A photograph of Belgium

Country guide

Belgium

Belgium covers 30,689 km² and holds more than 11.8 million people, a density of 383 per km² that ranks sixth in Europe. It is divided three ways — Flanders in...

Photograph · Naval S from Berlin · CC BY 2.0

3,688 Places
1Cities

Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor

Belgium covers 30,689 km² and holds more than 11.8 million people, a density of 383 per km² that ranks sixth in Europe.

It is divided three ways — Flanders in the north, Wallonia in the south, the Brussels-Capital Region in the middle — and the language divides with it: Dutch for about 60 per cent of the population, French for about 40, German for the one per cent in the East Cantons. The choice for a visitor is largely between Brussels, which carries the seats of the European Commission and Council and the headquarters of NATO, and the Flemish cities: Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, Leuven.

Checked 2026-08-25

Cities

Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.

Practical information

Language spoken
Dutch, French and German
National practical orientation; regional and minority languages may also be used
Dialling code
+32
International calling code; local area and mobile prefixes still apply
Currency
Euro (EUR)
Use the official local currency; card acceptance varies by place
Emergency number
112
Use only for an emergency; tourist assistance may use a separate number
Plug type
Type C and E · 230 V
Check that chargers support the recorded voltage before using an adapter
Tap water
Safe from the mains
Public drinking water is regulated by Belgium's regional authorities

Planning a visit

Seasonal closures come from recorded opening hours.

  1. January: seasonal closure recorded
  2. February: seasonal closure recorded
  3. March: seasonal closure recorded
  4. April: seasonal closure recorded
  5. May: seasonal closure recorded
  6. June: seasonal closure recorded
  7. July: no seasonality data recorded
  8. August: no seasonality data recorded
  9. September: seasonal closure recorded — this month
  10. October: seasonal closure recorded
  11. November: seasonal closure recorded
  12. December: seasonal closure recorded

Top things to see

Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.

  1. Autoworld Autoworld
    07 1 hr 30 min

    Autoworld

    Autoworld is a motor museum located in Brussels, Belgium. The institution occupies a historic building within the Parc du Cinquantenaire complex, a prominent architectural setting in the European capital.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Brussels
  2. BELvue BELvue
    08 1 hr 30 min

    BELvue

    Musée BELvue - BELvue Museum

    BELvue is a museum located in Brussels, Belgium. It occupies a historic building and presents exhibitions related to Belgian history, democracy, and society. The museum is situated in the Royal Quarter of Brussels, near the Royal Palace.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Brussels
  3. House of European History House of European History
    09 1 hr 30 min

    House of European History

    Maison de l'Histoire européenne - Huis van de Europese geschiedenis

    The House of European History is a museum in Brussels dedicated to the history of Europe and European integration. Located in the European Quarter near the European Parliament, it occupies the Eastman Building, a former dental institute.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Brussels
  4. Parlamentarium Parlamentarium
    10 1 hr 30 min

    Parlamentarium

    The Parlamentarium is the visitors' centre of the European Parliament, located in Brussels. It serves as an exhibition space designed to inform the public about the European Parliament's role, history, and democratic processes.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Brussels
  5. Palace of Coudenberg Palace of Coudenberg
    11 1 hr 30 min

    Palace of Coudenberg

    Coudenberg

    The Palace of Coudenberg was a medieval royal and imperial palace located on Coudenberg hill in Brussels. It served as the seat of government for the Dukes of Brabant and later for the Habsburg rulers.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Brussels
  6. Belgian Beer World Belgian Beer World
    12 1 hr 30 min

    Belgian Beer World

    Belgian Beer World is a Brussels attraction devoted to Belgian beer culture and heritage.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Brussels
  7. Choco-Story Brussels Choco-Story Brussels
    13 1 hr 30 min

    Choco-Story Brussels

    Choco Story Brussels

    Choco-Story Brussels is a museum devoted to chocolate in the Belgian capital. The visit connects cocoa’s Mesoamerican origins with the development of European chocolate-making and Brussels’ strong praline tradition.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Brussels
  8. Design Museum Brussels Design Museum Brussels
    14 1 hr 30 min

