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Brussels, Bruges, Ghent or Antwerp? All share historical interest, art galleries, good hotels and restaurants, and enjoyable shopping. But each is different. Brussels: vibrant capital. Bruges: medieval wonder. Ghent: venerable university town. Antwerp: city of trade. Look at the introductions to each city above (see Central Brussels, Outer Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp), and see which one most strikes a chord.

The people of Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp speak Dutch; in Brussels they speak French or Dutch (some speak the old dialect hybrid Bruxellois). Generally English is fairly widely understood. There is a third official Belgian language, German, spoken in the eastern cantons.

There are Belgian tourist offices in most western capitals, operated by the two main tourist authorities: Tourism Flanders–Brussels; and the Belgian Tourist Office–Brussels– Ardennes.

Each city has its own tourist office, providing detailed local information and assisting with hotel reservations.

National and city tourist offices have useful websites, providing details of key attractions, events, restaurants and hotels, as well as maps and other links.

Belgian weather is typical for northern Europe: a mix of sunshine and rain, distributed across the four seasons. Average seasonal temperatures range from 1°C (34°F) in winter to 19°C (66°F) in summer.

Regarding clothing, assume the worst in weather and you’ll be fine. Pack comfortable shoes – you will be walking.

Belgium is on Central European Time, one hour ahead of GMT. It observes Daylight Saving Time, so remains one hour ahead of the UK, and six hours ahead of New York, all year round.

Belgium runs on 220 volts AC, using two-pin plugs. The current is fine for most British equipment, but American visitors will need a transformer.

You need a passport to enter Belgium, valid at least three months beyond the end of your stay. Citizens of the EU, the USA, Australia and New Zealand need no visa if staying for less than 90 days. Citizens of other countries should consult their Belgian embassy for information.

Most goods can be transported between EU countries, including wines, spirits and tobacco, provided they are for your own personal use, and in quantities that reflect this. For non-EU citizens flying into Belgium, national limits apply.

Most international flights arrive at Zaventem Airport, 14 km (9 miles) north-east of Brussels. There are train links from Brussels to Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp. Some airlines go to Charleroi (also called “Brussels South”), 40 km (25 miles) south of the city. There are also small airports at Antwerp and Ostend.

You can reach central Brussels from Zaventem Airport by taxi or by train. A bus service (“Airport Line”) connects the airport to Brussels’ European Quarter.

The central hub of Belgium’s rail network is Brussels, which has three main stations: the Gare du Midi (Zuidstation), the Gare Centrale (Centraal Station) and the Gare du Nord (Noordstation). Eurostar trains from London (as well as international TGV and Thalys trains) arrive at the Gare du Midi. There are good train connections with Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp (for onward journeys, (see By Train)).

The station is connected by bus, tram, metro and taxi to all part of Brussels, but the pictogram signposting is virtually indecipherable; you may need help just to get out of the station! Help is at hand at the tourist office in the Eurostar/ Thalys hall.

To bring a car into Belgium, you must carry a valid EU driving licence, or international driving licence, plus insurance and car registration documents. You must also carry a warning triangle and first-aid kit. You will be driving on the right, so adjust the angle of your headlamps if travelling from Britain so that they don’t dazzle oncoming drivers.

All the motorways in Belgium are toll-free and most are well-maintained. Almost all are well lit at night.

Travellers from Britain can cross the Channel by ferry, or via the Channel Tunnel.

Belgium is a small place – hardly larger than Wales or New Hampshire – and the four cities are all in the north of the country. Brussels is the farthest south. Antwerp lies 45 km (28 miles) due north of Brussels; Ghent lies to the west and about 50 km (31 miles) from both Brussels and Antwerp; Bruges lies a further 40 km (25 miles) north-west of Ghent.

Belgium’s excellent national rail service, called SNCB in French and NMBS in Dutch, is clean, punctual, efficient and reasonably priced. Regular services link all four cities. The website has timetables and ticket prices.

Belgian drivers used to have a bad reputation – practical driving tests began only in the 1960s. Today they are no worse than any other European drivers; faults such as driving too close on the motorway (see The Fast Lane) are virtually universal. In the cities, take care of trams, which compete fiercely for road space. See also the note on priorité de droite on (see Priorité de Droite).

