Beyond the Basics: A Weekend Travel Guide for Brussels, Belgium

Brussels was the city I was least excited to visit on my recent trip to Europe: I’d heard the city was crowded and dirty, and that it has a reputation for being a bit dangerous. I might have even only trekked in for a day trip or skipped it entirely, were it not for the fact that it was where my flight was scheduled to depart from bright and early on my last morning in Europe.

And now that I’ve come and left? I still kind of feel the same way about parts of the city, and I don’t think that anything I heard was completely unfounded.

Still, there are pockets of delight in Brussels, and should you find yourself in the city (it is the capital of the EU, of course, and millions of tourists pass through here each year), here’s what I recommend after visiting:

SIGHTS + ATTRACTIONS IN BRUSSELS

Grand Place

Grand Place | Grote Markt, 1000 Brussel, Belgium

The Grand Place is breathtaking. It’s easily the most beautiful city center I’ve ever visited – and everyone knows that. It’s also one of the most crowded centers I’ve visited (at least on par with Piazza San Marco in Venice), and I highly suspect pickpockets are present. Michael and I arrived mid-afternoon, but if you can, go closer to sunrise and I’ll bet you’ll almost have the square to yourself.

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Manneken-Pis

Manneken-Pis | 1000 Brussels, Belgium

A short walk away from the Grand Place is the Manneken-Pis statue, and much like the Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen, you’re going to see it and go, “That’s it?” It really is just a tiny statue of a peeing boy, and there are so many people around to gawk at him (mind your valuables!). That being said, they do change him into varying costumes, which is fun and different at least. On this visit, he was dressed as some sort of Cowboy/Gangster/Santa hybrid.

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Atomium

Atomium | Pl. de l'Atomium 1, 1020 Bruxelles, Belgium

The Atomium was originally designed for the World’s Fair of 1958 in Brussels and was supposed to be removed after the Expo. However, its popularity with the public led to it remaining in place – and this year marked its 60th anniversary. Lines can be quite long to get into the retro-future Atomium – I would suggest buying your ticket online in advance or visiting the Design Museum or Mini Europe first to buy your combo ticket. Once inside, you’ll follow the path up and then down through the spheres (not all spheres have an interior) via a combination of elevators, stairs, and escalators. Each sphere has a different exhibit; check the website to see what’s currently showing.

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Design Museum Brussels

Design Museum Brussels | Trade Mart Brussels, Belgiëplein 1, 1020 Brussel, Belgium

Online reviews for the Design Museum aren’t stellar, but we quite enjoyed this small design museum. Its tidy size makes it approachable, and there are a few interactive displays that make the experience a bit more interesting. It was nearly empty on our visit, and it was a welcome respite from the crowds of Brussels’ city center.

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Mini-Europe

Mini-Europe | Av. du Football 1, 1020 Bruxelles, Belgium

Mini-Europe is totally kitschy and blatant advertising for the EU, but we enjoyed a nice part of our afternoon here. The theme park is great for children, yet also has a lot of information for adults. The booklet provided has a ton of data and is a bit difficult to consume while walking around the park. The scaled models have been painstakingly made, encompassing the full details of each landmark – you’d hardly know these photos weren’t taken all over Europe!

EATING + DRINKING IN BRUSSELS

La Petite Production

La Petite Production | now closed

For the brunch-minded, the menu at La Petite Production (now closed) looks amazing. For me, though, it served as a great coffee shop near my Airbnb.

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Ami

Ami | now closed

Ami (now closed) is an all-vegetarian restaurant, and serves lunch until 5 p.m. on Saturdays – which is how we ended up there. They offer a variety of veggie burgers, and in all honesty, it’s one of the best ones I’ve ever had. Even meat lovers will enjoy their hearty patties.

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Gaston

Gaston | Quai aux Briques 86, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium

The one and only time I ate a Brussels waffle during this trip was at glacier Gaston. Brussels waffles more closely resemble what Americans call “Belgian waffles” but are lighter and more crisp and often served with a range of possible toppings. Liege waffles are still my favorite, but the Brussels waffle wasn’t bad (and this version is likely better than the ones you’ll see near the Grand Place).

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Chez Jacques

Chez Jacques | Quai aux Briques 44, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium

One of the more perfect intersections of cost and value I found during this trip was our dinner at Chez Jacques, located right on the Marché aux Poissons. It’s a delightfully cozy restaurant and the kind of place where everyone seems to know each other. It was also an opportunity to have “mussels in Brussels” – the kind of thing you’re bound to be asked about afterward and it’s just easier to do it and say yes, you did. The ~~€25~~ €34 pre-fixe menu included an option for mussels as the starter, and it was just the right amount of mussels to eat before you realize that you’re eating a whole animal.

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Belga & Co.

