Officially known as the Kingdom of Belgium, Belgium is a beautiful country situated in Western Europe. Enclosed by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the southwest and the North Sea to the northwest, this country houses over 11 million people.  This country covers around 30,528 square kilometres of area. Belgium is one of the six formation countries of the European Union. It holds the official seats of European Commission, the Council of the European Union, the European Council and not to forget a position of the European Parliament in country’s capital. In addition to that, Belgium also plays an essential role as a founding member of Eurozone, NATO, OECD, WTO as well as a part of the Benelux headquarters and Schengen Area. With all mentioned above, it is no doubt that Belgium is a well-developed country with a growing high-income economy. Considered as “very high” in the Human Development Index, this peaceful country is also known as one of the safest countries in the world.

The history of Belgium is interesting and worth knowing. It all started when the Romans annexed Belgium in 57 BC and was integrated into the Roman Empire as Gallia Belgica. In the 5th century AD, Roman rule stooped, and the Franks seized Belgium. Their first capital was at Tournai. By the 9th century, the Franks had controlled most of Western Europe. However, their empire fell. Later in the 11th century, the Flanders which was pretty much known as modern Belgium rose an authoritative semi-independent empire. It was prosperous and wealthy. In the 12th and 13th century, Belgium’s wool industry began to flourish. Trading was also done with France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Flemish cities like Burges, Ghent and Ypres too, boosted.  Unfortunately, the prosperous and influential cities of Belgium got into a mess with the kings of France. The counts of Belgium were followers of the French king, and he was always at war with England. Belgium depended on English wool. Hence, the merchants were reluctant to side the French. The French king planned to include Belgium into his kingdom. In 1302, troubles got more severe as craftsmen in Bruges went against the idea of paying a new tax. The French king assigned soldiers to occupy the town. A weaver named Pieter de Coninck and a butcher named Jan Breydel led a revolution in 1302. They slew anyone who could not articulate certain Flemish words. The rebellion in Bruges flowed to the rest of Belgium, so a French army was assigned to stop it. In July 1302, the Belgian farmers and artisans defeated the French at the Battle of the Golden Spurs. Then, the Belgians managed to collect 600 golden spurs. As the result of the battle, French had no choice but to declare the independence of Flanders. In the 14th century, an area named Burgundy (now known as France) was an influential realm.  In 1377, the Duke of Burgundy married the heiress of the Count of Flanders, Margaret of Flanders. After the count’s death in 1385, Flanders was recognised as a part of the Burgundian territory. Under the Burgundian rule, trading sustained well. The achievement in the art by famous artists like Jan Van Eyck and Hans Memling was remarkable.

Additionally, Leuven University was founded in 1425. In 1477, the heiress of the Duke of Burgundy, Mary, married Maximilian of Austria which made Belgium came under Austrian rule. Maximilian’s grandson, Charles I, then was made the ruler of Spain, Austria and Belgium. However, in 1566, the enormous realm was divided. Charles’ son, Philip, became the king of both Spain and Belgium. In the meantime of the 16th century, the whole of Europe was threatened by the Protestant Reformation, but most people in Belgium stayed as Catholics. Afterwards, at the end of the 17th century, the European powers went against Belgium. In 1714, after the War of the Spanish Succession, Austria was handed to Belgium. Eighty years later, the French army occupied Belgium. A year later, Belgium was conquered by France. The French Revolutionaries came out with few reforms and introduced recruitment in 1797. It resulted in a rebellion in 1798 but overcome by French. In the early 19th century, Belgium started to mass-produce. Coal mining, textiles and metal industries flourished positively. Unfortunately, in 1815, Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo. Later, great powers changed the map of Europe. As a result, Belgium and Holland were brought together as a country.

Nevertheless, the union did not work because Belgium and Holland were economically and culturally unlike. A revolution arose in 1830 and 1831; the big powers agreed to announce the independence of Belgium. Six months later, Leopold of Saxe-Coburg was appointed as the king of Belgium and ruled for 34 years. During his ruling, Belgium sustained to industrialise, but there was growing tension between two language groups which were Flemings and Walloons. Leopold II ruled from 1865 to 1909. He wished to make Belgium more powerful and influential. In 1885, he conquered an area called Belgian Congo. The Africans were oppressed, so in 1908, the Belgian government took away Leopold’s control. He later died in 1909, and Belgium ruled the Congo up to 1960. Belgium suffered terribly in World War I and World War II. In 1914, Belgium remained unbiased but still invaded by the Germans. The Belgians fought courageously, but almost the whole country was overrun. The Germans treated them dreadfully. In 1940, the Germans invaded Belgium once again even though they remained neutral. The war has left Belgium shattered. Belgium bounced back quite fast from the Second World War. It became one of the founder members of the EU in 1957 and joined the Euro in 1999. In the late 20th century, Belgium turned into a prosperous and advanced society.

