A holiday makers in Belgium. Is it as dull as everyone says it, or is it in fact a welcoming, friendly and fascinating haven just a train journey away from London?

While you may have difficulty naming famous Belgians – and Hercule Poirot and Tintin don't count, because they're not real – a holiday to Belgium sticks on your mind rather more readily.

First of all in its favour, Belgium is very easy to get to. Brussels is the administrative capital of the European Union, so it has some of the best transport connections around. Flight to Brussels leave from many British airports, and you can also travel directly from London Waterloo on the Eurostar.

Alternatively, there are ferry crossings to Ostend from Ramsgate. Admittedly, there is no way to walk to Belgium yet – but give it a few years.

And once you are in Belgium, it has one of Europe's best rail networks, making it easy to get around, and a natural starting point for further travelling.

Secondly, while you may not realise it, Belgium is the home of some of Brits' favourite foods and drinks: chips are a Belgian invention, the Belgians and the Swiss
compete for the global crown of chocolatiers, and Belgium produces the finest beers in the world, bar none.

Less familiar to Britons, but on sale everywhere across Belgium, is the Gaufre de Liege – a sweet waffle – which, once tasted, cannot be forgotten, and which virtually justifies the price of a Eurostar ticket in itself.

Thirdly, Belgium packs a lot into a small space. Part of it speaks French, part of it speaks Flemish, and a small region speaks German. Indeed, Belgium has historically been a meeting place for all sorts of nationalities, and its architecture and culture bears the traces of its one-time Austrian, Spanish, French and Dutch overlords.

Brussels is a cosmopolitan centre, with a relaxed atmosphere despite the dizzying pace of business and political activities going on. The Flemish cities of Ghent, Bruges and Antwerp retain their medieval splendour. Bruges' canals, markets and castles are particularly popular with British holiday makers.

To the south of the capital, the hills of the Ardennes are rich with history, ancient and modern. Not only are there castles of all eras, but also many monuments and key battlefields of the First World War – notably, the vast Menin Gate in Ypres, inscribed all over with the names of the dead.

Ypres was a town of 40,000 in the 13th Century, and a bustling commercial centre. By 1918, four years of shelling had virtually reduced it to rubble. Today, it is one of the most visited of sites renowned for its role in the Great War.

And famous Belgians? Well, there's kickboxing legend Jean-Claude Van Damme, tennis stars Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne, five-times Tour de France winner Eddy Merckx, surrealist painter Rene Magritte, and "Maigret" author Georges Simenon for starters.