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Top 10 Places to Visit in Brussels

There is a lot to see in Brussels and enough time to do it in a weekend. However, if you would like to try all their beer flavours, then you should stay for more days. 🙂

See our video from Brussels here: https://youtu.be/3YR-LeLKxVs
We recommend taking a one day trip to Bruges and maybe book a night there. ⇒ More to find out about Bruges in our next post and video
First things first – We need to talk about transport from the airport to the city. There are 2 airports: Brussels International and Brussels Charleroi (46 km from the city, for low cost flights)
If you arrive on Charleroi Airport, you should know:

  • it is 1h distance from the city;
  • the only way to get to the city is by car: taxi (the most expensive), minivan or shuttle bus, which is the best option – you can buy tickets online in advance and get a discount.

Price for shuttle bus – return ticket / person – to Brussels: 28.4 € . But if you book your ticket in advance, you could obtain a 5€ ticket price.
There are also tickets available to go to other cities in Belgium (including Brugge and Gent), France (Lille, Metz, Nancy) or Luxembourg from this Airport.
⇒More details here: https://www.flibco.com
For public transport inside the city there are: metro, trams, buses and even trains (1 ticket at the metro is 2€ )
The most important thing ⇒ Places to visit in Brussels

1. Atomium

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Atomium was inspired by the form of an iron molecule, magnified by 165 billion times. It was designed by André Waterkeyn and was especially built for the World Fair, in 1958, as a symbol of the “atomic age”. The structure has 9 balls, of 18 metre diametre, connected by tubes and it is 102m high.
When entering you will go straight up, in the ball on the top. The elevator which gets you there was the fastest elevator built at that time, in 1958. It has a speed of 5m/sec. On the top you will have a 360° perspective over the surroundings.
The tour continues by getting down with the elevator and then taking the escalator / normal stairs up and down to the other balls, where you will find the history of the Atomium and temporary art exhibitions.
Price: 12 € for adults; 8 € for 12-18 year olds; 6 € for 6-11 year olds; free for children under 6 Open: 10 am – 6 pm – every day
How to get here: Heysel Metro Address: Boulevard du Centenaire, Laeken

2. Grand-Place / Grote Markt (dutch)

Grand place is located in the heart of the city, where you’ll find the old and beautiful buildings, protected by UNESCO. The place inspires a medieval time, where people walked elegantly on cobbled streets. Grand place is being decorated by belgian begonia cultivators every 2 years, making a huge beautiful flower carpet. If you are planning a visit this summer, do not miss the opportunity and book for 16-19 August 2018, when the next decoration is taking place.

3. Delirium Village

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Beer is always a good idea, we all know this. But when you have some of the greatest flavours in Belgium at your disposal, it becomes a great idea.
This is a must-go place for beer fans. 🙂

4. Manneken-Pis (‘pissing boy’)

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The boy taking a piss is probably more 500 years old. He is the main attraction of the city centre, altough he has only 61 cm. You will always find a lot of people in front of him taking pictures. As he is small, be patient for the photo, because most of the time you have to wait to get near him.
He’s not shy and doesn’t always wear clothes. :)) In fact he has more than 900 suits and he receives 15-20 new costumes annually. 130 days a year he is dressed in one of them. The suits must not display any commercial purposes, political or religious.
The museum Garderobe MannekenPis (french for ‘wardrobe’) displays over 100 costumes. You can even find a Dracula costume.
Here you can see the calendar with the exact times when he is dressed: http://www.mannekenpis.brussels/
Address: Corner of rue de l’Etuve and rue Chêne.

5. Basilica of the Sacred Heart

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Photo from brusselsnicetours.com
Basilica of the Sacred Heart from Brussels is the fifth largest Catholic basilica and the largest Art Deco building in the world.
The Basilica is a work of King Leopold II, who admired Paris a lot and wanted to have a similar basilica in his country.
Price: free admision for the basilica and 5€ for the dome Open: 8 am – 6 pm, from April to September; 8 am-5 pm from October to March Check here when it is open for the panorama area http://www.basilicakoekelberg.be/
How to get here: Metro Simonis, bus Riethuisen 49, 87 or tram 19 (Bossaert-basilique) Address: Parvis de la Basilique, 1. Koekelberg. 1000.

6. Belgian Comic Strip Center

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Even if you are not a huge fan of animes, you will be amazed to see so many characters and so many magazines.
You can only enter the shop and get to see a little from the animes world and then if you want you can also visit the museum.
Price: Adults 8€ ; 12-18 year olds 6€ ; under 12s 3 €. Open: 10 am- 6 pm – Tuesday-Sunday, Monday closed How to get here: 10 minutes walk from city centre Address: 20 Rue de Sables / Zandstraat

7. Royal Palace

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Feel free to take pictures of all the rooms in the palace, only if you decide taking a trip when it is open. 😀
We didn’t have the chance to visit it, but the photos on the internet are amazing. The interiors are waiting for you to take pictures and be blown away.
You can always check the official website for more: https://www.monarchie.be
Price: Free
Open: It has become a tradition since 1965 to open the Royal Palace every summer, from 21st July until September.

8. EU Parliament

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Do you want to see the most important institutions for the European Union? You will find out how the European Union was built and how it stands today. The history and the technology(ex. augmented reality) will mix up to give you an experience to remember.
Find out when you can schedule your visit here: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/visiting/en/brussels/welcome
Price: Free How to get here: nearest metro Maelbeek or Schuman; bus 22, 27, 34, 38, 64, 80 and 95, or 12 / 21 which connects with the international airport. Address: Place du Luxembourg 100 B-1047

9. Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert

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These Galeries will remind you of the ones from Milan. Here you will find a lot of expensive shops and some cafes.
We recommend this place for taking photos or to shelter from the rain.:D

10. Cinquantenaire Park

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Photo from visit.brussels
This park is great for picnics and photos, as you can sit on the grass. In the middle there is a fountain and at the entrance you can find the big arch.
This place was also built during King Leopold II, to celebrate the 50th anniversary from the belgian independence.
Inside the park you can also find Autoworld, an art museum and an army museum.
How to get here: Metro Schuman (back entrance) or Merode (front entrance)

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