🇧🇪 Belgium.


Martin Banks has been a journalist for over 40 years, working in Brussels since 2001 where he has covered EU politics, initially for European Voice and more recently for The Parliament Magazine plus a raft of other titles. He also writes about other topics including culture and travel. Prior to coming to Belgium he had worked in regional (including a 6 year stint as Chief Reporter for the 2nd biggest selling regional in the UK) and national journalism in the UK since 1980.

18 January 2021

Royal British Legion Brussels history unveiled

Did you know that about 6,000 British servicemen wed Belgian women and settled here after WW2? Or that Princess Margaret’s divorcee lover Peter Townsend was unceremoniously […]
15 January 2021

8 best places to go skiing in Belgium

If you live in Belgium and love to do winter sports or skiing, there’s no need to go to France or Switzerland, or to any other […]
14 January 2021

24 hours in Mechelen

Mechelen is a Flemish city located between Brussels and Antwerp in northern Belgium. It is one of Flanders’ most prominent cities of historical art and was […]
14 January 2021

Amélie Nothomb: Belgium’s most eccentric writer?

To get to know Amélie Nothomb is to get know Belgium itself. The writer, like the country, is full of contradictions. Belgium is just a third […]
13 January 2021
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Covid-19 infections rise by 30% in Belgium

According to the latest figures published by the Sciensano public health institute on Wednesday, January 13th, the average new daily infections in Belgium has risen by […]
13 January 2021

5 refreshing walks in Brussels

With many people working from home, and leisure activities and socialising severely reduced, it is more important than ever to get outside, stretch your legs and […]
11 January 2021

Mini-Europe survives the crisis: it will remain in Heizel

The future of Mini-Europe, the popular tourist attraction in Brussels, has been secured. The famous park providing miniature reconstructions of some of the continent’s most iconic […]
11 January 2021

Belgium announces 2 week extension of lockdown measures

On Friday afternoon, Belgium’s Consultative Committee announced the extension of current lockdown rules in Belgium, stating that they will remain in place for at least 2 […]
11 January 2021

Hotels in Brussels report losses of 90% in 2020

Hotels in Brussels recorded a drop in income of 25% during the first quarter of 2020, while in the second quarter the fall, when the pandemic […]
6 January 2021

Visiting the House of European History in Brussels

On the 7th of December, the House of European History reopened its doors to visitors. The new temporary exhibition is called: “Fake for Real: A History […]
6 January 2021

Belgium: Vaccination available for all legal residents regardless of nationality

Belgium will make no distinction between people with and without the Belgian nationality when vaccinating the population against the coronavirus, as long as All legal residents […]
4 January 2021

Brussels Airport: Passengers exasperated by long queue at PLF-checkpoint

On Sunday January 3rd, long queues at Brussels Airport to check the Passenger Location Forms (PLF) for passengers arriving from abroad has caused a stir, even […]
4 January 2021

More than 37,000 travelers returned to Belgium from a Red Zone area this weekend

According to figures released by the Federal Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke, more than 40,000 people returned to Belgium this weekend from a stay of more than […]
4 January 2021

5 exhibitions in Brussels that you can’t miss

The thrill of the new year is here – especially with the one behind us being so difficult to say the least. With all the lessons […]
4 January 2021

Jean-Claude Van Damme: the muscles from Brussels

Jean-Claude Van Damme is a famous Belgian personality with a strong character best known for his martial arts action movies. Today, at 60 years old, he […]
31 December 2020

Stricter rules in Belgium: Compulsory quarantine and test after a stay in a red zone

Travel rules and measures have been tightened in Belgium to try to control the continued spread of the new variant of Covid-19. Testing capacity will be […]