There is plenty of parking in and around all the cities. The best plan is to use one of the main public car parks, which are well signposted and not too expensive. City centres get clogged up with traffic at busy times, and car parking there is limited. Especially in Bruges and Ghent, visitors are encouraged to use outlying car parks.

All the main car hire agencies operate in Belgium. Usually you get better value if you book a hire car in your home country, linking it with your flight. Note that all the cities are compact; you don’t really need a car unless you want to go touring outside the city limits or travel from one city to another.

Taxis are available at taxi ranks or can be booked by phone. In Brussels, they can be hailed on the street – but not usually in the other three cities. They cost quite a lot more than public transport. A 10 per cent tip is customary.

The main transport systems are bus and tram; Brussels also has a Metro (underground railway or subway), and Antwerp an underground tram system called the Pre-Metro. Use the buttons on board trams and buses to indicate that you wish to get off at the next stop, and to open the doors. Public transport in Brussels is operated by STIB (or MIVB); in the other cities the operator is De Lijn.

Tickets for public transport cover buses, trams and Metro. Single tickets, a card valid for 10 journeys, or a one-day pass can be bought at ticket booths or stations. Single tickets for buses and trams are also available from the driver. At the start of a journey, you have to validate the ticket in the orange machine on board a bus or tram, or on entering a Metro station; it is then valid for a single journey of up to an hour, including any changes you need to make.

Belgians are keen cyclists, but dedicated cycle paths are not common. You can hire bikes and equipment in all the cities. The city tourist offices (see City Tourist Offices) will provide details.

Historic cities such as Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp and Ghent have developed over centuries with scant attention paid to disabled travellers’ needs. Although attitudes are changing, adapting the physical environment will take a long time. The tourist authorities have collated information to help disabled people, but there are still large gaps. It is therefore important to do your research before you leave home.

Among bodies in the UK providing advice and practical help to disabled travellers are Tripscope, Youreable.com and RADAR (Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation). Those in the USA include Mobility International and SATH (Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality).

City tourist offices hold information on, for example, wheelchair-accessible toilets and facilities for disabled people in hotel rooms, but this is not published in collated form on their websites, so telephone or e-mail the offices (see Internet) to find out what help they can offer. There is currently no central organization in Belgium dealing with information for disabled travellers.

Some UK tour operators specialize in travel for disabled people and their companions. Holiday Care has a Benelux guide. Accessible Travel and Leisure (ATL) offers city breaks in Brussels and Bruges.

The Belgians are very sympathetic to the needs of disabled travellers. If you need their help, they will usually be quick to give it. This compensates to some extent for the lack of ramps, adapted bathrooms, wide doors and other aids.

Many key sites are in historic areas of cities where access is hard for disabled people. Some have been adapted, but others elude practical conversion. Bruges, especially, will never be able totally to adapt its winding staircases, narrow pavements and cobbled streets.

Most larger museums have adequate facilities for disabled people, including wide entrances, ramps, lifts and adapted toilets. Staff are usually helpful; if in doubt about accessibility, telephone before you visit.

The bus, tram and Metro systems, and train stations are generally poorly adapted to use by disabled travellers – although some newer trams have wheelchair access. Tourist offices can offer advice about alternatives, including special taxi services. Belgian Railways also has advice pages on its website.

Many modern or recently renovated hotels have one or more rooms with special facilities for disabled and wheelchair-bound people. These are indicated in tourist office brochures and on the hotels’ websites.

Tour operators who arrange both transport and accommodation may offer significant advantages in cost. A reliable tour company will offer a good choice of hotels and courier back-up on the ground. For specialist tours, it’s best to trawl the internet.

Belgium's rich art history – from Jan van Eyck to the Surrealists – is on display in all four cities. Some specialist tour groups are accompanied by lecturers. Voyages Jules Verne has escorted short breaks to study the Flemish masterpieces of Bruges or the Grand Place of Brussels. Cox & Kings organizes tours with such titles as “Baroque to Art Nouveau” and “Historic Cities of Belgium”. The “Flemish Painting” tour offered by Martin Randall Travel covers all four cities.

