Bonjour
bawn-ZHOOR
Hello, good day
Greeting anyone during the day, and always when you walk into a shop
Travel guide
Learn Belgium before you go
A small kingdom at the crossroads of Europe, with medieval market squares, three official languages, world-famous chocolate and a beer for every occasion.
CapitalBrussels
CurrencyEuro (€), since 2002. Before that, the Belgian franc
Official languagesDutch, French and German
Drives on theRight
Calling code+32
10 phrases to learn
Capital letters show the stressed part. Tap the heart to practise a phrase later.
Bonsoir
bawn-SWAHR
Good evening
Greeting someone in the evening
Bonne nuit
bon NWEE
Good night
Saying goodnight before bed
Au revoir
oh ruh-VWAHR
Goodbye
Leaving a shop, a café or people you don't know well
Salut
sah-LUU
Hi, or bye (informal)
With friends and family
Comment allez-vous ?
koh-mahn tah-lay VOO
How are you? (polite)
Asking an older person or a stranger how they are
Bien, merci
byang, merr-SEE
Fine, thank you
Answering 'How are you?'
Enchanté
ahn-shahn-TAY
Nice to meet you
Meeting someone for the first time (a woman writes enchantée)
S'il vous plaît
seel voo PLEH
Please
Asking for anything politely
Merci
merr-SEE
Thank you
Thanking anyone
At the table
- Before a meal, Dutch speakers say 'Smakelijk' and French speakers 'Bon appétit' (enjoy your meal).
- When glasses are raised, French speakers say 'Santé!' (cheers).
- Each Belgian beer is served in its own glass, and bars take care to use the right one.
- Fries are traditionally eaten with mayonnaise, not ketchup, often from a paper cone with the sauce on top.
- With mussels, the fries come in a separate bowl so that they stay crisp.
Local tips
Mind the language
Language is a sensitive subject in Belgium. Dutch is the language of Flanders in the north and French of Wallonia in the south, while Brussels is officially bilingual but mostly French-speaking. English is widely spoken in Flanders and in tourist areas of Brussels, but less so in Wallonia, where a few words of French help.
Emergency number: 112
Dial 112 for police, fire or ambulance. It is free and works across the European Union, and operators can help in English.
Priority to the right
Belgians drive on the right. At crossroads with no signs or markings, traffic coming from the right has priority, even from a small side street, so drive carefully in towns. Speed cameras are common, and using a phone while driving is illegal unless it is hands-free.
Low emission zones
Brussels, Ghent and Antwerp have low emission zones. If you bring your own car, register it on each city's website before you drive in.
Tipping is optional
Service is normally included in the bill in Belgium, so a tip is not expected. Rounding up or leaving a little extra is a friendly way to say you were happy.
Carry your passport and watch your bag
UK travel advice says visitors must carry their passport at all times. Pickpockets work in crowded places, including Brussels-Midi station and international trains to Paris and Amsterdam.
Train discount for over-65s
The train is the easiest way to see Belgium's cities. Travellers aged 65 and over get 40% off the standard fare on Belgian trains, at any time of day. Buy your ticket before you board, at the station, from a machine or in the SNCB app, because tickets bought on the train cost more.
Dishes to try
- Mussels with fries (moules-frites or mosselen met friet): A big pot of mussels steamed with onions or shallots and celery, often with white wine or beer, served with a separate bowl of crisp fries so that they do not go soggy. It is often called Belgium's national dish.
- Belgian fries (frites or frieten): Thick potato fries fried twice, first at a lower heat to cook them through and then hotter to make them crisp. They are sold at fry shacks called friteries or frietkoten, in a paper cone with a spoonful of mayonnaise or one of more than a dozen other sauces on top.
- Flemish beef and beer stew (carbonade flamande, stoofvlees or stoverij): Beef slowly stewed with onions in a dark Flemish beer, thickened with a slice of bread spread with mustard. A little brown sugar and vinegar give the sauce a gentle sweet and sour taste. It is served with fries, boiled potatoes or stoemp.
- Ghent waterzooi (Gentse waterzooi): A creamy soup-stew of chicken or fish with carrots, leeks, celery and potatoes, enriched at the end with cream and egg yolk.
- Endive with ham and cheese sauce (chicons au gratin or gegratineerd witloof): Heads of Belgian endive, each wrapped in a slice of ham, baked under a cheese sauce until golden. The slightly bitter endive and the rich sauce make a classic winter dish.
- Stoemp (stoemp): Potatoes mashed together with one or more vegetables such as carrots, leeks, spinach or cabbage, often with a little cream or bacon. It is served with sausages, bacon or a fried egg.
- Grey shrimp croquettes (croquettes aux crevettes or garnaalkroketten): Crisp breaded croquettes with a thick, creamy béchamel filling full of small North Sea grey shrimp, served with a slice of lemon and fried parsley.
- Liège meatballs (boulets à la liégeoise): One or two large meatballs in a sweet and sour brown sauce called sauce lapin, made with sirop de Liège, a thick fruit syrup, onions, vinegar and raisins. They are served with fries.
Cities to see
- Brussels (capital): The Grand-Place, Manneken Pis and the Atomium, Art Nouveau houses and comic strips.
- Antwerp: The diamond trade, The Cathedral of Our Lady, The painter Rubens and the 1920 Olympic Games.
- Ghent: The Gravensteen castle, The Ghent Altarpiece by the Van Eyck brothers, The ten-day Gentse Feesten festival.
- Bruges: The Belfry on the Markt, Canals and lace, The Procession of the Holy Blood.
- Liège: The 374 steps of the Montagne de Bueren, Liège waffles and boulets, The 15 August street festival.
- Namur: The Citadel of Namur, Its belfry, a UNESCO site, Jousting on stilts.