Belgium travel guide

Getting there

Brussels Airport is the main hub, with Brussels South Charleroi serving budget airlines. High-speed trains connect Brussels with Paris, London, Amsterdam and Cologne.

Best time to visit: Apr–Sep – mild weather and outdoor festivals; Dec for Christmas markets.

Tougher months: No bad time – but November-February is grey and damp, softened by Christmas markets.

Weather by month in Brussels

• 6°J●●
• 7°F●●
• 11°M●●
• 15°A●
• 19°M●●
• 22°J●●
• 24°J●●
• 23°A●●
• 20°S●●
• 15°O●●
• 10°N●●
• 7°D●●

Average daytime highs in °C; dots show how rainy the month is (one dot dry, three dots wet).

Time zone: Europe/Brussels. Compare with your local time.

Visas: in our passport dataset, 93 of 198 other passports can enter Belgium without arranging a visa first (visa-free or visa on arrival), 0 need an e-visa or electronic authorisation, and 105 need a visa in advance. Check your passport.

Background: Visa policy of the Schengen Area (Wikipedia).

Official advisory: Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution (U.S. Department of State, updated 2026-07-23). Read the advisory.

Source and more: Belgium travel facts on RoamSun

Stay

Most trips to Belgium are based around Brussels, Bruges or Ghent. Pick a base for your main interest, then add day trips rather than moving hotels every night.

Typical daily budget: about US$70–100 for a backpacker and US$170–280 mid-range, per person.

Source: RoamSun Belgium page · Browse hotel guides

Connect

Plug types: C, E. Voltage: 230 V. Check your own devices on the plug and currency checker.

Calling code: +32.

Mobile data: read the eSIM for Europe before you fly so the plan is installed and ready on landing.

Source: Advinne eSIM guide · RoamSun

Do

• Brussels (Capital · culture & EU): Grand-Place, comic-strip murals, world-class museums and the European Quarter in one compact city.
• Bruges (Flanders · medieval city): A UNESCO-listed old town of canals, cobbles and belfries that feels frozen in time.
• Ghent (Flanders · student city): Medieval waterfronts, a castle and a lively university scene with fewer crowds than Bruges.
• Antwerp (Flanders · port & fashion): Rubens' house, a grand cathedral, cutting-edge fashion and a stunning railway station.
• Ypres (Ieper) (West Flanders · WWI history): The heart of the Flanders Fields battlefields, memorials and cemeteries.
• Dinant (Wallonia · Meuse valley): A picture-perfect town beneath a cliff-top citadel, birthplace of the saxophone's inventor.
• The Ardennes (Wallonia · nature): Forested hills ideal for hiking, kayaking and castle-hopping around Durbuy and La Roche.
• Leuven (Flemish Brabant · university town): A lively town with an ornate Gothic town hall and one of Europe's oldest universities.

Things to do

• Stand in the Grand-Place. Take in Brussels' gilded guildhalls, one of the most beautiful squares in Europe, especially when lit at night.
• Cruise Bruges' canals. Glide past medieval brick houses and hidden gardens in the city often called the Venice of the North.
• See the Ghent Altarpiece. Marvel at the Van Eyck masterpiece 'Adoration of the Mystic Lamb' in St Bavo's Cathedral.
• Sample Trappist beer. Taste rich ales brewed under monastic supervision at a traditional Belgian café.
• Join a chocolate workshop. Learn how pralines were invented in Brussels and make your own.
• Attend the Menin Gate ceremony. Hear the Last Post played every evening in Ypres in memory of First World War soldiers.
• Hunt for Art Nouveau. Explore Victor Horta's flowing ironwork houses in Brussels' Saint-Gilles and Ixelles.
• Hike the Ardennes. Walk wooded valleys, castles and river gorges in the hilly south.

Source: full Belgium guide on RoamSun

Eat and drink

• Moules-frites – steamed mussels with fries
• Belgian waffles – Brussels or Liège style
• Chocolate – pralines from famous chocolatiers
• Carbonnade flamande – beef stewed in beer

Source: RoamSun Belgium guide

Money and safety

Currency: Euro (EUR). Currency and plug checker.

Tipping: Service is included; rounding up is appreciated for good service..

Emergency numbers: 112 fire & ambulance · 101 police.

• Belgium uses the euro; cards and contactless payments are accepted almost everywhere.
• Some small cafés and frietkots prefer cash, so keep a few coins handy.
• Belgium is generally safe, but watch for pickpockets at Brussels-Midi/Zuid, Brussels-Central and busy tram lines.
• Be cautious around some stations late at night and keep bags zipped in crowded squares.

Source: RoamSun Belgium facts