Here is why you should consider Brussels as your next destination for a short weekend trip!
Whenever I told people that my fiancé and I were visiting Belgium before Christmas, I got awkward stares and “ah” sounds. Which I totally understand; Belgium simply isn’t seen as a very attractive travel destination, right? Well, we decided to give it a go because it seemed like Belgian cities do Christmas right – with lots of markets, lights and displays. And we found that Belgium deserves to be in the spotlight more than it currently is!
In this post, I will share with you four great reasons why you should visit Brussels, the capital. The city can be visited over a long weekend, and here is what you can look forward to once you get there!
🎨 Reason n.1: The museums are great
This is something that surprised me in Brussels: there is a lot great art there! From the world of comics like Tintin and the Smurfs, whose creators are from Belgium, to more traditional art, there is a lot to see. We spent a few hours in the Royal Fine Art Museum, the Turn-of-the-Century Museum and the Magritte museum – all located at the same place and worth a visit.
There is also the Horta Museum, an Art Nouveau house that we sadly didn’t get time to visit, but which seems pretty amazing- and it is quite rare to find Art Nouveau locations at all!
Brussels and Belgium are the capital of comics – bande dessinée, as we call it in French. So, if you like European comics, you can visit the Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée.
🍽️ Reason n.2: Fries, waffles, burgers… Brussels has some amazing food!
We only had great food in Brussels. Of course, you have to try the local specialties of fries (and generous amount of toppings), the Belgian waffles (also with a generous amount of toppings), along with Belgian beer – head to the Beer Museum for a tasting!
There are plenty of other options too, Brussels being a capital city with a cosmopolitan population: Greek and Turkish kebab restaurants, burger joints, brunch cafés, and a couple of authentic Italian restaurants. Here are the places we loved and recommend in Brussels:
☕ Chicago Café: great brunch with lots of options and a fun atmosphere; the café is big, so even if there is a wait, it’s not very long and you are almost certain to get a table.
🍔 Manhattn’s Burgers: the best burgers in Brussels! (Also their pepper mayonnaise is great and they have seasonal burgers for the winter)
🍝 NORMA Trattoria e Aperitivo: I had delicious truffle pasta, the ingredients are top quality and there are only a few dishes in the menu and they do them really well.
🎄 Reason n.3: Brussels does Christmas right
My first motivation going to Belgium was to experience the Christmas spirit and look at the festive displays. Brussels is home to a few different Christmas markets in the town centre, and there is a huge Christmas tree in the Grand Place (the main town square). The stores and restaurants hang their Christmas lights and inflatable Christmas snowmen and Santas, making it super fun to walk around with a mug of mulled wine, just looking at all the decor. The Galeries Royales Saint Hubert are also a must at Christmastime, when the chocolate stores are twinlking with fairy lights!
🚅 Reason n.4: You can take fun day trips from Brussels
Brussels being the capital of Belgium, it is easily accessible by train and you can also take lovely day trips to the other main cities in Belgium: Ghent is only 35 minutes away, and Bruges is about an hour! We went to both Ghent and Bruges, and it was lovely discovering Ghent for the first time. The city is small enough that one day there is enough. There are very regular trains for a good price going out of Brussels, so you should definitely take this advantage to explore the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium!
