nothing less than its dominating neighbors. While visiting such a beautiful country, you must try your best to make your travel responsible. The only way to become a responsible tourist would be to abide by the rules and follow sustainable measures like public transports, volunteering, recycling, reusing, etc. With the increasing need for sustainable living, eco-friendly travel is becoming a necessity worldwide.

Air Quality and Pollution

Belgium's air quality is moderately bad, which means 45% of the total air is polluted. In some cities, there are often traffic jams due to the consumption of personal vehicles. No doubt that public transport is efficient enough to help anyone to reach their destination. Many tourists prefer to use taxis whenever they feel a need to move around in the cities of Belgium. Most cities have many parks, gardens, and trees that help in the purification of air. A lot of traffic and other reasons have led rise to other pollution. Half of the country is suffering from noise and light pollution. The grounds include the tourists who visit this country to enjoy its clubs and bars that run overnight with excess light use. As responsible tourists, it is your duty that you should not contribute to any of the pollutions by any means.

Respect the Culture

We must respect the culture of the place we are visiting. It helps us to improve our position and image in front of the locals. It will also help you make friends as they will familiarize themselves with you very quickly. Disrespecting a culture or religion means you are trying to disrespect the group that follows it. There are many festivals to see, including dishes of various chocolates, dances, and traditional music. Most of the Belgium people follow Christianity. Therefore, there are a lot of Christian festivals that can be seen in this country.

Top 10 Places to Visit

Bruges: Bruges is the capital city and has over 118,325 inhabitants as per the polls of January 1, 2019, also the largest city in West Flanders in Belgium. Bruges has its significance as the bishopric of the diocese of Bruges. As in the late Middle Ages, the Dutch region around Bruges was one of the textile industry centers and long-distance trade in Europe and is considered one of the birthplaces of early capitalism. The Dukes of Burgundy temporarily resided in the city, under whose rule Bruges became one of the culturally and economically wealthiest cities in Europe in the late Middle Ages. Ramparts surround the old town with canals and windmills. History says that this city was never destroyed by war or large-scale fires; the medieval historical buildings and cityscape are very well preserved. The boat exploration is canals that run through the city and are named by the locals as Reien. The medieval city center became a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000. In 2002, Bruges served as the European Capital of Culture.

Brussels: Brussels is among the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region and the Kingdom of Belgium's capital with 181,726 inhabitants as per a poll on January 1, 2019, in the official Municipal area. The settlement area of the Brussels-Capital Region, however, has 1.2 million inhabitants living up there. Brussels City is the capital and residence of Belgium, the Flemish, and French Communities Belgium and Flanders. The city is the headquarters of the European Union and the headquarters of NATO and the Benelux countries' permanent secretariat, EUROCONTROL, and the former Western European Union.

Ghent: Ghent is the second-largest Belgian city after Antwerp. It is the capital of East Flanders province. Ghent emerged from Celtic settlements in the area where the Scheldt and Leie confluence. In the Middle Ages, Ghent was one of the largest and most important cities in Europe as it was flourishing in the cloth trade. The flax and linen trade and the staple rights to grain acquired by the city also contributed considerably to the city's prosperity. After a short Calvinist period, the city fell into disrepair until it flourished again at the end of the 18th century when Ghent became one of the first industrialized cities on mainland Europe. On February 24, 1500, Emperor Charles V was born in Hof ten Walle, which later became the Prinzenhof. Pacification of Ghent (1576) and the Peace of Ghent (1814) were signed in Ghent. Ghent is also called "the proud city" (de fiere stad) or - after its urban freedom champions - Arteveldestadt. The city also knows the location in an extensive area of flower and plant breeding companies, Ghent of flowers. Saint Bavo is the Ghent diocese patron saint, after which the Saint Bavo Abbey and the Saint Bavo Cathedral are named. The Sint-Niklaaskerk on Kornmarkt in the 13th and 14th centuries built by the wealthy citizens of the city.

