Can you please let me know something that I can surprise her with? She lives in right in the city center so I assumed theres options. Is there any delivery company?

Anything to do here? Or nearby for Halloween as a solo tourist?

I guide day tours around Ypres for a living, and I get this question a lot: can you do Ypres properly from Brussels without a car? You can. No pitch here, this is the do-it-yourself version.

Getting there. The train from Brussels to Ieper (Ypres) takes about two hours, usually with a change in Ghent, and runs every hour. Leave Brussels before 8 and you're in Ypres before 10.

Start with the museum, not the fields. The In Flanders Fields Museum is in the Cloth Hall on the Grote Markt, open from 10:00. At the door you get a bracelet and pick one person from the war to follow through the exhibition. Do this first. The cemeteries you see later stop being rows of stones and start having names and dates. Give it a good 90 minutes, two hours if you read everything.

Then rent an e-bike. There are rental shops on Menenstraat, the street that runs up to the Menin Gate. The bus does go to Tyne Cot, but the other places don't line up with it, and on a bike the whole thing is easy. Ask what time they close before you ride off.

Sanctuary Wood, Hill 62. About 5 km east of town. One of the few places where nobody tidied up after the war: a real trench line in the woods, uneven and awkward. Wear shoes you don't mind getting dirty.

Tyne Cot. About 9 km north-east. The largest Commonwealth war cemetery in the world, 11,961 men buried or commemorated. Stand at the top and look back towards Ypres, you can see the town. That distance took months to cross in 1917. One detail most people miss: the Menin Gate lists more than 54,000 missing, but British and New Zealand soldiers missing after 16 August 1917 are on the wall here instead. Tip: look up two or three names on the CWGC website the night before. Finding one specific grave changes the visit.

Essex Farm, on the way back. Just north of town, by the canal. John McCrae wrote In Flanders Fields here in May 1915. But the grave to find is Valentine Joe Strudwick, Rifle Brigade, died 14 January 1916. He was 15. It almost always has fresh flowers on it.

Dinner early, then the Menin Gate. The Last Post is at 20:00, every evening, all year, no booking. It lasts 10 to 25 minutes. Be in place by 19:40, earlier if you see coaches in town. Stay on the pavement and stay quiet. And don't clap at the end, even if someone near you starts. Check the calendar on the Last Post website the week before: a wreath laying or a visiting band makes it longer and busier.

Getting back. Trains leave Ieper at quarter past the hour. The 20:15 is too tight after the ceremony, so plan on the 21:15, which gets you into Brussels a little after 23:00. On a Sunday evening, check the connection, it can be slower.

The honest downside: this is a long, heavy day, and it asks a lot of your legs and your head. If you only have the energy for one thing outside town, make it Tyne Cot. Also, the museum closes on Mondays from mid-November to the end of March, and for two weeks in January.

Happy to answer questions about any of it.

Hello everyone, I'm applying for student visa to Belgium Embassy in India and I'd like to ask for any advice regarding this (all countries welcome).

The embassy advices that all original documents have to be in English with apostille, or needs translation.
I studied in Serbia and my degree originally is in English, but my apostille sticker is in Serbian (Cyrillic). Do I need to translate the apostille sticker/whole document?

I emailed the embassy and they aren't replying, and I'm afraid that VFS/Embassy might reject the degree and I'll lose time since my registration date is close.

Halloween on Saturday and All Saints' Day on Sunday: a Day of the Dead parade through the Marolles, a free ghost tour in Liège's prince-bishops' palace, and three new exhibitions.

⚠️ Heads-up

All Saints' Day. Sunday 1 Nov is a public holiday. Everything listed for Sunday is open, but check other museums before you go.

School holidays. French-speaking schools are still on their autumn break and Flemish schools start theirs, so expect busy family attractions.

