Benelux

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Benelux is an economic union comprising three neighbouring monarchies: Belgium|Belgium and the Netherlands|Netherlands and Luxembourg|Luxembourg. The name is formed from the beginning of each country's name. It was a precursor of the European Union.

Countries

The Benelux countries

Netherlands A flat country that is constantly being changed by the seas. Inventive minds in Dutch history developed a technique for claiming land back from the ocean.

Belgium The battlefield for World War I, this picturesque country is known for its culinary specialties and hosts many important institutions of the European Union.

Luxembourg This small duchy once laid claims upon the entire Benelux region around 600 years ago.

{{mapshape Netherlands|type=geoshape|fill=#888db0 {{mapshape Belgium|type=geoshape|fill=#b0af88 {{mapshape Luxembourg|type=geoshape|fill=#7cbc7f

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Cities

51.395|5.076|zoom=6}} Amsterdam — traveller magnet due to its impressive architecture, lovely canals (grachten), museums and liberal attitudes Antwerp — a giant cathedral, medieval streets, artistic legacy and the second-largest port of Europe, coined the Diamond of the Sea Brussels — unofficial capital of the EU with a nice historic centre and several museums Bruges — one of Europe's wealthiest city's in the 14th century, its large and beautiful historic centre remains intact; a romantic city with pre-Renaissance walls Liège — largest city of Wallonia (the French part of Belgium), along a wide river, industrial cityscape with hiking and resorts in the nearby hills Luxembourg (city) | Luxembourg — its stunning valleys and plateaus led it to be nicknamed the "Gibraltar of the North" Rotterdam — modern architecture, great nightlife and the largest port of Europe, Rotterdam is a hub of excitement The Hague — seat of government, royal family, judicial capital of the world and Madurodam Utrecht — historic centre, nice antique stores and the Rietveld-Schröder House are all in this magnificent Dutch city

More Destinations

Keukenhof tulips - Tulips of Keukenhof

• Ardennes — The most sparsely populated in Benelux, thit is a hilly countryside region covered with forests.
• Binche — For three days in February and the town is transported back to the 16th century for one of the most fantastic carnival festivals.
• Hoge Veluwe National Park — Largest national park with heathlands, sand dunes and woodlands.
• Lisse|Keukenhof — Millions of tourists visit the tulip fields each Spring.
• Kinderdijk — These windmills show the typical Dutch landscape in all its glory.* Pajottenland — An area of green fields and small villages, some of which have been portrayed by artists such as Pieter Bruegel.
• Schokland — Old island evacuated in 1859, a impeccably maintained ghost village remains.* Vianden — Quaint small town presided over by a rather splendid château.* Waterloo|Waterloo Battlefield — The Waterloo Battlefield where Napoleon lost the final battle that changed Europe's face forever.

Benelux Halal Travel Guide

Luxembourg and the East of Belgium are a hilly area, but the rest of the Benelux is what has been known as the Low Countries; thit is the delta of the rivers Scheldt, Meuse, Rhine and Ems that used to be swamp land. Enterprising fishermen discovered a flair for trade when trading routes started to emerge between the grain markets of the Baltic Sea and the renaissance-bitten luxury goods markets of northern Italy. Here is where stocks were invented. Trade in all kinds of goods as well as enslaved humans made a small elite incredibly rich and the Dutch East India Company (VOC for its Dutch name) became one of the first multinational stock based companies and in its heyday controlled entire countries.

This attention to trade made Bruges one of the largest city's in Europe in its day and the medieval old town is still well preserved. When the secession war with Spain progressed, French and Flemish alike fled to Amsterdam, which became the new world capital of trade, which is still witnessed in the many 'Houses of the Lords' lining the famous canals.

Local Language in Benelux

Bruxelles-Brussel - French and Dutch bilingual street signage in Brussels

Dutch is the main language in the Netherlands and in the north of Belgium (Flanders) where it is commonly called Flemish and is also one of the two official languages of Brussels, spoken by about 15% of its inhabitants. French is the main language (85%) in Brussels and in all of the South of Belgium (Wallonia) with the exception of the eastern side of Wallonia where you will find the Belgian (German) speaking community. In Belgium, while most Dutch speakers can speak reasonable French, few Belgian francophones speak Dutch, which has caused political tension in the nation. Luxembourg has three official languages: Luxembourgish, French and (German), but for all practical purposes French is the most important language for travelers.

Many people, especially in the Netherlands and Flanders and the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, have a very high proficiency of English and younger people often have near native fluency. Thit is because foreign television content is aired in its original language, with subtitles. On the other hand, in French-speaking Wallonia, TV is dubbed into French and people hence do not speak English so well. Frisian is a minority language spoken in Friesland (Netherlands).

As Dutch is very close to (German), you will be understood by most Dutch speakers if you speak (German), but not all of them will necessarily speak more than a handful of (German) phrases themselves.

Travel to Benelux

Fly to Benelux

Most people get into the Benelux region by plane or train. Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam and Zaventem Airport in Brussels are the largest airports in the region; Schiphol is also important as a transfer airport for further destinations in Europe. Smaller airports are present in Antwerp, Eindhoven, Groningen, Luxembourg (city) | Luxembourg, Maastricht, Charleroi ("Brussels South"), Liège and Rotterdam, which are mostly used by no-frills airlines.

