Where to visit – Brussels

Brussels is the capital of Belgium and is considered the de facto capital of the European Union, with the European Parliament invested here.

Brussels is definitely a great cultural vacation destination.

What is worth seeing in Brussels?

Brussels City Hall on the Grand Place

A good place to start your visit to Brussels is the Grand place or “Grote Markt”, this is the central square of Brussels which is surrounded by period town halls, the impressive City Hall and various other period buildings and pretty terraces for full soaking . in your environment. Each building on this square is truly unique and has quite a story to tell, a guided tour could definitely give you a totally different perspective.

The Grand-Place in Brussels has recently been voted the most beautiful square in Europe and it certainly deserves the title. Every two years, in August, a huge “flower carpet” is installed on the Grand Place for a few days, this is a great tourist attraction that will really blow your mind. If you get the chance, spend an evening on one of the many terraces, as this night lighting will take you to a magical new world.

Everard’t Serclaes

As you walk from the town hall to see the Manneke Pis statue, you will see a golden statue of what many believe to be a man representing Jesus, some however believe to be a woman representing Mary Magdalene. In fact, one man depicted in the statue is Lord Everard’t Serclaes, a nobleman during the 14th century. The legend behind the statue says that when you touch his wrist, he will bring you a lucky year in love. Many tourists touch (or rather rub) other parts of the statue, and this constant polishing keeps the body depicted in the statue a bright color compared to the rest of the sculpture, but only her doll will really bring you love!

Manneke Pis

When visiting Brussels you should definitely visit “Manneke Pis” which literally translates to the boy who ‘pees’ or also known as “le petit Julien”, this small bronze fountain is the most famous landmark in Brussels and is a must visit forced. If you’re lucky, you might even see him dressed in one of his specially designed outfits.

The famous statue is located at the crossroads of Rue de l’Étuve/Stoofstraat and Rue du Chêne/Eikstraat. To find it, take the left lane next to the Brussels City Hall and walk a few hundred meters to reach the place, the small statue will be on your left, but the usual crowds will give it away. This famous statue has recently fallen in love with a female version that tourists can now also go see, the new love is known as Jeanneke Pis and is located on the east side of the Impasse de la Fidélité / Getrouwheidsgang (Fidelity Alley) , a narrow cul-de-sac about 30 meters long that leads north from Rue des Bouchers / Beenhouwersstraat, lined with restaurants.

Café le Coffin

The pub is one of the strangest places I’ve ever had a drink; you can find it at “haringstraat 12” which is a side street off the Grand place. It looks rather unwelcoming from the outside, but it shows you the darker side of Belgian humor. The cafe is totally dark by the time you walk in, so watch out for the steps!

As you struggle to find a place to sit in the dark and your eyes begin to adjust, you realize that your surroundings exist from graves and funeral home decorations, a truly morbid welcome.

You can drink from the skulls and put your glass on top of one of the coffins, however this comes at a certain price. So don’t go in if you are on a low budget!

It’s a shame though that the music and the waiter didn’t follow the same theme as this would surely have completed the experience.

Paleis de Koninklijk

Het Belgisch koninklijk paleis or the Belgian Royal Palace is based in Brussels and is open to the public at certain times of the year without paying admission.

If you like monarchies, this palace should definitely be included during your visit to Brussels; It is located opposite the Parliament building on the other side of the Royal Park. The palace has large halls of great splendor and glamor and houses four contemporary works of art, chosen by the Queen herself.

One of the works is “Heaven of Delight” by Jan Fabre, this artist has covered the ceiling and chandelier of the Hall of Mirrors with 1.4 million winged boxes of Thai jewel beetles. This one-of-a-kind piece of art gives the entire room a wonderful dark green glow and makes you itch a little when you let go that you’re surrounded by so many dead bugs.

the park of brussels

Brussels Park also known as “het Warandepark” is the central park of Brussels that is located in front of the Royal Palace. This park is ideal to simply relax and get away from the hustle and bustle of the city; the park itself is 13 acres and has wonderful fountains. During the summer months there are free parties in the park and there is always something to see.

From Rue des Bouchers/Beenhouwerstraat

De Rue des Bouchers is a very popular street in Brussels and is known for having some of the best restaurants located here. When you walk down the street you are surrounded by food and cozy terraces, you almost feel as if this little street is a big restaurant, the atmosphere is truly unique and you won’t find this anywhere else! Although this is probably the most popular place to dine out in Brussels, keep in mind that your bill will reflect this.

Purchases

If you like shopping on holiday, Brussels has some great shopping streets and malls, however keep in mind that opening hours in Belgium are nothing compared to those in England. The shops usually open from 9:00 a.m. and close at 5:00 p.m., they rarely open on Sundays and holidays. The Nieuwstraat or Rue Neuve is the most popular shopping street in Brussels and is located on the north side of the center. (Metro stop Rogier plein or Place Rogier). The most popular mall is the City 2 mall, which you can easily find from the Grand Place. A good detour is the Noord Passage or Passage du Nord, which is a shopping street that is home to a wide variety of shops.

For shopaholics, Brussels is definitely an ideal place to easily spend a full weekend of shopping.

the atom

The Atomium is the best-known monument in Belgium; it exists from nine connected balls that resemble the shape of an iron crystal. This monument was built for the 1958 Expo, which was the world’s fair in Brussels. It is located on the Boulevard du Centenaire, next to the King Baudouin Stadium in Heysel Park. (Heysel⁄Heizel metro stop) The Atomium is a very popular tourist attraction, although it is quite expensive to enter this strange structure, it is worth the money. Once you enter the Atomium you will start touring the museum, then you can ascend through the highest ball via fun escalators and elevators. When you finally reach the highest point, you will be able to get an incredible 360 ​​degree view of Brussels. If you are not worried about your budget during your vacation, you can even eat at the Atomium restaurant and enjoy your dinner right above Brussels.

If you don’t feel like paying or are scared of dazzling heights and prefer to stay with your 2 feet on the ground, the Atomium is well worth a visit as you can gaze at the structure for absolute hours and still be amazed! The Atomium balls have been recently polished, giving it even more dramatic impact! Mini-eupa. Mini Europa is located at the foot of the Atomium, it is a small entertainment park that has reconstructed all the important structures of Europe on a small scale, and this allows you to see Big Ben like you have never seen it before. Although it is advertised primarily for children, adults will certainly enjoy it too as it is a great time with the whole family riding all over Europe.

Note that if you are interested in visiting this there are some great combo ticket options available.

Greenhouses Koninlijke van Laken

The Koninlijke van Laken Greenhouses or Royal Gardens based on “Laken” are a vast complex of monumental heated greenhouses in the park of the Royal Castle of Laken in Brussels. If you like gardens and plants, this place could fill your heart as it has a huge collection of exotic and ordinary flower and plant species. Although I enjoyed my visit to these gardens and was absolutely adoring parts of the tour, however I felt that not much modernization had taken place in recent years and therefore felt rather dated and unwelcoming to the Turist.

Still, the entrance fee doesn’t leave a big hole in your wallet and you can easily spend half a day looking around and discovering all the plants around you, although it would have helped if there were a few name cards attached to these for a plant lover. newbie like me The complex can only be visited in April-May for a two-week period, which is when most of the flowers are in full bloom.