27 Interesting & Fun Facts About Belgium (That You Probably Didn’t Know)
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Belgium is an interesting country that’s been shaped by many different influences. Best known in the world for its waffles, chocolate, and beer, Belgium is as fascinating and as diverse as its food and drinks!
In this article, I want to show you a lighter, fun side of this beautiful country that I now call home. Some interesting facts and fun things that you probably didn’t know about Belgium.
So here are some of the typical things that make Belgium unique. Things that Belgium is famous for, but also some weird facts that you probably never heard of. Some of these facts and habits might seem very strange at first sight, but once you get to know and love this country, you cannot imagine it any other way.
Scroll down to learn more about Belgium and the Belgians!
READ ALSO: Belgium Travel Guide
In random order, here are all kinds of fun and interesting facts about Belgium:
1. Belgium can function without a government
Belgium is a constitutional monarchy. We have a King and 6 governments – a federal government and 5 regional governments. Belgium has proven time and again that the country can function without a federal government.
Once, it took 589 days for a government to be formed and people found it totally acceptable. Some things just take time, they say. Others argue that it is actually even better this way because we don’t have any new tax increases during the period that it takes to form a government.
Update: During the most recent government formation in 2019-2020, Belgium broke its own previous world record. This time, it took 652 days for a federal government to be formed in Belgium.
The reason for this is that political views are very different in Flanders and Wallonia. So the political parties that get the majority of votes in one region don’t necessarily have a related counterpart in another region.
2. There is no Belgian language
Belgium has three official languages and none of them is called Belgian. People speak Dutch, French, and German in different parts of the country.
In the Dutch-speaking schools, kids start to learn French in the 5th grade at the latest. So the majority of Flemish people also speak French. Whereas the schools in Wallonia don’t have obligatory lessons of Dutch, so very few French-speaking people from Wallonia can communicate in Dutch.
Most Flemish people also speak English. Kids often learn English from the TV long before they learn it at school. It’s not the case in the French-speaking part of the country because all their TV programs are dubbed.
How do you say ‘hello’ in Belgium? As already mentioned, Belgium doesn’t have one single language. If you want to say ‘hello’ or ‘good day’ in French, you say ‘salut’ or ‘bonjour’. In Dutch – ‘hallo’ or ‘goedendag’.
How do you say ‘thank you’ in Belgium? If you want to say ‘thank you’ in Belgium, you say ‘merci’ (French) or ‘dank je/ dank u wel’ (Dutch).
3. Belgians are crazy about football
Belgium’s football team is called the Red Devils and the whole country colors red when there are any major football events. When this article was first published, the Belgian national team was number 1 in the world on the FIFA ranking and the country was as united as never before.
Football (soccer) is the only thing that can unite all Belgians and make them forget all the differences and disagreements, even if for a short while.
During any major football events, you’ll see people wearing all kinds of football-related accessories, cars are decorated with flags and devil horns, and you can see Belgian flags hanging out of the windows all over the place.
4. There are tens of different types of Belgian waffles
You can find more than 30 types of different waffles in an average Belgian supermarket (yes, I counted). But most Belgian waffles in Belgium don’t taste anything like Belgian waffles in the U.S.
The two most popular types of waffles that you’ll find for sale at tourist places are Brussels waffles and Liege waffles. The Brussels waffles are airier and not as sweet, whereas the Liege waffles are very thick, rich, and full of pearl sugar.
The ‘Belgian waffles’ that you find abroad are usually somewhat similar to the Brussels waffles.
5. Belgians are a bit snobbish about chocolate
As far as Belgians are concerned, Belgium has the world’s best chocolate. And even I’m an ‘adopted’ Belgian, I have to agree with them on this one.
Giving foreign chocolate as a present might be taken as an insult by Belgians. After all, they are the ones who have the very best chocolate in the world.
The truth is that Belgian chocolate is very good; much too good actually, and they are absolutely right to be proud of it.
6. Belgian national symbol is a peeing boy
The Belgian national symbol is a peeing boy, Manneken Pis of Brussels. Or is it just the symbol of Brussels? Nobody will be able to tell you this anymore, because the little fellow is an inseparable part of the country!
The bronze statue dates from the 17th century, but according to archives, there was a similar fountain here in the 14th century already.
