Driving rules in Belgium
Belgium drives on the right-hand side of the road, like the rest of continental Europe and North America. Coming from the UK, Australia, Ireland or Japan? Give yourself a few junctions and roundabouts to recalibrate. The traffic laws are enforced hard, and in Flanders the speed cameras now run permanently, around the clock. Minor speeding starts at about €116 and climbs fast for the serious stuff. And yes, they bill foreign drivers too.
The rules that matter most for a campervan in Belgium:
- Speed limits: 120 km/h on motorways, 50 km/h in towns (often 30 km/h in city centres). The default outside built-up areas splits by region, 70 km/h in Flanders against 90 km/h in Wallonia, so read the signs as you cross the language border. These apply to campervans up to 3.5t.
- Priority from the right: "Priorité à droite / voorrang van rechts" is enforced to the letter. At any uncontrolled junction with no lights, stop or yield sign, traffic coming from the right has absolute priority, even off a tiny side street. It catches out foreign drivers constantly.
- Seatbelts mandatory: Everyone, front and back, belts up. Children under 1.35 m need an appropriate child seat or booster.
- Blood alcohol limit: 0.05% for standard drivers, with heavy fines and licence suspension if you break it. You must carry a reflective vest and a warning triangle in the vehicle.
- No motorway vignette: Forget Switzerland, Austria or Slovenia, Belgium has NO motorway vignette and the motorways are completely toll-free for campervans up to 3.5t. Nothing to buy, nothing to display.
- Low-Emission Zones: Antwerp, Brussels and Ghent run permanent LEZs that catch campervans too. Older diesel vans can be banned or fined, and foreign plates have to register online beforehand. Check your van's Euro emission standard before you drive in (see below).
- Mobile phone use: Banned at the wheel. Use a hands-free setup or pull over safely.
- 2026 Highway Code: Belgium is phasing in a rewritten code with around 45 new signs, including "green square" cyclist and pedestrian crossings, so some signage will look unfamiliar.
Low-Emission Zones and city access
The rule that trips people up most on a Belgium campervan trip is the Low-Emission Zone (LEZ). Antwerp, Brussels and Ghent all run permanent LEZs, active 24/7, and they apply to motorhomes and campervans, not only cars. An older diesel van can be refused entry or fined, so check your vehicle's Euro emission class before you book and again before you drive into any of the three.
Where things stand in 2026: Brussels tightened up on 1 January and banned Euro 5 diesel, so diesel effectively has to be Euro 6, while Antwerp and Ghent sit one step behind and still let Euro 5 diesel through for now. Foreign-plated vehicles must register online in advance (free), by midnight the day after you first enter a zone at the latest; that registration holds for three years. Dutch (NL) plates are auto-recognised and exempt. Thresholds shift, so confirm the current ones.
Pro tip: If Brussels is on your route, book a newer van, ideally Euro 6 diesel; Euro 5 diesel still gets you into Antwerp and Ghent. A Belgian hire van is usually pre-registered by the operator, but the fine lands on you, so confirm your specific vehicle's Euro class and registration when you book.
Road conditions and terrain
Belgian roads are well kept, well signed and genuinely easy. The north (Flanders, the canals, the North Sea coast) is flat lowlands; the south (Wallonia) is gently hilly, forested Ardennes. No mountain passes, no alpine hairpins, so engine size and 4x4 simply don't come into it. Good driving for a first trip.
- Compact distances: Most legs run under 2-3 hours. The whole Flemish Art Cities loop (Brussels-Ghent-Bruges-Antwerp) is only about 250 km, so basing yourself in one spot and looping out works well.
- City centres: The medieval cores of Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp are tiny and cobbled. Leave the van at a peripheral aire or campsite and walk or cycle in.
- Winter driving: The maritime climate is mild and wet rather than snowy, but the Ardennes get freezing nights and the odd snowfall. For off-season trips, insist on a heated, winterised van.
- Language signage: Signs flip between Dutch (Flanders), French (Wallonia) and German (a small eastern pocket); Brussels is bilingual. Place names change across the line too, so Bruges/Brugge, Antwerp/Antwerpen, Ghent/Gent.
Fuel and charging stations
Petrol and diesel stations are thick on the ground here, and in a country this small you're never far from a fill-up on any route. Most take credit cards at self-service pumps, 24/7.
Pump diesel runs roughly €1.80-2.00 per litre (mid-2026, and it moves, so check the day's price), a touch above the EU average. Campervans are heavy, so figure on 9-14 L/100km, very roughly €18-28 of diesel per 100 km. Driving electric or hybrid? The charging networks are dense; check apps like Chargemap or PlugShare for locations.
Parking and tolls
Belgium has no motorway vignette and no general road tolls for campervans up to 3.5t, so the motorways cost you nothing. The exception is the Liefkenshoek tunnel near Antwerp, which is tolled by vehicle height, split at 2.75m, so most campervans land in the taller, pricier band. Motorhomes over 3.5t can fall under the Viapass per-kilometre truck charge and need an on-board unit, so check with your operator if your van is heavy.
City parking is organised, but it can sting. The big one: wild and roadside overnighting is banned nationwide, so no sleeping in car parks, lay-bys or residential streets. Overnight only at licensed campsites or designated motorhome aires (camperplaatsen / kampeerautoterreinen).