Belga & Co. | Multiple Locations

One chilly morning in Brussels we popped into Belga & Co. for a light breakfast and coffee, and we were not disappointed. Service was warm and friendly, and the food was simple and well-executed. Locals lingered over books and laptops, and it seemed the kind of place where time passes in a lovely way without you noticing.

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Contrebande Bar

Contrebande Bar | Pl. Fernand Cocq 6, 1050 Ixelles, Belgium

Contrebande Bar has a lovely back patio and a fine small menu of food and beer. It’s a great place to stop and rest your feet while filling your belly with a small snack, and the kind of place where you can tell the staff enjoy working.

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Renard Bakery

Renard Bakery | Pl. Fernand Cocq 3, 1050 Ixelles, Belgium

The scent of Renard Bakery captures you before you even see it. This fine, French-style bakery and pâtisserie makes incredible breads and pastries, and it was tough to just choose one to share. If I lived locally, I would certainly make the daily stop here for bread.

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Brussels Beer Project

Brussels Beer Project | Rue Antoine Dansaert 188, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium

Part of a new wave of brewers in Belgium, Brussels Beer Project offers a lot of experimental beers – and they were the first brewery to begin using spent grains from the brewing process for making bread, closing the loop on a wasteful practice. You’ll probably see a lot of their beers around town, but if you are near one of their tasting rooms, why not try a flight?

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La Meute

La Meute | Multiple Locations

Despite a scary occurrence of a patron brandishing a knife and yelling during our visit (yep – there’s that danger thing coming up again) La Meute was a delicious, if meaty, meal. Michael found himself in steak heaven, and I couldn’t help but eat all of my salad and most of his fries. Good to know: they don’t accept reservations and only have a few tables (edit: they now accept reservations). By some miracle we were able to be seated without a wait; the others who came in after us were not so lucky.

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La Fruit Defendu

La Fruit Defendu | Now Closed

We felt the pressure to choose a great restaurant for our last meal in Brussels – and in Europe. And our gamble on La Fruit Defendu (now closed) paid off. We made a reservation on our phone via OpenTable about an hour ahead of time, and when we walked in they immediately welcomed us by name and seated us. The restaurant is small, dark, and intimate – and perfect for date night. There’s no paper menu or menu book – the staff bring over a gigantic chalkboard with the day’s specials, and you hold on to it until it’s time to order. They also have a pretty extensive wine list, and we were able to try Belgian wine for the first time (it might be the last time, too – it’s not bad, but there’s better wine out there!). I couldn’t have imagined a better place to have our final meal.

TRAVEL TIPS FOR BRUSSELS

People walk near a metro station in Brussels — Public transit is available in Brussels

Brussels is well-connected by both plane and train, and we experienced arriving in the city both ways. As with most cities, arriving by train is better as you’ll be deposited right in the city center. Getting to or from the airport takes time, and due to track work and strikes during our stay, we opted to use Uber, though we did not have cell service in the city. To use Uber without cell service is a little risky, but possible. Just request your vehicle over WiFi and sign in at your destination’s WiFi point to complete the ride. You are at the mercy of your driver’s honesty – map out a route before you go and know your country’s emergency phone number just in case. If a driver has low reviews, this is not the time to take a risk.

Brussels has three main train stations, and though they’re connected, it’s better to double-check which is closest to your destination as they are still far apart. The city is pretty well-served by public transit, both in frequency and coverage, and I found the website very tourist-friendly. For our stay, two of the Jump 72-hour passes (note: this option seems to be no longer available) loaded on one MOBIB Basic card (€5) made the most sense. If you’ll be returning frequently, you might consider getting your own reloadable MOBIB card. The system allowed us to scan the single card twice for two journeys, but this only works if both people stay together for the duration of the journey. Note: since this visit, contactless payment was added and fares cap at €7.50. This means you can simply tap your bank card or mobile pay device and do not necessarily need a MOBIB card any longer. Another tip – the BOOTIK where you purchase transit passes in the Centraal Station is located underground, near the metro entrance.

Brussels has a bad reputation for crime, and I don’t think it’s necessarily undeserved. We never encountered any issues (save for the guy with a knife), but petty crime abounds and even locals have issues with theft. Be on your guard and use your city smarts, and you should be okay. Research the neighborhood you plan to stay in (our Airbnb was carefully chosen for its location in Ixelles); Brussels is one city where I would suggest staying a bit further afield. That being said, I think you could get a feel for the city by taking a day trip in; if we weren’t flying out of Brussels, I would likely have done this.

Although Brussels is completely surrounded by Flemish-speaking Flanders, nearly everyone we encountered spoke French first. As a world city, most people spoke a bit of English, but we did find ourselves in several situations where we needed to get by on our (admittedly awful) French. Please, please learn at least a few French phrases before you go so you don’t end up being that tourist (but since you’re here, I suspect you already know that).

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What are your thoughts on the Belgian capital? Have you been? Is it on your list? Let us know!

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