Shopping in Belgium. Tax free in Belgium Holland, Amsterdam, Schiphall airport

Useful

Part 1 - Practice.

Guides and where to get useful information

Polyglot

Written briefly and to the point, according to Brussels, perhaps even too briefly, because... the city, except for the center, is not described. Probably its target audience is motorists, and routes around the country are laid out accordingly. Bad city maps - it’s impossible to find anything on them.

Le Petit Fute

Unexpectedly, it is significantly better than in Switzerland and in the regions of Russia, but there are still mistakes - in the story about each city, I roughly described where and what the guidebook was wrong. Large cities are described in detail: Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, Anwerp, Liege. There is even too much information (especially about Brussels) - areas are described where a tourist will never go (Arab quarters), and when reading, one gets the impression that this is just someone’s stream of consciousness - a lot of unnecessary stuff and has nothing to do with the city. The text about the city and the map were made by different people - or different people translated it, because the city map (if there is one) is full of what is not in the text, and the text describes what is not on the map and where to look for it is not always clear .

Internet sites

Http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%B5%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%B3%D0%B8%D1%8F

Http://www.trabel.com/belgium-touristcityinformation.htm

http://www.eupedia.com/belgium/

My husband, in addition to the information and guidebooks he dug up on the Internet, printed out maps of the cities (center) from Google; you can walk with them, but in each city we tried to find a travel agency and get hold of a map and booklets there. This was almost always possible, and without much difficulty.

http://www.tema.ru/travel/belgium/ - a funny photo report by Artemy Lebedev around Brussels and Bruges.

Travelers' stories

There were surprisingly few stories about Belgium itself - most travelers gallop through it, together with Holland and Luxembourg, in a week, and from the Belgian cities tourists are shown Brussels, Ghent, Bruges, Antwerp. Nevertheless, there are still interesting and educational stories! Why do their authors
Svetlana Narozhnaya (thanks to whom we went to Belgium so soon in general and discovered Leuven and Mechelen, in particular - http://www.decorbells.ru/travel_belgium.htm);
Sasha (NOKA - http://www.tours.ru/travellers/traveller.asp?id=13803),
Gleb (http://reports.travel.ru/letters/87209.html?cc=be), and
Kirill Babaev (http://tours.babaev.net/), whom I quote from time to time in my story; and also to the Israeli author of the story “In Search of the Golden Autumn” who wished to remain anonymous (http://reports.travel.ru/letters/68281.html?cc=be) - huge respect to everyone.

Documents for a visa and obtaining a visa at the embassy

The delivery of documents to the Belgian embassy is carried out by the travelers themselves, in person, and the travel agency in this case draws up a complete package of documents for you, the company's courier takes a turn at the embassy, ​​hands you the documents at the appointed time in front of the window, you submit the documents and money at the window, receive a receipt, and then you are free - after 3 days your visa will be taken for you.

Submitting documents was a little funny for us: at 10 o’clock we arrived at the Belgian Embassy (a small street behind New Arbat), met with the courier, took the papers and the two of us went to the window (generally one at a time, but if you are traveling together, then you can do it together). The embassy accepts visa documents from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and issues them 3 days later from 2:15 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Yes, for those interested, the following documents were needed:

2 forms with photos and signed,
. copy of tickets,
. copy of insurance,
. passport (domestic and foreign, just in case),
. hotel reservation,
. stay program (I’m not sure if this is necessary, it was compiled by the travel agency),
. certificate from work,
. account statement.

True, recently at one of the travel forums (after our trip) there was information that those who have 2 Schengen visas in the last 2 years do not need to appear in person to submit documents. However, this information is not available on the official website of the embassy.

Eurodomino

What it is and how it works is written here: http://www.mza.ru/content/view/116/31/

In short, this is a travel pass for a certain number of days (we took 8) for a country included in this program. Sold at the central railway ticket offices, on Komsomolskaya Square, behind the Leningradsky Station. Costs (in Belgium) 86 euros, plus 160 rubles service fee. Studying the advertisements on the stands, we saw that when purchasing this ticket when traveling to your destination by train, you get a 50% discount on travel. If you plan to travel a lot, then you need to buy such tickets - for example, we saved 300 euros.

Using a ticket is simple: get on the train, sit down, take a pen and enter today's date. If not, they may be fined. Keep in mind that there are 2 schedules - weekdays and weekends and holidays. There are more trains on weekdays.

