Belgium Travel Guide

Belgium is a typical small European country, equivalent to the size of Hainan Province of China, with a total population of about 11 million and superior social welfare. It takes no more than an hour by train from Brussels to major tourist cities, and you can leave the country within three hours. At present, Brussels and the Flemish region in the north have developed economies and a long history, and various monuments are well-preserved. They are the focus of urban tourism; the Wadinglong region is the earliest and most important industrial revolution area in Europe since the 19th century and has experienced painful industrial transformation. process. Regarding Belgium, the things China are probably most familiar with are Tintin, Smurfs, saxophone, French fries, hundreds of beers, exquisite chocolates and SPAs, but her past and present are far richer than these.

Historically, this land was successively ruled by Rome, France, Spain, the Austrian Habsburgs and the Netherlands. It was once the main battlefield of power struggles among major European powers. Even today, it is still the most active place in European political and diplomatic activities. It is a buffer zone for power expansion and confrontation among major countries such as France, Germany, and Britain. It is the true zone where the Germanic civilization in northern Europe and the Latin civilization in southern Europe collide and merge with each other. It is the dividing line between these two civilizations. No other European country can make you feel so much conflict. Tourists can not only shop and enjoy delicious food here, are interested in European history and culture, but also can experience urban civilization here and visit various historical monuments and museums. Because this region has traditionally placed great emphasis on cultivating human abilities and values, Belgians are among influential artists and scientists in all periods in Europe.

Belgium Travel Guide0 Belgium Travel Guide1 best tourist season Belgium has a marine temperate broad-leaved forest climate, with obvious four seasons, and the best tourist time is spring and autumn. In spring, from March 21 to June 21, the temperature is between 7℃ and 20℃; in summer, from June 21 to September 21, the temperature is between 15℃ and 35℃; in autumn, from September 21 to December 21, the temperature is between 0℃ and 20℃; in winter, from December 21 to March 21, the temperature is between-15 ℃ and 10℃. If you travel to Belgium in winter, please be sure to wear a coat; it is best to bring a sweater in spring and autumn, because sometimes it is cooler at night; if you travel to Belgium around January, please bring a raincoat or umbrella, because it is the rainy season.

Languages Belgium has three official languages. 60% of the population in the northern Flemish region) speaks Dutch, 40% of the population in the southern Walloon region) speaks French, and a very small number of people in the eastern region speaks German. The capital, Brussels, is a bilingual area in Dutch and French. English is widely used in major tourist areas. The capital, Brussels, is mainly French, but the road signs are bilingual in Dutch and French. It may be a bit confusing when you first arrived, so it's good to get used to it.

Belgium Travel Guide2 visa instructions 1. Belgium is a Schengen country and can enter the country with a Schengen visa. The issuance of visas mainly depends on the traveler's travel purpose and duration of stay to Belgium or other Schengen countries.

2. Belgian visas are divided into three categories: A, C and D. Category A visas are transit visas and are generally issued to tourists traveling outside Schengen via Schengen member states; Category C visas are short-term visas and the holder can stay in the entire Schengen area for no more than 90 days. Visas are mainly for short-term visits, family visits, friends and tourism; Category D visas are long-term stay visas and are applicable to a Schengen country. The holder can work, study or reunite with relatives in that country and stay for a long time.

3. Holders of ordinary single-entry Schengen visas can only enter and exit Schengen countries once. Once you enter the Schengen area, including a short-term transfer at the airport, you cannot return after leaving; with a multiple entry and exit Schengen visa, you can enter and exit the Schengen country multiple times within the validity period, but the cumulative stay period cannot exceed 90 days in 6 months.

4. For visas valid for three months, report to the local city hall within eight days of arriving in Belgium and issue a temporary ID card; China citizens are not issued visas on arrival.

5. You must purchase accidental injury medical insurance covering the entire travel period in advance, including medical and medical rescue insurance coverage of at least 30,000 euros.

6. After a visa is refused, the visa fee will not be refunded (short-term visa: 60 euros; long-term visa: 180 euros), but you can appeal.

Belgium Travel Guide3 Entry and Exit Instructions The number of items that can be brought duty-free into the country is as follows:

1. Passengers arriving from other EU countries can carry 800 cigarettes, or 400 cigars, or 200 cigars, or 1 kilogram of tobacco; 110 liters of beer, or up to 90 liters of other alcoholic drinks, including 60 liters of wine, 20 liters of aperitif, 10 liters of spirits, etc.

2. Passengers arriving from non-EU countries can carry 200 cigarettes. Or 100 cigars, or 50 cigars, or 250 grams of tobacco; 2 liters of wine and alcoholic beverages below 22 degrees Celsius, or 1 liter of spirits; medical supplies for personal use.

