Belgium       

Citizens of the European Union (EU), as well as citizens of Andorra, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, San Marino, and Switzerland, can enter Belgium with a valid passport or official identity card. Other nationals should consult the Belgian embassy or consulate in their country of residence before departure, for any visa requirements.

Ambulance/fire:100
Police: 101
Alternative pan-European emergency number for all services: 112

Central European Time (GMT plus one hour). Clocks are put forward one hour from the last Sunday in March to the Saturday before the end of October.

Check with your motor vehicle insurance company regarding any insurance documents you will need and whether additional motor insurance is required. Make sure you have a red warning triangle in the car in case of an accident or breakdown. The international registration letters of your country of residence must be displayed at the rear of the car.

Carry your full valid driving licence or International Driving Permit, vehicle registration documents, and insurance documents with you in the car at all times. Although a Green Card is not mandatory, it is still advisable. Traffic drives on the right. Cars entering a road from the right have priority, unless indicated otherwise. Seat belts must be worn by both front- and back-seat passengers. Children under 12 years of age are not allowed to travel in the front seat if there is room in the back seat. Headlights must be dipped in towns and on open roads at night. Cars from the United Kingdom must fit headlights with an anti-dazzle strip. The limit of alcohol in the blood while driving is 50 mg per 100 ml (5g/l). Fines for traffic infringements may be delivered on the spot.

Motorways are toll-free in Belgium. In more rural areas, roads are less well-maintained which makes for slower journeys. Speed limits are 120 kilometres (75 miles) per hour on motorways and all two- and three-lane carriageways, 90 kilometres (56 miles) per hour on other roads outside built-up areas, and 50 kilometres (31 miles) per hour in built-up areas.

Watch out for trams while driving in Brussels, Antwerp, and Ghent, as they tend to appear suddenly and must always be given the right of way. For reports on weather and road conditions, telephone 0900 27 003.

Use the orange-coloured emergency telephones located on motorways and trunk roads to report accidents or breakdowns. There are three motoring organisations that can provide assistance in the event of a breakdown: Touring Club de Belgique (TCB), rue de la Loi 44, Brussels, tel: (02) 233 22 11; Royal Automobile Club de Belgique (RACB), rue d'Arlon 53, Brussels, tel: (02) 287 09 00; and Vlaamse Automobilistenbond, Sint-Jacobmarkt 45, Antwerp, tel: (02) 253 63 63.

The electrical current in Belgium is 220 volts AC. Round, two-pin plugs are used. An adapter is essential for UK and Irish appliances.

The official monetary unit in Belgium is the Belgian franc (BF). There are 100 centimes in a franc. Notes come in denominations of BF10,000, 5,000, 2,000, 1,000, 500, and 100. Coins are denominations of BF50, 20, 5, and 1, and 50 centimes. The Luxembourg franc is valid in Belgium; 1 LF is equal to 1 BF. Belgium is one of 11 European Union countries which will adopt the Euro (€) as its currency on 1 January 2002. Prices and bills are increasingly quoted in both francs and Euros. The fixed exchange rate is €1=BF40.3399. Franc notes and coins will cease to be legal tender on 1 July 2002.

Travellers cheques are the safest way to carry money. Credit cards are widely accepted in Belgium; Visa is the most common, followed by MasterCard. Not all shops and restaurants accept credit cards, so it is worth checking in advance. For cash currency transactions, most banks and cash machines accept credit cards and Eurocheques, although there is usually a commission charge. Banks usually give better rates than bureaux de change, but they do charge commission for each transaction. Travel agents, such as American Express and Thomas Cook, cash their travellers cheques free of charge. Banks are open 09.00 to 13.00 and 14.00 to 16.00 Monday to Friday. Some banks are also open 09.00 to 12.00 on Saturdays.

Both VAT and service charges are included in the prices listed in hotels and restaurants, although it is normal practice in restaurants to round the bill up to the nearest BF10. Taxi drivers include the tip in their charges, which tend to be quite high in Belgium.

1 January: New Year's Day
Easter Monday
1 May: Labour Day
Ascension Day
Whit Monday
21 July: Independence Day
15 August: Assumption Day
1 November: All Saints' Day
11 November: Armistice Day
25 December: Christmas

There is not a great deal of accessibility to public buildings or public transport in Belgium. However, Croix Rouge de Belgique can coordinate loans of specially adapted equipment to travellers with disabilities, as well as give advice. They can be contacted at Service Handynet pour Handicapés, rue Joseph Stallaert 1, 1060 Brussels, tel: +32 2 344 25 34. Vlaamse Federatie van Gehandicapten (VFG) offers information on special holidays for travellers with disabilities and can be contacted at 32 rue St Jean, 1000 Brussels, tel: +32 2 511 50 76. The Belgian Tourist Office publishes a pamphlet of camping and caravanning sites, indicating those which provide facilities for travellers with disabilities.

Buses are the cheapest method of public transport in Belgium. Further information and bus schedules can be obtained from local tourist offices. Trams are the most interesting but also the slowest method of getting around Brussels, Antwerp, and Ghent.

The metro is usually the fastest way to get around Brussels. The system, operated by STIB, is clean, modern, and stylish, and runs from 06.00 to 24.00. Tickets can be bought singly or in five- and ten-journey magnetic cards from tourist offices, metro kiosks, certain newsagents, or STIB information offices in the Porte de Namur, Midi, and Rogier stations. They can also be used on buses, and trams in Brussels. Special day passes are available, which include unlimited travel on the metro, buses, and trams until midnight of the day you purchase them. For further information on the metro, trams, and buses in Brussels, tel: +32 2 515 20 00.

Cross-Channel services operate from Ostend or Zeebrugge. Boat trips can be made along the canals in Bruges and Ghent.

Antwerp (Antwerpen), a busy Flemish port on the River Scheldt, is one of the most fascinating maritime cities in Europe, with a wealth of superb architecture and art. The most important sights are the Rubenshuis (the former home of the 17th-century Flemish painter Pieter Paul Rubens), the Museum Plantin-Moretus (a beautifully preserved 17th-century printing works), and the Gothic cathedral. The Royal Museum of Fine Art houses a magnificent collection of paintings by Rubens, Van Dyck, and other Flemish Masters, and the National Maritime Museum, located in a waterfront castle, has splendid model ships and antique maps. In recent years, Antwerp has become known internationally for its fashion through the work of the Antwerp Six, a group of innovative fashion designers. The city is also famous for its vibrant nightlife and boasts more than 2,000 drinking establishments ranging from antiquated Flemish taverns to chic modern bars.