Usually, he is not dressed and foreigners always find it amusing. But the little guy also has hundreds of different costumes for all kinds of occasions and somebody takes the trouble of changing his clothes two to three times a week.
If you are interested, you can learn all bout Manneken Pis and see a part of his impressive wardrobe at the GardeRobe MannekenPis Museum in Brussels.
Interesting to know: According to a legend, a boy stopped a fire from spreading in Brussels by peeing on it. The city was saved and the little peeing boy became its symbol. However, this is just one of the many legends and the reality is probably quite different – you can read all about it via the link below!
LEARN MORE: The Story of Manneken Pis in Brussels
7. Belgium is the land of music festivals and parades
Belgium has some of the best music festivals in the world. Tomorrowland, Rock Werchter, I Love Techno – these are just a few examples of music festivals attracting thousands of people from all over the world.
In addition, Belgians love parades. There are so many traditional parades all over the country! Some of them happen every year, but there are also traditional historic or religious parades that only take place every so many years.
We have the annual Aalst Carnival parade, the triennial Cat Parade in Ypres, the septennial Lady Virga Jesse parade in Hasselt, the Horse Bayard of Dendermonde that takes place every 10 years, and many, many others.
Especially in summer, Belgium turns into one huge festival terrain. There’s always music and so many fun events everywhere you go.
8. Belgians invented the ‘French’ fries
Belgians say that they invented French fries. And to give them credit, the fries in Belgium are indeed better than in France (or anywhere else for that matter).
You can find the world’s best fries at no more than 5 minutes driving distance from pretty much anywhere in the country. Every little village has at least one ‘fritkot’ – a kiosk or a van serving Belgian fries.
You probably heard that Belgians eat fries with mayo. As strange as it might sound, it’s absolutely delicious! It has become my absolute favorite Belgian food and it wouldn’t occur to me to eat fries with ketchup ever again.
9. There are over 1000 different types of beer brewed in Belgium
You can drink a Belgian beer every day for 4 years and never have the same beer twice.
There is some uncertainty about the exact number of different Belgian beers. But according to most sources, there are at least 1,000-1,200 original Belgian beers brewed in Belgium.
On top of that, there are many different types of beers under the same name. That explains why you can find a café that serves more than 1,700 different Belgian beers in Brussels (look for Café Délirium).
10. Every Belgian beer has a matching glass
Every single Belgian beer has its own special glass. I have difficulties imagining how a café can store over 1,000 different kinds of Belgian beer with their matching glasses, but somehow they do.
We are just an average half-Belgian family and our basement is filled with all kinds of different beer glasses. We hardly ever use most of them, but – to my Belgian husband – it would be unthinkable to serve a beer in the wrong glass.
So we have all kinds of different glasses that match my husband’s favorite beer types.
11. Smurfs come from Belgium
Belgium is world-known for comic strips. The most famous are probably the Smurfs, Tintin, and Lucky Luke.
There are more than 800 registered Belgian comic series!
Pretty much everyone I know here in Belgium owns hundreds of comic strip books. It’s one of the first books that our kids started to read and it’s also the first thing they always look for at a school library.
12. Belgian highways are lit at night
Belgium’s highways are lit at night. I am so used to it by now that I only understand how spoiled we are when they switch the lights off or when we travel to other countries.
As I’m updating this article, I have to say that these days, some parts of the highways remain dark during the least busy hours of the night. However, most Belgians find that it’s too dangerous and don’t agree with these ‘savings’.
READ ALSO: Is Belgium Safe?
13. Belgians love to talk about the weather
You can make friends in Belgium just by talking about the weather. Really. Belgians are obsessed with the weather and so you always have an easy conversation topic available.
Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t rain all the time in Belgium, but we do get a fair bit of rain. In any case, enough to give us something to talk about. And if we get an exceptionally dry year, as it’s happening more and more recently, there’s just so much more to discuss…
So if you meet a Belgian for the first time and are looking for a way to start the conversation, just say something about the weather.
READ ALSO: What It’s Like to Visit Belgium in Winter
14. Belgians love to cook (& to eat)
Cooking books top book bestsellers lists in Belgium for years. Belgians love to cook. And to eat. Belgians love the Burgundian lifestyle, fine food, and drinks.
