Belgium and Luxembourg (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

PRACTICAL INFORMATION 323

Specialist equipment on display at the jenever museum in Hasselt

MUSEUMS AND
GALLERIES

The Belgians are often avid
collectors, and up and down
the country there are numerous
small private museums – on
bicycles, military insignia,
beer labels and so forth – that
are essentially extensions of
private hobbies. There is also
a passion for the more estab-
lished museums, instilled at
an early age through school
visits – in fact, in 2008, the
Flemish introduced a scheme
whereby young people under
the age of 26 could visit 23
of the leading museums of
Flanders and Brussels for just
one euro. Public investment is

considerable, with major new

museums and galleries being

built to the highest standards

of presentation and old ones

being modernized.

Many museums are closely

focussed on local traditions

and products – hops in

Poperinge (see p125), jenever

gin in Hasselt (see p166) and

slate in Bertrix (see p230).

Visitors will find that labels

are often in one language

only (either French or Dutch),

but newer museums may

have foreign-language

audioguides. Almost all

have admission charges,

and special deals are

sometimes available

from the city tourist

offices that allow

visits to many of

the museums for a

single, much-

reduced price.

Opening hours vary, but

broadly, most public muse-

ums, in both Belgium and

Luxembourg, are open

between 10am and 5pm,

with the majority being

closed on Mondays.

TIPPING

Tipping is not very common

in either Luxembourg or

Belgium. A service charge is

included in restaurant prices,

but customers can leave a

small extra tip if service has

been particularly good. The

service is also included in

taxi fares, although rounding

up the fare by up to 10 per

cent is customary. Ushers

who show visitors to their

seats in some cinemas will

expect a tip of about 50

cents per spectator.

OPENING HOURS

Most shops and businesses in
Belgium are open Mondays to
Saturdays between 10am and
6pm or 7pm, with some
shops closing for an hour
at lunch time. The super-
markets are usually
open between 9am
and 8pm. Opening
hours in Luxembourg
are similar. However,
shops there tend to
be open between
8am and noon, and
again between 2pm and 6pm,
and many are closed on
Monday mornings.

in the UK or at the airport
before arrival, as they are
hard to find in Belgium.
American equipment, which
runs on 120 volts, requires
a voltage converter or trans-
former, although some
equipment, such as electric
razors, may run on both.

Ticket information at

Oostende aquarium

DIRECTORY

TOURIST INFORMATION

Belgian Tourist Office:

Brussels-Wallonia

http://www.belgiumtheplaceto.be

http://www.belgium-tourism.be

http://diplomatie.belgium.be

Luxembourg

Tourist Office

http://www.luxembourg.co.uk

http://www.luxembourg.com

http://www.visitluxembourg.com

http://www.ont.lu

Tourism Flanders

http://www.visitflanders.com

EMBASSIES

Australia

Rue Guimard 6-8, 1040 BRU.

Tel (02) 2860500.

http://www.austemb.be

Canada

Avenue de Tervuren 2, 1040 BRU.

Tel (02) 7410611.

http://www.international.gc.ca/

missions/belgium-belgique/index

UK

Rue d’Arlon 85, 1040 BRU.

Tel (02) 2876211.

http://www.ukinbelgium.fco.gov.uk/en

USA

Boulevard du Régent 27, 1000

BRU. Tel (02) 5082111.

http://www.belgium.usembassy.gov

New Zealand

Level 7, 9-31 Avenue des Nerviens,

1040 BRU.

Tel (02) 5121040.

http://www.nzembassy.com

FACILITIES FOR

DISABLED TRAVELLERS

Able Travel

http://www.able-travel.com

Belgian Red Cross

Rue de Stalle 96, 1180 BRU.

Tel (02) 3713111.

http://www.redcross.be

Motstraat 40, Mechelen.^

Tel (015) 443322.

http://www.rodekruis.be

Brussels For All

http://www.brusselvoorallen.be

Info-Handicap

http://www.info-handicap.lu

http://www.welcome.lu

Infopunt Toegankelijk

Reizen

http://www.accessinfo.be