Antwerp: Antwerp is a port city that sits in the Flanders region in Belgium and Antwerp's capital. As an administrative unit, Antwerp is the largest city in the country, with around half a million population. With 1.2 million, the Antwerp aggregation is the second largest in Belgium after the Brussels-Capital region. Antwerp is renowned for its outstanding international importance because of its seaport, the second largest in Europe after the Netherlands Port of Rotterdam. It is the world's most important center for trading and processing diamonds. During the 15th and 16th centuries, Antwerp was one of the world's largest cities. At times, it was the most critical trading metropolis in Europe and was an important cultural center. In this place, significant renowned artists like Rubens worked up here. Antwerp was the venue for the Summer Olympics in 1920 and then was the European Capital of Culture in 1993. The Plantin-Moretus Printing Museum, the Maison Guiette (1926, Le Corbusier), and the Cathedral of Our Lady's tower are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Ardennes: The Ardennes [aʀˈdɛn] department is the French department with serial number 08. It sits in the north-east of the country near the Belgian border in the Grand Est region, formed from three smaller regions since January 2016. The department was named after the low mountain range of the Ardennes. The department extends, in its northern part crossed by the Ardennes Forest, on both banks of the Meuse in a wedge shape into Belgium, bordering the Aisne department to the west, the Marne department to the south, and the east Meuse department. In the south, the country belongs to the undulating chalk plains of Champagne. Then in the middle, to the Jurassic Argonne with more mountain character. The north comprises the rough Devonian slate plateaus of the Ardennes, which are still richly forested and in deep valleys of the navigable, winding the Meuse, the Chiefs, and the Semoy are cut through. The Aisne and its tributary Aire flow in the southwest. The climate is temperate but rougher than in the other provinces of France at the same latitude. The Allée couverte de Giraumont (also Dolmen de la Ganguille) is a gallery tomb in Clavy-Warby, near Saint-Marcel.

Mechelen: Mechelen is a city in Antwerp's province in Belgium with 86,616 inhabitants per polls of January 1, 2019. Mechelen also serves as the seat of the Primate of Belgium, Archbishop Jozef De Kesel. The city center of Mechelen, which is barely 1 km, has an almost circular shape, broad, regular streets, and sizable public spaces, including the Veemarkt (cattle market), the Grote Markt (Great Market Square), and the Schoenmarkt (shoemaker's market) with the monument to Margaret of Austria. Mechelen fell to Lotharingien when the Frankish empire was divided between Charles the Bald and Ludwig the German but was given to Count Palatine Wigerich between 911 and 915 by Charlemagne. In 1477 the city came to the House of Habsburg through Mary of Burgundy's marriage, the heir to Charles the Bold. Maximilian I. 1490 Mechelen was by Emperor Friedrich III. Raised to a noble county and formed the 17th of the Dutch provinces. The city became the seat of an archbishop In 1559. Mechelen city was temporarily declared the capital of the Netherlands by the governor Margaret of Austria. It was designated the Grand Council of Mechelen's seat, the highest court of justice for the entire Habsburg Netherlands.

Tournai: Tournai is a town on the Escaut Riverbank (Dutch: Schelde) in the province of Hainaut in Wallonia, the predominantly French-speaking part of Belgium. According to the information in the National Register, it had 69,233 inhabitants on January 1, 2019. The city is about 85 km southwest of Brussels. With an area of over 213 km², it is the largest municipality in Belgium. Since the merger of Belgian municipalities in 1977, the municipality of Tournai has consisted of 30 entities or sections. In addition to the old town of Tournai, there are 29 villages. Before 1977, all of these sections were independent parishes. As a result of the merger, Tournai has become the largest municipality in Belgium in terms of area, with 213.75 km². The commune is divided into five districts: Tournai, Froidmont, Gautrain, Kain, and Templeuve. Around 30,000 of the approximately 70,000 inhabitants live in the core city of Tournai.

