Belgium Travel Guide for Women: Everything You Need to Know

Belgium is the country most travellers pass through on the way somewhere else, and the one that most rewards stopping. It is smaller than Maryland, holds 11.5 million people, and contains the most beautiful market square in Europe, the finest Art Nouveau architecture anywhere, the most intact medieval city in northern Europe, the most important painting in Northern European art, and a beer culture that UNESCO formally recognised as intangible cultural heritage.

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It is also genuinely easy. The whole country fits inside a two-hour train radius, which means you can base yourself in one city and see everything else as day trips. For a woman travelling alone it is very safe, English is widely spoken, and solo dining is completely unremarkable. The one thing it asks of you is a rain jacket, in every month.

This guide covers safety, the climate, the four cities and the Ardennes, beer and chocolate properly, transport, costs, accommodation, and the resources worth saving. For the gear list, see the Belgium packing list for women.

Is Belgium Safe for Women Travelers

Belgium is a very safe country. Violent crime against visitors is rare, the Flemish cities are compact and comfortable at night, intercity trains are safe at all hours, and there is no cultural friction around a woman eating, drinking, or travelling alone.

Brussels has a genuine pickpocketing problem and it is worth naming specifically rather than generically. The metro, particularly lines 1 and 5 through the centre, and the areas around Gare du Midi and Gare du Nord are where it concentrates. Carry a bag that zips closed and keep it in front on the metro.

The area immediately around Gare du Nord has visible street prostitution and is not pleasant on foot after dark. Gare du Midi, where the Eurostar arrives, is similarly rough at the edges. Neither is dangerous in the sense of violent risk, but neither is where you want to be wandering with luggage at night.

Falls on wet cobbles injure more visitors in Bruges and Ghent than crime does. The setts are medieval, uneven, and polished slick, and Belgium rains on roughly 200 days a year. This is entirely a footwear decision.

Beer strength catches people out constantly. Belgian beers commonly run 8 or 9 percent, and Westvleteren 12 is 10.2. They are served in small glasses precisely because of this, and visitors who order three of them the way they would order three lagers have a genuinely different evening than planned. Canal edges in Bruges and Ghent have no railings in the older sections, which is worth combining with that fact.

Cyclists. Belgium is a cycling country and locals move fast through shared spaces. Look before stepping into a lane; this is the most common near-miss visitors have.

Best Time to Visit Belgium

September and October. The best window. Still mild, the summer crowds gone from Bruges, the light low and good on brick and water, and the beer festivals underway.

Summer, June through August. The most pleasant weather at 18 to 25 degrees with long evenings and terrace culture in every city. Also when Bruges is busiest, and it does get genuinely crowded. Rain still arrives regularly; a 16 degree wet afternoon in July is entirely normal.

Spring, April and May. Quiet, green, and pleasant with showers. Good value.

Winter, November through February. Cold at 3 to 8 degrees, damp, dark by five, and atmospheric. The Christmas markets in Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, and Antwerp run from late November through early January and are genuinely good. Buildings are properly heated, unlike in Mediterranean Europe, so interiors are comfortable.

One timing note worth knowing: Ghent Festivities in July turn that city into a ten-day street festival, and Brussels lays a flower carpet across the Grand Place every two years in mid-August.

The Cities

Brussels

The capital, and the least immediately charming of the four, which is why it is underrated. The Grand Place is a UNESCO square of Gothic and Baroque guild houses around a fifteenth century town hall, and it is genuinely one of the great urban spaces in Europe. Beyond it: the Magritte Museum, the Royal Museums of Fine Arts, the Atomium built for Expo 58, the Manneken Pis which is smaller than everyone expects, and the EU quarter.

The real reason to spend time here is Victor Horta. Brussels is the birthplace of Art Nouveau, and four Horta townhouses are UNESCO-listed. The Horta Museum, his own house and studio, is one of the most remarkable interiors in Europe: everything from the staircase to the door handles designed as a single organic whole.

