Brussels, Belgium

Brussels Belgium

From its breathtaking medieval centre to its 21st-century temple to Surrealism, the new Magritte Museum, Brussels offers the visitor a great deal more than just beer and chocolate and is resoundingly unlike its unfortunate staid image as the home of EU bureaucrats. Indeed, Brussels is a creative, dynamic city. Its compact city centre is clustered with bars, restaurants and museums set along cobbled streets. Inevitably, most tourists head to the Grand-Place. With its ornate Flemish guild houses, impressive Town Hall and buzzing atmosphere, it would be difficult to find a more beautiful square in the whole of Europe. It deservedly is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is the city’s crowning jewel. Wander next to the nearby Royal and Sablon districts teeming with art galleries and antique shops. Throw away your map and meander down a myriad side streets, discovering flea markets, art-deco houses and boutique stores. The Bruxellois take pride in their self-effacing, intellectual sense of humour, underpinned by a strong appreciation of the bizarre. The city has a long-running love affair with the Surrealist art movement, pioneered by René Magritte, and with classic comic strips, epitomised by Hergé's boy hero, Tintin. There's a telling irony in the fact that the city's best-known landmark is the Manneken-Pis, a tiny statuette of a urinating boy. Meanwhile, all of this sits alongside world-class collections of art, fabulous cooking including mussels, frites, waffles and whelks, some of Europe’s best and unique beers (literally, there are thousands of varieties), and master-chocolatiers. The city’s cultural calendar is packed with events for everyone from the massive, raucous Foire du Midi street fair every July teeming with stalls and fairground attractions to the legendary Christmas Market that takes centre stage in the Place Sainte Catherine with 240 stalls, a skating rink, a big wheel, and numerous rides. One of the biggest events is Art Brussels, showcasing the city’s edgier, creative side and a hub for art connoisseurs from around the globe. If you’re a Euro-loving national, check out the European Quarter, centered around Schuman and the Berlaymont. Its liveliest part is the Place du Luxembourg: all its bars fill up around 6pm on week days with some of the 20,000 diplomats, politicians and civil servants who reside in the city after Brussels became the centre of international political following WWII. Open your eyes and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by all that Brussels has to offer.
Wikipedia
Recommended airport
Brussels Natl (BRU)
Points of interest
  • Royal Flemish Theatre
  • Law Courts of Brussels
  • Grand Place
Nearby destinations
  • Antwerp a 40.87 km
  • Ghent a 48.68 km
  • Charleroi a 49.42 km

Our ideas

See all ideas

Inglaterra y Países Bajos Esencial

15 Destinations 12 Nights
holiday package
Inglaterra y Países Bajos Esencial
From US$4,525 Per person
See
Destinations: London, Salisbury, Bath, Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, Chester, Liverpool, York NE, Cambridge, London, Brussels, Ghent, Bruges, Antwerp, The Hague, Amsterdam

Paises Bajos - Normandia y Bretaña

8 Destinations 16 Nights
holiday package
Paises Bajos - Normandia y Bretaña
From US$5,641 Per person
See
Destinations: Amsterdam, Bruges, Brussels, Paris, Orleans, Saint-Malo, Bayeux, Rouen, Paris

Best of Holland & Belgium By AmaWaterways

6 Destinations 7 Nights
holiday package
Best of Holland & Belgium By AmaWaterways
From US$2,423 Per person
See
Destinations: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Ghent, Brussels, Antwerp, Dordrecht, Amsterdam

Gran Tour de las Islas Británicas y Países Bajos

36 Destinations 23 Nights
holiday package
Gran Tour de las Islas Británicas y Países Bajos
From US$8,146 Per person
See
Destinations: London, Edinburgh, Fife, Saint Andrews, Perth, Pitlochry, Highlands, Inverness, Loch Ness, Fort William, Glasgow, Belfast, Dublin, Athlone, Galway, Knock, Galway, Limerick, Cork, Killarney, Waterville Ring of Kerry, Cork, Cashel, Kilkenny, Dublin, Caernarfon, Liverpool, Chester, Liverpool, Stratford-upon-Avon, Cotswolds, Bath, Salisbury, Bath, Salisbury, Winchester, London, Brussels, Ghent, Bruges, Antwerp, The Hague, Amsterdam

Leyendas de Irlanda, Inglaterra y Países Bajos

25 Destinations 17 Nights
holiday package
Leyendas de Irlanda, Inglaterra y Países Bajos
From US$5,884 Per person
See
Destinations: Dublin, Athlone, Galway, Knock, Galway, Limerick, Cork, Killarney, Waterville Ring of Kerry, Cork, Cashel, Kilkenny, Dublin, Caernarfon, Liverpool, Chester, Liverpool, Stratford-upon-Avon, Cotswolds, Bath, Salisbury, Bath, Salisbury, Winchester, London, Brussels, Ghent, Bruges, Antwerp, The Hague, Amsterdam

Clásico de Inglaterra y Países Bajos

17 Destinations 13 Nights
holiday package
Clásico de Inglaterra y Países Bajos
From US$4,598 Per person
See
Destinations: London, Cambridge, York, Lake District, Liverpool, Chester, Liverpool, Stratford-upon-Avon, Cotswolds, Bath, Salisbury, Bath, Salisbury, Winchester, London, Brussels, Ghent, Bruges, Antwerp, The Hague, Amsterdam

Capitales de Vanguardia

9 Destinations 9 Nights
holiday package
Capitales de Vanguardia
From US$1,979 Per person
See
Destinations: London, Folkestone, Calais, Paris, Bruges, Brussels, Rotterdam, The Hague, Amsterdam

Ciudades de Vanguardia: Londres, París, Bruselas y Ámsterdam

9 Destinations 9 Nights
holiday package
Ciudades de Vanguardia: Londres, París, Bruselas y Ámsterdam
From US$1,812 Per person
See
Destinations: London, Dover, Calais, Paris, Bruges, Brussels, Rotterdam, Valle Gran Rey, Amsterdam
Contact us