If you are going for dinner at a restaurant in Belgium, count at least 2-3 hours. Nobody likes to rush through dinner and restaurants don’t even expect to seat tables more than once in the same evening.
15. Belgians love to shop
Belgian favorite pastime is shopping or going to the seaside. An ideal weekend is spent in Knokke, the posh seaside resort with many luxury boutiques on the Belgian coast.
Come weekend and Belgians flock to shopping malls and seaside resorts. If you don’t like the crowds, stay away from these places on weekends and public holidays.
16. Every Belgian wants to own a house
Belgians say that they are ‘born with a brick in their stomach’. All self-respecting Belgians try to buy or build a house as soon as they can.
17. Belgians dream of a B&B in Southern Europe
The ultimate Belgian dream is to retire at 50 and run a B&B in the South of Europe. Many Belgians move to Provence in southern France or to Spain, buy a house, turn it into a small B&B, and only come back to Belgium when they need some serious medical care.
18. Legal drinking age in Belgium is 16
Yes, you read this right. In Belgium, you are allowed to drink alcoholic beverages from the age of 16.
However, this only applies to ‘light’ drinks such as beer, wine, or champagne. For strong drinks, you have to be at least 18 years old.
19. Money topics are taboo
Belgians are pretty open and will talk about pretty much anything, except money. Children usually don’t have the slightest idea of what their parents earn.
If there is one money topic that Belgians love to talk (complain) about, it’s taxes. And there’s a good reason for that – see below.
20. Belgium has some of the highest tax rates in the world
Belgium has one of the highest personal income tax rates in the world. If you earn more than 13,250 EUR per year, you pay 40% tax. From about 40,000 EUR per year, income tax is 50%.
In addition, you have to pay social security taxes of 13.07% and communal taxes that, depending on where you live, can be as high as 9-10%.
So it’s not uncommon for Belgians to pay 60-65% tax on their income.
21. Belgians make flower carpets
Belgians make carpets from flowers and they are really good at it.
If you visit Brussels in mid-August on the even years, don’t miss the Brussels Flower Carpet!
22. Santa Claus doesn’t come to Belgium
Belgian children don’t get their presents from Santa Claus, but from Sinterklaas or St. Nicholas. He comes by boat from Spain around mid-November, takes a tour of schools and shopping malls in the following weeks, and brings presents to all the ‘good’ kids on the 6th of December.
Sinterklaas travels on a white horse and with the help of Black Peters enters the houses via the chimney. Kids put their shoes at the fireplace on the evening of December 5. They also leave some carrots and sugar for the horse and drawings for Sinterklaas.
Here you can read more about the Sinterklaas celebration in Belgium.
23. Belgium has the world’s smallest city
Belgium has some beautiful historic cities, like Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, or Leuven. In addition, we have many smaller towns, but there is one that Belgians are particularly proud of – Durbuy.
Durbuy prides itself on being ‘the smallest city in the world’. It’s not really a city, rather a very small (and picturesque) town, with a population of just about 500 people.
However, Durbuy’s location and position were pretty significant in the past. In the early 14th century, the Count of Luxembourg gave the town the rank of the city.
24. Belgians co-invented the World Wide Web
When talking about the things that Belgium is famous for, people often forget that we have great universities and lots of scientists in Belgium. Here’s just one example – the invention of the World Wide Web (www).
Belgian computer scientist Robert Cailliau together with his English colleague Berners-Lee, invented the hypertext system for accessing documentation, which eventually led to the creation of the World Wide Web.
Can you imagine that? There would be no internet without Belgians. 🙂
25. You have to pay to use a bathroom in Belgium
One of the things I just can’t get used to here in Belgium is that you have to pay when you want to use a bathroom. Most bathrooms at shopping centers, petrol stations, cinemas, etc. now charge 0.5-1 EUR for a visit.
Often, you also have to pay for bathrooms at restaurants, especially in busy places in city centers. Luckily, most of them make an exception for their customers.
So it’s always a good idea to carry some small change in your pocket in Belgium.
26. Saxophone was invented by a Belgian
Did you know that the saxophone was invented by a Belgian named Adolphe Sax? He was born in the small city of Dinant and if you visit the city today, you’ll see saxophones everywhere.