Check with tourist offices (see City Tourist Offices) for details of gastronomic tours. Some tour operators offer trips centred on Belgian beer or chocolate. Intrend Travel of New York has a seven-day “chocolate-lovers’ paradise tour” of Bruges, Brussels and Antwerp. BeerTraveller Tours run escorted tours and short breaks.

Ypres (see Ieper (Ypres)) is the focus of many tours incorporating World War I battlefields, trenches, cemeteries and memorials. Specialist battlefield tour operators organize complete trips, including transport and accommodation. Guided day trips or specialized tours are also offered to Waterloo (see Waterloo).

Local tourist offices (see City Tourist Offices) organize regular guided walks around all four city centres.

Buses, some with multilingual headphones, tour all the main sights – a very effective way of getting a quick overview of a city.

Despite being inland, both Bruges and Ghent were once thriving ports by virtue of their canals – or rather, their canalized rivers. Today, canal trips are popular ways to tour the cities. Tour boats leave from various points in the city centre. You can also take trips on the more industrialized canal of Brussels.

It is possible to travel through all four city centres by horse and carriage, or horse-drawn tram. This is particularly popular in Bruges, a city well suited to such transport. Although it is expensive and short-lived, the experience is unforgettable.

Tourist offices can arrange for a private guide to show you around a city, or take you to see a particular aspect of a city. Most of these guides belong to one of the professional guide associations.

During school holidays and around the major feast days, flights and Channel crossings are more expensive, but hotel prices fluctuate wildly according to the ebb and flow of business travel, which means that hotel prices may actually be cheaper during the high season (see High and Low Seasons), Weekend Rates). There are times when cheaper off-season travel costs and hotel bargains coincide. Go seek!

A multi-journey public transport pass can save money. This is particularly relevant in Brussels, where you may wish to travel to the museums and sights of Outer Brussels, beyond normal walking distance. A “10-journey” ticket covers 10 individual journeys on different days by bus, tram and Metro. A oneday pass allows you to take as many journeys as you like on a single day.

You get a 40 per cent discount on return and round-trip rail fares if you travel between Friday after 7pm and Sunday night. Children under 6 go free; those aged 6–11 are free after 9am and at weekends. There are discounts of up to 40 per cent for adults under 26, and for day-return tickets. Senior citizens aged over 65 pay a flat-rate price of €2.50 for a return journey anywhere after 9am on weekdays, except on published restricted days.

Car parking is most expensive in city centres, and much cheaper – free, even – on the outskirts. In Bruges, for instance, parking at the station in the south-west of the city is less than half the price of parking in the centre.

Enquire at the tourist office about schemes that allow you to visit several museums for a single price.

Some museums, such as the Musée Royal de l’Armée et d’Histoire (see Parc du Cinquantenaire), are free. Others have free days. The Musée Royaux des Beaux-Arts and the Musée Royaux d’Art et d’Histoire are free on the afternoon of the first Wednesday of the month. Still others, including the Rubenshuis, are free on Fridays unless they have an exhibition on at the time.

Many restaurants offer set menus at a fixed price for two or three courses. You can also eat well in most cafés and bars, which offer simple dishes like soup, salad, pasta or steak and chips, or traditional snacks such as croque monsieur (ham and cheese on toast).

Belgian chips are a meal in themselves, but a good chip stall (friterie/frietkot ) has a wide range of accompaniments, including sausages, meat balls, fish cakes, and even a stew of beef cooked in beer. Together, they make a delicious, very cheap and very Belgian meal.

Delicatessens, bread shops and pâtisseries offer delicious prepared food – sandwiches, flans, tarts, tubs of salad. Pick up a first-class meal and head for a park.

There is a great deal of information about hotels, facilities and prices on the internet. Most hotels have their own websites, with links for enquiries and bookings.

You can book by fax, internet or telephone (almost all reception staff speak English). Many hotels require security for a booking, such as a credit card number. The city tourist office (see City Tourist Offices) can also help you to find a room.

The official star system for rating hotels is based more on facilities than on things that really make a difference, such as decor, tranquillity and quality of service. Two-star hotels may actually be more rewarding and agreeable than five-star ones. Le Dixseptième in Brussels (see Le Dixseptième) must rank among the most delightful hotels in the world, but it only has four stars, not five.

