Brussels Travel Tips

Brussels: Beyond the Sprouts
Brussels may be the capital of Belgium and the heart of the European Union and NATO, but it’s also a city that surprises, charms, and occasionally makes you laugh. Arriving at the Central train station — you begin to witness the juxtaposed old architecture and modern flair of this city. Of the 12 million people in Belgium, one million are packed into Brussels—a city that feels both international and intimately quirky. You can speak English, French, German or Dutch in Brussels – and likely be understood by the tall receptive Belgians.

Where to stay in Brussels, Top Hotels of Brussels

From Grand Squares to Sci Fi
The heart of Brussels is a 15th-century lavish Stadhuis (City Hall) in a fairy tale square that lights up magically at night like a laser show in purple, pink and orange. Some Brussels buildings are intensely modern, next to medieval leaning guild houses. Beer World Brussels occupies the majestic old Stock Exchange edifice, with a weirdly modern multi-level interactive tour – just go for the rooftop beer (up the Gold Elevator after 16:30 (4:30PM) for THE best view in Brussels.

Beloved Brussels Buddies
You’ll hear about Brussels’ most famous — and underwhelming — statue: Manneken Pis, a little bronze boy peeing in a fountain, its bizarre, but locals dress him up for occasions. Brussels’ “Peeing pilgrimage” includes his squatting sister: Jeanneke Pis, and Zinneke Pis the dog. Fun fact, children’s urine was used to cure leather back in the day… once provided this pearl of wisdom, the pee obsession made it a little less weird. Comics are huge in Brussels (bande dessinée), beloved characters like the Smurfs and Tintin inspire colorful graffiti and murals across Brussels, and two comic museums.

A Taste of Belgium
You must have mussels in Brussels, served with Belgian Frites (fries). In fact, everything in Belgium comes with frites, and mayo (you have to ask if you want ketchup)! Brussels sprouts are ironically not as beloved. With 2,000 chocolate shops in Belgium, the scent of chocolate often wafts through the cozy stone alleyways, which is better than last night’s spilt beer. Everyone raises a glass to Belgium’s 2,000 years of brewing beer, from youngsters to elders, prim ladies to visitors. Enjoy your tastings! Santé! Skol! Cheers to Belgian beers, which my husband commented has none of the after-effects of our altered bleached American brewskis.

Fashion & Design
Belgium was the textile capital of Europe, and still a fashion and fabric hub. Sleep in style at the well-located Rocco Forte Hotel Amigo, in the Diane von Fürstenberg Suite celebrating the Belgian fashion icon who invented the iconic wrap dress, her DVF’s flagship store is on Rue du Grand Cerf, near Avenue Louise’s fashion district. Stroll Rue Neuve for Brussels’ high-end shopping, and Sablon for antiques.

Culture
History buffs can marvel at Brussels’ hilltop Mont des Arts, and step inside St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral – a Gothic masterpiece fit for royals like King Leopold.

Brussels in brief
Brussels is a city of contrasts: surrealist, seductive, but globally serious, medieval yet modern, chocolate-scented and beer-crazed. It’s not just a political capital — it’s a capital of taste, style, and whimsy, and lots of festivals.

For our Belgium bike tour, we rented bikes from Bike-Packer in Brussels, wonderful sturdy bicycles with locks (an essential), and racks for our panniers, as we carry our own luggage on our DIY Bike tours. See tips on how to pack for a bike trip! Brussels is a great hub, airport and starting/ending point for a cycle tour to Antwerp, Bruges, and Ghent.

Biking out of Brussels is a bit chaotic, with cars, trams and buses, pedestrian and other bikers zipping along. We found lots of construction too, to be expected with an old city. Brussels has a small hilly section too with cobblestones streets that can be slippery when wet. We biked up to the Monts des Arts, and the grand gates of Cinquantenaire Arcade completed in 1905 to celebrate Belgium 75, independent in 1830. From here, we were leaving the urban jungle, towards quiet neighborhoods, through dense forest for a bit, then soon in pastoral countryside passing rivers with swans, fields of corn and sheep, on our way to Leuven, Mechelen, Antwerp, Ghent and Bruges.

See our review of Biking Belgium – an itinerary of some of the most majestic cities in Belgium with gorgeous countryside for cycling in between. You can also continue your Belgium 10-day bike tour into the Netherlands easily, see our 12-Day bike tour into Dutch “Sea Land” and the southern border of Netherlands abutting Belgium and Germany, returning to Brussels.