Car & Van Hire - Dilsen

Dilsen is a charming, old-fashioned town on the Belgian side of the Dutch border. It's popular with hikers and cyclists, as there are many trails and paths that run through the green countryside. The flat landscape means that there's no serious gradient to worry about, so this is a good spot to take the kids to explore the great outdoors. If you're planning a hike, try the Brug Molenplas. This bridge, made from large stepping stones, spans the beautiful Molenplas lake. You'll have to watch where you step carefully, and don't attempt it in the rain or if the water level is high.

Another natural spot to look out for is the Oermonument, a collection of 2000-year-old trees. They were discovered during excavation work and now remain in place as a permanent prehistoric monument. A hike past the Oermonument will also take you to the Hompesche Molen, an 18th-century windmill. Today, it is no longer a working windmill. Instead, it houses a restaurant where weary hikers can rest their feet and enjoy a meal before continuing their journey.

Take advantage of car hire in Dilsen to visit Hoge Kempen National Park, which stretches over 12 000 ha of land. You can go for a long walk through the pine forests or hop on a mountain bike for an exhilarating ride. Around the park, you'll find heathland covered with a carpet of purple flowers, calm ponds to relax by and dozens of trails under shady trees. This is a very important habitat for reptiles and amphibians, and if you're lucky, you may also catch a glimpse of some roe deer or a hawk. This park is one of the largest of its kind in Belgium and is a popular spot for day trippers from the Netherlands of Germany.

Planning a road trip? Take advantage of car or van hire in Dilsen and head to the larger town of Hasselt, which has several interesting old churches and a charming historic centre to explore. The remains of Herkenrode Abbey, with its incredible gardens, are worth a visit. You'll also be surprised by the Japanese Tuin, which is the largest Japanese garden in Europe. Built as a gesture of friendship between Hasselt and its Japanese twin city, Itami, this charming garden has a reflecting pond, waterfall, koi carp and tea house. A little slice of Japan in the heart of Europe, it's even home to a traditional Japanese chrysanthemum festival each autumn.

Dilsen is a small town, and there is no rush hour worth mentioning. You will see heavier traffic if you travel to the nearby city of Maastricht. Don't be surprised by international traffic at rush hour, as there are many cross-border commuters in this area. You can avoid any queues by steering clear of routes in and out of the city during rush hour.

Finding a parking space in Dilsen will not be a problem. If you go to any larger towns in Belgium, pay attention to parking signs. On busy streets, on-street parking is often not permitted from 07:00-9:30 and again from 16:00-18:00. On-street parking is controlled by parking meters, which usually accept cash or card. There are also some larger car parks. In a blue zone, you will need a blue parking disc to leave your car. These zones are very common across Belgium.

The language spoken in Dilsen is Dutch. This is a monolingual area of Belgium, so road signs are only in Dutch. If you decide to go on a longer road trip across the country, you'll notice that this changes. In some regions, you will find bilingual road signs, while in others, they are only in French. If you are planning to drive across regions of Belgium, make sure you know how your destination is spelled in both French and Dutch, as otherwise, you could easily miss a vital turning.

In general, Belgium's roads are very well-maintained. This is true of both highways and small country roads, although in rural areas – such as the countryside around Dilsen – you might get stuck behind a tractor. The main problem visitors encounter is the sudden linguistic shift, which can come without warning if you are not familiar with the country's regional demographics.

Dilsen is less than 10 km from the Dutch border and less than 20 km from Germany. This makes it a great spot if you're planning a pan-European road trip with international stops along the way. Make sure to discuss your plans with your Enterprise Rent-a-Car agent, as international border crossings can affect your insurance. All three countries are part of the Schengen area, so there is no border control between them. However, the road rules and speed limits vary slightly. While driving in Belgium, you will need to give way to anyone approaching from the right.