The Flemish and the French share Bruxelles-Capital Region which is a bilingual territory. The French and Dutch languages have both been present in Bruxelles for years and consequently they have had a great deal of influence on one another. Although the French language clearly dominates today, it is not uncommon to hear people who utter a sentence in one language, folowed by another sentence in the other. You will also find the names of streets and traffic signs etc. are both in French and Dutch. The French in Bruxelles differs very slightly from the one spoken in France but it is essentially the same language, the only differences are in accent, some vocabulary and influences from Dutch phrase structures. If you were in France and spoke the French from Bruxelles you would be understood perfectly.

Information

As Bruxelles was already a fairly important city even as far back as the 14th century you will find the street layout a little chaotic. Therefore we reccommend you buy a street map from the Tourist Information Office which you will find in the town hall in the main town sqaure named "Grand Place". The local currency in Bruxelles until 2002 is the Belgian Franc. In 2002 the Euro will take over. In the shops you will see prices stated in both currencies. Around the Grand Place there are lots of places to change your money and banks and shops will accept all major credit cards.

Getting around

Bruxelles has an extensive network of trams, buses and metro systems. You can use the same ticket for 1 hour on all forms of public transport. Tickets can be bought from the driver of the tram or bus or in the metro stations where they are sold in booths. You can also buy day cards, 10 or 5 drive tickets. After you have bought your ticket you will need to validate it in the orange boxes inside the vehicles or at the entrance of the metro.

Taxis are reasonably priced and can be caught from the various taxi stands. It is not possible to hail them down in the street. Taxis can be can be a variety of colours or car models. If you want to catch an official taxi look out for an illuminated pannel on the car roof (called "sputnik" by the cab drivers) with the sign "Bruxelles Gewest- Taxi - Région de Bruxelles"

Eating and Drinking

There are a great deal of restaurants in Bruxelles especially in the city centre, check out St Catherine Square and the fish market where you will find numerous fish restaurants. Not only does Bruxelles have some of the best restaurants in Europe, it also hosts a number of fast food chains.

Beer is easy to obtain in Bruxelles. If you want to sample some local brands these are on sale in the beer shops on the "Grand Place". One of the most unique things about beer in Belgium is that every beer has its own matching glass. The beer shops also sell special boxes with a few bottles of a particular brand with the relevant matching glass. These can make great souvenirs or presents. Some of the most typical beers are the Fruit beers, you can even buy cherry, raspberry and peach beer!

Don't Miss

The "Petite Rue des Bouchers" (street of the butchers) famous for the fact that every house in the street is a restaurant. The street is closed for traffic, allowing the restaurants to exhibit their products in a spectacular fashion. Another interesting attraction is the Atomium, an enormous steel construction representing an atom with 9 spheres connected by tubes, although situated in the north-west district, it can be reached directly by metro. Here you will also find the Bruparck amusement hosting "Mini-Europe", a permanent outdoor exhibition of small scale replicas of Europe's most famous architectural sights, such as the British Houses of Parliament and the Brussels Grand Place. Two of the most interesting museums are the Museum of natural history with its collection of dinosaur skeletons and the Museum of Comic Strips.