    Design Museum Brussels

    Design Museum Brussels is a Brussels museum devoted to design history and contemporary design practice. It places functional objects, visual ideas, and manufacturing culture within a wider cultural setting.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Brussels
  9. Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History
    15 1 hr 30 min

    Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History

    Musée royal de l'Armée et d'Histoire militaire - Koninklijk Museum van het Leger en de Krijgsgeschiedenis

    The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History occupies the Cinquantenaire complex in Brussels. It presents Belgium’s military heritage across several centuries, combining historical interpretation with large collections of military objects.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Brussels
  10. Train World Train World
    16 1 hr 30 min

    Train World

    Train World is Belgium’s national railway museum, housed at the historic Schaerbeek railway station northeast of central Brussels. The museum presents Belgian railway history through locomotives, carriages, railway technology, and the station environment itself.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Brussels
  11. Erasmus House Erasmus House
    17 1 hr 30 min

    Erasmus House

    Maison d'Erasme - Erasmushuis

    The Erasmus House, known locally as Maison d'Erasme or Erasmushuis, is a historic museum dedicated to the life and work of Desiderius Erasmus, the renowned Renaissance humanist, theologian, and scholar.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Brussels
  12. Arts center of Red Cloister Arts center of Red Cloister
    18 1 hr 30 min

    Arts center of Red Cloister

    Rouge Cloître - Rood Klooster

    Arts center of Red Cloister is a cultural venue at Rouge Cloître, also called Rood Klooster, in the Sonian Forest area of Brussels. The setting brings together the atmosphere of a former Cistercian priory and present-day artistic activity.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Brussels
  13. Van Buuren Museum & Gardens Van Buuren Museum & Gardens
    19 1 hr 30 min

    Van Buuren Museum & Gardens

    Van Buuren Museum & Gardens is a Brussels cultural attraction that combines a museum interior with designed outdoor grounds.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Brussels
  14. Halle Gate Museum Halle Gate Museum
    20 1 hr 30 min

    Halle Gate Museum

    Musée de la Porte de Hal - Hallepoort Museum

    Halle Gate Museum is Brussels’ surviving medieval city gate, known in French as Musée de la Porte de Hal and in Dutch as Hallepoort Museum.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Brussels
  15. Archive and Museum for the Flemish Living in Brussels Archive and Museum for the Flemish Living in Brussels
    21 1 hr 30 min

    Archive and Museum for the Flemish Living in Brussels

    Archief en Museum voor het Vlaams Leven te Brussel

    The Archief en Museum voor het Vlaams Leven te Brussel is an archive and museum dedicated to Flemish life in Brussels. It preserves and presents materials related to the Flemish community's history, culture, and presence in the bilingual Belgian capital.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Brussels
  16. Art & History Museum Art & History Museum
    22 1 hr 30 min

    Art & History Museum

    Musée Art & Histoire - Museum Kunst & Geschiedenis

    Art & History Museum, also called Musée Art & Histoire and Museum Kunst & Geschiedenis, is a major Brussels museum in Cinquantenaire Park. The monumental complex presents the city with an encyclopedic journey through art, archaeology, and material culture.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Brussels
  17. Art)&(marges Museum Art)&(marges Museum
    23 1 hr 30 min

    Art)&(marges Museum

    Art & marges musée - Art & marges museum

    Art)&(marges Museum is a Brussels museum dedicated to art brut and outsider art. It gives institutional space to self-taught artists and creative practices developed outside established academic and gallery systems.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Brussels
  18. Belgian Museum of Freemasonry Belgian Museum of Freemasonry
    24 1 hr 30 min

    Belgian Museum of Freemasonry

    Musée Belge de la Franc-Maçonnerie - Belgisch Museum van de Vrijmetselarij

    The Belgian Museum of Freemasonry occupies a historic building in Brussels dedicated to preserving and presenting the heritage of Belgian freemasonry.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Brussels
  19. Belgisch Museum voor Radiologie
    25 1 hr 30 min