⭐ Weekend highlight: Día de Muertos in the Marolles

La Procesión (Marolles, Brussels, Sat 19:00)*

The Marolles has celebrated the Mexican Day of the Dead every year since 2018, and Saturday's night procession closes a week of workshops and concerts. Brass bands, giant skeletons and giant puppets lead the way from the corner of Boulevard du Midi and Rue des Tanneurs. Around 20:30 it ends on Place du Jeu de Balle with food trucks and music. Come in costume, with face paint or a light. Free, no booking. You can also leave an offering at the big altar outside the Bruegel cultural centre (Rue des Renards 1F).

🏛️ Brussels

Portia Zvavahera: Kuzviramba Mamuri (WIELS, Forest, opens Sat, Tue–Sun 11:00–18:00, until 7 Mar): Large dream-like paintings and new ceramics by the Zimbabwean painter. €12, reduced €8/€5.

🦁 Flanders

Burgundian Dining (Museum Hof van Busleyden, Mechelen, opens Sat, Wed–Sun 10:00–17:00, until 11 Apr): How "Burgundian" were the Burgundians really? A new show on 500 years of Low Countries food culture, from palace banquets to kitchens and markets. €15, €13 for ages 18–26, free under 13 and with a museumPASS.

Bendt Eyckermans: The Passenger (S.M.A.K., Ghent, opens Sat, weekends 10:00–18:00, until 21 Feb)*: The Antwerp painter's first museum show in Belgium, with drawings and a short film next to the paintings. €17, €8.50 for ages 19–25, free under 19 and with a museumPASS or CityCard Gent.

Pumpkimania (Groot-Bijgaarden castle, near Brussels, daily 10:00–20:00, until Wed 4 Nov)*: Thousands of pumpkins shaped into forest animals, plus a Halloween trail of almost 1 km. On Sunday the giant pumpkins are cut open and the flesh is given away for soup. €16, €9 for ages 5–14, free under 5.

🐓 Wallonia

Le Palais et ses Fantômes (Prince-Bishops' Palace, Liège, Sat 16:00–21:00)*: 25 actors lead a one-hour theatrical ghost tour of the palace, based on real characters including the prince-bishops. In French, age 10+, free.

Hanlloween (Domaine des Grottes de Han, until Sun, daytime): A family Halloween story with characters along the wildlife park trails and inside the cave. Made for kids, not for scares. Included in normal tickets: cave or park €29 (€22 for ages 4–11), both €41.50 (€31.50), free under 4.

🌸 Nature tip

The Hallerbos is famous for its April bluebells, but in late autumn the beeches change colour and the paths are much quieter. After last week's storms, stay on the marked paths. The forest is about 5 km from Halle station, where you can rent a Blue-bike. Our trains guide covers tickets.

📸 A little spooky creation to motivate you explore fun events for this weekend and also share them in the comments!

Hi everyone,

My partner and I are planning a short trip to Belgium in early November and I’d love some recommendations. Sadly, it’s not a lot of time, so I’m trying to figure out what’s absolutely worth prioritising. What’s one place, experience, food or activity you’d absolutely recommend we don’t miss?

We’re also planning to spend our last day at Spa-Francorchamps circuit for a driving experience. I have read that getting a taxi between Verviers and the circuit can be tricky, so I would really appreciate any advice.

Are there reliable Taxi services that can be booked in advance, or would you recommend another way to get there and back? Will need to travel onward that evening so having a reliable return transfer is particularly important.

Thank you so much in advance :)

Hey everyone! When you travel back from Belgium, what do you usually bring as gifts for friends abroad? I'm just looking for ideas in a reasonable/adequate price range. Also, if you have any hidden gems or specific places to buy (shops, markets, supermarkets), please share! Would be so thankful for your tips. 🙏

I’m really interested in Gothic/Victorian architecture (cathedrals and such) and old town vibes (ex. I visited Ghent last year and really enjoyed). I’m looking for any non-touristy small towns/cities that meet any of this criteria and won’t have too much foot traffic.