For a trip to Luxembourg, the ticket is valid only to the last station on Belgian territory - Arlon, so we bought tickets for Arlon-Luxembourg and back in Brussels.

Transport

We did not use public transport (except for the trains themselves) in Belgium, because we like to walk, and we lived in the center. Nevertheless, some information caught my eye. For example, www.europeancitycards.com, which talks about different tariffs in European cities. For example, by purchasing a one-day group card for 6.70 euros, you can ride with at least five people.

If anyone wants to follow our example in traveling independently in Belgium, the Belgian Railways website www.b-rail.be/nat/E/ should be a valuable tool for them.

It loads terribly slowly, but for a patient person it will eventually give all the necessary information, including detailed train schedules, ticket prices, and even give the opportunity to buy them online. Let me remind you that Eurodomino is a very profitable purchase.

Travel budget and approximate costs on site

Airplane - Aeroflot - 13,100 rubles*2=26,200 rubles. ($970)
Hotel - 10 nights*105 euros=1,050 euros
Travel card for Belgium “Eurodomino” - 86 euros *2+2*160 rubles. (MJA service fee) Insurance=12*1*2=24 euros
Visa=2*60=120 euros
Total 32,120 rub. and 1,194 euros

Nutrition. For approximate prices for the most popular products among tourists, see the “Food and Products” section. You can probably eat fast food and products from the nearest supermarket, but if you eat normally, then be prepared to spend 60-80 euros a day on food. Please spare me from describing specific food places.

Beer. Prices for draft and bottled beer are approximately the same - many places even serve beer, which is immediately poured from bottles. From 1 to 6 euros per 0.3 l, depending on the variety.

Fruits and juices are sold not much more expensive than in Moscow. Cheeses are noticeably cheaper, there are many varieties that we simply don’t have. Somehow they didn’t take anything else from the supermarket. I'm lying! The Delhaizer chain bought sets of chocolates as gifts.

Souvenirs are mainly presented in shops around the Grand Place - this is the Manneken Pis in all sorts of variations (lighters, bottle openers, other things with his image - from 3 euros), beer mugs of various shapes and sizes, separately or in a set with beer - from 8 euros, plates - from 10-12 euros, lace - from 2-3 euros for a small napkin.

Museums - from 2 to 10 euros, children are a little cheaper. At the end of the section, I will provide a summary table of the cost of the museums that we were able to visit; you can plan how much to save for the museums.

Food and products

In the cities there are supermarkets of the Delhaizer, GB, Aldi, and Match chains. Each city has its own set of shops and perhaps there are more of them - I wrote only those that caught our eye. Usually they are open until 20:00, on Sunday until 18:00. GB-express in Brussels near the Grand Place is open until 23:00. The set is standard.

Arab (Indian) shops can be the salvation of tourists and local residents in general - they are open late (in the Moscow sense of the word), or even around the clock. They sell a “vital” set of household chemicals, a little cosmetics, water, cheese, beer, chewing gum. Sometimes fruit. The latter are 2 times more expensive than in grocery stores. Beer costs about the same as in supermarkets, well, plus or minus 10-15%. There were 2 such stores near our hotel and about 5 within a 5-minute walk.

Beer is also sold in specialized stores, one of the “promoted” ones is on the street leading from the Grand Place, there are types of beer that you won’t find in the supermarket, and at the same time there is part of the supermarket’s assortment, but more expensive. As far as I can tell, “beer + glasses” sets are in great demand. There will be a separate essay about beer varieties later, so I won’t overload with information here, I will only say that you need to try the kriek varieties, varieties with a fruity taste, especially cherry; Belgian ale Kwak; and beers with the word “trappist” on the label, which are brewed in monasteries (strong!)

“Unlike beer, Belgian chocolate production is not that old. The chocolate industry dates back to the late 19th century, when Belgium gained control of the Congo and gained access to African coffee plantations. But over the course of a century and a half, entire chocolate houses have sprung up in the country with their traditional recipes, kept behind seven locks” (c) NOKA

Shame on me, throw tomatoes at me, but I won’t sing odes of praise to Belgian chocolate. Well, chocolate is quite tasty and expensive accordingly. Not for everybody. It costs from 12 euros per kilogram and is sold in souvenir shops, specialty stores and, again, supermarkets. By the way, the Delhaizer chain has its own chocolate. The stores have a wide variety of bars, pralines, and sweets, and you don’t have to buy them en masse - you can even try one or two of each type.

