Nestled at the heart of Belgium, Brussels is both Belgium’s and the European Union’s capital. Brussels is located in the heart of the country and has both the French and Flemish communities.
Brussels is famous for its spectacular architecture, culture, food, people, etc. This city has always been a popular tourist attraction because of its beauty and structure.
This article brings you ten things to do in Brussels and includes famous landmarks and café culture that one should not miss out on when he is in Brussels.
1. Royal Palace of Brussels (Palais Royal)
Being the nation’s Palace, Palais Royal represents the sacred Monarchy. It was built in 1783 and is owned by the Belgian government. The architectural style is Neoclassical. It is situated on the opposite side of Royal Park.
This palace is the King’s primary residence and principal working environment, where he does his usual daily work with his co-workers. This palace is a beautiful heritage of the Belgian Royal family. It has been the Royal family’s official residence since it was built.
The Royal Palace Of Brussels is also home to several administrations of the King’s Household: the Military Household, the King’s Cabinet, the Queen’s Secretariat, the Protocol, the General Secretariat, and the Civil List.
At his office in the Royal Home of Brussels, the King gets his agents of political organizations, plenty of visitors (ministers), and many more VIPs.
Every year, the Royal Palace makes its way for the citizens of Brussels. Visiting the Royal Palace is an adventurous thing to do in Brussels as you can acquire knowledge about the rich cultural heritage of Brussels.
From July end until September, the castle can be visited for free, except on Mondays. Guests will then, at that point, approach specific rooms of the royal residence.
Location
Rue Brederode 16, 1000 Bruxxels, Brussels, Belgium.
2. The Brussels City Museum
The King’s House, also known as the Broodhuis or Maison du Roi, is on the Grand Place, inside a neo-Gothic grey structure. Directly across the street from the Town Hall is the King’s residence.
The exhibition hall is on the ground floor. Once you enter the arena, turn left to start with the historical background of the Place. Mainly of the six-hundred-year-old structure in which you’re standing.
Figures used to enhance its exterior are set in this place to exhibit the exact craftsmanship. Fine arts is very much alive in this museum. This museum has a vast collection of antiques that can mesmerize visitors.
The following floor houses city guides and 3-dimensional model entertainment from medieval times. One of these models from the thirteenth century is the most unpredictable and intriguing.
You are greeted on the next floor by the magnificence of modern Brussels City. The Little Boy or Mannekin Pis has been renamed “Most Seasoned Citizen.”
This Mannekin Pis changes his attire and costumes on special occasions as well. A brief video, along with subtitles in English, is played on the arrival before you enter the room with ensembles.
The Mannekin Pis is a fantastic illustration of how this historical centre will help you understand that this city is exciting, carnivalesque, and accessible.
Location
Grand Place, 1000 Brussels.
3. Belgian Comic Strip Centre
Belgium is the origination of numerous incredible comic characters, including Tintin and the Smurfs, and is additionally home to more than 700 funny cartoon artisans. So it’s no big surprise the city honours comic craftsmanship very much.
The Belgian Comic Strip Center recounts the tale of European funnies from their beginnings to the present day through an assortment of long-lasting and impermanent varieties.
Late guests partook as far as they can tell at the Belgian Comic Strip Center with many inclinations; finding out about the funnies they grew up with feels nostalgic.
Past voyagers were likewise dazzled with the excellence of the workmanship of the Nouveau building, which planner Victor Horta planned (you can study him at the Horta Museum).
The Belgian Comic Strip Center is about a large portion of a mile from the Grand Place and is open from Tuesday to Sunday. Ticket costs vary according to age.
Location
Rue des Sables 20, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
4. UNESCO World Heritage Site Grand Place
Whether going through Brussels or here for seven days, you can’t miss the Grand Place. This square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, sits in the core of Brussels and is prestigious for its numerous Gothic and Baroque-style structures.
This is one of those places which every tourist of Brussels city visits. It is worthwhile to come at any time of day. In the middle of Grand Place is a beautiful City Hall building, and around the place, you will also find six guild halls with stunning architecture.
On some nights, a beautiful flower market is also set up for locals and tourists. Grand Place also witnesses special events, like the installation of the Brussels Christmas Tree.
Walk around the Grand Palace with the expectation of complimentary day or night. It’s additionally a great area to snatch some espresso or a lager and watch the world go by.