Also some of the world’s most famous painters were Belgian: Rubens, Ensor, Magritte, Delvaux, van Eyck… to name just a few.
27. Belgian cities often have two different names
Belgium is multicultural and multilingual to its core and you will notice it in all kinds of details every single day. I’m not even talking about tens of different nationalities living together, this is about Belgium and Belgians.
Here is my favorite example and something that took me many years to get used to – the same city will have different names in Flemish, Walloon, or German-speaking parts of the country.
So Belgium is a place where it’s very easy to get confused and lost while driving around. Don’t look for ‘Liege’ road signs if you are on a highway in Antwerp, because the sign will say ‘Luik’. And when you finally manage to get to Liege, you will need to look for ‘Anvers’ in order to find your way back to Antwerp.
I still remember the first time I got lost in Belgium (this was before the times of GPS). I had a map with me, but road signs were pointing to places that were not on the map. I ended up driving around for several hours.
I remember asking people for directions and they looked at me as if I was from another planet. I was asking for directions to Mons while the signs were showing ‘Bergen’ and it was less than 30 minutes drive from where I was! It took me several weeks to realize that Gent is actually the same place as Gand.
Here are some examples of Belgian town names (some translations are quite similar, but some don’t even resemble the original):
- Bruxelles = Brussel = Brussels
- Antwerpen = Anvers = Antwerp
- Gent = Gand = Ghent
- Mons = Bergen
- Tournai = Doornik
- Mechelen = Malines
- Kortrijk = Courtrai
- Namur = Namen
- Ieper = Ypres
- De Haan = Le Coq
- Braine-l’Alleud = Eigenbrakel
- Jezus Eik = Notre-Dame-au-Bois
- …
And in case you wonder, even the country name itself is different in all three official languages: België (Dutch), Belgique (French), Belgien (German).
Belgium FAQ
Here are some additional facts that you may want to know about Belgium:
Belgium is world-famous for its chocolate, waffles, beer, and its national football team, the Red Devils. Belgium is also home to NATO headquarters and to the EU Commission and European Parliament. Brussels is often referred to as the capital of the EU.
The majority of people in Flanders speak English very well. It’s not always the case in Brussels or in Wallonia. However, as a tourist, you should have no problems finding someone who speaks English to help you out.
Yes, Belgium is one of the richest countries in the world. According to Allianz Global Wealth Report 2020, Belgium ranked as the 11th richest country in the world by net financial assets per capita.
Among others, Belgium’s high taxes are used to finance the healthcare system, education, and social security programs. For example, we have excellent and very affordable healthcare, school costs are low, and university studies are very affordable (the biggest cost is renting a place to live).
The cost of living in Belgium is relatively high, but still very affordable compared to many other Western European countries. For example, real estate is much more affordable in Brussels than in Amsterdam, Paris, or London.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE TO READ: Best Places to See & Things to Do in Brussels
So here are some weird and fun facts about Belgium. As you can see, it’s a unique country, very multicultural yet authentic and true to its values. It’s a great place to live and a wonderful destination to visit.
If you are planning a trip to Belgium, make sure to check out our post with a suggested Belgium itinerary for 3 or 4 days.
I also strongly recommend visiting our favorite Belgian town, Antwerp. Here you can read about the best things to do in Antwerp and some of our favorite secret places in Antwerp that most tourists never see. Check it out!
More travel inspiration for Benelux:
- Netherlands: Best Day Trips in the Netherlands
- Luxembourg: Best Day Trips in and Near Luxembourg
- Brussels:
- Antwerp:
- Bruges:
- Amsterdam:
- Winter trip:
- With kids:
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Hi Jurga thank you for providing us information about Belgium it’s very interesting & informative i really enjoyed reading about the fun fact as i had been experienced pay toilet at the mall and another at train station 😊
Also never experienced such weather like this before !
Ha ha, what’s wrong with the weather? The sun is shining and it’s the warmest February we ever had. The rain, well, we have plenty of that too… 🙂
I am a Belgian myself, and I have to admit that i actually don’t like mayo on my fries at all.
Most of us do, but I think its disgusting!
Ketchup is way better 🙂
Ha ha, you could be friends with one of my kids – he’s on the ‘ketchup camp’ too :).
@Jurga, yeh me too x
Is there much discrimination in Belgium, inasmuch as the boy urinator appears to be black skinned?
