hide random home http://www.cs.bilkent.edu.tr/~pf/travel/belgium.misc (PC Press Internet CD, 03/1996)
BELGIUM COMPILATION 9 June 1995 Contents [1] On-line Information [1-1] CIA World Factbook [1-2] US State Department Travel Advisory [1-3] Frequently-Asked-Question (FAQ) Lists [1-4] Trip Reports [1-5] Newsgroups and Mailing-Lists [1-6] Other Internet Services [2] Guidebooks [2-1] Cadogan Guide [2-2] Lonely Planet Guides [3] Threads on the "rec.travel.europe" Newsgroup [3-1] Namur [3-2] Cycling Please drop me a line when you've downloaded this compilation, so that I may estimate how many people use this service. The (more frequently updated) original of this compilation is at: http://www.cs.bilkent.edu.tr/~pf/travel/belgium.misc [Turkey] Comments and suggestions are welcome! Happy traveling in Belgium, -- Pierre Flener, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Department of Computer Engineering Email: pf@cs.bilkent.edu.tr and Information Science http: //www.cs.bilkent.edu.tr/~pf/pf.html Faculty of Engineering Voice: +90 / 312 / 266-4000 x1450 Bilkent University (GMT+2) +90 / 312 / 266-5031 (home) 06533 Bilkent, Ankara, Turkey Fax: +90 / 312 / 266-4126 ======================================================================== [1] On-Line Information [1-1] CIA World Factbook The CIA World Factbook includes such things as population statistics, info about a country's government (names of heads of state, and so on), economy, addresses of U.S. embassies, and more, for many countries. Very interesting! The information on Belgium is available as follows: http://www.ic.gov/94fact/country/26.html [USA] The information is not necessarily up-to-date, though. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1-2] US State Department Travel Advisory The latest travel advisory for US-citizens wishing to visit Belgium is available as follows: ftp://ftp.stolaf.edu/pub/travel-advisories/advisories/belgium http://www.stolaf.edu/network/travel-advisories.html [USA] Such travel advisories are regularly issued by the US State Department. As you can imagine, this information is mostly relevant to US-citizens, but it gives an up-to-date estimate of the current political/economical/ ... climate in Belgium. Here follows the most recent advisory that I bothered to download (in October 1994): STATE DEPARTMENT TRAVEL INFORMATION - Belgium ============================================================ Belgium - Consular Information Sheet May 19, 1994 Country Description: Belgium is a highly developed and stable democracy with a modern economy. Tourist facilities are widely available. Entry Requirements: A passport is required. A visa is not required of American citizens for business or tourist stays up to 90 days. For furtherinformation concerning entry requirements for Belgium, travelers can contact the Embassy of Belgium at 3330 Garfield Street N.W., Washington D.C. 20008, tel (202) 333-6900, or the nearest Consulate General in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, or New York. Medical Information: Medical facilities are widely available. U.S. medical insurance is not always valid outside the United States. Travelers have found that in some cases, supplemental medical insurance with specific overseas coverage has proved to be useful. Information on specific health matters is available through the Center for Disease Control's hotline for international travelers at (404) 332-4559. Crime Information: Belgium has a relatively low crime rate in most regions, but U.S. citizens visiting major cities can become targets for pickpockets and purse snatchers, especially while traveling by metro (subway) and at tourist attractions. Theft of and from vehicles is the most common crime in Belgium, and the usual precautions apply. The two largest cities, Brussels and Antwerp, both have areas best avoided by the prudent traveler and resident, particularly at night, because it is in these areas that the majority of crimes involving violence occur. In Brussels, the areas around the Botanical Gardens and the Westward Arc between the North and Midi train stations all have high incidences of crime. Additionally, Rogier and De Brouckere metro stations should be used with caution. In Antwerp, the area behind the central train station including Statiesstraat, Breydelstraat and Deconinck Plein, as well as the Borgerhout District, are places to avoid. Although increased police surveillance has reduced petty crime around metro and train stations by