Belgium is Europe in a nutshell: multicultural and multilingual. Flanders in the north, a flatland laced with canals, is proud of its great art cities, Antwerp, Bruges and Ghent. To the south in Wallonia you will find the rolling hills of the Ardennes, numerous castles, a great selection of Belgium vacation rentals and the cities of Liege, Namur and Tournai. The Flemish speak Dutch and the Walloons speak French. In Brussels, the capital, both languages are spoken but everybody speaks English, albeit with an accent. The region has developed a huge lodging industry offering accommodations such as hotels, Belgium vacation rentals and Belgium vacation homes.

Belgium has always been linked to both commercial and cultural exchange, and much of its character is due to its role as the great meeting place of Western Europe. Traces of the Austrians, Spanish, French and Dutch can still be seen on your vacation in Belgium in its architecture and in the lifestyle of its people. Today, its capital city of Brussels is one of the world's great cosmopolitan cities, home to both the European Union and NATO, as well as a wealth of international trade and finance companies. Somehow, Belgium has maintained a low-key approach to all of this international sophistication. It is a country for connoisseurs, but not for connoisseurs who take themselves too seriously because the Belgians certainly do not.