Chocolate, waffles, beer, fries and history all come to
mind when Belgium is mentioned. I
usually try to avoid travel stereotypes, but the Belgian delicacies were just
too difficult to resist. I thought I’d share some thoughts based on my recent
trip to Brussels and Bruges (Brugge).
To give a quick background, Belgium is a small and very
diverse country sandwiched between France, Germany and Holland. French is
spoken in the south and Dutch in the north with the capital Brussels being
bilingual. The linguistic and cultural
divide soon becomes clear when traveling here; neighbouring cities can vary so
drastically making Belgium a fascinating place to visit.
I took a while to warm to Brussels – it wasn’t love at first
sight. The weather was grey, the roads
congested and I’ve never seen so many office blocks. Brussels is not as uniformly elegant or
pretty as Paris or Amsterdam and it’s not packed full of star attractions. But the more time I spent in the city, I came
to realise that these ‘downfalls’ actually make the city quite a charming place
to visit. It’s a real, working city and
not a tourist trap. There’s a good
foodie scene and lively nightlife and there are some pretty cool things to see. Even if you come to Brussels and only see
the dazzling old town square - Le Grand
Place - it’d be worth the trip!
It’s worth a trip to the edge of the city to see the futuristic
Atomium tower, which looks as if it’s fallen from outer Space. Built as a plus-sized replica of an iron
molecule, the structure has become symbolic of the city and of Belgium as a
country. Entry fees are a bit pricey (12
EUR when I visited) but the views from the top are stunning and the exhibition
is interesting. Take Metro line 6 to Heysel.
My next stop was Bruges.
I can’t express how much I love Bruges – the medieval centre feels like
an open-air history museum and the backpacking scene is thriving here. The city is idyllic and charming. There is such a positive energy - just
walking around the old cobbled streets is so uplifting. A stroll through Bruges is a stroll back in
time. An extensive network of canals and
rivers is the lifeblood of the city and a wonderful way to see Bruges is by
boat.
Bruges is a chocoholic’s dream - there’s a chocolatier around
every corner. The temptation is constant
when walking anywhere in the city. For
me, the Belgian chocolate definitely lived up to its reputation - I must have
come back half a stone heavier! And
because there are is so much competition, the chocolate is priced quite
reasonably. I really enjoyed the
chocolate museum, which delves deeper into the history of chocolate and how it
became synonymous with Belgium.
Unsurprisingly, Bruges is a tourist magnet. In fact, the city’s population more than
doubles in the summer months as hordes of tourists flood in from around the
world. For those who wish to get a more
authentic experience of the Flanders region, Ghent and Antwerp are good
alternatives to Bruges. Whilst not as idyllic
as Bruges, both cities have interesting historic centres without the mass
tourism. Trains in Belgium are excellent
and relatively inexpensive, so it’s easy to see multiple cities in one trip.
Belgium is a great backpackers’ destination. There are tonnes of things to do all over the
country and travel is very easy. However,
it can be quite pricey, particularly for food and accommodation. Expect
to pay 15-20 EUR for a bed in a hostel dorm and about 18 EUR for a main course
in a mid-range restaurant. Despite the relatively
high prices, budget travel is definitely possible in Belgium. French fries (which actually originate in
Belgium, rather than France) are a good cheap meal which is readily available
anywhere in the country. I also made use
of supermarkets and cooked a lot of my meals in the hostel which brought the
costs down considerably. And most importantly,
beer is cheap and plentiful!
As such, I have given Belgium a ‘backpackability’ score of 4, meaning it’s ‘mostly favourable’ for
backpackers and budget travellers.
Have you been to Belgium, or thinking of visiting? Let me know in the comments section below!
Thanks for reading,
Elis Griffiths. x