Leuven: Leuven is a Belgian city sits in the Flanders region. It serves as the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant and the capital of the Leuven district. Leuven has approximately of about 101,624 inhabitants as per the polls of January 2019. Leuven is best known for its cityscape, which has some of the most beautiful Flemish architecture examples with the Gothic town hall and the Old Market and its university, the Katholieke University Leuven. Lauren is also the headquarters of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's largest brewery group. Löwen is located around 20 kilometers east of Brussels on the Dijle River in Flemish Brabant. Oud-Heverlee, Holsbeek, Rotselaar, Bierbeek, Lubbeek, Herent, Bertem, and Haacht border on Löwen (clockwise, starting in the north). Since January 1977, Löwen has included the sub-communities Heverlee has about 21,429, Löwen has about 30,169, Kessel-Lo has 27,476, Wijgmaal has 3,505, and Wilsele has about 9,358 inhabitants living in the sub-communities.

Dinant: Dinant is a city in the province of Namur that sits in the Walloon Region, Belgium. The city is known nationwide for its Notre-Dame church with artistic best work and the fortress above. Dinant is also popular due to Adolphe Sax's birthplace, who is the inventor of the saxophone. In a rocky valley at Dinant, the Meuse breaks through the Ardennes. Dinant has an approximate total of 13,451 inhabitants as per the poll of January 1, 2019, and covers a total area of about 99.8 square kilometers. The area belonged to the Roman Empire in the first centuries AD. There is a hilltop settlement protected by a stone wall from the Migration Period, In the district of Furfooz. The hill fortress was inhabited in the late 4th century and afterward by a small number of Germanic warriors and their families charged with defending the imperial borders.

Mons: Mons (Dutch and German: Bergen) is the capital of the Walloon province of Hainaut in Belgium. The predominantly francophone city has been the seat of NATO's military headquarters, SHAPE, since March 31, 1967. Mons once played the role of the European Capital of Culture, In 2015, with the Czech city of Pilsen. The city's name means mountain in Latin (compare French: Mont), which indicates the city's geographic location. The valley of the groves shapes the relief of Mons. This range flows north of the city center from east to west and flows into the Scheldt about 30 km further west in France. South of the city center, the Trouille flows west, only to flow into the groves a little later in the Mons district of Jemappes. There are hills and plateaus to the north and south of the groves, which gradually increases to 50 to 115 meters. The valley floor near the river and the Nimy-Blaton-Péronnes canal that branches off from it is 20 meters above sea level. Over centuries, the city developed in a circle from Haine in the north to the Trouille in the south. The Little Ring of Mons (Belgian ring road R50) separates the city center from the suburbs. Towards the middle of the circle described by the R50, the hill rises and reaches its highest point near the historic belfry (bell tower).

View of the city of Antwerp from the Museum aan de Stroom rooftop

Explore

Visiting new places is always fun; it will help you learn a new culture, trying out different things you have never tried before. Exploring new spots will help you discover new cuisines, maybe even take in a few museums, art galleries, city parks, national parks, and beaches. You will always return with not only lots of memories but also return more experienced. Trying out new things will not only refresh you, but it is also helpful for your health. While hiking or exploring a new city, it will help you to do more cardiovascular exercise. It will also encourage you to eat something healthy, and further if you are bored eating the same meal every day. Many people use their boredom to bring out their creative side and explore new and different things. It will also help you improve your self-esteem, learn new languages, and make you happy to live longer. Belgium has a lot to offer like you can visit beautiful towns and war towns, the main highlights of this country are towns, museums, and many parks.

City Parks

Tervuren Park Tervuren: This park is the historic home of the Dukes. It has foundations of castles, the largest lake, many waterfowls also inhabit here, which provides an excellent park view. Visitors sometimes glimpse European Red Fox, which roams there for the food. The natural habitats of Tervuren park make this park more beautiful and eye-catchy. Spaans Huis or Spanish house is also present in the garden; it is so-called because of the bricks used in its construction.

Stadspark Antwerp: This park is an English styled and triangular-shaped garden, which laid out 35 hectares of land. The pond, which is present in the center, adds scenery and plays as a host for many birds. Park also has some international trees, and it is open all time of the day. You can visit anytime. Park is suitable for joggers, elderly walkers, children, and playing various games.