Many hotels offer weekend rates (Fri–Sun and public holidays), which are far cheaper that the standard “rack rate”. In Brussels, the cheap rate may also cover every day in July and August, and through much of December to mid-January. Many hotels also offer special rates if you stay several nights.

Hotels prices reflect the predicted ebb and flow of business and holiday trade. Summer is busy in Bruges, but less so in Brussels, Antwerp or the university city of Ghent.

For small hotels that are very comfortable and full of character, Bruges is way ahead of the other cities. In Antwerp and Ghent, such hotels are scarce; exceptions include the Erasmus and De Witte Lelie). Brussels has more to offer (see Brussels: Hotels of Character).

The hotel industry in Belgium is run with professionalism at all levels. In the business sector, pricing is highly competitive; the more you pay, the more you get – in terms of the facilities, at least.

Check whether breakfast is included in the price quoted – it can cost €15 a head or more if you pay separately. A hotel breakfast usually consists of a buffet, with cereals, croissants, cold meats and cheese, fruit, yogurts and jams, juices, and sometimes bacon and eggs.

Private citizens in the cities are, in increasing numbers, opening their homes for bed-and-breakfast accommodation. Some of these are delightful historic houses, right in the centre. They are good value for money – around €55–€95 for a double room, per night – and the best tend to be booked up months in advance. You can find many of the properties on the Internet. Tourist offices can also provide listings and contacts.

French was traditionally the language of menus, especially in the smarter restaurants. Today, in the Flemish cities, Dutch may lead, followed by English, perhaps with no French at all. But it is rare to find a restaurant with no one to explain the dishes in exquisite detail – in whatever language suits you best.

The Belgians love eating out, and they want good food at good prices. If a restaurant is not up to scratch, they simply don’t go there. If their favourite restaurant goes through a bad patch, they desert it. So choose the restaurants that are full of locals (not hard to tell apart from the tourists).

Good restaurants are busy every day of the week. If you set your heart on going to a particular one, be sure to make a booking – easy enough to do over the telephone. If you change your mind, be sure to cancel the reservation.

Special two- or three-course menus offered at a fixed price, which often change on a daily basis, can be extremely good value. It’s not simply a question of price; the chefs may have found ingredients at the market that took their fancy, and will be concentrating extra creative talents on them.

Belgium is essentially a carnivorous and fish-loving nation, but most restaurants provide vegetarian options. There are also some dedicated vegetarian restaurants in all the cities, where chefs apply characteristic Belgian flare to their dishes. Tourist offices have listings.

Belgians like their beef fairly rare. If you ask for a medium-rare steak, it is likely to be more rare than medium. The beef’s quality usually justifies light cooking, but if you want your meat well done, insist on it, and ignore raised eyebrows. Lamb is also served rare; if you don’t like it that way, ask for it to be well done when you order.

In certain dishes, beef is served raw. This applies to Filet Américain and the widely adopted Italian dish carpaccio . Fish is served raw in the Japanese-influenced fusion dishes, and in salmon or tuna carpaccio . Oysters are likewise eaten raw.

Value-added tax (TVA/BTW) at 21 per cent and a service charge of 16 per cent can add a lot to a restaurant bill, but both are usually included in the prices quoted in the menu. If you are not sure, don’t be afraid to ask. If service is not included, you can add 10 per cent; if it is, you can add a small cash tip, but this is optional.

Eating out is often a family event in Belgium; lunch can last half the afternoon. Children get used to this from an early age and may develop surprisingly sophisticated tastes. As a result, children are almost always welcomed in restaurants, and restaurateurs will go out of their way to satisfy their eating and drinking preferences. Children are also allowed into most cafés and bars.

Visitors from outside the EU can reclaim most sales tax (TVA/BWT) on purchases above a minimum value of €175 from any one shop. Look for shops with the Tax-free Shopping sign. With sales tax at 21 per cent, this means a large saving on items of high value. You must obtain a “Tax-free Shopping Cheque” from the shop, and you can claim your refund at the Tax-free offices at Zavantem Airport. For more information, see www.globalrefund.com.

