In Belgium we went for the weekend, did not plan anything in advance, just bought tickets and flew. During three days we visited Bruges, Antwerp, Ghent and Brussels. Small countries are good, because you can stay in one place and travel around the country. If you look at the map, you can see that Brussels is in the center and all other major cities in one hour on the train from it.
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| Map of Belgium ©geoatlas.com |
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We spent the nights in Bruges, the best city in Belgium, and advise you to do the same. Railway traffic in Belgium is very well developed, there are all kinds of tickets. For our three-days trip we have bought Rail Pass, you can buy it from vending machines or at the ticket office. For 76 euros (in 2014) it is possible to travel 10 times between any 2 cities in Belgium (or 5 trips for two persons). The ticket has a table with 10 empty lines which must be fiiled before every trip (day of the week, date, starting point and destination). More infiormation about this ticket and others can be found at the official website.
We visited:
Bruges
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| Bruges ©Yuriy Buriak |
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Antwerpen
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| Antwerpen ©Yuriy Buriak |
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Ghent
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| Cathedral of St. Nicholas (founded in 1038) ©Yuriy Buriak |
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Brussels
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| Atomium in Brussels ©Yuriy Buriak |
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Useful links:
http://www.visitbelgium.com - travel website of Belgium
http://www.belgianrail.be/en - railways
http://www.hostels.com/belgium - hostels
http://www.atomium.be - Atomium in Brussels
http://www.minieurope.com - Mini-Europe Park in Brussels
http://www.365.be - guide to attractions
http://www.use-it.be/homepage/ - unusual guide to Belgium
http://www.delijn.be/en/ - route planner
Some of the movies where you can see Belgium:
In Bruges (2008) - the most famous film about Belgium, was nominated for a bunch of awards for the scenario. Bruges is shown here better than in any guidebook.
Chocolate Box (1993) - this episode about the famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot was filmed in Brussels and Antwerp.
The Fifth Estate (2013) - a film about the hacker Julian Assange, the creator of the Web site WikiLeaks with Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role. Shot entirely in Belgium, in many cities.
JCVD (2012) - a film about Jean-Claude Van Damme, Belgium's most famous actor, he's also in the title role. Completely filmed in Belgium. which is not surprising.
The Nun's Story (1959) - movie is interesting for two reasons: it shows Belgian history at that period of time and here plays a famous actress Audrey Hepburn, who, incidentally, was born in Brussels. The most part the movie was filmed in the Belgian Congo (which became independent in 1960). |
