Belgium Local Customs

  Belgian Malinois shepherd dog.
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  • Belgian Malinois shepherd dog.
      Belgian Malinois shepherd dog.
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      Belgium Chocolate by aussirose
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  •   Local Customs
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Most Viewed Local Customs in Belgium

151.

Eating   Brussels

Eating, Brussels

 43 Reviews  Belgium chocolate is famous, and remarkably linked to Tourism. I think that it is impossible to approach Manneken Pis without being compelled to enter one of the many shops that rival to make the most... 

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152.

Legends and urban stories   Antwerp

Legends and urban stories, Antwerp

 19 Reviews  There is some Antwerp legend (I'm afraid I don't remember the details but it's not important) about a giant and a man who fight, the man wins and cuts of the giant's hand (natives - feel free to... 

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153.

Beers / Chocolates / Flemish Frites (Fries).   Brugge

Beers / Chocolates / Flemish Frites (Fries)., Brugge

 20 Reviews  While you are in Brugge you MUST try fries with mayonnaise (of course unless you are not a big fan of mayonnaise). I never thought it would be that good until I tried it. When we ordered them, they... 

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154.

Museums   Oostende

Museums, Oostende

 5 Reviews  THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS. Different works of art from Ostend such as Ensor, Permeke, Spilliaert, Finch, De Clerck, etc.. there’s a large variety of works from Belgian masters from 1830 until... 

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155.

Cat Parade   Ieper

Cat Parade, Ieper

 5 Reviews  Cat haters must love the Kattenfestival which has it's origins in the 12th century when they would throw live cats from the Cloth Hall belfry, hope they hadn't cashed in on all of their 9 lives yet!... 

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156.

Languages   Brussels

Languages, Brussels

 27 Reviews  As the Flemish speaking inhabitants started over the two last centuries to speak more and more French they often did it keeping the Flemish tonic accent at the begin of the word on the contrary of... 

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157.

Festivals and events   Antwerp

Festivals and events, Antwerp

 53 Reviews  In 2004 the tallships race was back in Antwerp again. It was one of the great events this summer. Lot of activity is going on, when the tall ships are here. The event will be back in tge summer of... 

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158.

2 languages are spoken Flemish and French.   Brugge

2 languages are spoken Flemish and French., Brugge

 6 Reviews  Actually it's both depending on whether you are using the Flemish spelling or French spelling. In Flemish and Dutch, it's spelled Brugge and pronounced Broo-gah. In French and English, it's spelled... 

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159.

Poppies   Ieper

Poppies, Ieper

 6 Reviews  Le coquelicot, "poppy" en anglais, est le symbole par excellence qui honore le sacrifice de tous ceux qui ont servi et sont morts pour leur pays pendant les deux guerres mondiales. Cette fleur... 

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160.

Drinking   Brussels

Drinking, Brussels

 41 Reviews  AWESOME. This is a beer shop in Brussels heart, it's not just a shop for me it's a beer museum!!! There is more than 1000 Belgian beers!!! Beautiful!!! See my pictures! They can also ship beers,... 

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161.

Famous people   Antwerp

Famous people, Antwerp

 10 Reviews  dEUS are an Antwerp-based band who take on the world, armed with a suitcase full of Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa, Pixies and Radiohead. Their music is never straightforward, always with a twist that... 

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162.

Museums / Architecture / Art / Paintings.   Brugge

Museums / Architecture / Art / Paintings., Brugge

 28 Reviews  This fountain in t'Zand square was done in the 1980s and depicts several typical Flanders scenes and icons. There are cyclists and a Flanders landscape. In the photo you can see the fisherman and on... 

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163.

Last Post   Ieper

Last Post, Ieper

 5 Reviews  Every evening since July 24 1927 at 20.00 hours, the Last post is blown by members of the Ypres Fire Brigade, to remember the victims of World War I. The blowing of the Last post only was interrupted... 

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164.

Tipping   Brussels

Tipping, Brussels

 6 Reviews  Taxes and tips are always included in the price you need to pay in pubs, restaurants and even taxis. However it is an unwritten rule that if you are satisfied about the service and your bill is not a... 

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165.

