Your first classical concert

Arrive about half an hour early: there is a cloakroom, a bar for a drink before and during the interval, and often a free introduction by a musician or musicologist before the concert.

The orchestra comes on stage first and tunes to an A from the oboe. Then the leader of the violins bows, the conductor walks on, and the hall goes quiet.

Most evening concerts start at 20:00 or 20:15 and last about two hours, with an interval of twenty minutes.

A symphony or concerto has several movements with short pauses between them. Most audiences stay silent in those pauses and clap at the end of the whole piece, when the conductor lowers their arms.

Nobody minds if you clap too early, and after a thrilling first movement some audiences do. At the opera you can applaud after a big aria; in a recital you can wait for the musician to lower their instrument.

Not sure? Wait for the people around you, then clap as long as you like. Belgian audiences clap warmly and, for a great performance, stand up.

Wear whatever you would wear to a nice restaurant, or to the office. Jeans are fine everywhere; you will see suits and dresses next to trainers.

Premieres, galas and New Year's concerts are a little dressier, but even there nobody is turned away for their clothes.

Buy from the hall or the orchestra's own website, where tickets go on sale months ahead; resale sites charge more and their tickets can be invalid.

Many halls and orchestras offer cheaper tickets to young people and students, with age limits that differ per hall. Low-income visitors can often use Article 27 (Artikel 27) tickets, and many Flemish cities give discounts with the UiTPAS.

The cheapest seats are often the best value: in halls with seats behind or beside the stage you see the conductor's face and hear the orchestra from the inside.

Lunchtime concerts are one of the best-kept secrets of Belgian concert life: half an hour of music at midday, for little or nothing. Brussels has held them since 1948, and the Midis-Minimes series plays on weekdays in summer.

The royal conservatoires of Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent give recitals and public exams, and churches hold organ concerts with a collection at the door.

Family concerts are short, often an hour or less, and made for children, with a story, a presenter and an age on the ticket, from baby concerts to concerts for ten-year-olds.

For regular evening concerts, check the hall's age advice; children who can sit still for forty minutes usually enjoy a matinee with a famous piece.

Most concert halls are step-free, with spaces for wheelchairs and a seat for a companion. Book these through the hall's box office rather than online.

Many halls have hearing loops in their main auditorium; ask at the box office or the cloakroom.

Several of the big halls are close to a station: the Queen Elisabeth Hall in Antwerp stands beside Antwerpen-Centraal, and in Brussels Bozar is a short walk from Brussels-Central. In Bruges the Concertgebouw is a walk across 't Zand from the station, and in Ghent a tram takes you to De Bijloke.

Evening concerts usually end between 22:00 and 22:30, in good time for the train home. Check the last train before you go.