This country divided into three regions which are the Flemish Region or Flanders, Walloon Region or Wallonia and Brussel-Capital Region which is a province itself. The first two regions mentioned are each subdivided into five provinces. The capital of Belgium is the City of Brussels. The famous cities in Belgium are Map of Belgium, Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi, Brussels, Bruges and Namur. For a Singapore citizen who is on tourist travel, visa-exempt is applicable for a stay up to 90 days. The traveller must have a passport valid at least six months on entry with one blank visa page, proof of sufficient funds in the form of a bank statement or cash, proof of return airline tickets, documents showing proof of purpose of trip, all documents required for the next destination, a visa for the next destination (if required) and authorize with the airline that boarding will be permitted without a visa as these conditions are subject to change. For business travellers, visa-exempt is applicable for a total stay of 90 days per 180 days within the Schengen Area. When the accumulative maximum reached, the traveller must be outside of the Schengen Area for 90 days before coming again without a visa. The business traveler must have passport valid at least six months on entry with two blank visa page, proof of sufficient funds, proof of return airline tickets, documents showing proof of purpose of trip, all documents required for the next destination, a visa for the next destination (if required) and authorize with the airline that boarding will be permitted without a visa as these conditions are subject to change.

Belgium has three official languages which are Dutch, French and German. Numerous non-official, minority languages and dialects used as well. Foreign languages like Italian and English are also widely spoken there. Belgium has a pleasant climate with four seasons throughout the whole year. Temperatures are moderate during the entire year. On average, Belgium receives more rainfall compared to the United Kingdom and faintly less than the Netherlands. The wettest months would be July and December. When you are in Belgium, be sure to try mouth-watering Belgium food like Belgian fries, stomp, grey shrimp croquettes, speculaas, Belgian waffles and not to forget Belgian chocolates.

How to Get There?

By Flight

The average flight time from Singapore to Brussels, Belgium would take around 15 hours and 30 minutes. The fastest flight with a stop would take approximately 16 hours. Nevertheless, some airlines could take up to 37 hours depending on the stopover destination and waiting time. Waiting time usually lasts from 50 minutes to 21 hours. A one-way ticket from Singapore Changi Airport to Brussels would cost from SGD 913. Cheaper flights with more stops and longer flying time are available from SGD 515.

What to Do There?

Grand-Place of Brussels

The Grand-Place or also known as Grote Markt is the most significant tourist destination and a fantastic landmark in Brussels. Boarded by guild houses, the City Hall and the Maison du Roi, this landmark labelled as one of the most beautiful squares in Europe. This attraction acknowledged as World Heritage of the UNESCO in 1998. Visitors can witness mind-blowing and majestic buildings while walking in the square. This market square opens daily from 9 in the morning till 8 p.m. If visitors are lucky, they will get to witness numerous festive or cultural events organised there. Thus, visiting this great attraction must be on your top list when you are in Belgium.

Antwerp Zoo

Located in the centre of Antwerp, Belgium, Antwerp Zoo is one of the oldest animal parks in the world. Established in 1843, this zoo currently houses around 7000 animals of 950 species. This means that visitors will learn a lot about animals from daily programmes. It gets more than one million visitors annually. Entrance tickets are available online and at the cash desks. For your information, online tickets sold cheaper. It opens daily, so visitors can plan to visit this attraction on any day. Sited only a stone’s throw away from the Central Station, this zoo is easily accessible for everyone. The smartest and easiest way to get to the zoo is by train. However, visitors can drive there too. This attraction will leave visitors of different ages with no regrets.

Where to Stay?

Crowne Plaza Brussels - Le Palace

Located in Brussels-Capital, this four-star hotel has a beautiful interior. Surrounded by attractions like Rogier Square, City 2 Shopping Mall, Belgian Comic Strip Center and Colonne du Congres, hotel guests would never be bored while staying here. Priced from SGD 414.18 per night, this hotel offers public facilities like safety deposit box, elevator and Wi-Fi. The hotel services provided like 24-hour receptionist, concierge, laundry service, a newspaper in lobby, luggage storage, multilingual staff and porter are going to make the stay here comfortable and relaxed. In addition to that, it provides business facilities like a business centre, a computer station, conference room and meeting facilities for guests who are on business trips. If hotel guests need a place to relax and rejuvenate, they can come to the sauna. There is also a fitness centre here. Not only that, the hotel has a bar and breakfast with surcharge is available. To guests who drive, parking is available with surcharge. This smoke-free hotel also allows pets. With all mentioned above, staying here during your trip is a good bargain.

Park Inn by Radisson Antwerpen

This three-star hotel lies in Flanders, a beautiful Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium. With a decent price per night that is from SGD 163, this hotel strategically located near Aquatopia, Century Shopping Centre, Antwerp Zoo and Opera of Antwerp.  Its hotel facilities include parking, 24-hour front desk, elevator, Wi-Fi, restaurant, safety deposit box, fitness centre, conference room and lift. With hotel services like laundry service, an express check-in and check-out, a newspaper in lobby, luggage storage, multilingual staff and tours, hotel guests will truly enjoy staying here. Furthermore, babysitting with surcharge is available for parents who need their romantic time together. Thus, staying here during your trip is right.