BELGIUM

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BELGIUM

Capital: Brussels
Form of government: constitutional monarchy
Area: 30,869 km2
Religion: 88% Catholic
Phone number: +32
Languages: Flemish, French, German
Time zone: UTC + 1
Population: 11,492,641 (2020)
Currency: Euro €

Finnair flies several days a week from Helsinki to Brussels. The main airport is Zaventem.

Trains to Brussels include Paris, Cologne, Amsterdam and London, among others. There are train connections between most of Belgium’s major cities. Shorter journeys can be made by bus. A useful site is Infotec, which provides information on public transport throughout the country (trains, buses, metros and trams).

Embassy of Finland, Brussels Address: Avenue de Cortenbergh 80 B-1000 BRUXELLES – Tel. +32 2 287 12 12 Email: consulate.bry@formin.fi – Website: http://www.finlande.be/

Travel bulletin from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs

Brussels, rainbow over Grand Place, Belgium, nobody

Brussels (Capital)

Apart from its famous chocolates and beers, , Brussels also offers many attractions and activities that most visitors wouldn’t expect. It is a centre of European culture, with many museums, beautiful parks and trendy restaurants and bars. The City of Brussels is the largest municipality and historical centre of the Brussels-Capital Region, and the capital of Belgium. Besides the strict centre, it also covers the immediate northern outskirts where it borders municipalities in Flanders.

The Grand Place (Grand Square) or Grote Markt (Grand Market) is the central square of Brussels. Built structures dates back to between 15th and 17th century.

Grand Place (UNESCO)

Address: Grote Markt, 1000 Brussel, Belgium 1998

The Grand Place or Grote Markt is the central square of Brussels, Belgium. It is surrounded by opulent Baroque guildhalls of the former Guilds of Brussels and two larger edifices; the city’s Flamboyant Town Hall, and the neo-Gothic King’s House or Breadhouse building containing the Brussels City Museum.

Old houses and horse carriages on Grote Markt square, medieval city Brugge, Belgium, Europe. UNESCO world heritage site

Historic Center of Brugge

Address: Brugge 8000 Belgia

The beautiful town of Bruges lies in the Flemish Region of Belgium and it is the capital of West Flanders. With a total population of 117,000 residents, it is a small and charming Flemish center.

The town’s historic center has been an UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000 and The town’s medieval architecture is mostly intact. Notable sights of this Flemish gem are e.g. the 13th-century belfry, the Neogothic Provincial Court, the medieval-style bar De Garre and the Groeningemuseum, with its collection of medieval and early modern art.

Notre-Dame de Tournai towers and surrounfing streets with old buildings panorama, Cathedral of Our Lady, Tournai, Walloon municipality, Belgium

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Tournai (UNESCO)

Address: Place de l’Evêché 1, 7500 Tournai, Belgium

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Tournai, originally built during the first half of the 12th century, is a masterpiece of architecture and a fascinating blend of different styles. For example the nave of the cathedral represents Romanesque architecture, the choir is built in traditional Gothic fashion, while the transept is built in a Transitional style. The 83 meter (272 feet) high towers also display different design philosophies on them. The cathedral is an excellent example of how a building can grow and change with time. No wonder that the cathedral is one of the UNESCO world heritage sites and one of the notable landmarks of the idyllic Hainaut.

The Atomium

Address: Place de l’Atomium 1, 1020 Bruxelles, Belgium

This atom-shaped building in the center of Brussels has eight floors of art exhibitions spread over five spheres. The Atomium was built for the World Fair of Brussels in 1958 and two of its levels are dedicated to the permanent exhibition of Expo58. The other floors feature ever changing exhibitions that showcase different design, architecture and cultures. The upper sphere, floating at a height of 92 meters (302 feet) offers a majestic 360° view of the city. When the sky is clear, even the skyline of Antwerp is visible. The panoramic restaurant in the upper sphere offers a gourmet menu and is open till 11 PM.