As per past voyagers, assuming you’re on a careful spending plan, realize that the shops and eateries around this city area promote swelled costs. A visit to Grand Place can be one of those beautiful one-day trips we crave on the weekend.
Also, Grand Place is home to great food, architecture, and significant buildings. If you ever visit Grand Place, do not miss out on Maison Dandoy, a fantastic place known for its mouth-watering waffles and other bakery specialities.
If you are a die-hard beer lover, you can find one of the best beer locations in Brussels in Grand Place, The Sisters. Roaming around The Grand Place is one of the best things to do in Brussels on a Sunday afternoon.
Location
Grote Market, 1000 Brussels, Belgium.
5. Parc du Cinquantenaire
Parc du Cinquantenaire isn’t simply the most fantastic park in Brussels, but it is also a well-known site of verifiable and cultural significance. The recreation area houses different historical centres, shops, landmarks, and craftsmanship exhibitions – all in one spot. Subsequently, it requires an entire day to visit the whole park.
Likewise called Julileepark, the name addresses ‘ park of the 50th anniversary’, represented crafted by King Leopold II, who constructed this heavenliness in the festival of the brilliant celebration of Belgian Independence.
With an area of 30 hectares, the multi-reason places fill in as an incredible spot to unwind, go for a run or an excursion with family, visit the galleries and partake in the perspectives of the structures. The curve-molded landmark allows different open theatre exhibitions to happen.
The two arms of the curve house three undeniably famous exhibition halls:
5.1. The Auto World
Auto World has facilitated several vehicle presentations in the twentieth century and cherished vehicle assortments of colossal verifiable importance. The historical centre is known for the grandstand of the north, which houses over 300 vehicles, trucks, and motorbikes of different models tracing back to the nineteenth century.
Belgium’s Car History is perfectly displayed with accurate vehicle plans, Royal Family vehicles, and small-scale vehicles. Visiting this place is best if you are an avid automobile lover.
5.2. The Royal Museum Of Military History And Armed Forces
The Museum opened in 1923 and has joined the Belgian War History with the hardware, outfits, and reinforced vehicles tracing back to the tenth century.
Likewise, the historical center exhibits 130 Airplanes and Helicopters utilized in the universal conflicts. The sum and variety of the articles make it the world’s biggest and one of the leading military exhibition halls ever.
5.3. The Royal Museum Of Art And History
Probably the most important historical center on the planet, The Museum of Art and History exhibits a broad scope of things from everywhere in the world. Esteemed collectibles and items of archaeological significance have drawn in many history sweethearts.
European, Asian and American civilizations have additionally appeared through different pictures, articles, and narratives. With the wellspring and the embellishments making it exceptionally beautiful, one says that your outing to Brussels is deficient without going through a day here.
Models, works of art, furniture, and garments dating hundreds of years prior likewise take the vacationers through a beautiful excursion of history. The recreation area is where different shows, celebrations, exhibitions, and drive-through theatres.
There are outdoor tables, a jungle gym for youngsters of all age gatherings, a sports region, and obvious running tracks. You can likewise move to the highest point of the curve to observe a great perspective in all cities.
Location
Parc du Cinquantenaire 10 – 1000 Brussels, Belgium
6. Mont Des Arts
Located between the Place Royale and the Grand Place, the Mont des Arts interfaces downtown with uptown Brussels.
Whenever you’ve strolled through the Mont des Arts garden and scaled the steps towards the wellspring, you’ll be blessed to receive one of the most famous perspectives on Brussels.
Downtown Brussels loosens up before you, with the pinnacle of the superb Brussels city centre ruling the scene. The view is particularly spellbinding around nightfall, while the evening sun paints the sky in various shades of pink and orange.
On a sunny morning, you might recognize the Basilica of Koekelberg and the Atomium. Although the view before you is undoubtedly fascinating, try to examine different landmarks and structures around you, too.
Close by, an exceptional ringer toll enhances the rear façade of the Dynasty Palace. It is a brilliant divider clock with twelve figures from Belgian history and people’s culture. An enormous bronze sculpture on top of the arcade hits the hour, in this way giving one of the twelve figures a prompt to venture forward out of their speciality.
Consistently, the chimes, on the other hand, play ‘Oú peut-on être mieux (Grétry) and The Carillon Song (Peter Benoît). Arranged in the Rue Montagne de la Cour, a previous Old England retail chain stands apart with its delightful Art Nouveau façade.