Koning Albert I Park Ghent: This park has one park golden point, i.e., park your car in the underground car park at Koning Albert Park. This place is best for calming yourself from the city's busyness and the ideal point for a weekend trip. The park is almost surrounded by ancient trees and has a perfect play area for small kids and a skating spot. You can feel the breath of fresh air as soon as you enter the park because it is covered with lots of green trees and plants.

International Rose Garden Of Coloma (Leeuw): This park is in Belgium's small town, and it has more than 30,000 bushes and 3000 varieties of roses. It is behind a stately castle, and you can see 2,00,000 roses in bloom throughout the season. People also throw bridal parties, compete for the best photo in this charming rose garden. It is also the most extensive rose garden in Europe.

Sint-Donatus Park (Leuven): It is an urban park and styled in English landscaping. It still has remained of the inner walls of the original city from the twelfth century. This park has stored various towers, but the public can't access it, but it also adds beauty to the garden. Sint-Donatus has so much greenery that you can feel refreshed the moment you enter the park. Local people claim that this place is more prevalent in summertime.

Ganzen in het Park van Tervuren

National Parks

Hoge Kempen National Park (Flanders): This park is the first national park in Flanders, Belgium. Hoge Kempen park is always open for public people, and it has separate cycle tracks, streams, ponds, and many more things to explore. The habitat of this park generally has cone-bearing needle leaves. Typical flora and fauna of Hoge Kempen include; club moss, bell heather, silver-studded blue butterfly, Roe deer, and many more.

De Zoom-Kalmthoutse Heide (Kalmthout): It is a combination of two parks, i.e., the Kalmthoutse Heide in Belgium and De Zoom in the Netherlands. Flemish and Dutch organizations manage this park, and the state of Flanders owns it. You will notice some remarkable fauna here, such as Smooth snake, Moor frog, and other various famous faunas are also present. Because of food scarcity, some species of this park has become extinct.

Burdinale and Mehaigne National Park (Burdinne): This park is in the triangle form formed by three towns of Huy, Andenne, and Hannut. The stream flows across this park of 11,000 hectares, and this park got its name from this stream only. It includes natural, historical, cultural, and architectural heritage, such as castles and farms. This park is the prime area for tourists because of its environment and beauty.

The Zwin (Knokke-Heist): The Zwin is the nature reserve on the Belgian- Dutch border. This park is always open, and you can visit anytime. There is no specific time for visiting this park. You can see different species at another time of the year, and this place is generally less busy during rainy and cold days. Here you can find Zwin guides to assist you in exploring this beautiful and stunning place.

Hoge Kempen National Park

Beaches

Ostend (Ostend City): Belgium's main attraction is the Ostend beach, many local people and tourists visit this place, especially in summer. This beach is family-friendly, and you may find it crowded on hot summers, but there are plenty of rooms for sunbathing. The beach is spotless, and many lifeguards are also present there, and many events take place on this beach. Ostend beach is 7 kilometers long and 800 meters wide, and it is a little far from the central part of the city.

De Panne (West Flanders): De Panne is the most expensive beach in Belgium, and it is near the French border. It offers various facilities, and a sailing tour is one of them, which attracts many tourists and also local people who desire to visit this beach. Beautiful dunes and sand beaches are used for the formation of this stunning beach. De Panne beach's sand is white, and the wind on this beach is so calm that many tourists and local people come to enjoy this. Sunbathing, walking along the coast, playing fun games, or water sports are the beach's facilities.

Blankenberg (Blankenberge): Blankenberg is the most popular beach in Belgium, with a bustling harbor and numerous fishing activities. Here you can see a beautiful sand sculpture festival, at the annual sand sculpture festival. The favorite spot or place of many people on this beach is the harbor, where fishing boats come and sitting on the benches beside the water. This spot will never make you tired. Beach coaches are also present to see whether everything is going right or not.

De Haan (De Haan): De Haan is clean, not so much crowded, and beautiful beach. It has many bars and restaurants, which makes it an ideal place for visitors. You can enjoy many water rides here, and it is well guarded so that it will be constructive for you. De Haan is the vital beach of Belgium, and many people visit this beach throughout the year. It is not that warm on this beach, and You can enjoy it with your family.

