EuroCheapo's Belgium Articles

Apr 29 For chilling out in the middle of a long Europe trip, just take a boat. The Baltic, Black Sea, North Sea, and the Mediterranean are all criss-crossed by regular scheduled routes, with ships varying from chic cruise ferries to humble boats that carry tourists, locals, livestock and the mail. A day or two on board » Read more

Feb 12 Ralph Bakshi’s “Fritz the Cat” in action, courtesy of Anima ’09 It’s well known that Brussels is a go-to when it comes to cartoons, comic strips, and animation. One need only browse the halls of the infamous Belgian Comic Strip Center to see that loveable characters like Tintin were first given life here. Now in its 28th » Read more

Dec 04 Photo of a lace display in Bruges, courtesy of LinksmanJD You simply can’t leave Bruges without strolling along the canals, stopping at a chocolate shop, and of course, paying tribute to the ancient tradition of lacemaking. Tracing lace Many believe that the history of lace can be traced to Egyptian times, but the material was likely first » Read more

Sep 24 Almost every visitor to Brussels finds themselves at some point standing and smiling at the city’s famous “Manneken Pis” statue, which depicts a youngster cheerfully peeing into a fountain basin. Cheapo-friendly Manneken Pis memorabilia flood the streets of Brussels. While large statues can be expensive and too heavy to carry, smaller and cheaper versions are easy to pack » Read more

Sep 04 A reception set up in the ruins of St. Donatian’s Church, now a Crowne Plaza. Photo by the Crowne Plaza Hotel. For nearly one thousand years a massive stone church sat on Bruges’ Burg square. It was destroyed about 200 years ago, but parts of it remain today under a Crowne Plaza Hotel and can be » Read more

Jul 31 Photo by Frank Dhooghe We bet “sun” and “sand” are two words you don’t readily associate with Brussels, but an afternoon at the city’s free “beach” will change that. Each summer in the city of chocolate and comic strips, from mid-July to mid-August, a stretch of the Rue de la Dyle (north of the city center) is converted into » Read more

Jul 10 Cheapo newsflash! We’ve just launched a brand spankin’ new city guide and budget hotel primer for Brussels, Belgium! Turns out, you can sleep cheap in the land of waffles, beer, and all those bandes dessinées. Our guide includes articles on transportation in and around Brussels, reviews of 27 centrally-located hotels, and more. Stay tuned as we’ll be adding more stuff soon. In » Read more

    With the launch of our newest city guide, we’d like to give one big, warm shout-out to Belgium’s beloved Chez Leon. It’s not easy finding reasonable food fare in the EU capital city, but Leon’s menu and service make it clear why the locals recommend the “mussels in Brussels.” Mussels at Leon are fresh, cheap (a fixed price meal, including » Read more

Jun 06 Some of the stories that grabbed our attention this week: Brussels and Bruges Back from his trip to Belgrade for the Eurovision song contest, Alex of Spendthrift Shoestring jaunted off to Brussels on the Eurostar to see how the city has changed since his last visit in 2002. We enjoyed his musings on the city’s » Read more