about 40 percent over the past year, U.S. citizens should continue to be especially alert in these locales. Crime victims themselves must make the report to the police as third party notification of a crime is not accepted. As the police have a high recovery rate for stolen property, victims are encouraged to report all crimes. Belgian law requires that everyone carry some form of official identification with them at all times which must be displayed upon request to any police official. A U.S. passport will suffice for this requirement, and the police are almost always satisfied if they see a photocopy of the information page of the passport. The loss or theft abroad of a U.S. passport should be reported immediately to the local police and the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. U.S. citizens can refer to the Department of State's pamphlet "A Safe Trip Abroad" for ways to promote a more trouble-free journey. The pamphlet is available from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington D.C. 20402. Drug Penalties: U.S. citizens are subject to the laws of the country in which they are traveling. In Belgium, the penalties for possession, use, or dealing in illegal drugs are strict, and convicted offenders can expect jail sentences and fines. Registration: U.S. citizens who register in the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy can obtain updated information on travel and security in Belgium. The U.S. Embassy in Brussels is located at 27 Boulevard du Regent, telephone (32-2) 513-3830. No. 94-081 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1-3] Frequently-Asked-Questions (FAQ) Lists Currently (June 1995), there is *no* FAQ on Belgium that I know of; but see the first item in section [1-6]! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1-4] Trip Reports Currently (June 1995), there are two trip reports on the rec.travel archives: http://www.digimark.net/rec-travel/europe/belgium/benelux-trip.e_leeper.html http://www.digimark.net/rec-travel/europe/belgium/benelux-trip.m_leeper.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1-5] Newsgroups and Mailing Lists + There is a newsgroup, namely "soc.culture.belgium", with continuous/ exclusive coverage of Belgian culture, politics, economics, history, sports, and so on. + The newsgroup "clari.world.europe.benelux" regularly features news about Belgium. + The "rec.travel.europe" and the "bit.listserv.travel-l" newsgroups periodically have threads about Belgium: see section [3] of this compilation for an edited and annotated "Best-of". + The same holds for the TRAVEL-L bitnet mailing list. A bitnet mailing list similar in goals to rec.travel. To subscribe, send a mail message to listserv@trearn.bitnet consisting of the line: "subscribe travel-l firstname lastname". ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1-6] Other Internet Services Truly excellent home-pages on Belgium are at: http://www.iihe.ac.be/hep/pp/evrard/travel.html [Belgium] http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/BelgCul.html [Belgium] Lonely Planet Publications have very valuable and very recent feedback from travelers (but no general information yet, as of May 1995): http://www.lonelyplanet.com/letters/eur_pc.htm#belg [USA?] City Net Express has more pointers (including city information): http://www.city.net/countries/belgium/ [USA] GNN Travelers' Center has some information on Brussels: http://nearnet.gnn.com/gnn/bus/wview/cityhigh/ch1bru.html [USA] David Koblas' "Currency Converter" allows you to find out the current exchange rates of the Belgian Frank (BEF) vs. major and some minor currencies: http://www.ora.com/cgi-bin/ora/currency?Belgium [USA] Rick Bronson's "Tourism Offices Worldwide Directory", at: http://www.mbnet.mb.ca/lucas/travel/tourism-offices.html [Canada] listed the following addresses when I last checked (in October 1994): Belgium / Belgian Tourist Information Bureau Town Hall of Brussels, Grand Place, Brussels 1000, Belgium +32-2-5138940 FAX +32-2-5144538 Belgium / Antwerp City Tourist Office Grote Markt 15, Antwerp, B-2000, Belgium +32-3-2320103 FAX +32-3-2251013 Belgium / Belgian Tourist Office P.O. Box 760, Station NDG, Montreal, QC H4A 3S2 +1-514-484-3594 Belgium / Belgian Tourist Office 745 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10151 +1-212-758-8130 FAX +1-212-355-7675 Many other travel-related (in general) resources are accessible via: + the rec.travel archives: http://www.digimark.net/rec-travel/ [USA/MD] ftp://ftp.digimark.net/pub/rec-travel/ [USA/MD] or their mirror sites (select the closest for better network performance): http://www.solutions.net/rec-travel/ [Canada] ftp://www.solutions.net/ [Canada] ftp://ftp.nus.sg/pub/misc/travel/ [Singapore] http://www.nectec.or.th/rec-travel/index.html [Thailand] ftp://ftp.nectec.or.th/pub/mirrors/rec-travel/ [Thailand] + Lonely Planet Publications: http://www.lonelyplanet.com [USA?] + GNN Travelers' Center: http://nearnet.gnn.com/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [USA] or its mirror sites (select the closest for better network performance): http://bond.edu.au/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [Australia] http://www.wimsey.com/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [Canada] http://quasar.sba.dal.ca:2000/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [Canada] http://www.germany.eu.net:8000/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [Germany] http://www.iol.ie/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [Ireland] http://www.ntt.jp/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [Japan] http://www.elvis.msk.su/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [Russia] http://src.doc.ic.ac.uk/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [UK] http://www.digital.com/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [USA/CA] http://gnn.interpath.net/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [USA/NC] + City Net Express and The Virtual Tourist II: http://www.city.net/ [USA] http://wings.buffalo.edu/world/vt2/ [USA] + Going Places: http://travel.gpnet.com/ [USA] + TravelASSIST: http://travelassist.com/ [USA] ======================================================================== [2] Guidebooks [2-1] Rough/Real Guide + Martin Dunford, Jack Holland, and Phil Lee The Rough Guide - Holland, Belgium & Luxembourg Harrap Columbus, ??? (UK), 1990 ISBN ??? UK# ??? xxx pages available in North-America as: + Martin Dunford, Jack Holland, and Phil Lee The Real Guide - Holland, Belgium & Luxembourg Prentice-Hall Press, New York (NY, USA), 1990 ISBN ??? US$ ??? xxx pages Good coverage. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2-2] Lonely Planet Guides + ??? Western Europe on a Shoestring Lonely Planet Publishers, Victoria (Australia), 199x (1st edition) ISBN ??? UK# 14.95 ??? pages, ?? maps, ?? color photos + ??? Western Europe Phrasebook Lonely Planet Publishers, Victoria (Australia), 199x ISBN ??? UK# 3.95 ??? pages I haven't read these. ======================================================================== [3] Threads on the "rec.travel.europe" Newsgroup [Editor's note: I considerably edited the following threads so as to keep them short and informative (and spell/grammar-checked). I also annotated them whenever I don't agree with other people, or have updates to what they wrote. Sometimes, I also include private followup email conversations I had with readers.] [3-1] Namur From: pf@info.ucl.ac.be (Pierre Flener) Newsgroup: rec.travel Subject: Re: what to do in Namur (Belgium)? Date: March 1991 Namur is a lovely little town at the junction of the Meuse and Sambre rivers, and is the gateway to the Ardennes (Bulge) if you move there from the North. Its life is heavily influenced by the 4,200+ student body of its renowned university during the academic year, and by tourists in summer who admire the fortifications of the "Citadelle". Recently, Namur has been voted the capital city of French speaking Belgium; the incoming flux of employees entailed considerable renovations & modernizations. Namur is also well-known for its hosting the second-last leg of the moto-cross world championships (early August, on the "Citadelle") and the "Fetes de Wallonie" in early September. Other sports events ("Rallye de Wallonie", "La Mosane" [jogging along the Meuse], "Triathlon de Namur", ...), cultural events (many art galleries, concerts, ...) and student activities attract large crowds to Namur. If I were to spend 1 day there, or in the surrounding area (which I have thoroughly explored with my bike), I would do the following: - if it rains, then I'd stay in the city and have a stroll around the fortifications of the "Citadelle"; - otherwise, I'd take a train (every 60 minutes) to Dinant and get out somewhere to hike through the hills (Yvoir, Mont Godinne, Dinant, Profondeville (close to the "7 Meuses" viewpoint), ... are good choices); probably the best thing to do is to rent a bike