Belgium : Practical information
- Official languages: Dutch, French, German
- National currency: Euro (€)
- Voltage: 220-230* | Frequency: 50
- Socket type: C, E
- Time zone: UTC/GMT + 1h
- Telephone country code: + 00 32
- Emergency numbers: Police: 101 | Fire brigade & ambulance: 112
Belgium is known for its high standard of living, perhaps due to its good food, which should, naturally, be washed down with plenty of quality Belgian beer.
Moules-frites, waffles and, of course, fine chocolate are all specialities which hail from
Belgium.
The country is made up of three areas:
Flanders, the Flemish region in the north,
Wallonia, the French-speaking region in the south, and the capital city of
Brussels in the centre.
Belgium is also the home of the comic book, and many 2-D characters were created there, notably Hergé's
Tintin and Peyo's
Smurfs.
Belgium is a great deal more than just the European political hub that is
Brussels.
Antwerp is a magpie's paradise: it is the home of gemstones, diamonds in particular, while
Bruges, the "Venice of the North", has a well-preserved historic centre which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Whilst it was once the world's richest city, famous for its lacemaking tradition, today its slow pace is a traveller's delight. This compact city is made for boating and wandering around its picturesque canals and cobbled streets.
Belgium's museums contain some excellent collections of art. The
Royal Museums of Fine Arts in
Brussels, a complex which also has a cinema and concert hall, boasts a large collection of
Magritte's works. The
Groeningemuseum in
Bruges specialises in works by the Flemish Primitives, while the
Royal Museum for Fine Arts in
Antwerp contains a fine collection of paintings by Rubens.
Architectural highlights include the magnificent
Grand Place in
Brussels, and the 12th century
Notre-Dame cathedral in Tournai.