3. Bringing cats, dogs, parrots and other animals into the country must comply with relevant EU regulations. It is prohibited to bring into the country items of animal origin, including meat or meat products, from non-EU countries.

4. It is prohibited to bring drugs, weapons, explosives, and pornographic materials into the country.

5. Carrying cultural relics of historical value will be restricted.

6. Passengers entering and traveling to non-EU countries who carry cash worth 10000 euros or more need to declare to Belgian customs.

7. When entering the country, the customs will conduct random inspections on luggage. If there is no declaration item, you can go directly to the arrival hall through the passage in the direction of the non-declaration sign after obtaining your luggage.

Belgium Travel Guide4 Transportation Currently, there is a direct flight from Beijing to Brussels to Brussels International Airport (see Brussels Transportation Introduction for details). Other cities require connecting flights, but the price is cheaper than direct flights. Moreover, train lines in Belgium are very developed. Whether you are traveling to other countries or within the country, it is very convenient to choose trains. Moreover, the train environment is very good, clean, few people, very comfortable, and you can also see the scenery along the way.

The speeds of trains are both fast and slow, and the ones that usually start with "IC" are the fastest trains. They only stop at major city stations, while other types of trains may stop at many small stations and are relatively slow. Train tickets can be purchased at the main window of the train station. The attendant generally understands English and only needs to specify the specific date and destination. There is a ticketing machine inside the ticket station, and you can choose an English interface. Train tickets in Belgium are relatively cheap, with discounts sometimes available for fixed groups and time periods. The most affordable thing for tourists is weekend travel.

Belgium Travel Guide5 Currency exchange All major banks in China have reserves in euros. Tourists should exchange euros well before coming to Europe. Try to have a face value of 100 euros or less. Many shops are unwilling to accept euros above 100 euros. Currency exchange offices can be found at Brussels airports, train stations and tourist areas in the city center, but the handling fee is relatively high, with a 10% difference between the general purchase price and the median price. Exchange companies include Travelex, Goffin Exchange, D.M.E. Change and Gold &Forex International GFI).

Domestic UnionPay cards can be used at ATMs with the UnionPay logo. Some Belgian bank ATMs do not support UnionPay, especially in non-tourist areas. Therefore, try to withdraw money near Brussels Railway Station and the airport. The maximum withdrawal amount cannot exceed 500 euros at a time. The bank will charge a certain handling fee for each transaction. The advantage of withdrawing money with UnionPay card is that it is safe. You don't need to bring too much RMB cash with you when you go out.

At present, Belgium's UnionPay special merchants are mainly located in diamond outlet stores, jewelry and watch stores in Antwerp, Ghent, Brussels, Bruges and other places, as well as the Maasmechelen discount village. Card type accepted: UnionPay credit card (the card number starts with "62" and the "UnionPay" logo is printed on the card surface). Debit cards with only the UnionPay logo, including payroll cards, savings cards, financial management cards, etc.

Warm reminder: If you use dual identification cards, it is recommended that the cardholder proactively ask the cashier to choose the UnionPay network to ensure that you enjoy various benefits from the UnionPay network. Since credit cards have a certain consumption limit, it is recommended to use a UnionPay debit card for large purchases. Debit card consumption is only limited by the account balance. Special reminder: For self-protection, the consumption limit set by the cardholder or the card issuing bank may affect the success of the transaction. Please contact the card issuing bank for resolution.

Relevant charges: Cardholders do not have to pay a handling fee when using a UnionPay card at a merchant. If you choose to spend on the UnionPay network, you will be exempted from currency conversion fees ranging from 1% to 2%. The amount of local currency consumed is directly converted into RMB at the market exchange rate, and the card issuing bank will promptly deposit it into the cardholder's RMB account.

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Belgium Travel Guide6 Telephone There are many mobile communication companies in Belgium, among which Base and Ortel are the most suitable for travelers. Sim cards with pre-stored phone bills can be purchased at train stations and mobile phone stores such as Base shop. Base is free of charge. If you deposit 5 euros in advance, you can get 20 minutes of free phone calls in Belgium, and 0.25 euros per minute after exceeding it. Ortel is expensive to answer calls and receive text messages, but it is particularly cheap to call back to China, at 0.09 euros per minute. This card can also be purchased at Carrefour supermarkets and many China supermarkets.

Hotels in Belgium generally provide Internet and free WiFi, but there are a few that charge, so ask clearly when booking a hotel. Belgcom or Telenet's charging network can be found in public places such as airports and train stations, and can be paid by credit card at € 3/hour and € 4.9/day. Cafes and bars provide free WiFi, which is usually marked at the entrance of the store.