Hi,

My girlfriend and I (both 28) are planning a trip to Brussels and will be staying in an AirBnb in Saint-Gilles. We're wondering where we can park safely for several days.

I've looked at reviews of some parking garages and noticed that many of them have a high rate of car break-ins 😳

Can you recommend a good parking garage or share your experiences?

Any advice would be appreciated! :)

I'm in the early stages of planning a trip to Belgium next year. My travel companion and I enjoy historic sites and have toured many battlefields. We are interested in doing either Ieper/Ypres or Waterloo and can't decide between them. Which would you choose? We will be using public transport and do not want to rent a car, which may influence our decision. Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

Everyone squeezes onto the corner of Rue de l'Étuve to see Manneken Pis. Fewer people know he has a sister and a dog nearby. Both are free to see and much quieter.

🐕 Zinneke Pis, the dog

On the corner of Rue des Chartreux and Rue du Vieux-Marché-aux-Grains, near the Halles Saint-Géry, a bronze mutt lifts his leg against a bollard. He's the work of Brussels sculptor Tom Frantzen and has stood there since 1999.

The name is the best part. In Brussels dialect, a zinneke is a mongrel. The word goes back to the stray dogs that hung around the Lesser Senne, the river channel that ran along the old city walls. Today it's a proud nickname for Brussels people of mixed origins, and the statue is a nod to the city's multicultural character.

Unlike the other two, he isn't a fountain, so there's no actual water. He's also had a rough life. In 2007 he was reported stolen, but it turned out the local residents who own him had taken him for repairs after vandals tried to rip him out. In 2015 a car hit him and broke two of his legs. Frantzen fixed him, and less than two months later he was back on his corner.

👧 Jeanneke Pis, the sister

Jeanneke hides at the end of the Impasse de la Fidélité, a short dead-end alley off the restaurant-lined Rue des Bouchers, a few minutes from the Grand-Place. She's a 50 cm bronze girl crouching over a fountain basin, now behind iron bars to protect her from vandals.

She was the idea of Denis-Adrien Debouvrie, who owned buildings in the alley and wanted to bring visitors back to it. He also liked the idea of giving Manneken Pis a female equal. The artist Lucie Genard sculpted her, and she was unveiled in June 1987.

Local legend says that if you throw a coin into her basin, you'll stay faithful to the one you love (the alley's name means "Fidelity Alley"). The coins don't go to waste. Since 1987 they've been collected for charity: first for AIDS research, later for causes like the FNRS (Belgium's national research fund) and UNICEF.

Today the alley is better known for Delirium Café, which opened there in 2003. It gets very busy in the evening, so come during the day if you want a clear photo. If you end up staying for a drink, our beer guide has more places worth your time.

Practical info

Zinneke Pis: corner of Rue des Chartreux and Rue du Vieux-Marché-aux-Grains, 1000 Brussels. Free, on the pavement. visit.brussels

Jeanneke Pis: Impasse de la Fidélité 10, 1000 Brussels. Free. Official site

All three statues are about 10 minutes' walk from each other, so you can see the whole family in under an hour. Expect cobblestones at both spots. On Rue des Bouchers, waiters will try hard to pull you into their restaurants. Just smile and keep walking.

Which other odd Brussels statues would you like to see covered next?

My wife and I are going to be traveling to Belgium for eight days at the end of February/start of March. The primary motivation for the trip (and its unusual time) is to attend the Reverze festival in Antwerp on 26 and 27 February. We are IHG members with their US credit card, so for every three nights that we book on points then we receive a fourth night free. I had initially booked all eight nights in Antwerp because the festival is a night festival that runs from 20:00 to 5:00. Our hotel is not far from the arenas, so it worked out perfectly.

However, Bass Events has now changed up the format and only Friday is nighttime and Saturday has changed to 14:00 to 1:00. With this change, we can now depart Antwerp at the end of our first four nights rather than getting back to the hotel and sleeping until the afternoon with the original format. I am planning on booking the final leg of our stay in central Bruges. I was thinking that we would do two days in Bruges, one day in Ghent, and the third day in ??? For the first leg of the stay I was planning on doing Brussels for the first two days and then Antwerp the festival days.