Residents of the EU face few limits on taking goods out of Belgium, but some restrictions apply to meat products, plants and, of course, weapons and narcotics. Alcohol and tobacco must be for personal use only; UK guidelines for maximum quantities in this respect are 10 litres of spirits, 800 cigarettes, 90 litres of wine, and 110 litres of beer. Non-EU visitors returning home are subject to far more restrictive limits on alcohol and tobacco.

As a general rule, shops are open from 10am to 6pm; small shops such as bakeries and newsagents may open earlier. Some shops close for lunch but stay open later in the evening. On Sundays, larger shops and supermarkets close, but pâtisseries, chocolate shops, delicatessens and tourist shops are likely to remain open. Some shops stay open late on one night of the week, but none of the cites has a general late-night-shopping day.

Many goods worth taking home – Trappist beers, Stella Artois lager, Côte d'Or chocolates – are found in supermarkets. The larger markets, such as those of the Delhaize chain, tend to be in the suburbs, but they also have mini stores in town.

All the cities have covered shopping malls (see Shopping around Central Brussels, Shopping around Bruges, Shops, Cafés and Bars around Ghent, and Shopping around Antwerp), which are home to up-market boutiques and clothing chains.

One of the great things about good-quality Belgian filled chocolates, or pralines, is that they contain fresh cream – which means they have a limited shelf-life. If you refrigerate them, however, they should be fine for about three weeks.

Belgian beer is remarkably good value, given its quality. There are specialist beer shops, but most of the better-known beers can be bought in ordinary food shops and supermarkets. The Belgians tend to drink French wine, and shop prices for wine are similar to French prices.

Genuine, hand-made lace is expensive. To ensure you are getting the real thing, insist on a certificate of authenticity (see Lace).

The city centres are packed with all sorts of clothes shops. Many items are imported, but the prices may still seem good value. Belgium is also famous for its home-grown designers. Antwerp is the fashion design centre and has a throng of shops that reflect this (see Shopping), but the clothes of the top designers can be found in outlets elsewhere. There are also several respected Belgian labels (such as Olivier Strelli and Rue Blanche), with shops in most cities.

Do not be tempted to imitate Belgian drivers in motorway fast lanes. They tend to drive nose-to-tail at top speed, as if the concept of “stopping distance” had gone out of fashion.

Well, you shouldn’t avoid pedestrian crossings – but treat them with care. The law obliging drivers to stop for pedestrians waiting to cross the road was introduced only in 1996. Previously, drivers would tend to ignore pedestrian crossings unless someone actually walked in front of them. Some drivers still seem to follow this rule; others stop punctiliously.

In the past, traffic coming in from the right had priority, known as priorité de droite . Road markings now indicate that priority belongs to traffic on the main road, and that traffic joining a main road must give way. But vestiges of priorité de droite survive, notably in suburban streets in Brussels, so keep an eye out for road markings and traffic approaching from your right.

Drinking-and-driving is illegal. One alcoholic drink, and you’ll probably be just within the limit; two drinks and you may be over the limit – and, if stopped by police, liable to hefty penalties.

Bruges does all it can to encourage you to park in one of the big car parks on the periphery of the city. The best solution is to go along with this, and walk the 1 km (half a mile) from the car parks to the city centre. However, it is possible to drive to your hotel and, indeed, to park close to the city centre, especially outside of the summer high season.

The canals of Bruges (and, to a lesser extent, those of Ghent) have always been a breeding ground for mosquitoes. This can be a nuisance in summer, so don’t forget your insect repellent. If you fear that mosquitoes will bother you, choose an air-conditioned hotel, where you can keep the windows shut.

Where there are public toilets in the cities, they are usually well run by caretakers, who ask for a contribution of about €0.30 for use of the facilities. Alternatively, use bar or café toilets – but, if you do so, behave like a customer and buy a drink or a coffee.

Bruges is very busy in summer. Tour coaches arrive in droves, and release their throngs at car parks in the southwest of the city to pour into the streets leading to the centre. One way of dealing with this is to stay several days, so you can see the city in its more tranquil moments. Another is to explore the quieter areas – just about anywhere but the southwest. Still another is to come at a different time of year (but Bruges can be busy year-round).

