Product Description

The Rough Guide to Belgium and Luxembourg is a pleasingly different guide that stands out for uncovering hidden gems and quaint surprises, providing travellers with all they need to know to make the most of their time in these two countries.

The guide is packed with details for every attraction from the art galleries of Bruges to the forests of Ardennes and provides revealing background information behind the art, history and politics and most importantly, the low-down on Belgium’s best beers.

Take the hassle out your trip by using Rough Guides’ detailed maps, concise practical advice and discerning reviews of handpicked restaurants and accommodation. This new edition includes even more photos to really inspire your trip.

Make the most of your time with The Rough Guide to Belgium & Luxembourg

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #68357 in Books
• Published on: 2008-02-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781843538561
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author

Martin Dunford is Rough Guides’ Publishing Director and author of guides to Rome, Italy, Amsterdam and New York, among others.

Phil Lee started working for the Rough Guides in the 1980s and is author of many Rough Guides including Norway, Canada, Mallorca and Menorca.

Martin Dunford is Rough Guides’ Publishing Director and author of guides to Rome, Italy, Amsterdam and New York, among others.

Phil Lee started working for the Rough Guides in the 1980s and is author of many Rough Guides including Norway, Canada, Mallorca and Menorca.

Martin Dunford is Rough Guides’ Publishing Director and author of guides to Rome, Italy, Amsterdam and New York, among others.

Phil Lee started working for the Rough Guides in the 1980s and is author of many Rough Guides including Norway, Canada, Mallorca and Menorca.

Martin Dunford is Rough Guides’ Publishing Director and author of guides to Rome, Italy, Amsterdam and New York, among others.

Phil Lee started working for the Rough Guides in the 1980s and is author of many Rough Guides including Norway, Canada, Mallorca and Menorca.

Martin Dunford is Rough Guides’ Publishing Director and author of guides to Rome, Italy, Amsterdam and New York, among others.

Phil Lee started working for the Rough Guides in the 1980s and is author of many Rough Guides including Norway, Canada, Mallorca and Menorca.

Martin Dunford is Rough Guides’ Publishing Director and author of guides to Rome, Italy, Amsterdam and New York, among others.

Phil Lee started working for the Rough Guides in the 1980s and is author of many Rough Guides including Norway, Canada, Mallorca and Menorca.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Climate and when to go

Belgium enjoys a fairly standard temperate climate, with warm, if mild, summers and cold winters. Generally speaking, temperatures rise the further south you go, with Wallonia a couple of degrees warmer than Flanders for most of the year, though in the east this is offset by the more severe climate of continental Europe, and emphasized by the increase in altitude of the Ardennes. Luxembourg, too, has more extreme temperatures and harsher winters, often accompanied by snow. In both countries rain is always a possibility, and you can expect a greater degree of precipitation in the Ardennes and upland regions than on the northern plains.

As regards clothing, you should take heavy coats and gloves in winter, and lighter clothes and warm sweaters for the evening in summer. Some sort of rainwear is advisable all year round.

Customer Reviews

Anything and everything you need to know about Belgium!
Having spent an academic year studying and travelling in Belgium, I went through a great many different guidebooks to enhance my Belgian experience. The guidebook experience was a mixed one - some multi-area guidebooks devoted but a few pages to Belgium (Rick Steves' France, Belgium, and Luxembourg - very spotty on the Belgian information), others were more focused on the culture and history of Belgium than the intricacies of getting to a specific place (the Insight Guide to Belgium).

So, having gone through the gamut of books on Belgium, I can wholeheartedly say that this is the best one out on the market at the current time. The coverage given to tourist sites and getting around this small-but-wonderful country is outstanding...it helped me find some great, off-the-beaten-track destinations that other guidebooks might pass over. The coverage given to Luxembourg within these pages is also very well-done (not to mention helpful) -- something sorely lacking in other guidebooks.

The Insight Guide to Belgium is also recommended, but more as a cultural and historical primer. For the practicalities of everyday Belgian life, this is the only book you'll need (and its physical size is great - the least cumbersome and yet most informative guide I've ever carried around on my travels). So...what are you waiting for? Go to Belgium and take this book with you!

Rough Guide has really captured these two little countries
I traveled to Belgium in 1999 on a whim, for a long weekend in Antwerp, with about three days' notice. It was the best trip to Europe I've ever made. First, let me give you five really good reasons to go to Belgium and Luxembourg.

1) Since they are somewhat off the beaten path (with the possible exception of Brugge (Bruges), in Flanders), they're cheap. You can get top quality accommodations, food, and beer for about half what you would expect to pay for similar quality in Paris, Cologne or Amsterdam.
2) If well-preserved, but still functioning, medieval towns are your thing, consider this for a moment: Antwerp, Brugge, Ghent, Namur, Mechelen, Leuven. Any questions?
3) The best beer on earth, period.
4) Small enough to get anywhere within two hours, and entirely realistic to tour on a bicycle.
5) More linguistic, cultural, artistic and geographic diversity crammed into a small space than any other country in the world. You get Dutch, French, German, and maybe even a little Spanish.
6) A courteous and helpful service ethic. Belgians love tourists!

And, of course, there are also five good reasons to buy this guide rather than other guides.

1) Essential historical, cultural and literary contexts that explain these small countries' somewhat confusing, multi-ethnic histories.
2) Encyclopedic coverage of all the cities, towns and important natural sites, including insightful historic and practical information.
3) Immediately up-to-date listings.
4) More substance than style. Rough Guides are intentionally that way.
5) A "not to miss" section that is well researched and looks beyond the obvious.

With mighty Brugge right next door, I still think incredible Ghent gets the short end of the stick. Some of the writing is a bit stale in this regard. For me, the hoards of tourists in Brugge make the experience in Ghent that much more authentic. There's nothing like falling into a Ghent pub at about 4:30PM for a Duvel, and staying on until you forget where you are. It's awesome.

If you don't buy the book, go anyway. And if you go to Belgium and spend all your time in Brussels, shame on you:)

Great Guide Book for Touring Belgium & Luxembourg
I am currently living in Belgium and have gone through several guide books to help find the spots to visit. Many other books focus on hotels or restaurants, but the Rough Guide focuses on where to go and what to see when you get there. It has useful information on how to get there by car, train and even bike. I take this book with me on my travels around Belgium and am enjoying learning more about this wonderful country.