Post Office The general office hours are from 9:00 to 17:00 from Monday to Friday; it is only open for half a day on Saturday and closed on Sundays. The specific working hours of each office are slightly different. You can enter the postal code online to find it. For example, the postal code of Brussels is 1000, Antwerp 2000, Bruges 8000, and Leuven 3000. A postcard sent back to China costs 1.29 euros in postage.

Belgium Travel Guide7 Food Belgians are famous for their love of life. Belgian food culture is slightly influenced by French cuisine. Belgium is a gourmet kingdom, second only to France in Europe, and is most famous for its various seafood and shellfish. The mussels it abounds in are fat and delicious. Among all kinds of cooking methods, you can best taste their delicious original flavor by steaming shellfish with white wine. There are many kinds of Belgian cuisine, and more than 40 types of fish can be caught in Flanders. Beihai gray shrimp with tomatoes is a delicious delicacy unique to Flanders that has always been admired by many foreigners. Flounder, a tough, fleshy flat fish, is also popular.

Mussels cooked in white wine are delicious and juicy, with fries fried just right, and there are more than 350 kinds of beers, of which lambic and Trappist are the most famous. When you come to Belgium, you must also taste Flemish Lusheng, Brabonde-style pheasant, Ghent's chicken soup, Billy's cheese crumbs and grilled borage, which are popular among people. Chevy fish stew, rabbit meat in plum sauce from the Ardennes, game and cranberries.

Beer is added to many dishes when cooking. Beer is a drink invented in Belgian monasteries. There are now more than 300 categories, colorful, which makes people's appetites. Belgians like to add a piece of cheese to their beer. There are 85 kinds of Belgian cheeses).

Belgium Travel Guide8 Belgians love good food. There are all kinds of restaurants here, from the most luxurious to the most ordinary. You must try traditional local dishes when you come to Belgium. In addition to French food, you can also taste the best Belgian specialties. At home or in restaurants, Belgians do not retain the French-style serving process: the first main course after cold cuts, the main course, cheese or dessert. Steak is of course essential, served with a variety of sauces: egg butter sauce, mustard sauce, Provence sauce, cheese sauce. Typical Belgian cooking methods are not far from French cuisine principles.

Those who like desserts can taste many kinds of cakes, waffles and about 400 kinds of chocolates with Belgian unique flavors. Chocolates are represented by almond flavors. Beer is added to many dishes when cooking. Most Belgians drink beer and gin. Chocolate, as a Belgian specialty, is on the same footing as Swiss chocolate. Famous brands include: Phnom Penh/Cote d'or, Jacques/Jacques and Gallebaut. The flavors range from the traditional hazelnut and easily soluble sugar-coated almond flavors to the most exotic flavors of banana, strawberry and rum.

To truly feel the spirit of Belgian chocolate, please master the following three principles: 1. Start with the rare "black bitter alcohol chocolate" in China. This type of chocolate contains more than 70% cocoa. Enjoy it on a single sheet and use it to make various chocolate desserts. They are both good ingredients and an important element in making hot chocolate. The layers of taste and aroma bloomed out by its bitterness will be entangled between the taste buds and the body with just one bite, which is thought-provoking.

2. Since the storage temperature of handmade chocolates is between 12 and 18 degrees Celsius and the period is within three weeks, passengers traveling across the ocean should not forget to ask for a heat-preservation bag from the store before purchasing for easy carrying.

3. The unit of calculation of chocolate is grams or kilograms. The pricing standard for each store is different. For example, Godiva, known as the "Rolls-Royce in Chocolate", has a kilogram of about NT$1,000. You should ask the price before buying.

Belgium Travel Guide9 When Belgians go shopping, they are attracted to the chocolate shop as soon as they come out of the supermarket. According to a staff member of R.Jean ChaFelie 4, one of the most famous cake shops in Brussels now,"Chocolate mainly plays a role in smoothing the surface of the cake, and is also used for decoration. If you don't add chocolate to the cake, you can't sell it in Belgium at all." Belgium's annual per capita chocolate consumption is 6.8 kilograms, and each family consumes an average of nearly 2000 yuan of chocolate a year. The largest food expenditure-meat-is only 5600 yuan per year. This shows how important chocolate is to Belgians. The biggest feature of Belgian chocolate is the filling in the chocolate, which is the so-called "Prarina Plarine" chocolate.