Ghent

Populated by approx. 250,000 people, Ghent is an attractive university town and a center of the Eastern Flamish Region. One of the less-known sites of Belgium, it can surprise a visitor with its tranquillity and beauty. The annually held 10-day music and theatre festival Gentse Feesten is legendary and attracts millions of visitors. Notable sites are the St Bavo’s Cathedral, with its belfry as a vantage point, the medieval Gravensteen castle and The Museum of Fine Arts focusing on Flemish art.

Musée de la photographie à Charleroi

Address: Avenue Paul Pastur 11, 6032 Charleroi, Belgium

The Museum of Photography in Charleroi is the largest photography museum in Europe and as an experience is way more than a place for exhibitions. Spread over a 6000m², with a collection of 80,000 pictures, the museum offers a full experience of photographic art. Temporary exhibitions are organized on a regular basis, with around 3 exhibitions every 4 months, so visitors can return to the museum often and feel something new each time. The museum also includes a photographic library that is open to the public containing 13,000 titles and 4,000 files. The area also has a café and a 85 acre museum park. The museum tour is free for children under the age of 12 and it is a suitable activity for the whole family.

Bouillon Castle, impressive medieval fortress in the town of Bouillon, province of Luxembourg, Belgium, 25th May 2014

The Bouillon Castle

Location: Esplanade Godefroid 1, Bouillon

This spectacular old castle lies in the city of Bouillon, in a beautiful valley next to the Semois river. The first mention of the Bouillon Castle in annals dates back to 988, but the actual castle is probably far older. It belonged to the ancient Dukes of Ardennes and was an important center of local government. As one of the best preserved feudal vestiges of Belgium, it is one of the most remarkable historical sites in the Ardennes area and valley of Semois.

Cathedral of saint Rumbold on Main square in Mechelen, Belgium

Saint Rumbold’s Cathedral

Location: Onder-Den-Toren 12, Mechelen

This cathedral is rather peculiar. It features a 100 meters tall and 500 steps long belfry that gives visitors a remarkable view over both the Flemish countryside and the skylines of Antwerp and Brussels. The building process of the cathedral’s medieval Gothic tower began in 1452, but it was never properly finished and it didn’t get a decorative staple that would have added another 60 meters of height to the tower. This explains the rather unusual form of the top of the tower, missing the traditional Christian spire that western churches tend to have. The tower was originally built separate from the cathedral, and the two were only joined later. Overall, this religious and Gothic building is a remarkable example of architecture and its tower is included on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list.

Antwerp, Belgium - July 5, 2016 : Exterior view of Peter Paul Rubens House. Rubens is famous Flemish Baroque painter and lived in this building until his death.

The Rubens House (Rubenshuis)

Address: Wapper 9-11, 2000 Antwerpen, Belgium

This former home and studio of the Flemish Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens now serves as a museum with its restored interior. It houses a notable collection of artwork by Rubens and his contemporaries. A center dedicated to the study of Rubens, The Rubeniamum, can also be found here. A must-see for an art enthusiast.

More information about Belgium

Antwerpen-Centraal

Address: Koningin Astridplein 27, 2018 Antwerpen, Belgium

Antwerpen-Centraal is the main train station in the Belgian city of Antwerp. The station is operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium.

Ghent City Center

Location. Ghent Belgium

Much of the city’s medieval architecture remains intact and is remarkably well preserved and restored. Its centre is a carfree area. Highlights are the Saint Bavo Cathedral with the Ghent Altarpiece, the belfry, the Gravensteen castle, and the splendid architecture along the old Graslei harbour. Ghent has established a blend between comfort of living and history; it is not a city-museum. The city of Ghent also houses three béguinages and numerous churches including Saint-Jacob’s church, Saint-Nicolas’ church, Saint Michael’s church and St. Stefanus.

Bruges, Belgium. Grote Markt square at sunrise.

The Markt

Location: Markt, Bruges 8000 Belgium

The Markt of Bruges is located in the heart of the city and covers an area of about 1 hectare. Some historical highlights around the square include the 12th-century belfry and the West Flanders Provincial Court (originally the Waterhall, which in 1787 was demolished and replaced by a classicist building that from 1850 served as provincial court and after a fire in 1878 was rebuilt in a neo-Gothic style in 1887. In the center of the market stands the statue of Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck.