{"id":1302227,"date":"2026-09-26T18:02:53","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T18:02:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/blog\/?page_id=1302227"},"modified":"2026-10-01T16:31:36","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T16:31:36","slug":"belgium","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/blog\/europe\/belgium\/","title":{"rendered":"Belgium"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":200,"featured_media":0,"parent":1301190,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"hw-hub-country","meta":{"footnotes":"","hw_hub_hero_eyebrow":"","hw_hub_hero_h1":"","hw_hub_hero_intro":"","hw_hub_hero_image":"","hw_hub_hero_overlay":"","hw_hub_hero_cta":"","hw_hub_why_title":"","hw_hub_why_body":"","hw_hub_why_link_label":"","hw_hub_why_link_url":"","hw_hub_why_cards":"","hw_hub_stats":"","hw_hub_countries_title":"","hw_hub_countries_intro":"","hw_hub_featured":"","hw_hub_regions":"","hw_hub_hostels_title":"","hw_hub_hostels_intro":"","hw_hub_hostels_cta_label":"","hw_hub_hostels_cta_url":"","hw_hub_hostels_source":"","hw_hub_hostels_location_type":"","hw_hub_hostels_location_id":"","hw_hub_hostels_currency":"","hw_hub_hostels_count":"","hw_hub_hostels_cache":"","hw_hub_hostels":"","hw_hub_when_title":"","hw_hub_when_intro":"","hw_hub_seasons":"","hw_hub_costs_title":"","hw_hub_costs_body":"","hw_hub_cost_rows":"","hw_hub_cost_note":"","hw_hub_money_reads":"","hw_hub_rail_title":"","hw_hub_rail_body":"","hw_hub_rail_link_label":"","hw_hub_rail_link_url":"","hw_hub_rail_image":"","hw_hub_routes":"","hw_hub_events_title":"","hw_hub_events_intro":"","hw_hub_events_source":"","hw_hub_events_continent":"","hw_hub_events_count":"","hw_hub_events_cache":"","hw_hub_events_cta_label":"","hw_hub_events_cta_url":"","hw_hub_events":"","hw_hub_events_pills":"","hw_hub_reads_intro":"","hw_hub_article_rows":"","hw_hub_show_read_time":"","hw_hub_all_title":"","hw_hub_all_body":"","hw_hub_all_cta":"","hw_hub_trips_title":"","hw_hub_trips_note":"","hw_hub_trips":"","hw_hub_faq_title":"","hw_hub_faq_note":"","hw_hub_faqs":"","hw_hub_cta_title":"","hw_hub_cta_body":"","hw_hub_cta_buttons":"","hw_hub_newsletter_title":"","hw_hub_newsletter_body":"","hw_hub_newsletter_shortcode":"","hw_hub_hub_term":"","hw_hub_scope_rows":"","hw_hub_country_hero_eyebrow":"Belgium country guide","hw_hub_country_hero_h1":"Things To Do In Belgium","hw_hub_country_hero_intro":"Three languages, 1,500 beers and a train network that crosses the country in ninety minutes. Small enough that you can base yourself anywhere and see all of it.","hw_hub_country_hero_image":"1302229","hw_hub_country_hero_overlay":"light","hw_hub_country_hero_cta":"Pick a city | #cities\r\nWhat it costs | #money","hw_hub_country_stats":"\u20ac24 | Dorm bed, from\r\n1,500+ | Beers brewed here\r\n1h | Brussels to Bruges by train\r\n\u20ac20.90 | The most a single train journey costs","hw_hub_country_intro_title":"Small, divided, and denser than it looks","hw_hub_country_intro_body":"Belgium is two countries that share a state: Dutch-speaking Flanders in the north, French-speaking Wallonia in the south, and officially bilingual Brussels in the middle. The division shapes politics, signage and sometimes dinner, and it is worth knowing before you ask a question in the wrong language.\r\n\r\nFor travellers it is unusually convenient. Nothing is more than ninety minutes from anything else by train, which means you can stay in one city and day trip to the rest, and Brussels is a two-hour Eurostar from London and under an hour and a half from Paris.\r\n\r\nBruges is the postcard and it deserves it, if you stay overnight and see it after the coach parties leave. Ghent is what Bruges would be with a student population. Antwerp is the biggest and most modern. Brussels is the least pretty and the most interesting to eat and drink in.","hw_hub_country_facts":"Languages | Dutch in Flanders, French in Wallonia, both in Brussels. English widely spoken\r\nCurrency | Euro (\u20ac)\r\nEmergency | 112\r\nTap water | Safe. Restaurants charge for bottled and rarely offer tap\r\nTipping | Service included. Round up if you like\r\nBeer | Served in its own glass, and nobody is joking about that\r\nHow long to stay | Four days covers three cities comfortably\r\nBest months | May, June and September","hw_hub_country_cities_title":"Where to go","hw_hub_country_cities_intro":"Trains link everything, and the whole country is less than three hours across.","hw_hub_country_cities_live":"1","hw_hub_country_cities":"Brussels | The capital: Art Nouveau, the EU quarter, and the best bars and food in the country. |  | 1302467 | Loads to see and do, me and my friend used the hire bikes to get around the city which was a very good way of seeing everything. Well priced food and beers. | \nBruges | Medieval canals and cobbles, overwhelmed by day and lovely at night. Stay over. |  | 1302468 | Bruges is a very clean beautiful city. One of the best. | \nGhent | Bruges with 70,000 students: same canals, better nightlife, half the tour groups. |  | 1302469 | Ghent was a great place to explore for my 5 day trip! Plenty to see and do very walkable which makes exploring very easy! | \nAntwerp | Diamonds, fashion, a cathedral with Rubens in it, and the biggest nightlife in Flanders. |  | 1302470 | We went in the July scorching weather, highlight was the MAS museaum where you can enjoy panoramic rooftop views and an interesting exhibition, followed by a supervised dip in the harbour all for free. The historic centre is beautiful and easily accessible by bike and foot. We only had a short stay of one night on our cycling tour but would love to return and enjoy all this lively city has to offer. | \nLeuven | A university town with the longest bar in Europe and the world's biggest brewer. |  | 1302471 | It's beautiful and it also has a lot of history. The pubs are great and there's a lot of students everywhere because KUL is everywhere, which makes the city way prettier. | \nLi\u00e8ge | Wallonia's heart: a Sunday market along the river, steep stairs, and a different country in feel. |  | 1302472 | Really historic area and great ambience to the city. A lot of renovation works to improve the look of the area. Recent investment in the infrastructure with a new tram. Very French feel to the area. Mus\u00e9e de la Vie Wallonne a way to start understanding the Walloon Culture. In French but with QR codes to translate into English. D'outremeuse District great with plenty wee cafes for Belgian Beer. Belgian people are very friendly and Liege in particular. | ","hw_hub_country_trips_title":"What kind of trip is this?","hw_hub_country_trips_intro":"Belgium does short trips extremely well, and beer better than anywhere.","hw_hub_country_trip_types":"City break | blue | city | Three or four days, two or three cities, all by train. | Grand Place at night; Bruges after the day trippers leave; Ghent's castle in the middle of town | Grand Place; Bruges old town; Patershol, Ghent | Brussels; Bruges; Ghent | city-break\nFood | sunset | local-markets | Chips, waffles, mussels and chocolate, all better here than the clich\u00e9s suggest. | Frites from a friterie, twice-fried; Mussels in season; A Li\u00e8ge waffle from a street cart | Brussels food markets; Antwerp Zuid; Li\u00e8ge Sunday market | Brussels; Antwerp; Li\u00e8ge | food\nNightlife | pink | nightclub | Beer bars with 200 taps and student cities to drink them in. | A trappist in a monastery caf\u00e9; Leuven's Oude Markt; Ghent on a Thursday | Oude Markt, Leuven; Overpoort, Ghent; Antwerp Zuid | Ghent; Antwerp; Brussels | nightlife\nCulture | purple | culture | Flemish painting, Art Nouveau and the two world wars. | The Ghent Altarpiece; Horta's houses in Brussels; In Flanders Fields at Ypres | Ghent Altarpiece; Horta Museum; Ypres and the Flanders battlefields | Ghent; Brussels | culture\nBudget | teal | coin | Cheaper than the Netherlands, and the trains cost almost nothing. | Weekend rail deals; Frites as a meal; Free museums on the first Wednesday | Ghent; Leuven; Li\u00e8ge | Ghent; Brussels | budget-travel\nAdventure | green | bicycle | Flat cycling in Flanders and forest in the Ardennes. | Cycle between Bruges and Damme; Kayak the Lesse; Walk in the Ardennes | The Ardennes; Flanders cycle routes; The coast tram | Bruges; Li\u00e8ge | adventure","hw_hub_country_do_title":"Things to do in Belgium","hw_hub_country_do_body":"Bruges is the headline and the advice is simple: stay the night. Between about eleven and five it holds enormous numbers of day visitors, and in the evening and early morning it is one of the most atmospheric towns in Europe with almost nobody in it.\r\n\r\nGhent is the better base for most people \u2014 the same canals and medieval architecture, a castle in the city centre, and 70,000 students keeping it alive after dark. The Ghent Altarpiece in St Bavo's Cathedral is one of the most important paintings in European art and has been stolen thirteen times.\r\n\r\nBrussels rewards wandering: Art Nouveau houses by Horta, the comic strip murals, the Grand Place lit at night, and an eating and drinking culture that the EU quarter's reputation does not suggest. Ypres and the Flanders battlefields are a sobering day trip from anywhere in the country.","hw_hub_country_do_points":"Bruges | Stay overnight. The town empties completely after 17:00\r\nGhent Altarpiece | In St Bavo's. Book a slot in summer\r\nFree museums | Many Brussels museums are free on the first Wednesday afternoon\r\nBattlefields | Ypres and the Last Post, played every evening since 1928","hw_hub_country_do_tag":"things-to-do","hw_hub_country_do_more":"All things to do in Belgium","hw_hub_country_food_title":"Eating and drinking in Belgium","hw_hub_country_food_body":"Belgian beer is the reason many people come and it deserves the reputation: trappist ales brewed by monks, lambics fermented with wild yeast, and a culture where every beer has its own glass and nobody finds that odd. A caf\u00e9 with 200 taps is normal here.\r\n\r\nFrites are the national dish and they come from a friterie, twice-fried, in a paper cone with mayonnaise. Not a side, a meal, for \u20ac4 to \u20ac6. Mussels with them in season \u2014 September to April \u2014 is the classic dinner.\r\n\r\nWaffles come in two kinds and Belgians are firm about it: Brussels waffles are light and rectangular, Li\u00e8ge waffles are dense, caramelised and eaten in the street. Chocolate is everywhere, and the good shops are not the ones on the Grand Place.","hw_hub_country_food_points":"Frites | \u20ac4\u20136 from a friterie, and a meal rather than a side\r\nBeer | \u20ac3\u20135 for most, more for trappists. Each has its own glass\r\nMussels | In season September to April. Avoid them in summer\r\nWaffles | Li\u00e8ge for the street, Brussels for the plate","hw_hub_country_food_tag":"food","hw_hub_country_food_more":"All food guides for Belgium","hw_hub_country_nightlife_title":"Going out in Belgium","hw_hub_country_nightlife_body":"Student cities do it best. Leuven's Oude Markt claims to be the longest bar in Europe \u2014 a single square lined entirely with bars \u2014 and Ghent's Overpoort is the same idea with a younger crowd. Both are cheap by western European standards.\r\n\r\nBrussels has the variety: beer caf\u00e9s with hundreds of options, jazz bars, and a late scene around Saint-G\u00e9ry and Flagey. Antwerp is the closest thing to a proper club city, particularly around the Zuid district.\r\n\r\nBeer prices are reasonable \u2014 \u20ac3 to \u20ac5 for most things, more for a strong trappist, which is fair since some of them are ten per cent and will end your evening earlier than planned.","hw_hub_country_nightlife_points":"Oude Markt | Leuven. A square that is entirely bars\r\nBeer strength | Many are 8\u201311%. They are not pints, and should not be treated as such\r\nTiming | Bars from 21:00, clubs from midnight\r\nCheapest | Ghent, Leuven and Li\u00e8ge, by some way","hw_hub_country_nightlife_tag":"nightlife","hw_hub_country_nightlife_more":"All nightlife guides for Belgium","hw_hub_country_transport_title":"Getting around Belgium","hw_hub_country_transport_body":"SNCB trains connect everything and the distances are tiny: Brussels to Bruges or Antwerp in an hour, to Ghent in half that. Fares are calculated by distance and capped at \u20ac20.90 for a single journey. Under-26s get 40% off, adults get 30% off at weekends, and a Train+ card (\u20ac6 a month) takes a further 40% off off-peak and weekend trips. Since July 2026 tickets can no longer be bought on board, so buy in the SNCB app, at a machine or at the ticket office first.\r\n\r\nCities are walkable and mostly flat, and Flanders is excellent cycling country \u2014 the coast tram runs 68km along the North Sea and is the longest tram line in the world.\r\n\r\nBrussels is the international hub: Eurostar to London in two hours, Eurostar, which absorbed Thalys, to Paris in under ninety minutes, and Amsterdam and Cologne both under two hours. It makes a good hinge in any northern European route.","hw_hub_country_transport_points":"Fares | By distance, capped at \u20ac20.90 a journey. Under-26s pay 40% less\r\nBuy before boarding | No tickets sold on board since July 2026. Adults get 30% off at weekends\r\nCoast tram | 68km along the North Sea, the longest tram line in the world\r\nInternational | London 2h, Paris 1h25, Amsterdam 1h50 from Brussels","hw_hub_country_transport_tag":"transport","hw_hub_country_transport_more":"All transport guides for Belgium","hw_hub_country_money_title":"What Belgium costs","hw_hub_country_money_body":"Belgium is cheaper than the Netherlands and roughly level with France outside Paris. Dorms start around \u20ac24, a beer is \u20ac3 to \u20ac5, and frites with mayonnaise will feed you for \u20ac5.