Belgium flag Belgium: Travelling

Practical information for travellers in Belgium

Living Conditions

 

Emergency Numbers

Fire/Ambulance Service 100
Police Service 101
 

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Time Difference and Climate

Current Local Time
It is %T:%M %A In Brussels
Summer Time Period
March to October
 

Map of the Time Zone

Time zone

Type of Climate
The climate is temperate, with mild winters and cool summers. It is often rainy, humid and/or cloudy.
For Further Information
Weather Forecast: Belgium
 

Average Annual Temperatures and Rainfall

Climate

 

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Eating

Food Specialties
Belgian food is varied, with numerous regional specialities reflecting the diversity of the country and its neighbours. Some examples include: Tomate-crevette/ tomaat-garnaal (a snack of grey shrimp and mayonnaise stuffed into a tomato), moules-frites/ mosselen-friet (mussels cooked in white wine and served with fries) and chicons au gratin/ gegratineerde witloof (a gratin of Belgian endives in béchamel sauce with cheese). For a sweet treat, Belgian chocolates and Belgian waffles are world renown.

Fries or frites are the Belgian national dish and, according to legend, were invented in Belgium, not France. They are said to be better in Belgium than in any other place in world.
Drinks
Belgium offers an incredible diversity of beers. The most well known are Stella Artois, Duvel (literally: the Devil, beware of the 8.5% abv), Leffe, Jupiler (plain standard beer) and Hoegaarden (white beer).  Kriek (a sweet or sour cherry beer) and, for the Christmas season, Stille Nacht (Silent night) are two recommendations.
Dietary Restrictions
There are no particular food restrictions in Belgium.

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Paying

Domestic Currency
Euro
ISO Code
EUR
To Obtain Domestic Currency
Euros can be withdrawn at an ATM or bank counter, both of which are readily available in towns.
Possible Means of Payment
Cash, Cheque, Proton, Maestro, VISA, Amex, etc.

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Speaking

Official Language
Dutch, French and German. In Belgium, 5.6 million people speak Dutch, 3.5 million speak French and about 50,000 people speak German.
Other Languages Spoken
Indigenous languages, recognised since 1990, such as Walloon, and immigrant languages, such as Arabic, Spanish and Turkish.
Business Language
International negotiations are often in English, with some occurring in French.

Business is typically conducted in Flemish, French, German or even English (depending on the region).

Getting Some Knowledge
In Flemish; in French.
Free Translation Tools
Google Translate : Translation of words and web pages
Babel Fish : Free translator of texts and web pages from and to French and German
Leo : German-English-German Dictionary
Freedict.com : Dutch-English-Dutch Dictionary
IATE : The European Union Dictionary (12 languages avalaible)
Babylon : Free English-German-English translator of texts and web pages
Leo : German-English-German dictionary with over 300,000 entries
Freedict.com : Dutch-English-Dutch dictionary

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Useful Resources

To Find an Accommodation



To Find an Apartment
Sublet
Holiday Accommodation

Immoweb: Property for sale or rent
To Find a Job
Stepstone
Xpatjobs

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Latest Update: April 2023