Beer tasting   Antwerp

Beer tasting, Antwerp

 18 Reviews  Drinking for Belgians is a cultural and social happening. Being famous for the beers, we also take care of our pubs and we have some few! One that is very cute and stuffed with all kinds of saint's... 

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166.

Lace making a well known Belgian Art.   Brugge

Lace making a well known Belgian Art., Brugge

 13 Reviews  There are many ways to make lace. Needlepoint Lace is made with a needle and thread. It is very closely related to embroidery but the stitches are made without cloth underneath them. They are simply... 

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167.

Comic Strip Art   Brussels

Comic Strip Art, Brussels

 14 Reviews  The Marolles is set in the former artisans' quarter of the city. You can access the area by a lift which operates near to the Palais de Justice or just walk downhill as we did. The pretty mural looks... 

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168.

Musea   Antwerp

Musea, Antwerp

 10 Reviews  In Antwerp I saw only four masterpieces by Pieter Paul Rubens in Our Lady's Cathedral (Onze Lieve-Vrouwkathedraal). But I was lucky to visit a few more museums with his works of which I liked most:... 

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169.

Procession of the Holy Blood   Brugge

Procession of the Holy Blood, Brugge

 4 Reviews  The great procession of the Holy Blood held each Ascension Day, when the bishop of Bruges carry the relic of the Holy Blood through the streets of the city. The procession culminates with the... 

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170.

Flower Carpet   Brussels

Flower Carpet, Brussels

 7 Reviews  It's better to book in time if you want to attend this flower carpet event. It's very crowded and all the hotels are taken. Next flower carpet in Brussels is between August, 15th-17th, 2010. Be there... 

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171.

VT-Meetings   Antwerp

VT-Meetings, Antwerp

 6 Reviews  On occasion of Leroys (Brewdog @ VT)'s visit to Belgium and my anniversary, I organised a VT pubcrawl. We were with 9 VT-ers and family and some friends. We had a great time! No wonder as we asked... 

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172.

Horse Carriage / Canal Tours / Cultural Celebrations.   Brugge

Horse Carriage / Canal Tours / Cultural Celebrations., Brugge

 10 Reviews  these wildly popular canal-boat tours. It seems you can get a better view of things just by wandering around on your own, not being jammed into these longboats like sardines. But the guided-tour... 

 See All 118 Local Customs in Brugge

173.

Festivals   Brussels

Festivals, Brussels

 19 Reviews   Years and years I've seen this christmas period thing grown in Brussels. I do think that Brussels has got' the most beautiful square in the world. I have been on some squares....that title... 

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174.

Shopping   Antwerp

Shopping, Antwerp

 4 Reviews  Every year on August 15th the Rubensmarket takes place. Its to honour the famous painter P.P.Rubens. The sales people are all dressed like the people used to dress when Rubens was living. The... 

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175.

Paying at the Bar and tipping 10% is costumary   Brugge

Paying at the Bar and tipping 10% is costumary, Brugge

 3 Reviews  In a country where service is included in most bills, tipping is not a problem. Most people will not expect a tip. Possible exceptions are public toilets, where the attendant may expect a tip of 25... 

 See All 118 Local Customs in Brugge

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Oktober - Haloween.

by belgianchocolate

About 10 years ago 'haloween' was somethingfrom American movies ...But since a couple of years we 'celebrate'it as well. 'Celebrate' means , we cut some pumpkins , and eat pumpkin soup....This year the zoo was completelydecorated in haloween theme.Quit impressive - the creative teamhas done more then their best.But does it mean something to us?I don't know. More and more peopleare anoyed by the commercial aspectof these days.To be honest , I haven't got a clue what haloween means.And this was send to me by The-beauty-of-KY.For a better understanding. Thanks a million.''All hallows eve is the only night of the yearwhen the barrier between the world of spiritsand the world of the living is open. People dress so that the spirits don't know that theyare people. It is a pagan holiday celebratedmostly (in the religious sense) by Wiccans and Druids.

