Belgium

Capital Brussels

Population 11,319,511

Area 30,528 km2

Key factsTourismWeatherTransportSafetySmoking & Alcohol

Key facts

Belgium is a member state of the European Union located in Western Europe. There are 4 countries (France, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands) that Belgium shares its borders with. As for languages, the country’s residents speak Dutch, French and German. Although English isn’t the official language, the majority of people in Belgium are good English speakers.

EF EPI’s 2021 rankings placed Belgium 6th among 100 nations out of non-native English-speaking countries.

The national currency in Belgium is Euro (EUR). The euro (€) is subdivided into 100 cent (c).

With today’s currency rate, 1 USD is worth 0.93 EUR.

Belgian
Banknotes

€5€10€20€50€100€200€500

Belgian
Coins

€1€25c10c20c50c1c2c

Check with your bank before your trip to find out if there are any fees for using your card abroad. Some banks do not charge fees when you use a foreign ATM or pay in foreign currency, but others may charge a fixed cost for each transaction or allow a limited number of free withdrawals. The travel card provided by Wise.com, Revolut or Monose might be an excellent option to cut down on transaction fees.

Ookla® Speedtest The average fixed internet speed in Belgium is 162.95 Mbps and mobile is 105.57 Mbs.The global average is 159.18 Mbps and 109.61 Mbps respectively.

ATM Density When compared to the world average, Belgium has more ATMs.67.17 ATMs per 100,000 people.The global average is 39.69.

SIM Registration In order to purchase a SIM card in Belgium, a passport or ID is required as identification.

Socket types

There are 2 socket types used in Belgium. Type C is a popular socket type throughout Europe (except the United Kingdom), Russia, and certain Asian countries.

Type C 230 V, 50 Hz  Type E 230 V, 50 Hz  

The sockets’ shapes and voltage differ from country to country and a travel plug adapter may be required. Portable devices, such as phones, notebooks or tablets, usually handle the entire range of voltages used across the world (110-240V).

Public holidays

In the year 2023, Belgium will celebrate 11 national public holidays. The next one Belgian National Day will take place on July 21.

 Show the complete list of holidays
Date Holiday name
January 1, 2023 New Year’s DayNieuwjaar
April 9, 2023Moving holiday Easter SundayPasen
April 10, 2023Moving holiday Easter MondayPaasmaandag
May 1, 2023 Labour DayDag van de arbeid
May 18, 2023Moving holiday Ascension DayOnze Lieve Heer hemel
May 29, 2023Moving holiday Whit MondayPinkstermaandag
July 21, 2023 Belgian National DayNationale feestdag
August 15, 2023 Assumption DayOnze Lieve Vrouw hemelvaart
November 1, 2023 All Saints’ DayAllerheiligen
November 11, 2023 Armistice DayWapenstilstand
December 25, 2023 Christmas DayKerstdag
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Tourism

What hotel chains are present in Belgium?

There are Mariott hotels in 2 cities: Brussels and Ghent.

The Hilton hotel chain operates in Belgium.

The IHG hotel chain operates in Belgium.

The Best Western hotel chain operates in Belgium.

There are Radisson hotels in 8 cities.

The Accor hotel chain operates in Belgium.

What fast food chains are present in Belgium?

The McDonald’s chain operates in Belgium.

The KFC chain operates in Belgium.

The Burger King chain does not operate in Belgium.

The Subway chain operates in Belgium.

The Domino’s Pizza chain operates in Belgium.

The Starbucks chain operates in Belgium.

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Weather

What is the weather like in Brussels?

Today the sun in Brussels, rises at 5:32 AM and sets at 9:48 PM. The climate of Brussels may be categorized as a Marine west coast (Cfb), according to Koppen’s classification system.

ThursdayJun 1Partly cloudlyLow: 10.6°C (51.08°F)High: 21.7°C (71.06°F)
FridayJun 2OvercastLow: 8.9°C (48.02°F)High: 22°C (71.6°F)
SaturdayJun 3Partly cloudlyLow: 11.7°C (53.06°F)High: 24.5°C (76.1°F)
SundayJun 4SunnyLow: 12.2°C (53.96°F)High: 24.8°C (76.64°F)
MondayJun 5SunnyLow: 12.6°C (54.68°F)High: 26.3°C (79.34°F)
TuesdayJun 6Partly cloudlyLow: 14.4°C (57.92°F)High: 28.1°C (82.58°F)

Weather data for Brussels (capital city) by Open-Meteo.com

Transport

Railways There are passenger trains , and some of them are high-speed trains.

Subway Systems The subway system is available in Brussels.

Taxi Apps You can use Uber in 5 cities. Bolt is available only in one city: Brussels.

Car Rental Avis , Sixt , Hertz are all available in Belgium.

Road Connectivity Index (2016)  With a score of 6.2, Belgium is placed 19th out of 129 nations.

Driving Side In Belgium traffic is right-handed.

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Safety

Theft Occurrence Rate  1,343.00 thefts per 100,000 people in 2020.The global average is 544.

Road Traffic Casualties 5.80 deaths per 100,000 people in 2019.The global average is 16.74.

Travel Advisory Level (U.S. DoS)  Level 2: Exercise increased caution. 

Emergency phones in Belgium

112 Police
112 Ambulance
112 Fire police

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Smoking & Alcohol

Smoking ban Smoking is forbidden in all public indoor locations, with limited exceptions.

Cananbis legality Recreational usage is decriminalized, and medical use is legal in certain circumstances.

You are not entitled to a duty-free allowance for tobacco or alcohol if you are under the age of 17.

Alcohol allowance

Travellers from EU countries:

  • 90L of still wine (60L of sparkling wine)
  • 110L of beer
  • 10L of alcoholic beverages stronger than 22%
  • 20L of fortified or sparkling wine or other liqueurs up to 22%.

Travellers from non-EU countries:

  • 4L of wine
  • 16L of beer
  • 1L of spirits over 22% volume or 2L of alcoholic beverages less than 22% volume

Tobacco allowance

Travellers from EU countries:

  • 800 cigarettes or 400 cigarillos or 200 cigars or 1kg of tobacco

Travellers from non-EU countries:

  • 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco
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