Things to do in Brussels
Brussels surprises visitors with its quirky humour, architectural treasures and gastronomic richness. Here are the highlights.
Grand-Place
The square's ornate guildhalls were rebuilt in just a few years after French troops bombarded the city in 1695. The Gothic Town Hall, with a 96-metre tower topped by Saint Michael slaying a dragon, survived. The square is lit up at night, and the Christmas tree and light shows in winter are spectacular. Visit the Brussels City Museum in the King's House (Maison du Roi), which also displays Manneken Pis's wardrobe of more than 1,000 costumes in the GardeRobe MannekenPis museum nearby.
Manneken Pis and friends
The small bronze statue of a urinating boy, a seventeenth-century work by Jérôme Duquesnoy the Elder, is dressed in costumes on special occasions. His female counterpart, Jeanneke Pis, and the dog Het Zinneke are hidden around the centre.
Atomium
Built for the 1958 World's Fair, the Atomium represents an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. Its nine spheres, connected by tubes with escalators, contain exhibitions and a panoramic restaurant. Nearby is Mini-Europe, a miniature park of European landmarks.
Art and museums
The Royal Museums of Fine Arts include the Oldmasters Museum, with works by Bruegel the Elder and Rubens, and the Magritte Museum, the world's largest collection of the surrealist painter's work. The Musical Instruments Museum is housed in Old England, a beautiful Art Nouveau department store with a rooftop café. The Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren, renovated in 2018, examines Belgium's colonial history in Congo.
Comic strips
Belgium is the homeland of Tintin, created by Hergé, and the Smurfs, created by Peyo. The Belgian Comic Strip Center is housed in a Victor Horta building, and the Comic Strip Route features more than 60 murals painted on walls across the city. Look for Tintin and Captain Haddock on Rue de l'Étuve.
Art Nouveau
Victor Horta's townhouses are among the first Art Nouveau buildings ever designed. The Horta Museum in Saint-Gilles is the easiest to visit. Hôtel Tassel and Hôtel Solvay are occasionally open during heritage events. Explore the Square Ambiorix district for more facades, including the Maison Saint-Cyr.
Chocolate, waffles and beer
Brussels is a chocolate capital: Neuhaus, which claims to have invented the praline in 1912, has a shop in the Galeries Royales. Try a Brussels waffle (rectangular and light) or a Liège waffle (sweeter and denser). Belgian beer culture is listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage; drink a gueuze or kriek at the Cantillon Brewery, a working lambic brewery and museum, or at historic bars such as À la Mort Subite and Delirium Café.
Frites and moules
Belgian fries are fried twice and served in paper cones with sauces. Try Maison Antoine at Place Jourdan or Fritland near the Bourse. Mussels with fries (moules-frites) are a classic dish, best between September and February.
Parks and greenery
The Parc du Cinquantenaire hosts the Autoworld car museum and the Royal Military Museum, whose arcade gives views of the city. The Bois de la Cambre and the Sonian Forest, a UNESCO-listed beech forest, offer escapes into nature. The Royal Greenhouses of Laeken open for only a few weeks each spring.
The Royal Palace and Parc de Bruxelles
The Royal Palace, the king's official workplace, opens its state rooms to visitors from late July until early September, after the Belgian National Day on 21 July. The Hall of Mirrors has a ceiling covered with the wing cases of more than a million jewel beetles, created by the artist Jan Fabre in 2002. The formal Parc de Bruxelles opposite links the palace with the Federal Parliament.
Parlamentarium and the House of European History
In the European Quarter, the Parlamentarium visitor centre of the European Parliament explains how the EU works with interactive exhibits, and it is free. The House of European History, in Parc Léopold, takes a thematic look at the continent's past.
Laeken
North of the centre, the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken, built in the late nineteenth century for King Leopold II, open for a few weeks each spring, with camellias and azaleas inside iron-and-glass pavilions. Tickets sell out fast, so book as soon as the dates are announced.
Cinquantenaire
The Parc du Cinquantenaire, built for Belgium's 50th anniversary of independence in 1880, is dominated by a triumphal arcade. Its museums include Autoworld, with more than 250 vintage cars, the Royal Military Museum, whose terrace on the arch gives fine views, and the Art & History Museum.
Day trips
Bruges, a medieval city of canals, is about an hour by train. Ghent, with the Van Eyck brothers' Ghent Altarpiece and lively student life, is 35 minutes. Antwerp, a fashion and diamond centre with the Rubens House and a stunning station, is about 40 minutes. Leuven and the battlefield of Waterloo are also easy trips.
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