Getting Around Getting around Belgium is cheap and easy, which makes up for the rather expensive, and often heavily booked, accommodation. While there are plenty of buses and a hiring a car is an easy enough option, the country's transport system is dominated by its efficient rail network. The fastest services are the InterCity trains, backed up by InterRegional and local trains. In the more remote areas, buses take up the slack. Taxis, which lurk outside most train stations, are metered and expensive.
Cycling is popular in the flat north and many roads have separate lanes for bikes.
Railway stations rent bikes. It's also possible to hire a boat to cruise along the many rivers and canals. Reccomended Reading The Sorrow of Belgium by Bruges-born author, Hugo Claus, is one of the few pieces of local literature translated into English. It describes wartime Belgium through the eyes of a Flemish adolescent. Lieve Joris is a Flemish author who writes about cultures in transition in Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.