Bruges

The most completely preserved medieval city in northern Europe, and preserved because the city went bankrupt when its sea access silted up and nobody had money to modernise it. Canals, guild houses, the Belfry, and the Groeningemuseum's Flemish Primitives. Extremely busy between ten and five with day trippers, and a different city before and after. Covered in depth in the Bruges travel guide for women.

Ghent

For many visitors the better city. Comparable medieval architecture to Bruges with a fraction of the tourism, plus 70,000 students who keep it functioning as a real place. The Gravensteen castle sits in the middle of town, the Graslei waterfront is the classic view, and Saint Bavo's Cathedral holds the Ghent Altarpiece, painted by the van Eyck brothers in 1432 and arguably the most important painting in Northern European art. It has been stolen or looted thirteen times, and one panel taken in 1934 has never been recovered.

Antwerp

The fashion capital and the second largest port in Europe. The Antwerp Six, graduates of the Royal Academy who broke into Paris in the 1980s, made it a genuine design centre and the MoMu fashion museum documents it. Add the Rubenshuis, where Peter Paul Rubens lived and worked, the diamond district which handles most of the world's rough diamonds, and Antwerpen-Centraal station, routinely listed among the most beautiful railway stations in the world.

The Ardennes

The forested highland south, in French-speaking Wallonia. Rivers, castles, caves, and the best hiking and cycling in the Benelux. Bastogne holds the Battle of the Bulge memorial and museum. Dinant sits dramatically beneath a cliff citadel. This is where Belgians go for a weekend outdoors, and almost no international visitors go at all.

Beer and Chocolate, Properly

Beer. UNESCO added Belgian beer culture to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2016, and the range in an ordinary Belgian cafe will exceed anything at home.

The six Trappist beers are brewed within monastery walls under monastic supervision: Westvleteren, Chimay, Rochefort, Orval, Westmalle, and Achel. Westvleteren 12 is sold only at the abbey gate by appointment and is regularly rated among the best beers in the world.

Lambic is the genuinely unusual one: beer fermented spontaneously by wild yeasts native to the Senne Valley around Brussels, aged in barrels, sour and funky and unlike anything else. Gueuze is a blend of young and old lambic. Kriek adds cherries. Cantillon in Brussels still brews it traditionally and runs tours.

Practical notes. Strengths run high, commonly 8 to 9 percent. Each beer has its own branded glass and bars take this seriously. Ask what is on and let the bartender choose; that is the normal way to order.

Chocolate. The praline, a moulded chocolate shell with a soft filling, was invented in Brussels by Jean Neuhaus in 1912. The distinction that matters is between shops selling pre-boxed selections aimed at tourists, mostly around the Grand Place and airports, and independent chocolatiers making fresh with couverture. Ask for a small mixed box, expect around 6 to 9 euros per 100 grams, and eat them within a week.

Waffles. Two kinds, and locals eat the Liege: dense, uneven, studded with pearl sugar that caramelises, sold from stands. The Brussels waffle is lighter, rectangular, and served on a plate with toppings.

Frites. Fried twice, sold from a friture or frituur, served in a paper cone with mayonnaise. Ketchup marks you as a visitor.

Eating in Belgium

Belgian food is consistently underrated internationally, largely because it sits between two louder cuisines and gets read as a lesser version of French cooking. It is not. It is heartier, beer-driven, and unusually good at a mid-range level.

Moules-frites is the national dish and is best from September through April, when mussels are actually in season; outside that window they are frozen or imported. Ordered by the kilo pot, with several preparations, of which marinière and à la crème are the classics.

Stoofvlees, called carbonnade in French, is beef slow-braised in dark Belgian beer with mustard and bread, and is the dish to order on a wet day. Waterzooi is the Flemish cream stew, made with chicken or fish, originally from Ghent. Grey shrimp from the North Sea appear in croquettes or stuffed into tomatoes and are a genuine Flemish coastal speciality.

The everyday version. A frituur serves frites in a cone with a long list of sauces and is the real Belgian fast food. Bakeries do excellent bread and pastry. And the lunch menus at proper restaurants are substantially cheaper than the same kitchen at dinner, which is the best value strategy in the country.

