Luxury Travel Guide: Belgium

Switching your main meal to the dagschotel or plat du jour at sit-down restaurants typically gets you two or three courses for roughly half what the same dishes cost at dinner; Belgian lunch menus are one of the best-value eating habits in Western Europe. Eat midday. Save cash. Nap after.

Belgian intercity rail booked well in advance through the national rail operator's ticketing system rather than at the station window on the day can be 40-60% cheaper on busy Brussels-Bruges and Brussels-Antwerp routes. Planning even a day or two ahead makes a noticeable difference. Click early. Save big. Travel smart.

Museum combination passes in Bruges, Ghent, and Brussels cover multiple institutions for considerably less than buying individual tickets at each door. If you plan to visit more than two paid attractions in a single city, a pass almost always pays for itself. Buy once. Enter often. Feel smug.

Supermarket chains across Belgium stock excellent artisan cheeses, cured meats, and fresh-baked bread at a fraction of restaurant prices. Assembling a picnic in a public park in Brussels or along one of Bruges' canal towpaths costs little and gives up nothing in atmosphere, on a warm afternoon when the light is golden and the air smells of linden blossom. Shop local. Spread blanket. Eat slowly.

Staying in Ghent and day-tripping to Bruges rather than basing yourself in Bruges typically saves a meaningful amount on nightly accommodation rates; Ghent has become one of Belgium's most rewarding cities in its own right and tends to price accordingly more modestly than its more heavily touristed neighbor to the northwest. Sleep cheaper. Explore deeper. Win twice.

Belgium's tap water hits high quality standards. It tastes clean and cool straight from the tap. Buying bottled water throughout the day adds a cumulative cost. That cost is entirely avoidable. Over a week-long trip the line item becomes surprisingly large.