As well as its eating out the city is known for a vibrant culture good shops many

As well as its eating out, the city is known for a vibrant culture, good shops, many museums – including one devoted to chocolate – and a wonderfully preserved gothic central square. Brussels alone has 2000-plus restaurants – including eight with Michelin stars.Visitors to the capital say its reputation as a soulless home to vast numbers of freeloading Eurocrats is unjustified. At the same time, the country has absorbed the culinary influences from all the countries that surround it, leading its advocates to claim that Belgian food has “French standards and German portions”. Eurostar trains from Waterloo can make the trip in 2 hours, 20 minutes – about the same time it takes to get to Manchester – with weekend return fares as low as £59; from 2007 and the opening of the St Pancras terminal, the journey time will drop to 1 hour, 53 minutes. While native cuisine is limited, some specialities such as mussels and frites, waterzooi, (a soup-stew), beef cooked in beer and braised endive are justly renowned. They like the fact that it is easy to get to, the food and drink is good and there are towns that are both fashionable and picturesque.”Britons can enjoy some of the best food in Europe in Belgium. Eurostar tickets are now valid, with no extra cost, to all other Belgian towns, changing at Brussels.

Although Ryanair no longer operates the Stansted-Charleroi service, there is still a range of budget airline flights from other British airports.A Eurostar spokesman said 60 per cent of its passengers to Belgium were on leisure trips He said: “Britons have taken to Belgium in a big way. Holidays lasted an average of 14 days and they forked out £62 per day or £868 per trip.Undoubtedly one of the main reasons we are all dashing off for high-spending jaunts to Belgium is that it is very easy to get to. According to the Office of National Statistics, Britons only spend an average of two nights per trip.The figures also show that Iceland, a popular stag weekend haunt, was the second highest spending destination, with an average of £93 a day – possibly reflecting the high price of Icelandic alcohol.On longer trips, the US was one of the highest-spending destinations for Britons. When it comes to Belgium, the old joke about only being there for the beer takes on a very special meaning. For there are 90 breweries making 400 different types of beer in Brussels alone.

And it is one reason why Britons are now spending more money per day in Belgium – about £103 on average – than in any other country, according to statistics released yesterday.
But while Belgium’s glorious beers are a major attraction for British visitors, they are not the only reason why the country – which has an undeserved reputation for being boring – has become so popular.Its gastronomy and its chocolates, its beautifully preserved ancient city centres and easy proximity to southern England all play a part in making this small country of 10 million a popular destination, mainly for weekends. can be viewed through . With info on local volunteering and a directory of overseas organisations, there are now no excuses. .uk/Turning the PagesYour chance to (virtually) turn the pages of some of the British Library’s most priceless treasures (including Leonardo da Vinci’s notebook). ’s StuffOne of the most popular sites of 2004, its manic badger animations brought hilarity to many office workers’ rainy afternoons. World Wide Panorama180 photographers in 40 countries have created these 360-degree panoramas of specific spots around the world.

/eggbaconchipsandbeans/Bill BaileySo comprehensive it even has a section on beards, this site is a fitting testament to one of 2004’s British comedy superstars. at folks who may not have volunteered before, this site allows users to register their free time online. Amazing BrainFull of great information on your brain, all presented in an easily navigable and beautifully designed way. Derelict LondonThis site houses an array of strangely beautiful photos showing an alternative view of life in the capital. Gorilla FoundationA thought-provoking and moving site including clips of Koko the gorilla “talking” with her trainer, Penny. Egg, bacon, chips and beansBrilliantly written with stunning photographs, this lovingly created site passionately celebrates the best British “caffs” and calls for classics to be preserved. We don’t give a monkey’s if a car was a technological marvel of its day – if it looks awful today, we’ll list it.”Now the search engine is asking internet users to select their own favourite – People’s Find of the Year -from the top 10 by voting on yahoo.co.uk/findoftheyear2004.”The judging panel made some tough decisions to shortlist the best of the Web and now it’s the public’s turn,” Mr Mitha said.Bobby Macaulay, 16, whose community site about a bus shelter in the Shetlands won last year’s Find of the Year and who has become one of the judges, said: “The quality of websites on offer this year amazed me and so did the ability to find them.”THE TOP TEN Ugliest Cars in BritainA hilarious celebration of ugly automobiles The 2CV, Multipla and Scorpio feature.