Where. Avoid the restaurants directly on the Grand Place in Brussels and the Markt in Bruges, which trade on location. Walk two streets back and both price and quality improve. Ghent's Patershol quarter and Antwerp's Zuid district are where locals actually book.

What to Pack for Belgium, Women's Packing List

Belgium is a straightforward packing exercise with two specifics: persistent damp and slippery cobbles.

Base layers

The Roman Trail Women's Merino Wool Base Layer handles the maritime damp year round, and the property that matters is that merino stays warm when wet. In a country that rains on 200 days a year you will be caught out, and a wet cotton layer turns a mild day miserable. It also manages the swing between cold streets and well-heated interiors. Bring two.

Mid layers

The Columbia insulated hooded jacket handles winter and packs small enough to carry into a cafe. A fleece is sufficient from April through October, when evenings are still cool.

Outer layers

The Marmot Women's PreCip Eco Rain Jacket is the single item you should not leave behind, in any month. Take the hood over an umbrella, which is unmanageable in the narrow lanes of Bruges and Ghent and useless in North Sea wind.

Footwear

The Salomon Women's X Ultra 4 GTX gives grip on wet medieval setts plus waterproofing, in a shoe that does not read as hiking kit in a country where people dress carefully. The belfry climbs in Bruges and Ghent, both narrow spiral staircases of over 300 steps, also want a proper sole. One dressier flat pair for evenings.

For socks the Darn Tough Women's Hiker Micro Crew Merino Socks handle sustained cobblestone walking without blisters and stay warm damp.

Accessories, documents, and health

A scarf. A bag that zips closed, which matters specifically on the Brussels metro. A daypack, since you will day trip constantly. A refillable bottle, as Belgian tap water is excellent. An EHIC or GHIC for EU and UK visitors and travel insurance otherwise. A backpack rather than a wheeled case if you are staying inside a medieval centre.

Getting Around Belgium

Trains are the answer. SNCB runs a dense, frequent, inexpensive network, and the country is small enough that everything is a day trip. Brussels to Ghent is 30 minutes, to Antwerp 45, to Bruges an hour. There is no need to book ahead for domestic journeys; turn up and buy a ticket. A Rail Pass of ten journeys is good value if you are moving a lot, and weekend return tickets are discounted.

Within cities, walk. Bruges and Ghent centres are compact and largely pedestrian. Brussels and Antwerp have trams and metro on simple ticketing.

Bicycle. Belgium is a cycling country and Flanders in particular is flat and well provided with lanes. Rentals are everywhere, and the canal path from Bruges to Damme is a lovely short ride.

Cars are unnecessary for the cities and restricted in the centres. Useful only for the Ardennes, where public transport thins out considerably.

Getting there. Brussels Airport connects to the centre by train in 20 minutes. Brussels Charleroi, used by budget carriers, is an hour out and needs a shuttle. Eurostar reaches Brussels-Midi from London in under two hours, and Thalys connects to Paris in 80 minutes and Amsterdam in under two hours.

Costs: What to Budget

Belgium is moderately expensive, comparable to the Netherlands and cheaper than France. Prices below are in US dollars.

Budget: $85 to $130 per day. Hostel dorm at $32 to $50, bakery and frituur food at $30 to $40, trains between cities.

Mid-range: $180 to $290 per day. Hotel or B&B at $110 to $180, restaurant meals at $60 to $85, museum entries and a brewery tour.

Luxury: $400 and up per day.

Meals: a cone of frites runs $5 to $7, a Liege waffle $3 to $5, a cafe lunch $15 to $22, a mid-range dinner main $25 to $38, moules-frites $28 to $38, a Belgian beer $5 to $9 and considerably more for rare Trappists. Entry: the Groeningemuseum around $15, the Horta Museum around $13, Saint Bavo's with the Altarpiece around $17, a Cantillon brewery visit around $12 including tastings.