Hi Ed, I’m not sure I understand your question or what it has to do with the color of a bronze sculpture. Following this reasoning, all the famous people whose sculptures are made of bronze were brown/grey. 🙂 Plus, Manneken Pis is a positive character – you can read his story here.
As for discrimination, things are evolving and we have a very multicultural society so that helps a lot. In fact, Belgium has one of the most open societies I know of, together with the Netherlands. To answer your question in short, yes, there is some discrimination (where not?). But things are also rapidly changing and younger generations already have a totally different attitude toward people of different backgrounds than their grandparents did.
Hi! This article really helped me for my school project. I don’t think I trust you with the mayo bit, though.
Ha ha, you’ll just have to come over to Belgium and give it a try ;).
A peeing boy is weird but facinating. LOL
When you think of it, there’s nothing weird or fascinating about it. It’s the most natural thing, isn’t it? 🙂
This is a lifesaver! i had to use this for a country thing in school, and it’s really helping! thanks again lol
Ha ha, glad to help, Luke.
Seeing that Belgium has a peeing boy at its national thingy it makes me feel a bit weird about my geography task. lol
Belgium has a lot more than that, so you can easily focus on something else instead, like chocolate, football, or beer for example ;).
The word ‘french’ in french fries is actually a description of the way the potato is cut into strips (julienne or french cut). It is not named after the country.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/julienning
That could be well possible, especially knowing how the French feel about potatoes, lol. But to an average person anywhere in the world ‘French’ means coming from France, no matter the story behind it. 🙂
why would national symbol a peeing boy?
Ha ha, it’s because of an old legend. According to it, a small boy stopped a fire from spreading in Brussels by peeing on it. The city was saved and the little peeing boy became its symbol.
why would you have to pay to go to the bathroom?
Because it costs money too, I suppose. For the water, electricity, and also the staff who has to clean it.
EPIC!!
Excellent information ,now have a good picture of Belgium
Thank you
Glad to hear that!
I want to visit this lovely country
Hope you get to visit Belgium one day!
we do have santa, we just also have sinterklaas. We just get twice the presents, its pretty amazing. and our whether does suck 99% of the time
What do you mean our weather sucks? :))) Did you even go outside in the last few months? Where we live, we haven’t seen rain in forever… This spring has been the driest/warmest I can remember. Belgian climate is becoming as good as in southern Europe, just a bit cooler. We are actually hoping for some rain for the garden…
The reverse of the euro-coin (the side that shows the denomination) has been designed by Luc Luycks, a Belgian.
Barbed wire was invented by an (hitherto) unknown farmer in the West country: the original barbed wire consisted of twisted strands of metal wire with nails inside to keep the herds within the field.
Plastics the way we know them have their origins in bakelite, which was invented by a Belgian, Leon Bakelandt who was at that time working in the States. Bakelite was a hard plastic. Adding substances to make it softer (and less brittle) gave rise to modern day plastics.
Belgium (and the Netherlands) have the most interesting enclave/exclave called Baarle. When in Belgium, you should go and visit this quant Belgian-Dutch community, close to the town of Turnhout. You can see the border running through streets and even through some houses.
Until 1919 Belgium had a small enclave close to the German and Dutch border. It was about 3.5 km² and it was owned by Germany (Prussia) and the Netherlands. It’s flag was horizontal blue-white-black, a combination of the Prussian red-white black and the Dutch blue-white-red). After the war Belgium annexed it. The Dutch – as far as I know – never complained. Until a few years back it had an (unofficial) representative office (consulate) in Aachen (Germany). Maybe it’s still there.
There are three points where the borders of 3 countries meet: close to Gemmenich (Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany); one near Ouren (Belgium, Germany, Luxemburg) and one near Aubange (Belgium, France, Luxembourg).
Belgium is not restricted to the 30.689 km² it is. It also has extra territory in Germany, called the Vennbahn. It is a disused railway line in Germany. Either side of the track is German. The track itself is Belgian property. It’s now a popular hiking and cycling route.
