Other Destinations in Belgium > Belgium Experience

Advantages: Great for Duty-free Goods
Disadvantages: A long coach trip and I don't speak the language

I used to smoke a great deal of tobacco, most weeks smoking five ounces of tobacco. One day an old friend of mine asked if I fancied doing a tobacco run with him. With the thought of getting cheap tobacco, I jumped at the opportunity and the following week we were all booked on a coach and ready to go. ***Where is Adinkerke*** Adinkerke is the first town that you come to when crossing the border from France into Belgium, It is about ten miles from ...
...***How to get to Adinkerke*** The way I went to adinkerke was to go down to Dover in Kent, then catch either a ferry or go through the Eurotunnel. Once you get into Calais you simply follow the signposts and head for the A16, I have been told that since I last went that the A16 now joins up with the ferry port and you drive straight out onto it. Follow the road until you reach the Belgium border. The road will then turn into the A18, follow it for ... Read review

Advantages: English speaking,friendly people,beautiful!
Disadvantages: Pickpockets

Having lived for 2 years in Belgium I thought I must write a review on this place. I adore Brussels and Belgium in general, and now regard it as my home away from home. I first went to Belgium on a school holiday with the History and Geography sector, but I didn't think too much of it back then in 1994. But how things change! I was offered a job in Belgium, just outside Brussels in August 2000 to work as a nanny in a French family, and have loved ...
...as I can as I still have very close friends living there, it's great to have somewhere to stay when visiting. Very practical indeed! I have just spent the past 4 months living back in Belgium, and I still love it there as much as I ever did. Belgium is a very multi-cultured place to visit, with people visiting constantly from all over the World. All kinds of people from businessmen, musicians, childcarers, just like me, you find them all, It is ... Read review

Advantages: Cheap, plenty of bars, good selection of resteraunts, historic city
Disadvantages: Students, busy main street, not ideal for tourism (yet).

Leuven (Lovaine in French), is Europe's oldest Catholic university city. It attracts some 40,000 students, along with it's indigenous population. Not to be confused with Lovaine a Nauf, the Walloon 'equivalent' university town, it is situated just outside of Brussels, in Vlaams Brabant (Flemish Brabant). It is also the administrative capitol of that region, and is due to become the capitol city of all of Flanders. Once arriving in the city (By ...
...clean, open square - intersected by a main road that is often quite busy with buses and cars. To the centre is the main shopping road, that leads to the city centre, and the main Grote Markt (The great market). Here you will find the iconic City Hall, with its many peaked top and medieval styling. It has stood here for several centuries, although I believe was rebuilt after bombing during the 2nd world war. Opposite is the Sint Pieterskerk , - grandiose ... Read review

Advantages: Historical, interesting, thought provoking
Disadvantages: Not everyone's idea of a day out

...My visit was to the Fort of Eben-Emael, which is a defensive fort built to defend various strategic points of the Albert Canal in Belgium, just for simplicity, and to tie in with all the information given in the guide books etc, I'll call it F.E.E from now on. *** Why is it there? *** In simple terms, it was constructed to protect the then newly constructed Albert canal, to the South it could protect the "Gap of Vise", and to the North the ...
...paratroops basically took out the fort with it's crew of 1200!! Only about 30 people were killed. This was one of the first actions of the main war in Europe. *** What's the tour like? *** The tour is really divided into three sections, the lower rooms which you can wander around yourself, in your own time, the guided tour of the gun casements, upper corridors, and a self guided walk around the top of the fort, looking at the business end of ... Read review

Advantages: Variety of pubs, variety of beers
Disadvantages: Some pubs are overcrowded

----------IN GENERAL---------- Leuven is Belgium’s most famous student city. Almost 40 000 students live in this little town. So when it comes down to pubs in Belgium, Leuven is legendary. Basically, the town is one big pub. In this relatively small town you will find almost 200 pubs, each with their own specialty. And the great thing about it is that the town is so small you can reach most of them on foot. Other reasons why Leuven is the ultimate ...
...After a long night you can even see kids going to school in the morning when you’re leaving the pub. A friend of mine never goes to bed before 5am, and never gets up before 1 pm. (and for the more curious among you, yes, she is only a couple of months from graduating) * Beers! One advice: try as many beers as you can. You’ll never have that much choice, and certainly not at that price. My favourites: Hougaerdse Das, Rodenbach, Orval, Leffe blond. ... Read review