🇧🇪

Belgium

بلجيكا

📖 Full guide⚡ Active destination1 reviews · 2 logged tripsLast updated: 12/08/2026🏛️ History & culture 👨‍👩‍👧 Family & fun 🛍️ Shopping

Small, rich Belgium: the gilded Grand Place, medieval canal-side Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp, plus world-class chocolate and waffles — doable in 2–3 days from Paris or Amsterdam.

ℹ️ General information

Capital: Brussels

Language: German, French, Dutch

English among locals: Widespread

Currency: Euro (EUR)

Time zone: UTC+01:00

Weekend: Saturday–Sunday

🛂 Visa for Saudi passport

Visa required — 90 days

Schengen visa required in advance (via VFS/BLS centres): appointment + biometrics, ~15 working days processing — apply early. Valid across Schengen, 90 days in any 180.

Official source ↗

⚠️ Guidance only — always verify with the official source before traveling.

🕓 Last officially verified: 12/08/2026

🗓️Best time to visit

Belgium is a mild maritime climate with no real dry season: rain is possible in any month, and the difference between seasons is temperature and daylight rather than wet versus dry. May–September is the season (18–24°C), with light lasting past ten in the evening in June — but conditions shift within a single day, so carry a waterproof layer even in August. The Ardennes in the south run noticeably colder and wetter than Brussels or Bruges. December brings the Christmas market season and the old towns at their most atmospheric, despite the cold and short days.

🕌 For the Muslim traveler

Halal food: Good availability in Brussels (large Moroccan community) and Antwerp.

Prayer places: Many mosques in Brussels; fewer in Bruges and Ghent.

Friday is an official holiday: No

🌙Ramadan & Eid

Many Brussels mosques hold taraweeh and group iftars.

🎭Culture tips

Bruges floods with day-trippers — an overnight stay is a different experience. Fries are a serious national institution.

💳Cards & payments

Cards everywhere with occasional Maestro-only quirks like NL. Apps: SNCB, Bolt.

📲Apps & internet

Everything works. Uber in Brussels/Antwerp; SNCB for trains — Bruges is an easy rail day trip.

🚗Driving there

Traffic keeps to the right side of the road, as in the Gulf (steering wheel on the left). Trains link every city within an hour — no case for a car.

💵Tipping culture

Not expected; service is included.

📶SIM & eSIM

Proximus and Orange — prepaid (~EUR 15). eSIM available.

🚇Getting around

Dense rail links every city within an hour; you never need a car.

💰 Approximate cost

Good hotel EUR 100–180, meal EUR 15–30; fine chocolate is the best souvenir.

ℹ️ Prices are approximate and subject to change

🛡️ Safety

Generally safe; mind belongings around Brussels-Midi station at night.

⚠️ Key laws before you travel

Full face covering is banned in public by law. [verify] low-emission-zone rules for rentals in Brussels/Antwerp.

ℹ️ Laws change — verify with official sources; this is not legal advice.

💊 Restricted medications

Since Nov 2024, pseudoephedrine meds (like Sinutab) need a prescription in Belgium. Codeine, tramadol, benzodiazepines and methylphenidate (Ritalin) are narcotic/psychotropic drugs needing a validated Schengen declaration or prescription, capped at 3 months' supply — check FAMHP lists. Medicinal cannabis is barred entirely; melatonin over 0.3mg/day counts as medicine.

⚠️ Guidance only — always verify with the official source before traveling.

🆘 Emergency & your embassy

Unified emergency: 112

Your embassy (🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia): طوارئ السعوديين بالخارج / Saudi emergencies abroad: 00966920033334 — الرقم الموحد للخدمات / services: 00966920011114 — أقرب سفارة وأرقامها المحلية / nearest mission & local numbers: saudiembassy.sa + تطبيق MOFA

⚠️ Guidance only — always verify with the official source before traveling.