Travel Topics
Festibière (Beer Festival) returns to Gembloux Belgium from 25–26 April 2026 Parc d’Épinal à Gembloux. This is the tenth edition of the Belgium beer festival. Additional Information on Festibière (Beer Festival)…
Festival de la Bière de Soleilmont gives Châtelet (Soleilmont) a fixed beer-festival slot on the 2026 calendar. Festival de la Bière de Soleilmont is scheduled for 17–19 April 2026 and…
Whether you call it the carnival, Mardi Gras or simply a fête, the approach of Lent brings with it a wonderful explosion of colour and exuberance. Travel Begins at 40…
Discover the best Christmas markets in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. From Bruges to Maastricht, explore festive traditions, twinkling lights and seasonal treats across Europe’s most enchanting winter destinations. If…
Ghent’s Winter Festival brings a cosy, family feel to the medieval city centre, with stalls, rides and an ice rink set around Sint‑Baafsplein and Korenmarkt. Sip a jenever, nibble on…
The much‑loved Village de Noël de Liège takes over Place Saint‑Lambert and Place du Marché with around 200 chalets from November. The city embraces the theme with its own festive…
Bruges becomes storybook pretty during Winter Glow, with Christmas markets on Markt and Simon Stevinplein and a city‑wide Light Experience Trail. Browse Belgian crafts, sample waffles and hot chocolate, then…
From the original December market to the city that created stollen, the source of mulled wine and the first Christmas tree, let Travel Begins at 40 guide you through some…
Travel Begins at 40 rounds up the best festivals in February 2025 across the Globe, from Mongolia to Easter Island, so wherever you are you just can’t help celebrating the…
From the India to Turkey and Colombia to Belgium, we bring you the best December global festivities, including where to ring in the New Year, and that is not even…
If your idea of a great weekend is to jump on a bus – or bike – and go on a tour of some of the best breweries in Belgium then the Toer de Geuze is right for you. The Toer de Geuze is more like an open house…
The third weekend in October sees the Flemish city of Hasselt spring to life for its jenever festival. In 2026, the Hasselt Jenever Festival will be on 17 and 18…
Mark Bibby Jackson takes a sneak preview of Hotel des Brasseurs in De Haan, Belgium, which is the first carbon neutral hotel in Flanders. It is on a journey to…
While in Antwerp for the 50 best restaurant awards in 2021, Mark Bibby Jackson was given a behind the scenes look at the leading arts museum in Antwerp before it…
Mark Bibby Jackson visits Ostend Belgium and ends up turning full circle. When I informed a travel writing colleague of mine, I was travelling to Ostend, her response was just…
Travel Begins at 40 rounds up the best global festivals in July 2023 from Pennsylvania to South Korea, so wherever you are you can join in the celebrations. Music Festivals…
Brussels, the capital city of Belgium, is a charming and vibrant metropolis that offers a plethora of experiences for visitors. From historical landmarks to culinary delights, the city is filled…
Mark Bibby Jackson looks forward to 2023, predicting the future of tourism could be positive, albeit that we have to be conscious of its negative impacts. My New Year’s Resolution…
Mark Bibby Jackson visits the Rivierpark Maasvallei and Hoge Kempen National Park in Limburg, Belgium to discover the regeneration of the former industrial region. It was in Germany while visiting…
The Poperinge Beer Festival is one of the most popular beer festivals in Belgium. Held in the town of Poperinge close to the French border, near Ypres, the beer festival is now celebrating its…
Mark Bibby Jackson visits the medieval Flanders city to discover its rich culture and wonderful Bruges beer. The main reason for my trip to Bruges, Belgium was to visit the…
Travel Begins at 40 looks at seven great beer festivals in the UK, Belgium, Germany and the US. There is certainly no lack of beer festivals in the UK –…
Mark Bibby Jackson goes on a tour of Leuven Belgium, a town with the oldest university in Belgium and the home of Stella, where he gets a glimpse of the…
Global Ambassador of the World Bamboo Organisation and Senior Advisor to the European Bamboo Programme Dr Hans Friederich explains why we should all visit a Bamboo Garden in 2022. What…
Sitting at the crossroads of Western Europe, Belgium is known for its rich Flemish medieval cities in the north such as Bruges, Kortrijk, Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent, while Wallonia in the south is home to the thick, forested hills of the Ardennes and the country’s largest nature reserve the High Fens.
There are three official languages: Dutch is spoken in the north, French in the south and German in the east.
Brussels is also referred to as the capital of Europe, home to many EU institutions as well as NATO headquarters. Its most famous resident is the Manneken Pis statue of a little urinating boy.
Chocolates, waffles, mussels and frites are all quintessential Belgian while many of the country’s restaurants consistently rank high in the world’s most influential restaurant guides.
There are over 1,100 varieties of beer with the Trappist beer of the Westvleteren abbey been repeatedly ranked the best one in the world.
Despite its small size, there are a surprisingly large number of varied festivals and events in Belgium that attract thousands of local and international enthusiasts. From large beer and music events such as the Bruges Beer Festival, Zythos Bierfestival and Pukkelpop Music Festival to the historical Carnaval de Binche and Europe’s largest cultural open air festival Gentse Feesten. Towards the end of each year, there arre also many atmospheric Christmas markets all over the country of which the iconic Brussels Christmas Market and the Antwerp Christmas Market are two of the most popular ones.