Middelkerke (Middelkerke): Middelkerke is clean, has water guards all the time, who warn the public when there is any danger from the current or the wind. Sunbathing is very common along with many water sports. This white beach will provide you with extreme calmness and peace. Many rescue stations are also present there, and swimming is prohibited on this beach. You can only swim under the strict supervision of safeguards.

De Panne

Landmarks

Caves of Han-Sur-Lesse (Caves of Han-Sur-Lesse): Caves of Han-Sur-Lesse is the major attraction of many Belgium tourists and also for many local people of Belgium. There is something unique about this cave that access to this cave is only via a vintage car. This cave is not so far from the village. The erosion of limestone is the main reason for the formation of these caves. This place has high humidity, has a vaulted ceiling that reaches 127 meters.

Bruges Old City (Bruges): Bruges is the largest city of Belgium, and it is the oldest landmark of Belgium and the seventh-most considerable town of the country. Bruges is essential because of the tidal inlet, which is crucial for many local people. It has a strategic location, and many developments have opened doors for spice trading, advance commercial and financial techniques. Numerous foreign visitors come here throughout the year to see this unique and beautiful city.

Beersel Castle (Beersel): It is the most exceptional most- preserved example of medieval fortifications in Belgium. It is the most-visited castle in Belgium, by local people and many outside visitors. The fort is open only from Tuesday to Sunday, and it is closed during winters, from December to the end of February. This place charges a fee for its accessibility, which maintains cleanliness and makes it more presentable.

Church of Our Lady (Antwerp): This landmark is the tallest building in Belgium. It has black and white flooring in cross-vaults and a white marble sculpture of Madonna and child. The church follows the Gothic styles, has tombs of Charles the Bold, the last Valois Duke of Burgundy, and his daughter, the duchess Mary. This church has many sculptures, and it is famous because of its famous sculptures.

Antwerp City Hall (Antwerp): It is a very famous landmark in Belgium, many people visit this place, and it is the busiest trading port and most thriving city. This place has many female statues, which represent Justice, Prudence, and the Virgin Mary. You will also find many historic sculptures, which will help you become knowledgeable about Belgian history.

Beersel Castle

Museums

Musee Magritte Museum (Brussels): Musee Magritte Museum is the dedicated work of the artist of Belgium. It is always open to the public and displays around 200 Magritte paintings, drawings, and sculptures. It also includes photographs from 1920. It contains so many Belgian artworks and collections, which makes it the most gigantic in the world. According to the visitors and local people, it is a must-visit museum of Belgium, and they often visit this place.

Euro Space Center (Transinne): It is a science museum that attracts many educational tourists. If you are a science lover and want to explore and learn new and different things about science, you must visit this museum. It includes fundamental things to simulators of science flight and micro-gravity. It is home to U.S. Space Shuttle existing in Europe.

Gallo-Roman Museum, (Tongeren): Gallo-Roman museum is an archaeological museum displaying daily life objects, from flint tools to earthen pots. It also states about the Roman culture, its emergence in the European culture, and you will also find many impressive architectural pieces, beautiful pieces of jewelry, and a wide range of Roman sculptures. It is the best European museum in Belgium.

Flanders Fields Museum (Ypres): The Flanders Fields museum is a museum in Ypres, which shows the First World War. It is the city's heart, as it is present in the town's center on the market square. It has a books shop, which sells books, guides, stamps, postcards, CDs, and gift items of the First World War. It tells about more what happened in the war, rather than glorifying it.

For Freedom Museum (Knokke-Heist): These museums tell us about the Second World War in more realistic ways. It has so many impressive collections of history, and a history lover must visit this museum once. It is open for the public daily from 10 am to 5 pm, and in winter, it is available on weekends and charges fees. It has a cafeteria with a sunny terrace, which welcomes you any time of the day, without visiting the museum.

