Belgium,

Finns and Swedes tease each other like siblings; the border is a bridge and the language on our cereal boxes. That gives us a particular angle on Belgium — close enough to know the quirks, far enough to still be charmed by them.

Spring (April–June) and early autumn (September–October) are our favourites: the Ardennes are green, the Flemish towns feel walkable, and the canal cities of Bruges and Ghent are calmer than high-summer crowds. Expect mild temperatures, showers on and off, and tulip season in late April if you venture toward the Dutch border.

Summer (July–August) is busy but festive: open-air beer festivals, coastal weekends in Ostend, and Tomorrowland if you are into electronic music. Winter has its own case — December’s Christmas markets in Brussels and Bruges are stunning, and chocolate shops do their best window displays of the year.

Brussels. The Grand Place is the postcard, but the city reveals itself in its neighbourhoods. Walk Sablon for antique shops and chocolate, Saint-Gilles for Art Nouveau houses, and the EU quarter if geopolitics is your thing. The frites are better at a neighbourhood friterie than anywhere the guidebooks send you.

Bruges and Ghent. Twenty minutes apart by train and very different in feel. Bruges is a medieval museum-town best enjoyed after the day-trippers leave; Ghent is a working city with great street art and a canal-side old centre that locals actually live in.

The Ardennes. The wooded southeast of Belgium, full of castles, river valleys, and Second World War history. Drive from Dinant through Bouillon and Bastogne on a long weekend and you will see a Belgium few tourists meet.

For a first trip: three nights in Brussels, one night in Bruges or Ghent, and a day in Antwerp. For a second trip: base in Namur or Dinant and loop through the Ardennes. Belgium is small enough to see a lot on trains alone — you rarely need a car unless you are heading into the hills.

Trains are the easy answer. SNCB connects every major city on 30–60-minute runs, and a day-return between Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, and Bruges is under €25. Brussels has a metro, trams, and an easy airport train link. For the Ardennes, a rental car makes the stops between villages much easier — the trains reach the main towns but the pretty bits are in between.

Skip any joke about Belgian food being only waffles and fries — this is one of the most serious food cultures in Europe. Brussels has a Michelin scene that actually takes risks, Antwerp is an emerging name in modern European cooking, and every small town has a brasserie where a carbonnade flamande, moules-frites, or a plate of stoemp is done properly for under €20. Do not leave without trying a proper Belgian beer paired with a meal — a Trappist abbey ale with stew is the real deal.

Belgium rewards slow travel. Unlike France, where distance dictates the route, Belgium hands you cathedrals, beer halls, and chocolate shops within a 90-minute train ride of each other. Take a day to wander without a plan. The smaller towns — Leuven, Mechelen, Namur — are where the country really lives.

Both, honestly, but if pushed: Brussels if you want water, forests, and a slower rhythm; Copenhagen if you want design, cycling, and restaurants. Brussels is less touristed, which we like.

Yes, but go early or stay the night. Day-trippers arrive by coach from 10am and leave by 5pm — if you walk the canals before or after those hours, Bruges becomes the quiet medieval town it actually is. One night there changes the visit entirely.