Everyday practical information for Belgium

Language: the thing to get right

• Belgium has three official languages - Dutch in Flanders (the north), French in Wallonia (the south), German in a small eastern area. Brussels is officially bilingual Dutch and French.
• The language border is real and it is political. Speaking French in Flanders can land badly; speaking Dutch in Wallonia is simply not understood.
• English is the safe opener for a visitor. It is widely spoken, carries no baggage, and nobody expects a foreigner to pick a side.
• Place names change with the language. Bergen is Mons, Luik is Liege, Rijsel is Lille, Doornik is Tournai. Road signs switch as you cross the language border and do not always give both, which is how drivers get lost.

Power

• 230 V, 50 Hz, socket type E - the French style with a protruding earth pin on the socket.
• Type C plugs fit; type F (Schuko) usually does too but not always, because the earth pin can foul the plug. If you have a German-style plug, a cheap adapter is worth carrying.
• UK, US, Irish and Australian plugs need an adapter.

Practicalities

• Shops generally close on Sundays outside tourist areas, and many close for lunch in smaller towns.
• Restaurants serve dinner from about 19:00 and kitchens close earlier than in southern Europe.
• Chips are a national institution and come from a friterie/frituur, with mayonnaise, and they are not French.
• Belgians are formal with strangers. Use "bonjour" or "goedendag" on entering a shop; not greeting is read as rude.