Cheeses. Another cheese country, because there are many cheeses here, different and delicious. I recommend. I won’t describe it - my hands have already fallen off from the beer essay

Potato. I love this junk! Also sold everywhere, from 1.5 euros per bag, with different fillings. So if you see people with paper bags covered in greasy stains, who are intently absorbing something, you know - this is the national fast food.

Waffles. Favorite local fast food along with fried potatoes. They are sold everywhere, in all cities, and cost from 1.50 euros per piece. You can buy them fresh from the oven, but most often they are in a stack ready-made, and they are just being heated. In some places they sell waffles with fillings - they put cream, jam, caramel, nuts, ice cream, chocolate chips on top... These are correspondingly more expensive. A popular place in Brussels where they are sold (there was a queue of about 10 people at the end of the line every day) is a stall on the street leading to the Grand Place from the monument to the local burgomaster (a guy with a dog). In my opinion, we came across the most successful waffles in Liege.

Mussels: 13-18 euros per serving. The largest selection is in the restaurant area near the Grand Place, also called the “Belly of Brussels”. The biggest disadvantage of this place is that it is cramped and overcrowded, the tables are very tightly packed, there is a constant flow of people moving in the narrow passage between them, this personally annoyed me. But don’t give up on mussels because of this! They are served on the table in a large metal bowl, right in the one in which they were prepared. Tasty and healthy. But my husband cooks seafood better.

The amount you need to spend in Belgium to receive tax free is 125 euros, spent in one place at a time. To apply for tax free, you need a passport or a copy of it (we usually hand over passports to the hotel safe, and carry copies of the first page and visa with us). As a rule, they fill out a standard form where they write down your address, name, purchase amount and the amount of tax that is due to you. A cash receipt is attached to this form.

When purchasing jewelry, we were faced with the fact that the tax-free receipt was fundamentally different - some kind of white piece of paper, something like our invoice. She raised some doubts in me, but nothing, at customs they readily accepted her. Moreover, at first they offered us to pay in cash and then they simply would not have charged us tax, but we, of course, do not carry such amounts with us in our pockets, and paid with a card.

The things you bought must be unworn, with tags; it is at Brussels airport that they adhere to the principle and check everything carefully. Your tax free checks must be cleared with a customs stamp.

At Brussels Airport there are two ways: if you are checking in purchased items as luggage, then you BEFORE checking in at the Custom Service, this is at the 4th counter on the third floor of the airport. After checking and stamping your receipts, you can check in your luggage, check in for your flight, and go through passport control. If you have things in your hand luggage, then you check in, go through passport control, and go to customs (it’s there, but the entrance is on the other side, and there’s no line there, but we didn’t know this procedure, and so we stood with the people with their suitcases ). They say that this customs point is open only until 22:00 (our customs officer, although she grumbled, checked everyone until 22:30), then you need to go to the second floor, to the arrivals hall, there is also a customs office there (this is a joy for those who have already passed passport control!).

Due to the late hours, the cash desk was not working, so I had to take checks for my clothes with me in the hope of cashing them in Moscow. It turned out that this is quite possible to do in the following places:
http://www.globalrefund.com/default.asp?viewFolderId=531&viewDocumentId=1400
It turned out that it was most convenient for me to contact Vneshtorgbank:
http://www.vtb24.ru/services/personal/service_1_543.htm

The bank advises you to call in advance and check if their system is working - sometimes it freezes. I drove up there without warning (I couldn’t get through) - everything worked. You need to have with you that same stamped Global Refund check (they only work with this system!), and both passports - Russian and foreign. In the office on Tverskaya (it’s in the next building to the Moscow Art Theater) you go to ticket office No. 3, and you get everything there. It’s strange that their system gave the amount that was owed to me exactly 5% less than what was written on the checks. They also say that they do not take commission.

We had to send the canceled check for the jewelry by letter to the store (for this purpose, the store owner gave us an envelope, put stamps on it, and filled out the address with her own hand, to avoid mistakes), the tax amount was withdrawn from the card, and upon receipt of our letter, the amount the tax was returned to the account. We dropped the envelope into the mailbox immediately after going through customs and passport control.