Location
1000 Brussels, Belgium.
7. Mini-Europe
Mini Europe is an amusement park located north of focal Brussels that highlights scale models of more than 350 of Europe’s most popular tourist spots, from Athens’ Acropolis and the trenches of Venice to London’s Big Ben and Paris’ Eiffel Tower.
Every imitation comes total with visual and audio effects. Make sure to bring your children: Many recreation areas’ scaled-downscaled-down attractions, such as Naples’ Mount Vesuvius and the Berlin Wall, are intuitive.
Smaller than expected, Europe sits close to the Atomium, and you can get to it using the metro, transport, or cable car.
Likewise, you can purchase combo passes to Train World or the Atomium if you are a train lover, assuming you want to visit at least one attraction.
Location
Av. du Football 1, 1020 Bruxxels, Belgium.
8. St. Michael And St. Gudula Cathedral
Implicit the Brabantine Gothic church style thus named for its church committed to St. Michael and for lodging the relics of St. Gudula, this basilica’s present design traces back to the thirteenth century and required around 300 years to fabricate. A chapel dedicated to St. Michael can be seen in this Cathedral.
Inside, you will track down stained-glass windows, sculptures, canvases, another site enriched with Brussels history, and a grave that might contain the remaining parts of St. Gudula with old Roman spray painting.
St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral are about a half-mile from the Grand Place and have different opening times on weekdays and weekends, which can be viewed on their official website.
You can go to administrations and investigate the primary pieces of the basilica free of charge. Yet, assuming that you wish to look at the archaeological site, you should pay an additional euro. In the interim, the grave is open for review by arrangement.
A visit to these places can be one of the most beautiful things to do in Brussels as it has a cultural significance.
Exact Location
Pl. Sainte-Gudule, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium.
9. Taste The Belgian Beer
If you are visiting Brussels and are an avid beer lover, do not forget to go on a beer tour in the city. The brewery has been a speciality of Brussels for more than a century.
An outing to Brussels isn’t finished except if you’ve tested the Belgian beer. Cantillon has fermented conventional Belgian beers, including lambic, gueuze, faro, and kriek, since around 1900.
During your visit, you might learn about fermenting, packaging, or how barrels are cleaned. Assuming you plan, you could go to a public preparation meeting to see the activity director.
Situated around 1 ½ miles from the Grand Place, it is one of the best beer-making breweries in Brussels city.
Directed visits (which incorporate a more extensive tasting) have costs per individual; however, you should book online ahead of time. Independent holidays, which likewise contain tastings, are accessible for grown-ups but limited for young people and seniors.
If you are in Brussels for a week, plan a one-day trip to Cantillon Brewery.
Location Of Cantillon Brewery
56, Rue Gheude, 1070 Anderlecht, Belgium.
10. Train World
This place is exclusively for train enthusiasts. Train lovers will surely stop at Train World, which sits around 3 miles north of the Grand Place.
Inside, you can see reestablished train stations, dating to the last part of the 1800s and mid-1900s, find out about the historical backdrop of Belgium’s railroad, see the most seasoned leftover steam motor in Europe, investigate the reasons individuals use trains from movement to driving, and that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
Past guests said they adored the intuitive shows and that their children would have instead not left. They additionally prescribed a visit to the on-location café.
Tickets cost different for different categories, which can be checked on their official website.
Exact Location
Pl. Princesse Elisabeth 5, 1030 Schaerbeek, Belgium.
Wrapping Up The Journey
It is a legitimate vibe for Belgian life, particularly its incredible eatery and bistro culture.
Even though Brussels might not have the star attractions of other Belgian towns, the capital has a very sizable amount of intentions to keep guests involved for two or three days, with a grasp of elite historical centres and art gallery displays, as well as quirkier activities, like the Atomium, and a few great reminders of old engineering in the old town quarter.
Also, while visiting Brussels, do not forget to taste the iconic Belgian chocolate, which is incredibly famous worldwide.
Not only the places mentioned above but there also are many more places like the Old England Building, which was a department store but now is reconstructed as Musical Instrument Museum, Notre Dame du Sablon, Brussels Park, Magritte Museum, Several art museums, Modern museum, Royal museums, and many more iconic places.
Last Updated on July 8, 2024 by Sathi Chakraborty
