Travel advice for Belgium
From travel safety to visa requirements, discover the best tips for traveling to Belgium
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Inevitably, hotel accommodation is one of the major expenses you’ll incur on a trip to Belgium– indeed, if you’re after a degree of comfort, it’s going to be the costliest item by far. There are budget alternatives, however, beginning with the no-frills end of the hotel market and B&Bs – though note these are effectively rented rooms in private houses rather than the British-style bed-and-breakfast. Even more of a bargain are the youth hostels, be they Hostelling International-affiliated or “unofficial” (private) ones, which are located in the larger cities and/or main tourist spots of both countries.
Advance booking is recommended everywhere, but most tourist offices do operate an on-the-spot reservation service for same-night accommodation, either free or at minimal charge.
Wherever the arrangements are more formalized – again as in Bruges – the B&B premises are inspected and awarded stars in accordance with the Benelux standard.
Belgian hostels
Belgium has around thirty HI-affiliated hostels (auberges de jeunesse/jeugdherbergen) operated by two separate organizations, Vlaamse Jeugdherbergen (www.vjh.be), covering the Flemish region, and Les Auberges de Jeunesse de Wallonie (www.laj.be) for Wallonia. Both run hostels in Brussels. Dorm beds cost about €16 per person per night including breakfast; there are no age restrictions. Accommodation is usually in small dormitories, though most hostels have single- and double-bedded rooms in which prices rise to €18–20 per person per night. Meals are often available and in some hostels there are self-catering facilities too. Most Belgian hostels accept online bookings.
In all cases, advance booking is essential and prices, naturally enough, vary widely depending on the quality of accommodation, the length of stay and the season. As examples, a high-season (mid-June to Aug), week-long booking of a pleasantly situated and comfortable farmhouse for four adults and three children might cost you in the region of €350–450, whereas a ten-person gîte d’étape might cost €300–400. For further details, check out www.hoevetoerisme.be for Flanders and www.gitesdewallonie.net for Wallonia.
From travel safety to visa requirements, discover the best tips for traveling to Belgium
written by Rough Guides Editors
updated 30.04.2021
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