I am back in Geneva after a quick weekend trip to Belgium. We spent the weekend exploring Brussels and Brugges, two very different cities in Begium. Arriving in Europe, Brussels as a whole seems like the ugly duckling. It’s rare to hear people talking about the beautiful architecture, delicious food, beer, or the convenient proximity to Geneva and London. But, after 48 hours in the country, our group of four people can’t recommend it enough to anyone who finds themselves in Europe!
Without further adieu, here are our recommendations for places to stay, eat, drink and see while in Brussels. Later this week I will share the same information for Brugges.
Transportation: When flying into Brussels, we suggest taking the train from the airport instead of a cab. The train is both faster and less expensive while being simple to navigate and very convenient. It took us 15 minutes to go from the airport to the Brussels-Central station. The train can be accessed from the bottom floor of the airport.
Hotel: We were able to snag a great deal at Hotel Amigo which is located in the heart of Brussels, just a few steps away from the Grand Place. The hotel staff was very accommodating the entire time, helping us find our way through the town, hold our luggage after checkout and provide suggestions. Our hotel rooms were quite large for European standards and included a queen size bed and large bathroom, complete with a range of toiletry items and blow dryer. In addition, the room came with complimentary water, wi-fi and a morning paper. This hotel came highly recommended via Trip Advisor as well.
Drink: Multiple co-workers from Brussels and the surrounding areas suggested we spend Friday evening at Delirium Cafe. We thought it may end up being too crowded or just a tourist trap but we were pleasantly surprised. The binder of beer will overwhelm and amaze any beer fan while the service is better than expected for a crowded bar. There are three large floors, each featuring a different atmosphere and feel but we found ourselves on the main floor for most of the time. The music they played was loud enough to hear but not overwhelming and the Friday night crowd was very friendly. The beer decor covering every wall and ceiling was a fun touch as well!
Eat: A woman of moderation, I had a very hard time maintaining moderation in Brussels. I wanted to try everything since we were only there a short time. Therefore, for the 18 hours we were in town we dined on nothing but mussels, waffles and fries. I mean really, how can you refuse when a country has established its reputation on these things? We didn’t do any formal research in advance so I thank Yelp for pointing us in the direction of Chez Leon. Other than that, we chose our waffles based on how delicious the waffle truck smelled and our fries based on the number of sauces and if there was a line. Like I said, there was no art to it but everything was delicious yet so simple! 
See: Our friend Renaud put together a great walking map of Brussels with suggested sites. We used this is as our guide and would recommend it to anyone else visiting the area. It was complete but not overwhelming and highlighted the key sites.
A. GRAND PLACE: the first logic stop is the Grand Place, amazing architecture and historical breweries there. You can have Belgian fries and Brussels waffles there – they are quite good.
B. MANNEKEN PIS: a little statue, very touristic of a boy peeing. Nothing crazy but quite emblematic of Belgium.
C. LE SABLON (GRAND SABLON & PETIT SABLON): very nice architecture, beautiful place for a drink on the terraces if the weather is nice. You should visit the best (IMO) chocolate maker in Belgium (maybe in the world) there: Pierre Marcolini.
D. LES MAROLLES: historical area with lots of little bars etc (e.g. Havana Club is nice by night). From there, this is the place where you can take a free open air elevator that will bring you to place Poelaert. Alternatively, there is a small street going up.
E. PLACE POELAERT: one of the best views on the city from the center. From there, if you look to the South, you can see the Atomium building. The Palais de Justice is also nice there.
F. PLACE ROYALE: nice area with the Palais de Bruxelles, the statue of the guy on his horse and the art museum. You also have the Musical Instruments Museum (MIM) which has a very interesting architecture
If you are planning a trip to Brussels, feel free to send any questions my way! Also, let me know if you like this format as I have plenty of travel posts and am trying to find the best way to meet readers’ needs!
My grandparents were stationed in Belgium for years when I was born. We went when I was 9 mo old, but I’d LOVE to go back. Ahh I just get so overwhelmed by how many amazing European places there are I want to visit, ha.
I loved Brussels! I was only there a day, but it was fantastic. A few locals asked what brought us to Belgium and we said we came to spend a day there before heading to Amsterdam. Their responses were always, “You came to Belgium??? On purpose??” I don’t think they were bad-mouthing Belgium; they were simply surprised we planned to go there instead of having to pass through due to travel arrangements.
I’d recommend to visitors to visit the chocolate shops Leonidas (best white chocolate ever), Galler, and Godiva of course – they all have locations close to La Grande Place. We also took a Brussels bike tour which took us all over the city to places we never would have seen if we had just been walking around (and we stopped at Maison Antoine for fries, too!)
If you’re missing Belgium and since you’re in London frequently, I have to recommend Belgo Centraal! They, too, have tons of beers, fries, moules, and even vegetarian options. I went here twice when I was in London. The servers even dress up like monks…
Wow Rebecca these are some great recommendations! Do you mind if I update the post to include these as well? I will have to check out Belgo Centraal in London – Thanks!
Please do! 🙂
Having lived in Brussels for three years, I have a few suggestions to add. First, the restaurant at the Museum of Musical Instruments… It has an AMAZING view of the city, and a very nice Sunday brunch. It is especially worthwhile to go there and sit outside on a nice spring day. Reservations are a must.
Place Jordan is home to Maison Antoinette, one of Brussels most famous french fry stops. You can buy fries and then go sit at a nearby cafe, as long as you order a beer or a drink. The idea of eating fries with mayonnaise may seem disgusting, but you must. It is life-changing.
Beer Mania: This beer shop is a bit hidden, but has an amazing selection of beer and traditional glasses for sale. The Iranian guy who runs this place knows absolutely everything about beer and will happily share all his knowledge. You can order samples of any of the beers in the back bar, and this place also has amazingly good fries.
L’idiot du village is an utterly charming restaurant that is off the beaten path and won’t disappoint.
If you’re in Brussels on a Wednesday, check out Place du Chatelain. There’s an open air market there every week, and people hang out and eat/drink in the streets and nearby cafes til late. The Italian restaurant La Piccola off Place du Chatelain has delicious and affordable Italian food.
For runners, one of the best parts about Brussels is how close the city center is to a spectacular forest with beautiful trails. A tram down Avenue Louise (one of the main roads through the city) will get you to the start of the forest.
And finally, one of my absolute favorite things to do with guests was to take this walking tour: http://www.cantillon.be/br/ww/promenadeLambicGB%20Nov09.pdf. It starts at Grand Place and goes past a lot of the major sites in the city. After about an hour, you end up at the only beer brewery within the Brussels city limits. For 5 euros, you get a tour of the brewery and beer samples. It is the best.
I agree, Belgium is one of my favorites places in Europe. I wish I could have spent more time when I visited in 2007. The waffles and fries were amazing!
Yup – Belgium definitely does waffle and fries like no where else!
Wow! Great post! I have never been to Brussels, but this post definitely piqued my interest. Thanks for sharing your experience. I really love these posts about places you have visited.
Thanks Ashleigh! 🙂