Belgium and Luxembourg (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

TRAVEL INFORMATION 335

HORSE-DRAWN

CARRIAGES

Visitors can step back in time

in Brussels, Bruges, Ghent

and Antwerp with a ride in an

open horse-drawn carriage.

In Brussels, the carriages make

short trips from Rue Charles

Buls, which is close to the

Grand Place, during the

summer months. In other

cities, the season lasts between

spring and autumn. Tours in

Bruges start from the Markt

or the Burg; in Ghent, they

start from St-Baafsplein, and

in Antwerp from the Grote

Markt. Bruges also has the

Paardentram, a horse-drawn

tram available for group hire.

Carriage-rides may seem to

be an expensive indulgence,

but they are also an unforget-

table experience.

CANAL BOATS

The city best known for its

canals is Bruges – this is why

it is sometimes referred to

(misleadingly) as the Venice

of the North. From March to

November (and at weekends

in winter), tour boats leave

from various points in the

city centre, and make tours

of varying length around the

extensive canal network – a

delightful way to see the city

from a quite different

perspective. One useful tip is

to take an umbrella if it has

been raining, as the bridges

drip. Ghent also has canals,

although rather less extensive

than those of Bruges. They

again show the city in a new

and agreeably tranquil light.

DIRECTORY

BUSES

STIB

Avenue de la Toison d’Or 15,

1050 BRU.

Tel 070 232000.

http://www.stib.be

FRENCH/DUTCH PLACE NAMES

One of the most confusing aspects of travel in Belgium is

the variation between French and Dutch spellings of town

names. On road signs in Brussels, both names are given,

while in Flanders only the Dutch and in Wallonia only the

French are shown. The following list gives main towns:

BICYCLES

Some towns and cities are
good for cycling in, others
less so. Thousands of students
pedal around Ghent, for
instance, and the old streets
of central Bruges have rela-
tively light and slow-moving
traffic. Brussels is a rather
more challenging proposition,
with congested, busy, cobbl-
ed streets filled with parked
cars, trams and frustrated
drivers. That said, there are
plenty of people who do
cycle in Brussels, and who
take advantage of recom-
mended cycle routes. Tourist
offices and cycle-hire shops
can also provide information
on routes. In Brussels,
bicycles can be taken on the
metro except at rush-hour.

cannot be hailed from the
pavement – travellers will
have to find one of the taxi-
ranks, which are usually
found in strategic locations
such as outside railway sta-
tions or close to the central
square. It is also possible to
phone for a taxi – a tourist
office or hotel can supply the
relevant numbers. Taxi drivers
do not necessarily have a
detailed and precise knowl-
edge of their city, so it helps
to come armed with full infor-
mation about the destination.
The price of a journey always
includes service, despite
which it is quite normal to
round up the total fare.

French

Anvers

Ath

Bruges

Bruxelles

Courtrai

Gand

Liège

Louvain

Dutch

Antwerpen

Aat

Brugge

Brussel

Kortrijk

Gent

Luik

Leuven

French

Malines

Mons

Namur

Ostende

St-Trond

Tongrès

Tournai

Ypres

Dutch

Mechelen

Bergen

Namen

Oostende

St-Truiden

Tongeren

Doornik

Ieper

Cyclists on the seafront promenade
at De Panne, on the Belgian coast

The Paardentram making its way though the Burg in Bruges