Musee Magritte Museum

Eat

In the country of Belgium, you will find a mix of cuisines from restaurants to restaurants. They have seafood varieties along with meat meals. The peoples of Belgium do love chocolates. It is the reason why they have a wide variety of chocolates. Other than chocolates, there is some food quite popular which are as follows :

Belgium Fries

Stoemp

Grey shrimp Croquette

Speculaas

Waterzooi

Drink

In the cities of Belgium, you will find a variety of drinks from which you can choose. They have large varieties of beers, wines, and juices. Alcohol consumption is high during winter to keep warm. The number of alcoholic drinks is quite many, and they are renowned for their uniqueness. Some of the drinks are as follows:

Duvel

Dubbel

Lambic

Jenever

Witbier

Tap-water

The tap water of this country is safe to drinking. All the credit goes to the water purification center. The plants and the staff are efficient and highly skilled in keeping the water pure regularly. There is no sign of any problems in drainage pipes as well. We recommend drinking tap water directly rather than purchasing bottled water because the tap water is regularly tested before allowing the water to reach residential and industrial areas. Buying bottled water will increase your plastic consumption, and you will end up creating a lot of pollution. However, 42% of the total water is still polluted.

Activities

Activities are the task which we perform out of our interest or hobby. There are a lot of activities to serve in this country. If you prefer to perform water-related activities, you must visit the beaches, especially in summers, to complete water sports such as water surfing, kayaking, and parasailing. These are the topmost water activities, and these are allowed on many of the beaches. Other activities such as you want to try out land activities are various things to explore, including city parks and national parks opened for everyone. These places will be best for nature lovers. Other activities involve rock climbing, trekking, try out various cuisines and traditional dishes. For air-related activities, there are parachuting or paragliding. These are not the only activities, but these are the most practiced activities of all the categories.

Accommodation

There are many options available in this country for accommodation. These options include resorts, which gives you upgraded facilities from other options at a higher cost. Another stay in options involves hotels, which are mostly preferred by travelers. Staying in a hotel is useful if you visit Belgium for less time. If you plan to stay here for a month, then it is right for you to rent an apartment. If you are a solo traveler, hostels are best for you, and if you are traveling in large groups, you can accommodate in any guesthouse.

Green Hotels

Green hotels are hotels that are different from ordinary hotels. They are certified by the government. The main aim of these hotels is to provide proper comfort to their customers while protecting the environment. These hotels are good at maintaining a healthy and pollution-free environment without harming trees. These hotels do not use plastic by any means. Even the cutlery which they operate is made up of bamboo, which gives them an ethnic look. The dishes involve organic ingredients. These hotels are mostly available in this country in every city. Usually, you will observe that these hotels cost slightly higher than ordinary hotels as they have to maintain a regular supply of organic ingredients.

Hostels and Guest Houses

There are various hostels in this country. These hostels were mainly built when a lot of students or solo travelers started visiting this country. Hostels are best when you are traveling alone as in hostels you can make new friends. Hostels offer you the necessary facilities and rest you have to manage independently by yourself. While accommodating in a hostel, you must check whether they have any rules or regulations not to trouble you later. Guesthouses refer to a house that is available for rent. These are best if you are traveling in a large group.

Apartments

Apartments are suitable for those who want to travel to this country for a longer time. The key features of apartments are that it gives you complete privacy and makes you independent. Different apartments come with various facilities, including separate vehicle parking, view from your floor, privacy, security, etc. The apartments here are furnished or semi-furnished with a modular kitchen. Some of the apartments are near the sea or river, giving a good view of sunset or sunrise and fresh and calm winds. Flats are entirely covered with CCTVs and three to four guards available every time, so there is no chance of any crime in apartment premises.

Couchsurfing

Couchsurfing means staying at a local's house without paying him; rather than spending, you can help him in his daily household works. You both can meet on the Couchsurfing website, whose job is to connect hosts with couch surfers. There are a total of 263,480 registered hosts in this country. If you are looking for a temporary stay option and the least price, Couchsurfing is available in Belgium for you.

