The Rough Guide to Belgium & Luxembourg

by Martin Dunford and Phil Lee

Book Overview

Famous for its chocolate and chips, beers and waffles, Belgium also boasts a wealth of alluring historic cities, while Luxembourg lays claim to some of Europe's most capitating countryside. For this... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1858288711
• ISBN13: 9781858288710
• Release Date: December 2002
• Publisher: Rough Guides
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

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 Book

I love to travel and have many favorite travel books. This was my first Rough Guide that I bought. I used it all through Belguim and Luxemburg and saw places I would never have found without the book. And I agreed with everything they said about the locations listed. I loved this book so much, when I came back I ordered several other Rough guides for places I planned to visit in the future.

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.

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!