Belgium (Interrail Countries)

Belgium is situated in the west of Europe, bordered to the east by Germany to the north by the Netherlands and to the south and the west by France and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Although its surface area of 32,545 km2 makes it a small country, its location has made it an economic and urban nerve centre of Europe.

Country characteristics

Belgium coast: 65 kilometres of sandy beach
Belgium's two main tourist attractions are its coast and the Ardennes. The coast's 65 kilometre long stretch of sandy coastline has 15 resorts, each with its own character and unique atmosphere. The sandy beaches are ideal for children. The beaches shelve gently out to sea, and lifeguards ensure everyone's safety. Sunbathers have found that they acquire a healthier tan here than in southern Europe, thanks to the iodine and salt in the air. The Belgian coast offers a wide range of sport and recreation facilities : here you can hire a bicycle or a buggy, or go sailing or fishing. The wide beach is ideal for ball games, horse riding and beach surfing. 

Folklore, fauna and flora in the Ardennes
The Ardennes, situated in the Southeast of Belgium, are one of nature's unspoilt areas, rich in fauna and flora, with vast forests of broadleaf and fir, hills and fast flowing rivers. Visitors can wander through the many picturesque villages nestling in the valleys where traditions and folklore still live on, and where the region's arts and crafts can be enjoyed. 
Springtime in the Ardennes is the season for walking, cycling, fishing, canoeing and kayaking, and the keen mountaineer has an exciting choice of challenges. In winter, the Ardennes are a fun paradise for downhill and cross-country skiers, or perhaps you prefer tobogganing and snow scooter racing.

Day trips in gastronomic villages
Belgium is the ideal country for a day trip. A visit to any of its beautiful old towns and cities, steeped in history, is a relaxing way to get to know the country and its history. For those people who prefer the countryside, there are parks, zoos and recreation centres. 
Belgium plays a central role in the gastronomic life of Western Europe. The Belgian is well known for his Burgundian lifestyle and he takes great pleasure in sharing this with his guests. The restaurants are known for their quality, and what finer way to end an exciting day than with a typical Flemish stew washed down with an Ardennes Trappist beer?

Lower Belgium: beaches and dunes in the Flemish lowlands 
The geography of Belgium shows it to have three major areas: lower Belgium (up to 100m above sea level), central Belgium (between 100 and 200m above sea level) and upper Belgium (from 200 to over 500m above sea level). 
Lower Belgium begins in the west at the coast, with beaches and dunes, which extends in a straight line for 65 km. Inland from the coast lie the ‘polders’. This flat and fertile land used to suffer from flooding by the sea in the past but is now totally dry, thanks to the sluices which protect it from tidal erosion. Between the western polders, the Leie and the Scheldt, are the Flemish lowlands, a sandy region that is hilly in places such as the Kemmelberg and the Kluisberg. The Kempen lie in the east of the country. The soil in the Kempen is poor and the landscape comprises conifer woods, heathlands, ponds, marshes, pastures and cornfields.

Central Belgium: forests and clay plateaux
Behind the Flemish lowlands and the Kempen, gradually rising to the Sambre and Meuse valleys, lies central Belgium, with its low and very fertile clay plateaux. The heavily urbanised Brabant has its own lush green carpet, the forest of Soignes, a forest area and a remnant of the earlier Forest of Cologne, which covered a large part of the country in Roman times. Furthermore, central Belgium boasts Hainaut in the west and Hesbaye in the east, both fertile areas with large farms and extensive fields and pastures.

Upper Belgium : historical monuments and mysterious caves    
Upper Belgium, the most sparsely populated and densely wooded part of the country, begins south of the Sambre and the Meuse at the Condroz plateau, a fertile area which is regarded primarily as a tourist attraction on account of the beautiful valleys of the Meuse and the Ourthe and its numerous historical monuments. Between the Vesder and the Meuse lies the Country of Herve, which due to its rich clay soil is suitable for grazing and cattle rearing. To the south of the Condroz lies the area of Fagnes and Famenne, which, although a poor agricultural region, is well known for its many mysterious caves, the most interesting examples being those at Han-sur-Lesse and Remouchamps. Further to the south are the Ardennes, a region alternating between a magnificent, wooded area with natural beech forests and specially grown firtrees, and plateaux and deep valleys. The Ardennes are a natural tourist attraction, and its southernmost part, Belgian Lorraine, has a milder climate than the rest of the country. 

Hundreds of differents sorts of Belgium beer 
Belgium is famous for its gastronomy. It is the Flemish Benedictine monks that we have to thank for inventing beer. Not surprisingly, beer is Belgium's national drink. Of the literally hundreds of different sorts of beer brewed by the breweries, what is renowned as best beer, that brewed by the fathers, is still brewed in monasteries around the country such as Orval and Westmalle. An art that is tradition to a Belgian has become famous throughout the world.

Haute cuisine potatoe
Charles de I'Ecluse, known as Clusius, was from Flanders and played a major part in promoting the potato throughout Europe. If you browse through old cookery books you are certain to find delicious Belgian recipes. No wonder that Belgium is at the top of its tree in 'haute cuisine', and equals France in ratio to restaurants per head of its population! Wherever you go in Belgium you will find restaurants that lay great store in offering the customer the best in culinary delights, many of them being specialities of the regions themselves.

North Sea fish, meat and poultry
The coastal restaurants are popular for their North Sea fish and shellfish dishes. Here, from the smallest cafe to the grandest restaurant, the 'fruits of the sea' are lovingly prepared in every way imaginable. The Ardennes are more known for their abundance of fresh trout and freshwater lobster. 
Beef, pork and sheep are the most popular of meats in restaurants. With its excellent hunting, the Ardennes is able to offer succulent dishes such as wild boar, stag and roebuck when in season, although there is also poultry such as partridge, pheasant and quail to be sampled. Poultry, along with rabbit and hare are on menus throughout the country, in a wide variety of cooking styles.

Source http://www.interrailnet.com/