Destinations in Belgium
Take a look at the most important destinations.
Brussels © visitbelgium.net
Large countries are characterized by their diverse landscapes and cities with distinct personalities. Belgium, however, is small: driving from north to south (Antwerp to Arlon) takes about 2.75 hours, while crossing from east to west (Eupen to Ostend) takes roughly 2.5 hours.
Despite its compact size of 30,000 square kilometers, Belgium offers an extraordinary variety: from fine sandy beaches along the North Sea coast, through the flat but water-rich region of Flanders, to the rolling hills of Wallonia, which are carved by deep river valleys.
Belgium has it all: vibrant metropolises like Brussels and Antwerp, museum-like art cities such as Bruges and Ghent, different types of coastal towns like Ostend and De Haan, thrilling industrial cities like Liège and Charleroi, and picturesque fortress towns like Dinant and Bouillon.
Of course, the diversity of Belgium is largely shaped by its two main regions: Flanders in the north and Wallonia in the south. Dutch (Belgian Dutch, which differs not only in the softer pronunciation) is spoken in Flanders, while French is the language in Wallonia. Near the German border, there is even a small German-speaking community, Ostbelgien (Eastern Belgium).
The appearance of Flanders and Wallonia is different, but with a few exceptions you can always recognise that you are in Belgium. Flanders does not look like the Netherlands, nor does Wallonia resemble France.
In fact, some neighboring cities in other countries exhibit Belgian influences, particularly Maastricht (Netherlands), Aachen (Germany), and Lille (France).