\r\n\r\nBrussels is the most expensive for beds but has the widest range; Ghent, Leuven and Li\u00e8ge are noticeably cheaper. Bruges charges a premium for the setting, particularly in summer.\r\n\r\nTrains are the pleasant surprise: crossing the country costs less than a city taxi in most capitals, and the weekend and under-26 discounts make day-tripping from a single base the cheapest way to see the country.","hw_hub_country_money_points":"Dorm bed | From \u20ac24, higher in Bruges in summer\r\nA day, all in | \u20ac55\u201375\r\nA beer | \u20ac3\u20135, more for strong trappists\r\nTrains | An hour across the country for the price of two beers","hw_hub_country_money_tag":"budget","hw_hub_country_money_more":"All budget guides for Belgium","hw_hub_country_safety_title":"Staying safe in Belgium","hw_hub_country_safety_body":"Belgium is a safe country and the cities are comfortable to walk around. Brussels has the reputation issues of any capital, concentrated around Brussels-Midi station and parts of Molenbeek, where ordinary caution at night is sensible rather than alarm.\r\n\r\nPickpocketing happens around Grand Place, on the Brussels metro and at the main stations, at the usual European level. Bag-snatching at Midi station in particular is common enough to be worth knowing about when you arrive on the Eurostar.\r\n\r\nThe genuinely underestimated risk is the beer. Belgian ales run to ten or eleven per cent and are served in 330ml glasses, which fools people who order them like pints.","hw_hub_country_safety_points":"Emergency | 112\r\nBrussels-Midi | Watch bags closely, especially on arrival with luggage\r\nMetro | Ordinary pickpocket caution at busy times\r\nBeer strength | 8\u201311% is normal. Read the menu","hw_hub_country_safety_tag":"","hw_hub_country_safety_more":"","hw_hub_country_entry_title":"Entry and documents","hw_hub_country_entry_body":"Belgium is in the Schengen area. EU citizens need an ID card; UK, US, Canadian and Australian passport holders get 90 days in any 180 across the whole zone, counted across all member states.\r\n\r\nPassports need three months' validity beyond departure and to have been issued within the last ten years. ETIAS has been delayed repeatedly \u2014 check the official EU site.\r\n\r\nIf you are arriving from London by Eurostar, note that UK exit and Schengen entry checks happen before you board in London, not on arrival, so allow the time they ask for.","hw_hub_country_entry_points":"Schengen | 90 days in any 180 across the whole zone\r\nPassport validity | Three months beyond departure, issued within ten years\r\nETIAS | Repeatedly delayed \u2014 check the official EU site\r\nEurostar | Border checks happen in London before boarding","hw_hub_country_entry_tag":"","hw_hub_country_entry_more":"","hw_hub_country_season_title":"When to go","hw_hub_country_season_intro":"Belgium has mild, wet weather most of the year and a pleasant summer. Christmas markets and Carnival are the two winter reasons to come.","hw_hub_country_season_note":"Average highs for Brussels. It rains in every month \u2014 the difference is temperature rather than dryness.","hw_hub_country_season_rows":"January | 6 | 1 | Cold, grey, and the cheapest month\r\nFebruary | 7 | 2 | Binche Carnival, a UNESCO-listed tradition\r\nMarch | 10 | 2 | Quiet and mild. Good for museums\r\nApril | 14 | 3 | Spring, and the Ghent Floralies in some years\r\nMay | 18 | 3 | Excellent. Terraces open, days long\r\nJune | 21 | 4 | Warm, festivals starting, prices rising\r\nJuly | 23 | 5 | Peak. Tomorrowland and the Ghent Festival fill the country\r\nAugust | 23 | 4 | Warm, and the Brussels flower carpet in even years\r\nSeptember | 19 | 3 | The best value month. Mussels come back in season\r\nOctober | 15 | 2 | Cool and quiet. Beer festival season\r\nNovember | 10 | 1 | Grey and cheap\r\nDecember | 7 | 3 | Christmas markets in every city, and Bruges at its best","hw_hub_country_budget_title":"What your trip will cost","hw_hub_country_budget_intro":"Pick how you travel and how long for. Per night, for one person, including day trips by train.","hw_hub_country_budget_note":"Trains between cities are \u20ac7\u201315 a leg, less at weekends or for under-26s, so day-tripping from one base is usually cheaper than moving hostels.","hw_hub_country_budget_rows":"Shoestring | 24 | 16 | 5 | 7\r\nMiddle of the road | 33 | 30 | 8 | 15\r\nComfortable | 50 | 48 | 12 | 24","hw_hub_country_budget_currency":"\u20ac","hw_hub_country_events_title":"What is on while you are there","hw_hub_country_events_intro":"Two of these fill the entire country. Both are worth planning around in either direction.","hw_hub_country_events_source":"api","hw_hub_country_events_country":"belgium","hw_hub_country_events_count":"8","hw_hub_country_events_cache":"24","hw_hub_country_events_cta_label":"All events in Belgium","hw_hub_country_events_cta_url":"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/events\/europe\/belgium\/","hw_hub_country_events":"Binche Carnival | February or March | Binche | Gilles in wax masks throwing oranges, and UNESCO-listed. Genuinely strange and genuinely old. |  | \nGhent Festival | July | Ghent | Ten days of free street performance and music that takes over the whole city. |  | \nTomorrowland | Late July | Boom | Two weekends, and beds are unavailable across half the country. |  | \nBrussels Flower Carpet | August, even years | Brussels | A million begonias laid across the Grand Place for four days. |  | \nBeer weekend | September | Brussels | Brewers fill the Grand Place. Exactly what it sounds like. |  | \nChristmas markets | Late November to December | Bruges \u00b7 Brussels \u00b7 Ghent | Bruges in particular is at its best under lights and without the summer crowds. |  | ","hw_hub_country_hostels_title":"Where to stay in Belgium","hw_hub_country_hostels_intro":"The highest-rated hostels in the country, live from Hostelworld. Ghent and Brussels have the most choice, and Bruges is worth one night for the empty evening.","hw_hub_country_hostels_cta_label":"All hostels in Belgium","hw_hub_country_hostels_cta_url":"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/hostels\/europe\/belgium\/","hw_hub_country_hostels_source":"api","hw_hub_country_hostels_location_type":"country","hw_hub_country_hostels_location_id":"21","hw_hub_country_hostels_currency":"EUR","hw_hub_country_hostels_count":"12","hw_hub_country_hostels_cache":"12","hw_hub_country_hostels":"","hw_hub_country_faq_title":"Belgium travel questions","hw_hub_country_faq_note":"The ones we get asked most.","hw_hub_country_faqs":"How many days do you need in Belgium? | Four days covers Brussels, Bruges and Ghent comfortably, because nothing is more than ninety minutes apart. Staying in one city and day-tripping to the others is usually cheaper than moving hostels.\r\nBruges or Ghent? | Bruges is prettier and much busier; Ghent has the same canals and architecture with 70,000 students and far fewer coach parties. Stay in Ghent, day trip to Bruges, and if you can, spend one night in Bruges to see it empty after five.\r\nIs Belgium expensive? | Cheaper than the Netherlands and about level with France outside Paris. Dorms from \u20ac24, beer \u20ac3 to \u20ac5, and a cone of frites that will feed you for \u20ac5. Trains across the country cost very little.\r\nWhat language should I speak? | Dutch in Flanders including Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp; French in Wallonia; both in Brussels. English is widely spoken everywhere and is the safe neutral option \u2014 opening in the wrong one of the two national languages can land badly.\r\nWhich Belgian beer should I try? | A trappist such as Westmalle or Chimay, brewed by monks; a lambic or gueuze, fermented with wild yeast and genuinely sour; and a witbier on a hot day. Most are 8 to 11%, which catches people out.\r\nWhen should I eat mussels? | September to April, when they are in season. Moules-frites in July is usually frozen or imported, and Belgians will tell you the same.\r\nIs Brussels safe? | Yes, with normal city caution. Brussels-Midi station has a persistent bag-snatching problem, particularly with luggage, and ordinary care applies late at night. The rest of the city is unremarkable.","hw_hub_country_cta_title":"Say yes to hostels, meet the world","hw_hub_country_cta_body":"Compare hostels across Belgium \u2014 live prices, real reviews and free cancellation on most bookings. Then meet the people already there in the app.","hw_hub_country_cta_buttons":"Find hostels in Belgium | https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/hostels\/europe\/belgium\/\r\nGet the app | https:\/\/hostelworld.onelink.me\/IdiK\/f5a50nhd","hw_hub_country_newsletter_title":"Get the good stuff monthly","hw_hub_country_newsletter_body":"New city guides, deals and route ideas. 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