Page 317 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Belgium & Luxembourg

PR A C TIC AL INFORM A TION  315

Poperinge (see p129), jenever gin
in Hasselt (see p170) and slate in
Bertrix (see p234). Visitors will
find that labels are often in one
language only (either French or
Dutch), but newer museums
may have foreign-language
audio-guides. Almost all have
admission charges, and special
deals are sometimes available
from the city tourist offices that
allow visits to many of the
Specialist equipment on display at the jenever museum in Hasselt museums for a single, much-
reduced price. Opening hours
Opening Hours bicycles, military insignia, beer vary, but broadly, most public
Most shops and businesses in labels and so forth – that are museums, in both Belgium and
Belgium are open Mondays to essentially extensions of private Luxembourg, are open between
Saturdays between 10am and hobbies. There is also a passion 10am and 5pm, with the majority
6pm or 7pm, with some shops for the more established being closed on Mondays.
closing for an hour at lunch museums, instilled at an early
time. The supermarkets are age through school visits –
usually open between 9am in fact, in 2008, the Flemish Tipping
and 8pm. Opening hours in introduced a scheme whereby Tipping is not very common in
Luxembourg are similar. young people under the age of either Luxembourg or Belgium.
However, shops there tend to 26 could visit 23 of the leading A service charge is included in
be open between 8am and museums of Flanders and restaurant prices, but customers
noon, and again between 2pm Brussels for just one euro. Public can leave a small extra tip if ser-
and 6pm, and many are closed investment is considerable, vice has been particularly good.
on Monday mornings. with major new museums The service is also included in
and galleries being built to taxi fares, although rounding up
the highest standards of the fare by up to 10 per cent is
Museums and Galleries presentation and old ones customary. Ushers who show
The Belgians are often avid being modernized. visitors to their seats in some
collectors, and up and down the Many museums are closely cinemas will expect a tip of about
country there are numerous focussed on local traditions and 50 cents–€1.50 per spectator
small private museums – on products, for example hops in and doormen €1.25–€2.50.
DIRECTORY
Tourist Canada Travel Safety Belgian Red Cross
Information Avenue de Tervuren 2, Advice Motstraat 40, Mechelen.
Belgian Tourist 1040 BRU. UK Tel (015) 443322.
Office: Brussels- Tel (02) 7410611. Foreign and ∑ rodekruis.be
Wallonia ∑ canadainternational. Commonwealth Office Brussels For All
∑ belgiumtheplace gc.ca/belgium-belgique ∑ gov.uk/foreign-
to.be UK travel-advice ∑ bruxellespourtous.be
∑ belgium-tourism.be US Info-Handicap
∑ diplomatie. Avenue d’Auderghem 10, US Department of State Tel (02) 3664661,
belgium.be 1040 BRU ∑ travel.state.gov (02) 360885.
Luxembourg Tourist Tel (02) 2876211. Australia ∑ info-handicap.lu
Office ∑ gov.uk/government/ Department of Foreign ∑ welcome.lu
∑ luxembourg.co.uk world/belgium Affairs and Trade Infopunt Toegankelijk
∑ luxembourg.com USA ∑ dfat.gov.au
∑ visitluxembourg.com ∑ smartraveller.gov.au Reizen
∑ lcto.lu Boulevard du Régent 27, ∑ accessinfo.be
Tourism Flanders 1000 BRU. Facilities for
∑ visitflanders.com Tel (02) 8114000. Disabled
∑ belgium.usembassy.
Embassies gov Travellers
Australia New Zealand Able Travel
Avenue des Arts 56, Level 7, 9-31 Avenue des ∑ able-travel.com
1000 BRU. Belgian Red Cross
Tel (02) 2860500. Nerviens, 1040 BRU. Rue de Stalle 96, 1180
∑ belgium.embassy. Tel (02) 5121040. BRU. Tel (02) 3713111.
gov.au ∑ nzembassy.com ∑ redcross.be

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