The city of Liège has a population of about 200,000. The city lies in the valley of the Meuse river near the Belgian borders with Holland and Germany. Mainly french speaking, it was the former industrial backbone of Wallonia and has a rich cultural and ecclesiastical heritage.

The central area of Liège is an interesting combination of a historic neighborhoods, rather elegant 19th century ones with wide boulevards, tall apartment buildings (including Art Deco ones), the Meuse river and a few pretty parks. The outskirts of Liège can be divided into three distinct areas: large, sprawling industrial complexes on the river`s bank around Herstal in the north and Seraing in the south, working class areas to the east of the river, and leafy neighborhoods on the hills to the west and south-east.

Liège might not be the typical tourist destination, but many will be surprised to find a city with a special character and friendly, open inhabitants who enjoy their lives there. As is the case in the rest of Belgium, finding a good meal is no problem in Liège, and the 80,000 students who live there make sure that there is a significant nightlife, even on weekdays!

Brussels Airport, which is in Zaventem, is your most likely point of entry into Belgium. This airport is located 62 miles northwest of the city of Liège which can be reached by train via Louvain/Leuven or Brussels-North station (the easiest and most favored way to get to Liège).

The train station at the airport is in the basement of the terminal building. You can find connections that run between Brussels Airport and Liège-Guillemins railway station, beginning at 5:41am, and up until 11:59 pm, with only one change in Leuven or Brussels North. A single ticket runs between €18 and €19.

When your flight arrives at night after the trains stop running, you may want to stay in Zaventem, and then, in the morning, opt to take the train.

Brussels South Charleroi Airport, which is located in Charleroi, 37 miles to the south of Brussels, is a hub for low-cost airlines such as Ryanair and Wizzair. Take city bus Line A from outside the airport departures hall to Charleroi-Sud train station for about €3. From here there are direct trains to Liège every hour between 5:00am and 11:00pm. The journey takes approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes. If you don`t purchase the bulk ticket, you can buy a single ticket from the bus driver for about €5, and a single train ticket is about €14.30.

The city`s main railway station - Liège-Guillemins - is located in the south-western part of the city. The station is served by Thalys and ICE high speed trains to and from Brussels, Paris, Aachen, Cologne and Frankfurt.

From the Liège-Guillemins train station, you can take a short taxi ride for about €10 to the city center, or you can opt for a bus for about €2.10.

From many European cities, Liège can be reached via train. There are some direct journeys, as well as those with one or two changes.

From the UK, you can take the Eurostar, with regular connections from London to Brussels. From the Brussels-Midi station, there`s a direct train to Liège. When you purchase the Eurostar ticket, take the `any Belgian station` option, so you won`t have to purchase another ticket from Brussels to Liège.

The city's main station is Gare Liège-Guillemins, rue des Guillemins, just south of the city center. The smaller, more centrally located Liège-Palais station, on rue de Bruxelles, is used by some local and connecting trains.

From the Liège-Guillemins train station, you can take a short taxi ride for about €10 to the city center, or you can opt for a bus for about €2.10.

The Old Town, which contains most of Liège`s sightseeing attractions, and nighttime entertainment in the student-filled Carré district, is on the west bank of the Meuse, bounded by rue de l`Université, bd. de la Sauvenière, and rue Pont-d`Avroy. On the east bank, the Outremeuse (Across the Meuse) district has a big choice of lively bars.

Unlike in most Belgian cities, where the inner rings were built along the paths of the old ramparts, Liège`s main roads were laid out along old branches of the Meuse, which sometimes makes navigating them a bit more difficult.

There are many parking garages in the city center.

The main routes for cars are:
-The E40 and E25 motorways, that cross parts of the city
-The Boulevards `d`Avroy` and "de la Sauvenière`, which connect the center to the Guillemins station
-The Quais `de la Meuse` and "de la Dérivation`, which connect with the E25 in the north and south

As in the rest of Wallonia, bus transport in Liège is provided by TEC (www.infotec.be).

Most lines into Liège converge at one of the city`s central bus `terminals` - Gare Léopold, Place Saint-Lambert, Place de la République Française or Opéra - which are very close to each other. Therefore, all buses marked with one of these destinations are heading for the center.

Line 1 (direction `Coronmeuse`) and 4 (direction `Bavière`) connect Guillemins station to the center, while the return journey is marked `d`Harscamp`.

Some lines depart from the intersection of Boulevard d`Avroy and Rue Pont d`Avroy, near to the main shopping streets.

Take note that few lines run after midnight.

The bus service is also becoming increasingly better suited to the needs of disabled travelers.

Free schedules and maps are available at the bus terminals and at Guillemins station.

Tickets: One-day tickets cost around €4, allowing unlimited travel in Liège throughout the day. You can also opt for a simple-way ticket, which costs about €1.90. You can purchase any of these tickets from the bus driver.

Additionally, you can purchase travel cards. There are two different types of cards: eight journeys for €8.80 and 12 journeys for €13.20.

Walking is the best way to see the city, and most of the central part of Liège - including some green areas - are within walking distance.

Taxis are a bit more expensive, but the prices are manageable, especially if you split a car and share the fare. Plus, they operate 24 hours a day and can usually be found around the areas that are popular for nightlife in the late evenings.

As with the rest of Europe, the residents in Liège really like to ride their bikes. Just be aware if you are traveling by bike in the city, many of the main roads can be a bit dangerous. Cyclists can use one-way streets in both directions when it is marked `sauf (bike symbol)`, which is usually the case. The steep hills make cycling outside the center is a bit more difficult, and reaching higher neighborhoods requires both training and a multi-speed bike!

Cycle paths are regularly added and improved, and parts of the Wallonia-wide network of foot and bike-paths (Ravel) pass through the city, most notably along the river. A map of the Ravel is available at the tourist office.

There are also bike-sharing companies where you can rent bikes at a low cost whenever you need one. Hourly/daily bike rental is possible through the tourist office. Two hours costs about €6, while a full day rental is about €12. For longer periods from Pro Velo at Liège-Guillemins train station: turn left as you exit at ground level. Both require €50 deposits.