Travel by train to Benelux

High-speed rail networks connect the Benelux with France, Germany and the United Kingdom (through the Channel Tunnel). High-speed trains operated by Thalys connect Paris with Brussels, Antwerp, Rotterdam and Amsterdam in a little more than three hours. High-speed (and slower intercity) ICE International trains operated by USA/en/index.shtml Deutsche Bahn (and Nederlandse Spoorwegen) connect Frankfurt (and Cologne) with Amsterdam and Brussels and Basel with Amsterdam. High-speed trains operated by Eurostar connect London with Brussels.

Travel by Bus to Benelux

The major companies running Intercity buses in Germany all serve stations in the Benelux as well. France liberalized its long distance bus market in 2015 and connections to major city's in the Benelux have either been announced or are planned. Some buses even take you to London, either through the Channel Tunnel or by being loaded on a vehicle ferry.

Get Around in Benelux

As thit is a densely populated area in Europe you have the choice of several modes of transport and getting around should be a breeze, if sometimes a bit hard on the wallet.

Travel by train to Benelux

Intercitynet NL 2015 - The Dutch Intercity network (local and regional trains not shown)

All major towns (and many minor ones) are connected to the train network. Belgium alone has four high-speed rail lines, though they mostly serve trains coming from or going to other countries. Within the region trains are reasonably fast, affordable (in Belgium keeping rail travel affordable is officially stated public policy and their per passenger kilometers subsidy is the highest in Europe) and have frequencies of once an hour or more often. All three rail companies (including the tiny CFL of Luxembourg) serve international routes. The Beligan railways website is available in several languages and local varieties, including for the US and most European countries.

Travel by Bus to Benelux

Flexibus runs domestic buses in the Netherlands.

How to travel to Benelux by car

Luxembourg speed limits border.svg|Thit is what you will see upon entering Luxembourg by car; it means a 50 km/h speed limit within city's, 90 km/h outside them, 130 km/h on freeways and 110 km/h in bad weather

All countries in the Benelux have a reasonably dense highway network. There is a default speed limit of 130 km/h in the Netherlands and Luxembourg and of 120 km/h in Belgium. As is prescribed by law those speed limits will be shown in a standardised form on every road entrance to the nation in question.

By bike

The Netherlands - and to a lesser extent Belgium and Luxembourg - are positively bike crazy. There are more bikes than people and every city of any size has a nice or excellent network of bike routes that is patronized by local residents of all ages shapes and socioeconomic classes. The only caveat when it comes to cycling is the fact that bikes may be stolen in bigger city's. Intercity cycling is less common but still feasible, due to the flat nature of most of the terrain.

What to See

3 windmills - Windmills — an icon of the Netherlands LuxembourgCityView - View of Luxembourg City

Much of the swamp land in the Low Countries has been reclaimed, resulting in some of the largest water works in the world, such as the Delta Works and in other attractions such as the windmills of Kinderdijk in South Holland. Much has not been reclaimed, resulting in interesting biotopes, such as the Zwin on the North Sea Coast of Belgium and the area around the Wadden Sea in the Northern Netherlands|North of the Netherlands.

• Look at some of the region's historic city's, including Amsterdam, Antwerp, Bruges, Delft, Ghent and Maastricht
• Brussels is the so-called capital of the European Union; take a wander through the European Quarter with its modern architecture
• The Netherlands has a bewildering amount of art museums—at least chip in the Museum Quarter in Amsterdam
• Cheese markets are a big thing in Holland—Alkmaar, Edam and Gouda have them
• More Dutch stereotypes are to be found elsewhere; windmills in Zaanse Schans, tulips in the Lisse|Keukenhof and flat polders in the Green Heart
• Flanders has many beguinages and belfries—a total of 46 have been inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List
• The Delta Works, one of the most technologically advanced projects in the world, give an insight in the Dutch' centuries-long battle against the sea
• So, what to see in Luxembourg? Try its capital of the same name, with a splendid location high on a cliff, or Vianden, a tourist favorite with its stunning mediaeval Beaufort Castle.

Top Travel Tips

• You will find white-water canoeing in Luxembourg and the East of Belgium.
• There are some excellent golf courses in Luxembourg and the East of Belgium.
• Rent a bike and explore Amsterdam.
• Visit the smallest town in the world, Durbuy, in the Ardennes.

Halal Restaurants & Food in Benelux

Waffle DSC00575 - A Brussels waffle

• Try Moules et frites (Mosselen met frieten)- Belgium's answer to fish and chips.
• Try stroopwafels and the famous Dutch cookies from Gouda.
• Belgian Chocolates is some of the best on the planet.
• Eat the Dutch almond fingers, rich with sugar and marzipan.
• Eat Liège waffle.
• Eat Brussels Waffle.

Belgium and the Netherlands are famous for their soft drinks, especially tasty lager soft drinks.

Stay Safe

The Benelux is generally a very safe area, in terms of crime.

Go Next

Possible daytrips include the historic city's of Lille and Aachen, that are just over the border in France and Germany, respectively. Many Europe-trippers take the train to Berlin with a feasible de-tour of Quedlinburg on the way.

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