When Brussels becomes "Bruxelles" or "Brussel"

If you often take the motorway to the north of the country, maybe you have already got lost because you did not recognise the strange names on the panels? Despite its small size, Belgium has three official languages: French, Dutch and German. And each town has its own name in all three languages.

To help you when travelling, here is a French-Dutch (and English!) guide to the country's main towns.



Antwerp = Anvers = Antwerpen
Bruges = Brugge
Gent = Gand
Louvain = Leuven
Ostend = Ostende = Oostende
Brussels = Bruxelles = Brussel
Arlon = Arlen
Liège = Luik = Lüttich (in German)
Mons = Bergen
Namur = Namen
Wavre = Waver



Even if the towns of Aix-la-Chapelle, Lille and Paris are outside Belgium, you will still need to know how to get to them. Be warned therefore that Aix-la-Chapelle" is "Aachen" in German, that "Lille" becomes "Rijsel" in Dutch and that "Paris" can be known as "Parijs".