    Belgisch Museum voor Radiologie

    Musée Belge de la Radiologie - Belgisch Museum voor Radiologie

    Belgisch Museum voor Radiologie, also known as Musée Belge de la Radiologie, is a Brussels museum devoted to the history of radiology and medical imaging.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Brussels
  20. Brussels City Museum Brussels City Museum
    26 1 hr 30 min

    Brussels City Museum

    Musée de la ville de Bruxelles - Museum van de Stad Brussel

    Brussels City Museum, also called Musée de la ville de Bruxelles and Museum van de Stad Brussel, introduces the history and culture of Belgium’s capital.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Brussels
  21. Brussels Comics Figurines Museum Brussels Comics Figurines Museum
    27 1 hr 30 min

    Brussels Comics Figurines Museum

    Brussels Comics Figurines Museum is a Brussels attraction devoted to comic-book figurines and related collectibles. It brings Belgian and Franco-Belgian comic culture into a three-dimensional setting, giving visitors a chance to focus on character design, sculpture and collecting.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Brussels
  22. Brussels Museum van de Geuze Brussels Museum van de Geuze
    28 1 hr 30 min

    Brussels Museum van de Geuze

    Musée Bruxellois de la Gueuze - Brussels Museum van de Geuze

    Brussels Museum van de Geuze, also known as Musée Bruxellois de la Gueuze, explores geuze and the brewing culture surrounding this distinctive Belgian beer. The museum places spontaneous fermentation and lambic traditions within Brussels’ wider food and industrial heritage.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Brussels
  23. Brussels Museum van de Molen en de Voeding Brussels Museum van de Molen en de Voeding
    29 1 hr 30 min

    Brussels Museum van de Molen en de Voeding

    Musée bruxellois du Moulin et de l'Alimentation - Brussels Museum van de Molen en de Voeding

    Brussels Museum van de Molen en de Voeding, or Musée bruxellois du Moulin et de l’Alimentation, brings together the history of milling and the wider story of food.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Brussels
  24. Brussels Urban Transport Museum Brussels Urban Transport Museum
    30 1 hr 30 min

    Brussels Urban Transport Museum

    Musée du Tram - Trammuseum

    The Brussels Urban Transport Museum, locally called Musée du Tram or Trammuseum, preserves the history of public transport in Belgium’s capital. Its central subject is the tram: the vehicles, infrastructure and working world that carried people through Brussels over time.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Brussels
  25. Camille Lemonnier Museum Camille Lemonnier Museum
    31 1 hr 30 min

    Camille Lemonnier Museum

    Musée Camille Lemonnier - Camille Lemonnier Museum

    Camille Lemonnier Museum is a literary museum in Brussels devoted to Belgian writer Camille Lemonnier. It presents his life and work in a historic setting connected with his legacy.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Brussels

Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·

Common questions

How long should a first trip to Belgium be?

Five to seven days covers Brussels plus two or three rail-linked cities such as Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, Leuven or Liège. Staying in one or two bases avoids losing time to repeated hotel changes in this compact network.

What entry documents are needed for Belgium?

Belgium’s foreign-affairs service publishes visa and short-stay requirements. Check the rule for the passport being used and the full Schengen itinerary, especially when Belgium is not the first external border crossed.

What is the best way to travel around Belgium?

Brussels Airport connects directly with Belgium’s national rail network, and intercity trains link the principal cities without compulsory reservations. Local buses, trams and metros belong to separate regional operators, so one urban ticket is not automatically valid nationwide.

When is a practical time to visit Belgium?

April through June offers long sightseeing days, while September usually retains workable conditions with fewer peak-summer pressures. Belgian weather remains changeable, making a waterproof layer useful in any of these months.

What money and payment basics apply in Belgium?

The euro (EUR) is Belgium’s currency. Card and cash acceptance can differ between a station machine, a market stall and a small business, so retain a second payment method rather than assuming one card will work everywhere.

What practical safety details should I save for Belgium?

Belgium uses 112 for emergencies and Type C or E plugs at 230 V. The recorded national guidance says mains tap water is safe.