Local clothing brands

In addition to well-known transnational clothing brands, you can look at Belgian designers: Walter Van Beirendonck, Nadine Wynants, Ann De Meulemeester, Dirk Bikkembergs, Kaat Tilley, Dries Van Noten, Natan. I saw the largest selection of them in Antwerp, at the central shopping center Meir. Do you remember that for already spent 125 euros you are entitled to tax free? :)

Museum prices (based on 1 adult)

Antwerp

Church of St. Jacob - 2 euros
Cathedral - 2 euros
Rubens Museum - 6 euros

Tongeren

Gallo-Roman Museum - 5 euros
Treasury of the Basilica - 2.5 euros

Cathedral Treasury - 5 euros

You can buy a single ticket for 5 museums - 15 euros.
Tomb of the Dukes in the Cathedral of Our Lady - 2.5 euros
Memling Museum - 8 euros (+pharmacy)
Belford - 3 euros
Basilica of the Blood of Christ - 2.50 euros
Town Hall - 2.5 euros
Chocolate Museum - 6 euros
Beguine's house - 2 euros

Bell tower - 3 euros
Altar in the Cathedral of St. Bavo - 3 euros
Castle - 6 euros
Boat - 5 euro/hour

Town Hall - 3 euros.
Tower of the Church of St. Nicholas - 1.5 euros
Museum-bakery - 3 euros

Citadel - 6.50 euros
Card - 0.5 euro

Citadel - 6.50 euros
Steamboat - 14.90 euros for 45 minutes (walk along the river)

Cathedral Treasury - 3 euros

Brussels

Chinese pavilion - 3 euros
Japanese Tower - 3 euros
Peace Museum - 3 euros
Lace Museum - 3 euros

Only those people who have a permanent place of residence outside the European Union are entitled to a VAT refund. What should everyone consider when shopping in Belgium?

• The standard VAT rate is 21%, for food and books - 6%.
• The minimum purchase amount must be 125.01 euros.
• Refunds cannot be received for services provided or tobacco purchased.
• Exported items must not be used until the VAT is returned.
• Export must be carried out in personal luggage.

Features of the tax free form

The form is valid for three years from the date of issue. The form must bear the customs stamp of Belgium or another EU state, but it must be affixed within three months from the month of issue.

The document becomes valid only if the original cash receipt is attached to it and there are no names of purchased goods on the form. If cash receipts were attached to one form and were issued in a store of one chain, regardless of the address, their attachment to one form becomes mandatory. The buyer's name on the form and the cash receipt must match.

Photocopies of cash receipts cannot be accepted without written confirmation. Written confirmation and the mark “KOPIE” are required.

Stages of using tax free

First you should do some shopping in Belgium. In this case, the store must have the Global Blue Tax Free Shopping logo. The seller must provide a special form when paying for the purchase. In this case, the uniform can be white or blue. Each column must be filled in in printed Latin letters, without corrections.

The form can be stamped at customs by providing a completed tax free form, cash receipts, a foreign passport and new, unused goods. By fulfilling these conditions, you may be able to return VAT.

Now you need to contact the Global Blue office, providing a stamped form. If you are in a hurry, please send the form to the Global Blue office. Refunds can be made in cash or to a credit card.

The import and export of currency is not limited. Amounts over €10,000 must be declared.

Import to Belgium

People over 18 years of age are allowed to import:

• Cigarettes (200 pcs), or 50 cigars, or 250 grams of tobacco
• 2 liters of wine, 1 liter of strong spirits
• Coffee (500 g) and tea (100 g)
• Perfume (50 ml), eau de toilette (250 ml)
• Personal items

Prohibited to import

• Drugs
• Weapons (and sharp objects)
• Pornographic materials
• Fresh vegetables and fruits
• Plants and seeds
• Animal products (meat, milk, eggs)
• Animals without special documents

Export from Belgium

It is prohibited to export

• Jewelry and expensive purchases without declaration
• Art and antiques
• Items from archaeological sites (even stones)
• Products of animal origin (shells, feathers, skins)

Attention: you can find out what can be imported into the Russian Federation.

Tax Free in Belgium

Tax free allows you to save 16% on purchases made in the country. For

To get a refund of the money spent, you must correctly issue a tax-free check:

• Make a purchase worth more than 125 € in stores with Tax Free logos at the entrance, check with the seller).
• Get a tax-free receipt from the store.
• A cash receipt and a tax free receipt are two different things; you need to save both.
• Show your passport to the seller. Make sure that he fills out the data on the tax-free check correctly. If necessary, provide the details of the card to which the funds will be transferred.
• Arrive at the airport at least 2 hours before departure
• At customs, present: the goods, a completed tax-free check, a cash receipt and a passport. Put a stamp on the tax free check. The packaging of the goods must not be damaged.
• Present the stamped check, as well as your passport and bank card at the Tax Free payment return point. It can be found on the airport map or checked at the information desk.
• The refund amount can be issued in cash or transferred to an account.
• You must affix a customs stamp on your tax free receipt within three months from the date of purchase. You can return your money within three years. The maximum amount of compensation is 1500 euros.

