Belgium

Belgium balances historic beauty and modern edge in a way few places do. Gothic cathedrals rise above cobbled squares, while bold architecture and design push cities like Antwerp and Ghent forward. It’s a country where beer is brewed by monks, meals stretch for hours, and every corner seems to hold a piece of Europe’s layered past.

a storefront with a display full of shelves of bottled beers in Ghent, Belgium.

Taste local brews in Ghent, Belgium, on Avalon’s beer-themed river cruise.

Katrina Eglite/Unsplash

Overview

Planning your trip

Use these articles, resources, and guides to plan and inspire your next trip to Belgium.

READ BEFORE YOU GO
Virgin Group has laid the groundwork for its latest travel endeavor: high-speed rail that will operate from London to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam, and compete directly with Eurostar.
RESOURCES TO HELP PLAN YOUR TRIP
With their historical significance and elaborate architecture and design, these handsome buildings are destinations in themselves.
Here’s where to get into the holiday spirit across Europe with Christmas markets, skating rinks, and festive food and drink.
Afar’s team roamed wide in 2024. These were our favorite spots from a year of exploring.
Expect to find much more than pommes frites, moules, and Brussels sprouts at the restaurants and bistros of Brussels. Belgian cuisine picks up traditions from the tables of its neighbors, France and Germany, as well as reflecting the cuisines of its international population and the bounty of local farms, ocean, and gardens.
The route will begin with Brussels–Amsterdam–Berlin service and will extend to Dresden and Prague in 2024.
Canada opened to vaccinated Americans in August, and numerous European countries changed their entry requirements in September. Here’s the complete list.
You wouldn’t expect a tiny country like Belgium to have thousands of festivals, every single year. But Belgian’s love an excuse to party and whether that excuse is food, drink, history, nature, music, or the downright quirky, there is a festival here for everyone.
Perhaps you don’t have all day to spend combing the extensive collections of the major museums. That’s OK, because Brussels has bite-sized cultural attractions, too.
Belgium’s Royal Family may not be well-known outside the country, but over the years they have influenced the look of Brussels. You can drive by the Royal Residence and maybe catch a glimpse of the current King and Queen—or peek inside the Royal Place during the summer months. Here are places around Brussels to see the impact of the Belgian Royals.
Charming any time of year, Brussels’ arcades and shopping streets offer top designer boutiques, whimsical gifts, or that perfect vintage treasure. Brussels may be known for diamonds, but you can find everything here: designer fashions, trendy vintage clothes, housewares, gifts for gourmets, and so much more.