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Sightseeing in Brussels

The Grand Place, with its imposing Gothic buildings of the 17th century, is laid with a unique carpet of flowers in August every other year. Take a seat at one of the cafés or restaurants around the Palace for a hot chocolate or cold beer.

Behind the magnificent square, look for the Manneken Pis (the little urinating boy), the symbol of Brussels. This little bronze sculpture, 61 cm high, is sometimes transformed and changes costume! (Address: corner of Rue du Chêne/Eikstraat & Rue de l'Étuve/Stoofstraat).

The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium are located on the Hill of the Arts. In the Royal Museums you will find a splendid collection of paintings, sculptures and other art works, covering a period of over six centuries. The Old Masters Museum is renowned for having the richest and best collection of Flemish works of art in the world, including pieces by Rubens and van Dyck.
Address: 3 Rue de la Régence, 0032 2 508 32 11, https://www.fine-arts-museum.be

If you love Magritte, then go around the block to find the Magritte Museum dedicated solely to the surrealist artist and housing over 230 of his works and his archives.
Address: Place Royale 1, 003225083211, https://www.musee-magritte-museum.be

The Belgian Comic Strip Centre - Museum Brussels, in the city in which over 700 comic book artists and children’s heroes such as Tintin, Lucky Luke and the Smurfs have been born. Housed in a wonderful art nouveau building designed by the architect Victor Horta, the Centre is worth visiting just for the building alone.
Address: 20 rue des Sables, https://www.comicscenter.net/en/home

A giant reconstruction of the unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times! Built in 1958, when Brussels held the first World Expo. The nine spheres are connected to each other by elevators. There is a restaurant inside the highest sphere (the Panorama), which is located at a height of 92 metres and offers an unobstructed panoramic view of Brussels.
Address: Avenue de l'Atomium, https://www.atomium.be

The fairy-tale park that was designed in 1890 is perfect for reading or daydreaming in after a stroll in the historic city centre. Set in the wrought iron fence that surrounds the park are 48 bronze statues by Paul Hankar, each of which is dedicated to the guilds of the traditional trades and crafts in the Middle Ages. The Gothic Cathedral of Notre Dame du Sablon opposite the park is worth visiting.

Mini-Europe gives you the unique opportunity to travel through the whole of Europe in just a few hours. Here you will find 350 miniature models of monuments and buildings that are symbols of the whole of Europe: from Big Ben and the Eiffel Tower to the eruption of Vesuvius, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reconstruction of a bull fight in Seville.
Address: https://www.minieurope.com

Τip: Before starting your tour of the city it’s a good idea to buy a Brussels Card. For 22 euros, the Card gives you free entry to 30 of the city’s museums and monuments as well as reductions in shops, cafés and restaurants.

Don’t miss in Brussels

The Musical Instruments Museum. The huge collection in this museum – it has over 7000 musical instruments from all continents and periods - makes it a true paradise for music-lovers everywhere. What will also impress you, however, is the ornate art nouveau building in which it is housed. The audio guide will provide you with a very good idea of the sound made by each exhibit. In the roof garden of the museum you can enjoy your meal or coffee alongside a wonderful view over the city.
Address: 2 Rue Montagne de la Cour, 003225450130, https://www.mim.be/museum

The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, with over 37 million (!) exhibits, this exhibition will take you on a journey to the era of the Neandertals and dinosaurs and not only. This superb museum not only contains the largest collection of dinosaur skeletons in the world, it even has a piece of the moon!
Address: 29 Rue Vautier, 003226274380, https://www.naturalsciences.be

As you are in Brussels, this is a great opportunity to learn more about the work of the European Parliament by visiting the Parlamentarium. Through interactive exhibits and activities available in all the official languages of the European Union, both young and old visitors can learn more about their country’s MEPs, their mission and how the European Parliament works. The Parlamentarium is open every day and entry is free.
Address: 60 Willy Brandt Building Rue Wiertz, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/visiting/homepage/pageContent-area/offer/parlamentarium.html

Excursions near Brussels

Even if you do not have many days, it is always worth taking a trip to enchanting Bruges, famous for its lace, which has come to be known as the “Venice of the North”. A stroll alongside the canals with the boats and the houses with their windows decorated with flowers will at some point bring you to the town square, with colourful buildings that you imagine must have come out of a fairy tale! In the evening, the illuminated square is even more delightful. A boat cruise in beautiful Bruges is something you will remember for the rest of your lives. The fare for a 30-minute boat cruise costs around 8 euros per person.

Just 45 minutes by high-speed train from Brussels, Antwerp, the capital of the Region of Flanders, is also the Belgian capital of fashion and diamonds! It is the city in which the Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens was born and has the second-largest port in Europe. The city's central railway station is considered one of the most beautiful in the world while next to it is the oldest zoo in Europe. In the “Diamond Quarter”, sneak into a diamond workshop to learn all about gem cutting. Your route will end at the Meir Palace, a Rococo villa that Napoleon used as his residence. A visit to Rubens’ house to learn more about the painter’s work and his contribution to Flemish art is a must. Some of Rubens’ masterpieces can be found in the Cathedral of Our Lady, the largest Gothic church in the Low Countries.

Shopping

The heart of shopping in the centre of Brussels beats in rue Neuve (Rogier metro station), Chaussée d’Ixelles (Porte de Namur metro station) and in the impressive galleries that contain shops within them. In the centre there are options for every budget, but this is not the case on Avenue Louise, however, which is Brussels’ equivalent of Fifth Avenue in New York. The Boulevard de Waterloo is lined with the luxury boutiques of the most famous high fashion brands in the world.

For special purchases, vintage pieces, designer products, tailor-made clothes and, especially, accessories, the area of Saint-Jacques, just a stone’s throw from the Grand Place, is ideal.

There are many antique shops and chocolateries in Sablon. Very close by, in the Place du Jeu de Balle, there is a daily open-air market with old antiques.

Before leaving, fill your suitcases with the world-famous Belgian chocolates and pralines.

Food and Entertainment

Do not leave Brussels without having tried the traditional steamed mussels (most restaurants will bring a small pot filled with mussels to your table), accompanied by chunky potato chips and a Belgian beer.

The nightlife of Brussels is more low-key than in other European capitals. There are, however, many pubs, lounge bars with comfortable seating for a relaxing cocktail, as well as clubs where great music is played.

Transport from Brussels Airport

The easiest way to get from Brussels Airport to the city centre is to take the train.

If your destination is the Central Station then you must have a look around it as it is very beautiful. You will be there in approximately 20 minutes.

The best way for getting from point to point in the city is to use the metro, as taking a taxi can be a costly experience.