Talking about territory. Earlier on in 2021 a Wallonian farmer enlarged Belgium by a few m² because he had moved the Napoleontic border post in order to make it easier for him to work the farmland. Immediately the French village, which all of a sudden found its area having been shrunk, was in an uproar and the mayor contacted his counterpart across the border in Belgium. The two had an amicable talk and the farmer was ordered to put the border post back where it originally stood. He complied avoiding a full diplomatic row.
At Epiphany, families with children will buy a round cake. In it, there is a bean (hidden, out of site). The person who finds the bean in his slice of cake, is then the king or queen for the day and can for example ask his/her brothers and sisters to do things and can also tell mum what there will be for dinner at night. This goes back to the story of the three wise men (called “The three kings, in Dutch) who went to visit Jesus.
Every country has a mother’s day of some sort (and I assume also a father’s day). If you are a mum and living in the city of Antwerp, you’re in luck because Antwerp celebrates Mother’s day twice (2x!) in a year: once on the second Sunday in May and once on August 15th, which is a national holiday in the whole country. If you are a mum not living in Antwerp, too bad.
In the olden days (i.e. the generation that is now in its sixties) every boy had one girl’s name and every girl one boy’s name, because babies would be named after their godmother and godfather as their second and third name. The first name of course complied with the baby’s gender.
Belgium, together with France, are the only two European countries (together with some francophone African countries) to use AZERTY keyboards. The rest of the world uses QWERTY.
The Belgian tricolour flag is the only flag that is almost a square (the Swiss flag being the only square flag in the world). Its dimensions are 13×15. Most Belgian flags displayed, especially by private citizens, have the wrong proportions.
When you are in prison, you can try to break out. If you succeed, you won’t be punished for it, since it is reasoned that mankind is not made to live in isolation. However, you can be punished for damaging state property.
Also, if you are without any means to exist, you are allowed to steal food from shops. You may be arrested and told off, but legally, you cannot be brought before a judge for having stolen food. The idea is that if you’re too poor to buy food, you have to undertake something to still your hunger. Stealing other items is of course punishable.
Every Belgian is supposed to know “the law”. He or she is not supposed to know every law. That’s what is stated in the constitution.
The head of state is called King/Queen of the Belgians, not King/Queen of Belgium. The head of state does not own Belgium (though he/she has substantial properties). And Belgians are not subjects to the king or queen (like in the UK) but compatriots. The King/Queen is also not a crowned head, since Belgium does not have crown jewels. He/she is proclamated and there is no crown whatsoever involved.
Paris has its Eiffel tower. Brussels has its Atomium, 165 billion times the size of a real iron-unit cell. Like the Eiffel tower, it was built for a world exhibition (in 1958) and was supposed to have been demolished thereafter. But because of its unique shape and landmark quality, it has been preserved and recently overhauled. Once you’ve seen it, you can’t forget it.
When you talk fashion, you talk Paris, Rome, Milan, New York, … Don’t forget Belgium. Antwerp and Brussels fashion designers work for Hollywood stars and plenty of royalty. Edouard Vermeulen is one of them.
The late Queen Fabiola wrote a book of children’s fairy tales, simply called: The Fairy Tales of Fabiola. One of her fairy tales has been reconstructed in the Netherlands in the Efteling theme park.
On November 1st, it is customary to put flowers (chrysanthemums) on the graves of the deceased. Walk around cemeteries the day after and you will find a sea of yellows, whites, browns and pinks.
In West-Flemish dialects, not only are verbs conjugated but also “yes” and “no” are fully conjugated. “Joik” is used when you reply “yes” to a question in the first person, and “Joij” when the reply is in the third person singular (he). There are forms for each person, both singular and plural. “Are you coming tomorrow?” Joik (= yes, I’m coming). “Is he coming tomorrow?” Joij (= yes, he’s coming).
Hi Leo, WOW – you could have written a whole additional article about Belgium with all this info. 🙂
I have compiled all your comments in one – to make it easier to read for people who are interested to learn even more about Belgium and the Belgians.
Thanks for sharing.
Smiles! I found this site while looking up info about Belgium and Professor T. Thank you for the delightful sharing of such a wonderful country. Looking forward to checking out the rest of the site.
Glad you enjoyed it and hope you learned a thing or two about Belgium you didn’t know before. 🙂
Super interesting article! It was interesting to read “try fries with mayo”… I thought it was normal around the world ^^
🙂 Well, there are fries and there’s mayo and there are BELGIAN fries and a really good mayo 😉 Give it a try!