at the RW station and ride through the country. For Namur: + there is a tourist-info office inside the RW-station and another one 200m to its left: they'll provide you with free maps and plenty of advice; + have a look at the forteress (completely free of charge) in the morning: either take the cable-car (expensive!) or climb up on one of the numerous paths (~15 minutes); you'll have a wonderful sight over the whole area once on top; err thru the many narrow tunnels in the fortifications; admire the sinuous "Route Merveilleuse", a cobblestoned road winding up the hill; + eat somewhere downtown: follow the students between noon and 1pm; + rent a bike at the RW-station for the afternoon, and cycle up-stream on the right border of the Meuse as far as you can without dying on the return trip (it is 28 km until Dinant), cross the river on one of the bridges and cycle back on the left border; it is not exactly flat country, but still at a beginner's level; don't forget to account for the wind if it will blow into your face during the return trip! If you are in good shape, you might make it all the way to Dinant and back in 4-5 hours, including rests. + last, but not least: have dinner somewhere, and THEN enjoy the good Belgian beer on the "Vieux Marche" square (a well-hidden, unexpected place surrounded by pubs, right in the middle of the cobble-stoned part of downtown-Namur), which is very, repeat: very, pleasant during hot evenings. May I recommend "Orval", "Gueuze Framboise", "Grimbergen", "Fruit Defendu"? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [3-2] Cycling From: pf@cs.duke.edu (Pierre Flener) To: Some.Body@Some.Where (name withheld) Subject: Re: Bicycling in Belgium Date: April 1991 + taking a bike on the train is kind of expensive; always show a ticket for the same destination than your bike, otherwise your bike is considered un-accompanied freight, and the fare will be even worse; + the weather can be anything between beautiful sunshine and rain, but it will be hot enough for cycling and camping; plan your journey such that your prospective camping-site is close to a Youth Hostel, so that you can sleep there in case of lousy weather; "wild" camping is forbidden, so be extremely careful to be well-hidden; but campings are not too expensive; + interesting cities in Belgium are Brussels, Brugge, Gent, Antwerp, Namur, Dinant, Durbuy, Han-sur-Lesse, La Roche en Ardennes, Bouillon, Bastogne, Spa, Malmedy, ... These are mostly small towns with medieval castles/forteresses situated in a cyclist's paradise: the Ardennes (Bulge); the nature is unspoiled, and you'll endulge in your favorite sport on lonely roads in a spectacular countryscape; be in good shape, but the hills are not too high. I strongly recommend you buy the Michelin maps for Belgium [the yellow ones with the scale 1cm=2km]: they are made for drivers, but very helpful for cyclists as well, in the sense that: + everything useful is on them (all villages & roads); + uphill & downhill parts of roads are shown and expressed in % (!); + scenic roads (usually the yellow ones) are marked by a green border: USE THESE ROADS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, since in addition they are not heavily used by motor-vehicles; STAY CLEAR OF THE RED ROADS. I think the entire area south of the Meuse/Maas river is outstanding, but you can also venture into Luxembourg, Germany, or France. Youth Hostels are all over. They are all equally good, I think, and well-situated. Staying far away from civilization will be difficult: I don't think there is any point in Belgium where you are more than 5 miles away from any village or lonely farm. Campings are literally everywhere. I think you can plan on 80-100 miles/day, at least if you plan on riding the valleys as much as possible, and only go uphills when you change valleys. Watch out for rivers on the map: there usually are very scenic roads along them, and they get you over the whole place Other scenic roads in the Belgian Ardennes are: Liege-Vielsalm [along the Ourthe, Ambleve & Salm rivers]; Namur-Dinant-... [along the right border of the Meuse/Maas river]; and many more. If you feel like hill-climbing, try the following roads: Malmedy-Signal de Botrange-Eupen [will get you to the highest elevation in the BeNeLux: 700m]; Verviers-Spa-Remouchamps; Dinant-Libramont/St.Hubert-Habay-Arlon; or any other across-the-valley-structure roads! ========================================================================