This chocolate was developed at the beginning of this century. The main focus of competition for companies now is its rich change. Moreover, because cocoa is developed into extremely fine and then used, it tastes particularly delicious. During festivals such as Easter and Christmas, as well as when the seasons change, the shop windows will be replaced with new chocolate decorative patterns. It is definitely possible to feast your eyes. Hard-working company employees often complain in the store while choosing their favorite chocolates. This also shows that chocolate is a very important part of Belgian culture.

Belgium Travel Guide10 Shopping for leather goods, jewelry, wool overcoats, women's clothing, soldering utensils and chocolate are Belgian specialties. Brussels and Brugge are famous for their lace craftsmanship. Liege is the land of shotguns and crystals.Antwerp is known as the world's diamond processing and trade center, processing nearly 50% of the world's diamonds a year. Here, customers can buy diamonds from all periods, various cuts, and different varieties and styles. Most stores close at 18:30 or 19:00 and are closed on Sundays. The department store closes at 21:00 on Fridays and at 20:00 on other days. Price tags are required for all items except jewelry worth more than 35,000 Belgian francs and art worth more than 60,000 Belgian francs. There are two discounts per year: from January 5 to February 4 and from July 5 to August 4.

Belgium Travel Guide11 consumption POS credit card consumption scope: Currently, Belgium's UnionPay special merchants are mainly located in diamond outlet stores, jewelry and watch stores, etc. in Antwerp, Ghent, Brussels, Bruges and other places, as well as the Maasmechelen discount village.

Card type accepted: UnionPay credit card (the card number starts with "62" and the "UnionPay" logo is printed on the card surface). Debit cards with only the UnionPay logo, including payroll cards, savings cards, financial management cards, etc.

Credit cards: In Belgium, credit cards are widely used and can be swiped in most shops. However, except for some small shops, it is best to ask the merchants in advance). If the amount is less than 20 euros, they will charge a certain handling fee, so it is best to prepare some cash.

Belgium Travel Guide12 tax refund

If tourists hold a short-term visa for no more than 3 months, they will receive a consumption tax refund when they shop in the EU and take the goods out of the EU. If the last stop of tourists in Europe is Belgium, they can apply for tax refunds at Brussels International Airport. The specific steps are as follows: When shopping at the store, ask if the other party can refund the tax. If you can, you can receive a tax refund form Tax Free Form, which different stores work with different tax refund agencies) and product invoices. The tax refund form contains tax refund information and the buyer's name and address. It should be noted that the purchase invoice is only valid for three months from the time of purchase, and no tax refund will be granted if the time exceeds. The total price of a single invoice must be greater than 125 euros.

Then go to Brussels Airport to get the customs stamp. The customs office is in the departure hall. The customs office is right next to the border check. Goods that need tax refunds must be taken with you for inspection by customs officers. Consigned tax refund items and portable tax refund items must be handled separately, the former being in the country and the latter leaving the country. After customs officers inspect invoices, passports, visas and other items, they will sign and seal the tax refund form and invoice.

You can go to the intermediary Currency Exchange window of the tax refund agency) to refund cash. Items that need to be checked and portable items can be refunded. There are two Currency Exchanges that collect cash, one in China and the other abroad. Due to the handling fee charged by the other party, although Belgium's consumption tax is 21%, the final tax refund amount is usually between 10-15%. Another way is to directly send the customs stamped invoices back to the store where they shop, and the other party will return 21% of the consumption tax to the customer as a credit card refund or a check. The disadvantage of this approach is that the waiting time is very long, ranging from a few months to a year and a half.

Travel tips 1. Belgium is a rainy country, so be sure to prepare an umbrella when going out.

2. Belgians are not very enthusiastic, so be very patient when dining in restaurants or coffee shops. There is no tipping habit here, but the waiter in the coffee shop will deliver the coffee together with the bill. Please pay in time at this time and remember not to leave. Give money again.

3. Smoking is prohibited in local public places.

4. Belgium, like other European countries, has a leisurely life. Shops close at 6 o'clock at the latest, so shopping should be early and closed on Saturdays and Sundays. If you need some supplies urgently at night, you can find night stores and small convenience stores.

5. Belgium belongs to the euro zone. It is recommended that you prepare a money bag to store coins below 5 euros.

6. Belgian public transportation such as subways and buses generally do not check tickets, but once a fine is found, it will be very expensive. It is recommended that you not evade tickets; intercity trains generally have to check tickets.

7. There is a fee for toilets in Belgium, which is 0.5 euros.

8. Some local museums prohibit photography.

9. Belgium's overall public security is very good, but in crowded places, especially around scenic spots, we should also pay more attention to taking good care of our belongings and not take it lightly.

10. Belgian power outlet: Type C, voltage 230V, frequency 50Hz.