And if you are looking for something different, every good fritkot in Belgium has about 20 different sauces, so plenty of choices for those looking for something different. Many Belgians also like samurai sauce. It’s not my thing, but if you’re looking for a unique taste (it can be quite spicy), it’s definitely more special than mayo.
Top article – honest and accurate ! However, I believe the information you shared on the point 21. is not accurate. We celebrate both St Nicolas and Santa Klaus.
Christmas still being one the biggest holidays while St Nicolas is more about chocolate and having a small holiday.
Hi Elisa, thanks for your comment, but I went back and reread my article and I haven’t said anywhere that we don’t celebrate Christmas in Belgium. We sure don’t ‘celebrate’ Santa Claus, however. I haven’t seen any Belgian family where Santa Claus would bring presents. All the presents we share at Christmas are from family/ friends and not from Santa Claus. The only time I’ve seen Santa Claus here in Belgium is at the shopping malls where they do anything to attract customers, so the moment St Nicholas leaves, he’s replaced by Santa. But I don’t consider this as part of Belgian tradition and I don’t know anyone among our family or friends who does… But maybe times are changing and some families now associate Santa Claus with Christmas here as well? Not that I know, in any case.
@Jurga, Hi Jurga, thanks for your reply. I see the point you are making and find it difficult to compare as I’ve mainly celebrated Christmas here in Belgium.
I understand what you mean when you say celebrate Christmas rather than Santa Claus. And I think we do outgrow quite quickly the Santa Claus belief and see Christmas as a family gathering.
Can’t wait to read other posts!
Yes, for us here Christmas is a family celebration, nothing to do with Santa. But in Lithuania where I originally come from, Santa brings presents at Christmas, so when our kids were younger, we had to explain to them that Santa Claus and Sinterklaas had to ‘split’ their territories since it’s too much for one guy to visit all the kids all over the world… They kept on asking if there was a way to get presents from both since the parents are from two different countries and all… 🙂
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@Jurga, kids get presents from Saint Nicholas AND Father Christmas (Santa). Usually, the bigger presents are brought by Father Xmas (whom Anglo-Saxons erroneously call Santa Claus – an american version of Sinterklaas or Saint Nicholas). When I was a kid, I would get presents on december 6 and on december 24. I’m really surprised that you’ve never met anyone who gave presents for Xmas, since I’m sure my family is no exception (and I am 39 – Frenchspeaking family from Brussels). If parents need to skip one of the two occasions for financial reasons (or because the kids haven’t been good that year…), it will be december 6 rather than Xmas. Everyone gets presents on Xmas day, but sometimes you only get chocolate and oranges (and marzipan… this one is fundamental) on december 6 (and usually form your boss, who would run the risk of losing his/her employees if they ever forgot the chocolate coins). PS: Saint Nicholas (Sinterklaas) is dressed as a bishop and Santa (Father Xmas) is dressed as… well… Santa (as in Coca Cola Santa). Nice page full of fun facts, though. And I get this “See? I told you…” feeling whenever someone realises that chips are meant to be eaten with mayonnaise and not with ketchup (which is fine, nevertheless), or with vinegar (like in that strange country where fries are called chips)..
Hi David, thanks for sharing your experience. I never imagined this Santa Claus vs. Sinterklaas story would become such a hot discussion :))).
I just really wish everyone would read what I actually said. I never said that we don’t celebrate Christmas in Belgium – of course, we do, it’s one of the biggest holidays! And I never said we don’t give presents for Christmas – we do and everyone I know does. LOTS of presents.
What I said is that presents at Christmas are given by parents, family, friends, but not by Santa Claus. At least not here in Flanders and also our French-speaking friends give Christmas presents, but they don’t come ‘from Santa’.
As for fries with vinegar – no way I’m trying that! :)))
Great article Jurga, lots of super information in there, you forgot to tell us how good your trains are for getting around too! After reading your previous Belgium article we were keen to visit, and followed some of the wonderful information you shared. We parked our car at the hotel in the millionaires quarter in Ghent, and took the train to all the cities you recommended. The tunnel and Art Deco lifts were amazing and we wouldn’t have known about them without your tip. Thankyou so much.