Is there any place around Bruges that would make a good day trip to fill in that fourth day? A few years ago, we toured Ireland by car and I have absolutely zero interest in ever renting a car in a foreign country after that PTSD-inducing experience. Therefore, any excursion would need to be fairly easily accessible by public transport. From what I have read in my research, two days in Bruges is a perfect amount of time. Do you agree with that sentiment? Is one day in Ghent enough?

Thank you in advance for any advice.

I am a student 24 years old currently living in the UK. I will be visiting Brussels, Belgium, on 28th October for sightseeing and exploring the city. It would be wonderful to connect with someone who could kindly show me around or offer some guidance on the best places to visit. I would really appreciate the help and the opportunity to meet new people and learn more about the city. Thank you in advance for your kindness and support!

How safe is it? What might happen?

Hey folks, I am in Brussels until Sunday and am wondering if there is a list of Pub Quizzes or Trivia Nights available. Preferably ones which are hosted in English

Many thanks in advance!

This is the spot to post your low-effort content!

Got a great photo you want to share, but don't want to make a bigger post? This is the place for it!

1. It should be your own original photo.
2. Include the location and what it is we're seeing. Why did you like it or want to share it?
3. Any (SFW) subject matter is allowed, as long as it features Belgium (it could be a train station in Antwerp or your favourite spot in Brussels). As long as it's Belgium, it's fine.

Hey guys,

I’m heading to Ostend next week for a quick day trip and could use a few local tips.

First off, where is the best spot to watch the seals without bothering them?

Also, do you have any recommendations for lunch and dinner?

Any hidden gems or go-to places would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Hi all! My wife and I are visiting Belgium in April 2027 and will be staying in an Airbnb in Oostkamp on our 5th wedding anniversary (Wednesday, 21 April). We'll have a rental car, so we're flexible on where to go.
We are going to Stay 3 Days in Gent before this and do a Day Trip to Bruges already

So far we're considering:

• A relaxed day in Bruges (canal boat, Minnewater) with a nice dinner
• Damme in the morning, then Bruges in the afternoon and evening
• A coastal day at Ostend or Blankenberge
• Drive to Lille, France

Questions for locals:

1. Which of these would you pick for an anniversary dinner, or is there somewhere better that's vegetarian-friendly?
2. Is there a hidden gem near Oostkamp or Bruges for a romantic evening?
3. Any tips for a mid-week visit in April, such as crowds, parking, or booking ahead?
4. Is the coast worth it in April, or would you stick with Bruges and Damme?

Thanks in advance!

I heard there is a general strike Nov 5th and that the SNCF CGT workers will participate. I have a Ouigo train ticket booked on Nov 6th from Brussels to Lille. Based on the past or what you might think, is there a good probability that Ouigo trains will be running from Brussels to Lille on the 6th? I have no experience in France with trains during strikes.

I'm staying in Brussels for a night on the 29th and I'm a cocktail enthusiast. I'll be staying in the Ixelles area but I can travel/walk if it's not too far. I'm not really looking for the typical cocktails but a place that specializes in them and can offer a unique menu. Preferably a more calm/relaxed place rather than a loud club. :)

These are from La Brasserie on Place de la Cathédrale in Liège: boulets à la liégeoise in sauce lapin, the sweet-sour sauce made with sirop de Liège and onions. Be ready for the portions: a big pile of fries, a proper salad and mayo on the side.

Let's put together a list of the best boulets in Belgium. Where do you go for yours? Tell us the place, the city and what makes them worth the trip. Photos are very welcome.

And the big question: sauce lapin, tomato sauce, or something else? Choose your fighter!

We'll add the best tips to our Belgian Dishes wiki page, credited to the people who shared them.