Country Information

Belgium_01

Location: Europe
Capital: Brussels
Population: 11 million
Currency: Euro
Language: Dutch, French, German
Main Religion: Christianity

Dates in the country

Middle September 2017

Climate

Belgium has a temperate maritime climate influenced by the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean, with cool summers and moderate winters. Since the country is small there is little variation in climate from region to region, although the marine influences are less inland.

Public Holidays


  • January 1st New Year’s Day
  • March/April Easter
  • May 1st Labour Day
  • May 5th Ascension Day
  • May 16th Whit Monday
  • July 21st Independence Day
  • August 15th Assumption Day
  • November 1st All Saint’s Day
  • November 11th Armistice Day
  • December 25th Christmas Day


VISA


  • Australian and New Zealand passport holders planning a visit to any of the 28 Member States of the EU do not require a visa if their stay is no longer than 90 days in a six month period within the EU.
  • UK part of the EU


Medical



Vaccines advised:

  • Tetanus


Rules of the Road


Priority is given to the right; drivers must stop for traffic joining from the right. Marked by an inverted “yield” sign with a red “X” in the middle, the “priority from the right” rule means that cars coming from the right always have priority, unless a yellow diamond sign or other priority road sign has been posted. This does not apply on motorways, roundabouts, and roads sign-posted with an orange diamond within a white background

  • The legal minimum age for driving is 18 years
  • Trams have priority in Belgium, as do their passengers getting on and off
  • Pedestrians have priority at pedestrian crossings
  • It is obligatory to have at least third party vehicle insurance. It is the car owner’s responsibility to obtain the insurance.
  • Valid Belgian, other EU country and International driving licences (accompanied by a valid foreign driving licence) are accepted in Belgium
  • Mobile cellular telephones may only be used with a “handsfree” system
  • It’s compulsory to wear a seat belt including in the back seats if belts are fitted. It is the driver’s responsibility to ensure all passengers wear their belts (and the driver will be fined if passengers are not belted in)
  • Headlights must be used in tunnels, even during the day
  • Drivers involved in an accident must stop and help injured people, collaborate in avoiding danger and other possible accidents, and call the police if there are injured people or if the road cannot be cleared
  • Police Tel: 101
  • Drive on the right in Belgium, overtake on the left
  • Carnet is not legally required however an Australian registered car may require one.


Places to Visit


  • Belgian beer establishments
  • Frites establishments
  • Chocolatier


Route

A detailed route showing where we went overlanding and exploring. We jotted down the routes we travelled on a physical map which travelled with us from Australia to the UK, then transferred this to a digital form using Google Maps (KML and GeoRSS Layers) 

These are exact appropriations, maps differ between brands and converting from paper to digital may lose some details in translation. This should still show in great detail our route.