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One of our most favorite time passing!

by irisbe

One of our most favorite time passings is enjoying one of our famous beers.We have numerous different kinds of beers, some are only brewed temporary or seasonaly. New ones appear, others disappear. We have big breweries and micro-breweries.A beer respecting itself has its own glass designed. So You better don't drink it unless out of it's proper glass! If you want to look up a nice collection already you can have a look at my Belgian tourist trap tips.I called it tourist traps because those beers will make you stay or coming back. It is like the singing of the Lorelei... Why we drink beer? It all started out of necessity!Have a read at my Brussels's warning tip and you will find out :)You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on.Dean Martin

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You may need this... :)

by Norali

Somewhere where to sit when you have a very urgent need. Very often, public toilets are not that clean. I tried the ones at some trains stations and they were not that neat, for instance. In pubs and restaurants, they don't have dame-pipi either (most of times).Instead, for 30 eurocents, Quick restaurants have clean toilets (with an active dame-pipi and not the one who just sits on her chair knitting).Plus, Quick restaurants are spread all over the country. :)Please, check in pages of cities you are interested in. Such tips are under local customs category.OK... For those who don't know, Quick is a Belgian fast food chain, quite developed in Europe. No mussels and fries there but rather hamburgers and fries. OK.. you name it, like McDo. A bit cheaper, I think.I am not advertising about Quick. But I noticed that their toilets are clean... It's up to you to have hamburgers or taste local...

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Everything at same time... :)

by Norali

As many have stated or heard or read, Belgian people like food, with quality and quantity. Sometimes, like heavy, sometimes refined, sometimes some "fast", just according circumstances and time they have for cooking (and savouring)! That's fine with me, especially since Malagasy people use to value good food too. Yet, I was more than once surprised by the way many families use to eat. When invited by some of my friends' families, I was amazed by their ability to eat "everything together". I usually start with the starter, then the main dish, then salad, then dessert if all or more of that is included in the diner. In many of Belgian families, one uses to have everything at same time in a dish. Very often, starter goes with the main dish (carb + meat). Then the salad is at hand reach, that enables some to have cucumber slices or carrot salads (usually starter, for me) in the main dish...

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Belgians and coffee

by Norali

Well, something I noticed, and you will if you enter in acquaintance with locals, is that Belgians use to drink a lot of coffee aside from beer.It stroke me when I arrived in Belgium since I am used to see people drinking it at breakfast, at noon course and, sometimes, after dinner. In Belgium, people drink coffee at those moments and not only, also between breakfast and noon lunch.Students are on coffee as well while studying for exam sessions.In the office, they use to have coffee at arrival (8.30-9.00am), at 11 am. Of course, this was possible since each level in my ex-workplace has its coffee-distributor. And again, after noon lunch, you see lines in front of the coffee-machine in the "kitchen".In general, their coffee is not strong at all. They use to rant whenever ordering some (average Belgian) coffee and being served some expresso-like coffee: "I haven't ordered it that...

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Sitting on Saint Nicolas' knees

by Muya

In many countries, Christmas day is also synonym of "Santa Claus". But in Belgium, we also have another saint who gives presents to the kids, and this is Saint-Nicolas. He comes during the night before December 6th with his donkey to bring presents to the kids who have been nice all year long. In order to thank him, children usually put some vegetables for his donkey in the chimney...and a glass of portwine to warm Saint Nicolas up :-) Then on December 6th, kids discover that the vegetables are gone, but that the Big Saint has left presents for them instead :-)

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On the cheeks

by Norali

While visiting Belgium, you wouldn't escape the cultural difference, in greeting.If you meet the local person(s) for the first time, esp. in formal situations, shaking hands is the rule. After some time of acquaintance, Belgians kiss on the cheeks to greet each other. Even some men tend to do so (not all of them are used to it).In Brussels and Wallonia, one uses to give a kiss on a cheek (your right cheek) whilst, in Flanders, people give three kisses to each other. As a person living in Brussels and having also studied both in Brussels and Wallonia, I am used to one kiss. On my first VT meetings (with Flemish people most of times), I always got confused whilst greeting them. I first gave one kiss then saw many heads waiting for the two others. Funny situation, indead.Getting used to kissing someone you see everyday was tough too, for me. I was used to say hello "with the head" (a small...