P.s. thank you for all the tips you gave us for Norway
So happy to hear that you used so many of our recommendations for your (various) trips, June! It’s always nice to hear from our loyal readers!
As for the trains… Every Belgian has a love/hate relationship with the railway, I think. Belgium has a great railway system indeed, but it’s not always on time, so many locals aren’t happy with it because even a small delay often causes missed connections. And if you live further away from the major cities, a missed train often means you have to wait an hour for the next one… I’ve had my fair share of train delays and missed connections and once I almost missed the flight because the trains just didn’t run for hours, but all the info we were given said that they would be arriving soon… Luckily, my husband could bring me to the airport by car, and despite initially having 3 hours of spare time at the airport, I arrived less than 10 minutes before the check-in closed. So yes, I can’t say that they are always great. 🙂 But for tourists who aren’t in a hurry, don’t have to change trains, and are just visiting the main cities, it’s definitely the best way to get around Belgium! I’m glad that it worked out well for you.
Is it easy for someone who is in Belgium to take a family member if yes is it expensive? i’d love to travel there through a family member
Hi, this is a travel blog and we really cannot help you with any immigration questions. All the best!
As a Belgian myself its quite funny to read all your points. Those translations of cities is indeed very funny, but we are so used to it since childhood that its not really that difficult. The only thing I dislike is the political parties who try to break our beautiful country. You should make such an article about Lithuania too!!
Thank you, Benedikt, and as for politics – it’s the same everywhere. The only difference here in Belgium is that they speak different languages, so it looks as if the differences are irreconcilable.
As for Lithuania, I’ll give it some more thought. But every time I tried to come up with a similar article, I got stuck. When you grow up with certain things done in a certain way, you consider them totally normal and not that interesting. You need to look at your own country through the eyes of a foreigner in order to write an article like this one. I’ll have to talk to some foreigners and see what they find special in my home country. 🙂
Also this article about Belgium is one of the first ones I’ve ever written on the blog. At that time, we were just back in Belgium after having lived in the far Luxembourg for a few years, so I could look at Belgium with the ‘foreign’ eyes. It would be more difficult to write it now as I’m so used to all of this.
I want to be a Belgian citizen with my wife and son. What should i do?
Hi, I really don’t feel like it’s something I can help you with. Every situation is different and you’d have to enquire with the official sources.
Fun article thanks, look forward to the day I can explore Belgium.
Meanwhile now that I have had my two shots I am on the road in my camper exploring Arizona, Big Bend Texas and the gulf coast.
Thanks for your articles on the national parks.
Oh, so jealous that you can travel freely already, Yvonne! There are so many stunning places to visit in that part of the U.S. Have a wonderful time on your road trip!
Wow honestly I must say am most grateful for this information actually next year 2019 am really planning on coming to spend sometime actually in Belgium cause have been searching for a nice place to travel too for my vacation so I think have found the place to be I love belgium as a country so I hope I will enjoy myself when I come over for vacation..
I’m sure you’ll love Belgium, Oscar. Have a great trip!
As a Belgian myself I found it very interesting and amusing to read your article. I even laughed about the signs, it’s so normal for me it never stood out until now.
Thank you for putting Belgium in a nice spotlight!
As a Belgian now as well and after almost 20 years here, I can also laugh about most things. But I can tell you, I think back of that time I got lost EVERY SINGLE TIME I see a sign showing a city in another language. Just recently I was in Brussels and trying to take a train back to Antwerp I heard them talking about Anvers and Malines… It’s like I boarded the wrong train… I still don’t understand how foreigners get around here without getting lost. 🙂
Thank you for this article. We are exploring the possibility of coming to work in Brussels with our three kids and we were concerned about safety. I laughed when I looked at the Global Peace Index to find the country I am currently living in at spot number 125!
You made me smile, Enrico. I really wouldn’t worry about safety in Belgium. Of course, there is some crime and you have to be careful just as anywhere else, but I never feel unsafe here. Not in the cities and not in the rural areas. Bad things happen anywhere, but just yesterday I read about the huge number of people that get shot (and even killed) in Chicago every day and was thinking how happy we are to be living in such a safe place as Belgium.
I would worry more about the traffic jams, so if you decide to come and live here, make sure you live close to work/ school or can easily get there by public transport.