Money will be refunded only for those goods that the traveler takes out in his personal luggage. At customs you may be asked to show that you have not used the goods.

Items for which you cannot receive a tax-free refund

• Tobacco
• Services

Tax free return points in Russia can be viewed.

Belgium is famous for its chocolate, beer, diamonds and lace. The shopping industry is well developed here. In any city you can find many chocolate shops and lace shops. Most of the lace offered is machine-made, however, if you try, you can find small shops where they have hand-woven products, but such things are incredibly expensive. Manufacture Belge de Dent is considered the best manufacturer of handmade lace.

In Brussels, a wide variety of “peeing boys” are sold on every corner: colored, chocolate, large and small (there is even a corkscrew boy).

It is better to go shopping in Belgium on weekdays: at this time they are open until 18:00. Saturday is a short day, and on Sunday trade stops altogether. This rule, fortunately, does not apply to large department stores. There are two main chains in the country - Delhaize and GB. They are open from 8:00 to 20:00, and you can buy almost everything there at a reasonable price. For example, the popular Belgian waffles, which cost 2 euros apiece on the street, are sold in department stores by the dozen and for less money.

If you're serious about updating your wardrobe, there are two ways to go. The first is small boutiques that sell items from young and promising designers. Young does not mean the cheapest, but there you can buy something that no one else has, or something that will appear on the pan-European stage only in a few years.

The second path is to the Maasmechelen Village outlet. It is an hour's drive from Brussels or Antwerp. The Village is a 200-meter pedestrian alley lined with boutiques. Discounts on clothing reach 60%. This “shopaholic's happiness” is open seven days a week - from 10:00 to 18:00, on Saturday and Sunday - until 19:00. .

A special treat in Belgium is the huge "brocant" sale. Every small town hosts brocantes every Sunday, and in Brussels one of the streets is even closed to traffic for this weekend event.

Belgian lace

In the Belgian region of Flanders, beautiful lace is woven, famous throughout the world. The art of lace making originated in these parts at the end of the sixteenth century, during the period of economic and cultural prosperity of Flanders. Belgian lace was very popular; all the reigning courts preferred to decorate their robes with thin, airy lace. The Flemings had a special technology for making the finest thread, and each region of the province was distinguished by its unique weaving.

Antwerp lace is characterized by lace with floral motifs and vases, against a background of small six-pointed stars scattered across the canvas.

Raspberry-Mechelen lace is similar to Antwerp lace, but it is more elegant and thin; it was used mainly for finishing cuffs and nightgowns, and for sewing jabots. Malinsky lace was especially popular.

Bruges lace is a continuous knitted braid, with a bizarre, intricate pattern that is formed when individual parts are connected.

Brussels lace was considered the most expensive and luxurious, where separately made ornaments were combined against a background of tulle. This excellent lace was especially valued outside of Flanders, and was exported to England under the name anletter, due to the ban on the import of Flemish lace to Albion. Another type of Brussels lace was called “duchess”; there was no background as such, and the ornaments were skillfully connected with weaves.

Sales in Belgium

In Belgium, sales periods are regulated by law. The cherished days for shopping last exactly a month: from July 1 in the summer and from January 3 in the winter. Until then, it is useless to expect discounts and budget prices from stores in the capital of Belgium: violators who announced discounts before this time will face impressive fines.

In general, Brussels is a fairly expensive city: its prices can be compared with the nearby major cities of Paris, Amsterdam and Cologne. But during the sales period it is captured by a real excitement. Brussels stores open their doors from 9-10 am to 6 pm from Monday to Saturday. On Fridays, most shops in the city are open until 8 or 9 pm, with the exception of large galleries and shopping centers.

Tax free in Belgium

If the purchase amount in one store on one day exceeds 125 EUR, it makes sense to use the VAT refund system. In Belgium VAT is 21%. In order to return this money, you must ask the Tax Free store for a receipt, which must indicate the name of the goods, their price, including tax and the amount of compensation. At the last customs office when leaving the EU, present your receipt and unpacked purchases to receive a customs stamp.

To receive money you can:

• Present the check for payment to a Russian bank.
• Mail the check to your local Premier Tax Free office.
• Present the check for payment at one of the cash payment points in the EU.