Belgium

Belgium is a tiny country sandwiched between The Netherlands to the north and France to the South. The official languages are French, Dutch (Flemish) and German, although English is widely spoken.

10.5 million people live in 30,528 square kilometers.The country is divided into Flemish speaking Flanders, to the north, French speaking Wallonia, to the south (with a small German enclave to the East) and the officially bilingual Brussels capital region.

Belgium is known to the outside world for beer, chocolate and lace. It is home to the EUand NATO, a complicated government and a whole lot of red tape.

Contrary to popular belief, there are hundreds of famous Belgians, including: Tintin creator Hergé, musician Jacques Brel and the inventor of the saxophone, Adolphe Sax.

Since arriving here in 2005, I have amassed a collection of useful links to information about all aspects of Belgium. I share these in the hopes that they will be useful to someone else as well. If you have any others you feel should be added, email me and I will consider any relevant additions.

English News Sources

• Expatica Belgium – useful information for expats in Belgium
• Flanders Today – A great free newspaper about Flanders in English
• AWAY Magazine – publication for expats in Belgium
• VRL News – Flanders news in English
• The Bulletin – An English magazine about life in Belgium
• Xpats – News and forums about Belgium

Art and Culture

• Kunstart – The best resource for galleries and artists in Belgium. A fantatsic resource that is continuously growning.
• Behive – Art and Culture in Belgium
• Brussels Life – Events and happenings in the Brussles Capital Region
• Very Best Places – Shops and services in Belgium
• Anglo Info – Life in Brussels in English

Tourism

• BIP (Brussels Info Place) – Tourist information for Brussels
• Brussels Tourist and Convention Bureau
• Brussels Captial Region Tourism Portal
• Welcome to Wallonia – Walloon tourism info
• Visit Flanders – Flemish Tourism Office
• Visit Belgium – Belgian tourist info

Government and Public Services

• The Province of Vlaams-Brabant – Information about Flanders
• Belgian Railway – Timetables and info about rail travel
• De Lijn – Flanders bus service (Dutch only)
• STIB – Brussels Public Transportation
• .be – Belgium’s Federal Portal – Loads of governmental information in French and Dutch although English info is limited.

If you are renting property in Belgium then the following sites may be useful:

• Anglo Info – French – English Property Jargon
• La Loi Sure Les Loyers – PDF about rental law in Belgium. Great information but only in French.

I have written extensively about my own observations and impressions of Belgium since we arrived here. You can find these writings in the Good, the Bad and the Belgian category of this blog.

If you are interested in restaurants in Belgium, and elsewhere, you can also read about my favourite restaurants.