About Belgium > Country

FLANDERS is called “the lowlands” and represents the northern half of the country. The coast offers more than 60 km of sandy beaches, with the city of Ostend in the middle, the port of Zeebrugge and some of the most luxurious resorts like Knokke-Zoute. The most famous cities are Bruges, the most romantic place of Western Europe; Ghent, a historical wool trading city; and Antwerp, the world center of diamond cutting and the diamond trade in general. The typical Flemish landscape features quiet canals, little white farms and mills, just like they were painted by Brueghel.

WALLONIA, the southern part of the country, is largely covered by the Ardennes Forest: it is a natural paradise in which the visitor can pit his canoeing and rafting skills against the current of wild rivers, or simply wander through the hundreds of castles in the area. The main cities are Liège, a historical theocratic principality that houses the illuminating Museum of Walloon Life; Namur, the regional capital, that was built at the confluence of the Meuse and Sambre rivers; Durbuy, called “the smallest town in the world”; SPA, which is the origin of the word “spa”; Bastogne, famous since the World War II and the Battle of the Bulge; and finally Waterloo, located only 20 km south of Brussels, the battlefield where Napoleon was defeated by Wellington.

BRUSSELS, with the European Union, NATO, some 500 multinational companies and some 1200 international associations, is effectively the “Capital of Europe” today. There are many other sides to the city, including its traditional way of life and the importance placed on artists.
Its monuments and museums are worth a visit, like the world famous Grand Place, the cathedral, the Atomium, the Museums of Fine Arts, and more.