Camping

Camping involves sleeping on a large open ground in a tent at night. It is a very adventurous activity, and you can even observe starts in the night sky as the sky is clear enough. Make sure that you remember that you should not camp in lousy weather as storms can be dangerous. Camping can be used as a temporary stay option as after one week you will find it boring—the best season to camp in Belgium is in summers as the summers in Belgium are not very hot. You can enjoy a good camping trip.

Regions

Belgium consists of three regions, listed from North to South:

Cities and regions in Belgium

Flanders
The northern, Dutch-speaking region of the country. It includes well known cities like Antwerp, Ghent and Bruges.

Brussels
The bilingual capital region of the country and headquarters of the EU.

Wallonia
The southern, French-speaking region, incorporating a small German speaking region in the east near the German border.

Cities

Belgium has a very high rate of urbanization and has an astonishing number of cities for such a small territory.

Antwerp — Belgium's second-largest city, along the Scheldt river, is landmarked by the enormous gothic cathedral of Our Lady and especially known for four things: Rubens, diamonds, fashion and the port, the second largest of Europe.
Bruges — One of Europe's wealthiest cities in the 14th century, nicknamed the 'Venice of the north' because of the canals and romantic atmosphere.
Brussels — Belgium's bilingual capital and the unofficial capital of the EU. Today one of the most multicultural cities in Europe.
Charleroi - City and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.
Deinze — is a city and a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders.
Dinant — Village in a stunning natural setting, a popular spot for adventure sports such as canoeing and rock-climbing, best visited in winter.
Ghent — Once one of Europe's largest cities, Ghent is now a perfect mixture of Antwerp and Bruges: a cosy medieval centre with canals, a lot of churches and a great castle, yet with a lively student population, a modern art scene and some great festivals.
Leuven — A small city dominated by one of Europe's oldest universities.
Liège — second largest city of Wallonia, along a wide river, industrial cityscape with hiking and resorts in the nearby hills, it has a very strong, independent character and an exciting nightlife.
Lier — Charming Flemish city situated along the Nete river with a beautiful beguinage, a belfry, stair-shaped houses, a gothic cathedral and small medieval streets.
Mechelen — An important medieval city with a nice historic district around the St. Rumbolds cathedral, famous for its carillon school, the oldest and largest in the world.
Namur — the capital of Wallonia, the French-speaking southern part of Belgium.
Ostend - Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders.
Sint-Truiden - is a city and municipality located in the province of Limburg, Flemish Region, Belgium, near the towns of Hasselt and Tongeren.
Tournai - is a city in Wallonia.
Ypres — Once one of the largest cities in the Low Countries.

Getting There and Moving Around

There are different options available to reach Belgium and move around. The best and fastest transport mode is airways as Belgium's main airport is connected with all the world's major cities. Along with it, there are other domestic airports, which can help you reach different towns. You can even get here by trains which run internationally. There are buses which are connected with a few European cities. Ferry rides are also available for reaching the country, but only a few boating companies have permission. You can move around by walking, riding a bicycle, or driving an electronic car. These options can be very beneficial for your health and the environment.

Air

There is a total of five international public airports in this country. Out of which the main and the busiest airport is in the capital of Belgium. Brussels International Airport is the major and the most important airport in the country. This airport is connected with every country's major cities, so reaching here by plane is not a big issue. This airport welcomes around 20 to 25 million passengers in 2019, making it the 24th busiest airport in Europe.

Brussels Airport, Belgium

Bus

There are buses which travel internationally. You can reach Antwerp and Brussels from cities like London, Amsterdam, and Paris. There is a bus company called Flexibuses which provides transportation. However, totals travel time from one city to another takes 16 hours with one transfer, so it takes time to reach Belgium's cities from outside the country. The trip from Antwerp to Victoria costs around 75 euros. Other than this, several intercity buses can travel from one city to another within the country. These buses have toilets, a canteen, and electrical sockets along with comfortable seats. There are several local buses to move around the city, and they do not cost much.