Currency is the euro. Cards work almost everywhere including contactless, though some frituren and small cafes remain cash-only. Tipping is not expected; service is included and rounding up is plenty. Official information at visitbelgium.com.

Where to Stay: City by City

Which city to base in. This is the main accommodation decision. Ghent is our recommendation for a first trip: central for day trips, cheaper than Bruges, lively in the evening because of the students, and beautiful in its own right. Brussels is the most connected and the cheapest, with the widest range, at the cost of being the least charming. Bruges is the most atmospheric and the most expensive, and worth at least one night to have it early and late. Antwerp suits a design and fashion focus.

Hostels. All four cities have good hostels with female-only dorms and 24 hour reception, several in converted historic buildings. Ghent and Bruges have the most characterful.

Mid-range. Small family-run B&Bs in restored townhouses are the strength of Belgian accommodation, particularly in Bruges and Ghent, and often better value and more characterful than hotels.

Splurge. Converted canal houses and mansions in Bruges and Antwerp sit at the top end.

What to check. Ask about stairs, since medieval and nineteenth century townhouses frequently have narrow steep staircases and no lift. Confirm how close you are to a station if you plan to day trip daily. In Brussels, check which station you are near and avoid booking immediately beside Gare du Nord. For a solo woman, the Flemish city centres are all comfortable at night; Brussels needs a little more thought about the specific block.

Essential Resources for Women in Belgium

Emergency numbers: 112 for police, ambulance, and fire throughout Belgium and the EU, with English-speaking operators. 101 reaches police directly.

Tourist police: Belgium has no separate tourist police force. Local police handle all matters. File a report formally after any theft to obtain the documentation an insurance claim requires.

US Embassy in Brussels: Regentlaan 27 Boulevard du Regent, 1000 Brussels, telephone +32 2 811 4000. be.usembassy.gov

Main hospitals: UZ Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 101, Brussels, +32 2 477 4111. Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc, Avenue Hippocrate 10, Brussels, +32 2 764 1111. UZ Gent, Corneel Heymanslaan 10, +32 9 332 2111. AZ Sint-Jan Brugge, Ruddershove 10, +32 50 45 21 11. EU and UK visitors should carry an EHIC or GHIC; everyone else needs travel insurance.

Official health authority: Sciensano, the Belgian institute for health, sciensano.be/en

US State Department travel advisory: travel.state.gov Belgium advisory

UK FCDO travel advice: gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/belgium

Official tourism authority: Visit Belgium, visitbelgium.com. Regional boards at visitflanders.com for Flanders and Visit Wallonia for the south.

Solo women safety assessment: Belgium is a very safe country for a woman travelling alone. Violent crime against visitors is rare, the Flemish cities are compact and comfortable at night, intercity trains are safe at all hours, and solo dining is entirely unremarkable. The risks are specific rather than general. Brussels has a real pickpocketing problem on the metro and around Gare du Midi and Gare du Nord, so carry a bag that zips and keep it in front underground. The blocks immediately around Gare du Nord have visible street prostitution and are unpleasant on foot after dark. Falls on wet cobbles injure more visitors in Bruges and Ghent than crime does, which makes footwear a safety item. Belgian beer strength surprises people routinely at 8 or 9 percent in small glasses, and canal edges in the older parts of Bruges and Ghent have no railings. Look before stepping into a cycle lane, because Belgian cyclists move fast and will not expect you.

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Related Reading

For the gear list in full detail, see the Belgium packing list for women. For the medieval city in depth, see the Bruges travel guide for women and the Bruges packing list for women. For neighbours, see the Amsterdam travel guide for women and the Paris travel guide for women.

For packing across every destination we cover, see the travel packing guide for women. You can read more about building a merino-first travel wardrobe on the Roman Trail merino wool base layer guide. Browse the full collection at Roman Trail women's merino base layers, available in eight colors with free two-day shipping and a two-year satisfaction guarantee.

If the outer journey is calling you, the inner one usually is too. Explore SoulMap at romantrail.com/blogs/soulmap.