Monday is the day of rest for just about all the major museums and galleries – so it’s a good day for walking, shopping, visiting churches, or whatever else takes your fancy.

Belgium’s currency is the Euro. Notes of other currencies and travellers’ cheques can be changed or cashed at a bank or at one of the specialist exchange bureaus. To check whether or not you are getting a good deal, look at both the rate of exchange offered and the commission charged.

Banks are generally open Mon–Fri 9am–1pm (or 9:30am–noon) and 2–4pm, but some larger branches do not close for lunch. Some banks open on Saturday mornings. The exchange bureaus have longer opening hours, and may be open through the weekend.

Bank and credit cards can be used to draw cash from an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine). Before travelling, check with the bank or card issuer that your card is compatible with the systems used in Belgium (these include Cirrus, Maestro, Plus and Star). And make sure you know your PIN number.

Most major credit and debit cards are accepted in Belgium. Restaurants almost always accept card payment, but check before you eat. A few of the smallest hotels accept only cash.

Travellers’ cheques are a useful backup in case your cards get lost or stolen, or fail to work. They can be exchanged for cash, or – especially if they are in Euros – used as cash in certain circumstances.

Mobile phones have made public pay-phones virtually redundant – but they still exist, operated by the former state company Belgacom, and can be used to make calls abroad. Public telephones operate with coins, or with Belgacom cards purchased from newsagents, ticket offices and post offices.

Post offices are generally open Mon–Fri 9am–5pm. You can buy stamps there and ascertain postage rates for heavier items. The main post offices in each city have poste restante facilities, and some offer fax services. Stamps are also available from some tobacconists, newsagents and shops selling postcards.

Many of the more business-oriented and up-market hotels have internet facilities. All the cities have cybercafés, many of them excellent.

The Belgian press is split across the language divide. The main French-language papers are Le Soir , La Libre Belgique and La Dernière Heure ; the Dutch-speakers have Het Laatste Nieuws , De Standaard and De Morgen . English-language newspapers are, as in any other international city, widely available at news stands and in book-shops. Brussels also has its own excellent English-language weekly magazine called The Bulletin , offering a roundup and analysis of local events, news stories and issues, as well as copious listings pages.

The Belgians have a well-developed sense of community spirit, so if you are unlucky enough to face an emergency, the chances are that you will receive sympathetic and effective help. The emergency services are as efficient and reliable as any in Europe.

Take out travel and health insurance when you book your trip. This will allow you to claim compensation if you have to cancel, are delayed, or lose your possessions. It also covers medical costs in case of illness or accident. British citizens can take advantage of reciprocal EU medical agreements as long as they carry a completed E111 form, under which 75 per cent of specified costs can be reclaimed. You usually have to pay for medical treatment in the first instance and reclaim costs later, for which you will need proper receipts.

If you suffer an accident or illness, you might be treated by a GP, or at one of the city hospitals. Ask locally about how best to access these services; for example, hotels have lists of duty doctors.

Belgian dentists are generally of a high standard. Ask locally about how to access the services of a duty dentist.

Belgium has a tradition of hospital care dating back to medieval times. Most hospitals have been rehoused in modern buildings located in spacious grounds in the suburbs and on the periphery of the cities. They rank among the best in Europe.

Pharmacists are highly trained, and their shops are often models of clinical efficiency. To many Belgians, the pharmacist is the first port of call for treatment of minor ailments. But pharmacists know the limits of their jurisdiction, and will refer you to a doctor if necessary. Each commune has a rota of late-night pharmacies.

If you take your car to Belgium, make sure you have full breakdown cover. If you don’t, recovery costs and, worse still, the repatriation of your vehicle, can cost a small fortune. Breakdown services are offered by the two main Belgian motoring organizations: Touring and VAB.

Belgian cities are not notably dangerous or crime-ridden places, but there is a fair amount of pick-pocketing, theft, and even car-jacking. If you remain alert and exercise the same precautions as you would in any other western city, the chances are that you will come through unscathed. If you are the victim of a crime, report it to the police – within 24 hours in the case of theft – if you wish to claim insurance. Many police officers speak English, and you are likely to get a professional response.

In extreme cases – for instance, if you feel you have been unfairly treated by the police – you might wish to contact your country’s embassy.