Local buses at a bus station in Belgium

Train

You can reach Belgium by train. The drawback is that you can only catch trains from neighboring countries. The journey starts from one station and ends at another station without any transfer. You can reach Brussels in Belgium from neighboring cities like Rotterdam, Luxembourg, Paris, Lyon, London, Ashford, Ebbsfleet, Frankfurt, and Basel. There are approximately five to ten trains that connect Brussels to London every day. There are some high-speed trains which cost lesser than airlines and saves a lot of time.

North Railway Station, Brussels, Belgium

Hitchhiking

Hitchhiking is a way of traveling where you ask for a lift or a free ride from a traveler going to the same city. Hitchhiking is very much possible in Belgium as the crime rates are meager. The Belgium people are friendly and kind towards tourists; therefore, it's likely that you can successfully reach your destination. You cannot wholly rely on hitchhiking as there are chances of not getting a ride for hours.

Others

Other ways to reach here are by road or by waterways. There is a ferry ride that passes through Belgium and has a haul stop in Belgium. The drawback of this ferry ride is that it takes a lot of time and is very expensive. The ones who reach here by ferry often suffer from seasickness. You can self ride to Belgium by various highways as it is connected with several borders. There are carpool services and taxis available in multiple European cities that can drive to Belgium. Taxis can also be used to move around in the town of Belgium. Using a taxi will create a lot of pollution; therefore, you should avoid using any motorized vehicle during your visit to Belgium.

Sustainable Shopping

Sustainable shopping involves a beneficial impact on the environment. The products which are produced are made without disturbing the balance of nature. It includes second-hand products that do not have any use of raw materials. Even the energy which is required in producing new products is saved. Along with this, there are food vendors that serve ready to eat food made from fresh ingredients. Even the food vendors make food in front of your eyes, ensuring hygiene and quality. Other products involve clothing that is handmade and involves less use of machines. These clothes are made up of natural fabrics and use the labor force at the most. It helps in creating some employment opportunities for the local communities.

Recycling

Recycling means reusing products. There are many benefits of recycling as it saves a lot of energy, requiring disposing of those wastes. It also saves a lot of raw material that would require in producing new products. It saves a lot of land, which would have needed in dumping any product. Recycling plants recycle different materials such as glass, tin, and paper and give them different shapes. It also reduces the burden on the waste management team as recycling minimizes a lot of waste. There are many recycling units present in Belgium where you can take your garbage for recycling.

Waste

This city is moderately dirty, which means some waste is untreated. The waste management of this country is not efficient enough to make this country clean. It should be noted that we are talking about the whole country. Statistical data represents that 55% of this country is not pure. However, the government of some cities has taken this waste management's inefficiency under essential topics. They have taken some measures to make their city clean; therefore, some cities are clean. According to locals, it is said that the main problem of pollution is travelers. Several tourists create a lot of corruption, especially on the beaches. The local complains that the travelers use to throw the wrappers of snacks and beverages they consume on the beach. You have to reduce the waste as much as possible and dump the trash in the nearby dustbin.

Work and Study Abroad

There are different work opportunities present in Belgium. Other than this, there are different types of jobs available such as chefs, waiters, call center jobs, guides, etc. If you are excellent at speaking English, then there are many jobs for you, including call center jobs and English speaking guides. There are many education centers available that provide excellent and efficient education.

Exchange Student

There are a few exchange student programs available in this country. It would be best to remember that not everyone gets a chance to be a part of the exchange student program. You must be excellent in your studies to be a part of it. Many of the times, it is such that various universities offer free education to study abroad. This program helps any student to be independent.

Au Pair

In some cities, you can find many families looking for an au pair to help them. Mostly, all the parents here are of an active type. You must present your demands and expectations to the family to not be an issue later. You must be humble towards the family and their child, as it will give a good impression of you to them.

Volunteering

There are many NGOs in this country where you can volunteer. These NGOs involve different works, including cleaning of beaches. Other than this, NGOs motivate the public to join them in their work with posters and social media. You can contact any of the NGOs by their contact numbers. You must do some volunteer work during your trip to Belgium. Doing so will help you appreciate the locals' help and hospitality and improve their living standards. It will ultimately help you in becoming a responsible traveler.