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Belgian beers!

by belgianchocolate

Belgian beers have got a good reputation?True , but I can asure you that the best beers aren'tfor export. There are still a lot of breweriesthat don't produce that much. Some breweriesowned by a family or one singel passioned person.Anyway , I don't know that much about beer.And most of the beers , I don't like them either.But I do love fruit beers. (crickets and peaches).'Lindemans' is my favorite 'Pecheresse and Kriek'.Give it a go....I also love cooking with them.Try to find out what you like.Some of the beers can't be produced anywhere else...They need a certain bacteriumto start the process of fermentation etc...On my Brussels page you will find some greattips. One restaurant 'restobieres' uses beer in almost all of their dishes and the best 'kriek'can be found 'A LA BECASSE'.

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Struifvogelen

by belgianchocolate

Belgium has of course just likea lot of other countries a rich tradition in games.You can see me in the picture practising thegame of 'struifvogelen'. It is a sport that demandsa lot of concentration. How it works. The thing in my hand is the bird , it hangs with a cord at the ceiling.If you release it it goes to a target.The meaning is to get as close as possibleto the bull'"s eye. You get 6 chances andthe first one doesn't count.That one is to determine the position of your feet.If you want to change the position of the bird , you need to change the way you are standing.The origin of the game isn't sure.It could as well be Germany.Thing is the oldest clubs in Belgium are mentionedalready in 1838.There are still some clubs keeping thissport alive. (Lier , Mechelen...)To get the material isn't easy , the have it made themselves.You can rent it at sportimonium or havea look on their

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Fair

by belgianchocolate

Belgians love fairs.It is an old fashioned way of entertainmentbut with modern fast attractions , waffles , oliebollen , icecream and barba papa's...The largest ones you will find for severalweeks in Brussels , Antwerp and Liége.But maybe you can find one during your stayon this website.

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Local traditions and culture in Belgium

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Relais Bourgondisch Cruyce  Brugge

 4 Reviews and 299 Opinions  The Relais Bourgondisch Cruyce is definitely the most romantic hotels in Brugges. Stunning location,... 

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Local Customs: Cities in Belgium
  1. Brussels Local Customs
  2. Antwerp Local Customs
  3. Brugge Local Customs
  4. Oostende Local Customs
  5. Gent Local Customs
  6. Ieper Local Customs
  7. Leuven Local Customs
  8. Liège Local Customs
  9. Mons Local Customs
  10. Charleroi Local Customs
  11. Mechelen Local Customs
  12. Hasselt Local Customs
  13. Kortrijk Local Customs
  14. Namur Local Customs
  15. Dinant Local Customs
  16. Lier Local Customs
  17. Tournai Local Customs
  18. Aalst Local Customs
  19. De Panne Local Customs
  20. Turnhout Local Customs
  21. Knokke-Heist Local Customs
  22. Blankenberge Local Customs
  23. Tervuren Local Customs
  24. Roeselare Local Customs
  25. De Haan Local Customs
  26. Tongeren Local Customs
  27. Zaventem Local Customs
  28. Adinkerke Local Customs
  29. Knokke Local Customs
  30. Mortsel Local Customs
  31. La Roche-en-Ardenne Local Customs
  32. Veurne Local Customs
  33. Louvain-la-Neuve Local Customs
  34. Overijse Local Customs
  35. Damme Local Customs
  36. Lommel Local Customs
  37. Etterbeek Local Customs
  38. Ardennes Local Customs
  39. Hoegaarden Local Customs
  40. Boom Local Customs
  41. Westvleteren Local Customs
  42. Bouillon Local Customs

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Provincie West-Vlaanderen Local Customs  Région de Bruxelles-Capitale Local Customs  Provincie Antwerpen Local Customs  Provincie Oost-Vlaanderen Local Customs  Provincie Vlaams-Brabant Local Customs  Province de Hainaut Local Customs  Province de Liège Local Customs  Provincie Limburg Local Customs  Province de Luxembourg Local Customs  Province de Namur Local Customs  Province de Brabant Wallon Local Customs 

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Q:  WE are considering a short holiday in Belgium for about three days. WE would probably be taking a train to &/or from either... 

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A: Cheapest transport is not necessarily the 'best'. Flying from Venice or Switzerland might be a better option than train as those places are further away: check... 

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