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Brussels
Brussels is a charming town that is quite popular with most travelers. Its
attractions include great food, interesting museums, trendy galleries
and fine shopping. Just one caution - regardless of the forecast take an umbrella,
because it rains in Brussels just about anytime.
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The
beer is very good, the food can be excellent, and the desserts
spectacular - verging on sinful, especially at upscale restaurants
and sweet shops.
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The
shopping is out of this world. You will find a fantastic selection
of high quality, stylish clothes - waiting to go home with you.
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The
museum are of good quality. Most are locally oriented, but with
some pleasant surprises.
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Travel writers generally hope not to reveal too much of their own
interests in their articles, but we must confess a love of chocolate and Brussels is a
paradise for chocolate lovers. We cover the best "chocolatiers"
in town in the article that follows. And if you would like to
prove us wrong,
well, you will just have to sample each shop to make sure - isn't that a
wonderful way to argue?
 Use our
map to find the locations of our recommended Best Places to Visit in Brussels. At the end
of the list of attractions on the map, we show you the locations of the city's best chocolate shops
and Brussels' three, main train stations. |
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When a
is shown, click it to see photographs of the attraction. |
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If you have decided to travel
to Belgium, read the information you need to know about driving, health care, and more in our section:
Belgium
Travel
Information
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If you are interested in finding out more about
Belgium, its people, history, economy and geography, visit our section:
Belgium Country Facts
Return to
Best Places to Visit in Belgium |
The
tourist center of Brussels is the Grand Place (Grote Markt), one of the most
beautiful town squares in Europe.
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Ornate buildings of incredible beauty surround the Grand Place, a large square in the center of Brussels. The
impressive
Hotel de Ville (1) is crowned with a statue of St. Michael.
Although attractive during the day time, the Hotel de Ville is simply stunning when
illuminated (starts at dusk).
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Across the square from the City Hall is the equally impressive Maison du Roi (2) or
King's House as it is called, although it was never occupied by a king. Locally,
the building is known as the Broodhuis or Bread House. In the past, a building
once located here was used by bakers to sell their goods.
Today the Maison du Roi houses a museum focused on the history of
Brussels. The rest of the square is composed of well
preserved, ostentatiously decorated, guild houses (3) (4).
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Other than taking a quick look at the buildings, and touring the museum
(overpriced and underwhelming), there is little else to see at the Grand
Place but it is a good place for a drink and, perhaps, a snack.
Also, this square is "the" meeting place in Brussels, so it is busy day
and night..
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The avenues that lead to the Grand Place are filled with touristy shops
offering chocolate (5),
lace, ceramics, antiques, and high quality, unique Christmas
decorations .
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It is fairly hard to navigate directly towards or away from the
square, as your traveling partners will likely zig-zag from one shop to the next.
Take your time, these narrow lanes are made for wandering (and
shopping).
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If
your schedule is flexible, try to revisit the Grand Place at night to see the buildings illuminated. If you
thought the square was beautiful during the day, you will astounded by
the magnificence of
its appearance at night.
A couple
of blocks to the south of the Grand Place is the famous statue Manneken-Pis
(6), a small, black marble statue of a young boy, who can best
be described as "... taking a pee".
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The
Manneken-Pis is world-famous. The small statue stands in a modest grotto on the corner
of an otherwise unremarkable street. Perhaps the attraction is that the
statue is said to represent the mischievous side of the citizens of
Brussels. During holidays and on special occasions the
statue is dressed in seasonal garb - yes, from time to time the
Manneken-Pis wears clothes!
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Although there is much lore about the statue, you can hear most visitors ask, “Why is
this thing so popular?” In
any event, it is popular and has become a
well-known and enduring symbol of Brussels.
To the
east of the Grand Place are the Galleries Saint-Hubert, a
historic, indoor shopping arcade that spans two blocks filled with upscale
shops with attractive merchandise.
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If
you enter this arcade, you will probably drop some change as the goods are a cut
above and very enticing. You may find the chocolate shop
irresistible.
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Next
to the Galleries Saint Hubert, you will find the Rue des Bouchers filled with
restaurants of every imaginable type (although seafood abounds) at
prices only tourists would pay.
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Across from Saint Hubert is the Place Agora Plein that features a crafts
market on weekends. The market is not large, but it is
filled with a number of treasures that will surely appeal to the folks
back home.
Following the Rue de Madeline towards the Royal Palace, you will encounter
the Place de Albertine /Place de Musee/ Mont des Arts areas.
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Keep
walking until your reach the wonderful sculpture garden that often
features interesting exhibitions (7).
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On
the east side of Mont des Arts you will find a whimsical clock (8)
built into a portion of a building spanning the adjacent street.
Heading
up the steps to the Museum Plein you will soon find yourself at the Musèe
des Instruments de Musique, the Musèe Royaux des Beaux Arts-de Beligique,
the Palais des Beaux-Arts, and, then, the Royal Palace and Royal Square.
- The museums contain interesting
collections and deserve brief explorations. If you are
interested in music, then the Music Museum is a must-see. Also,
there is a great view of the city from the top floor of the building.
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The
Palace and the Palace Square (Koningsplein) are interesting but not compelling.
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To
the left you will find the Parc de Bruxelles (just some greenery - not
much to see).
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Follow
the Rue de la Régence to Rue Boden and proceed down the hill to
the Grand Sablon and its collection of great shops and restaurants.
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The
Grand Sablon is full of antique shops and high-end art galleries.
The square has an interesting flea market for antiques on most weekends.
The Grand Sablon is delight and a great place to spend an hour or two
eating and browsing.
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If you like desserts, stop at
the first Wittamers you encounter, or if you like candy (very
expensive) follow down the street to their chocolate shop.
Pierre Marcolini Chocolatier, on the opposite side of the street is also well worth a visit.
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Notre Dame du Sablon, a beautiful church, stands next to the square.
Tour to see its stained glass windows and interesting interior. The
exterior has been undergoing renovation for some time.
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Follow on down the hill to see one of Brussels older churches (Eglise de
la Chapelle).
More Chocolate in Brussels
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The topic of chocolate
and "the best chocolate" is a common one in Brussels. Wittamer,
Marcolini (mentioned above) and Mary's are three of the
well-established Belgian chocolate specialists. You cannot go
wrong buying chocolates at any of these shops and we think you will find
their products superior to other shops in Brussels and, perhaps,
anywhere!
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A new chocolatier
in Brussels has attracted critical acclaim for the quality of its
chocolates. Passion Chocolat (www.passionchocolat.be)
can be found at Rue Père E. Devroye, 197 (1150 Bruxelles), an out of the
way, residential area. It is worth the hunt! The shop is open Tuesday
through Saturday from noon to six
- Finally, if you are not satisfied with eating chocolate and want to
know more about its history, consider visiting the Museum of Cocoa and
Chocolate, a three story townhouse devoted to describing everything
there is to know about chocolate.
- It is located on Rue de lat Tête d'Or, near the southwest
corner of the Grand Place. Visit its web site for more
information.
If you need information about another travel destination, try Googling our site or the Web
Return to
Best Places to Visit in Belgium
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