Page 318 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Belgium & Luxembourg

316  SUR VIV AL GUIDE

Personal Security and Health and when sitting in busy cafés
or restaurants, bags and wallets
Belgium and Luxembourg are relatively safe places for visitors should be firmly secured at all
and citizens alike. Politeness, honesty and respect for others times. On public transport and in
are cherished and normal levels of vigilance should suffice. crowded places, women should
As in any well organized soci ety that broadly looks after its wear handbags with the strap
across the shoulder and the clasp
citizens, there is a good network of services to deal with facing the body. In hotels, rooms
unexpected crises. Those unfortunate enough to fall ill will and suitcases need to be locked
find that the health service in particular is extremely well and it is best to avoid leaving
run, with first-class hospitals and readily available facilities. cash or valuables lying around.
Rooms often come with a safe;
if not, there should be one at
Crime order in their area. Visitors in the reception. It is advis able always
Like in most countries, crime capital can also get in touch with to keep two separate sets of
rates tend to be higher in larger the Brussels Central Police money and credit cards in case
cities than in rural areas in Station. In Luxembourg, the one set gets lost. Avoid lonely
Belgium and Luxembourg, main law enforcement agency and questionable areas after dark.
though serious crime in the is the Grand Ducal Police.
large cities is overall low . In Victims of theft will need to go
the cities, visitors need to be to a police station and acquire Lost Property
alert to pickpockets and the necessary paper- The chances of retrieving
bag-snatchers, especially work to claim insurance. property are minimal if it was
in tourist areas and Police stations in major lost in the street. However,
on public transport. cities will have someone Belgians are essentially honest
Some hotels have who speaks English. and believe strongly in the
reported that smartly- inviolable rights of ownership
dressed pickpockets to personal possessions. As a
have been infiltrating their Safety Guidelines result, property left behind or
premises by pretending to A Belgian Precautions to take in lost in a restaurant, museum or
be clients, then targeting police officer Luxembourg and Belgium shop can usually be retrieved.
guests in lifts and other are similar to those taken The public transport authorities
communal spaces. Outside the in any city in the Western world. operate lost-and-found services.
larger cities, crime is generally Busy, crowded places, such as For insurance purposes,
not a problem, but it is wise stations, public transport, major travellers need to get in touch
always to be on the alert. tourist attractions and markets, with the local police station and
are the haunts of opportunist lodge a report.
thieves and pickpockets. When
Law Enforcement parking
Belgium has two integrated a car, the doors need to be Travel and Health
levels of police. Major crimes properly locked and bags or Insurance
and motorway offences are possessions that might be Under reciprocal agreements,
handled by the Federal Police. construed as potentially valuable travellers to Belgium and
However, visitors are more likely be hidden away. When out Luxembourg coming from EU
to encounter the Local Police, sightseeing or shopping on foot countries are entitled to the
who are responsible for law and in the bigger towns and cities, same subsidized healthcare that
local nationals receive, provided
they are in possession of an EHIC
(European Health Insurance
Card). British citizens can apply
for an EHIC using forms available
at post offices or online. Before
receiving treatment, EU citizens
should make it clear that they
have state insurance, or they may
end up with a large bill. Patients
will usually be asked to pay first
and then seek reimbursement
from the authorities at home – so
it is essential to retain all receipts.
While generous, state healthcare
subsidies do not cover all
problems (such as dental
Crowded market typical of town squares such as Place d’Armes, Luxembourg treatment or repatriation) or

316-317_EW_Belgium.indd 316 18/10/16 3:03 pm
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Practical template “UK” LAYER
(Source v1.7)
Date 5th March 2013
Size 125mm x 217mm