brussels tourism map

Map of Brussels - Interactive Brussels Map

Information about the map.

Check out the main monuments, museums, squares, churches and attractions in our map of Brussels. Click on each icon to see what it is.

To help you find your way once you get to your destination, the map you print out will have numbers on the various icons that correspond to a list with the most interesting tourist attractions. This way, you’ll be able to see where each attraction is.

Icons on the Brussels interactive map

The map is very easy to use:

• Check out information about the destination: click on the color indicators.
• Move across the map: shift your mouse across the map.
• Zoom in: double click on the left-hand side of the mouse on the map or move the scroll wheel upwards.
• Zoom out: double click on the right-hand side of the mouse on the map or move the scroll wheel downwards.

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Two Day Itinerary

If you are short on time and want to see all the unmissable sights in the Belgian capital, take a look at our itinerary planned to visit Brussels in a weekend.

General Information

If you're going to travel to Brussels, it's likely you have some questions you want to be answered when planning your trip. Here you'll find general information about Brussels in order to clear up any doubts you may have when planning your trip.

comprehensive tourist maps for busy professionals

Ultimate interactive brussels tourist map.

This Tourist Map of Brussels is interactive and downloadable for offline use. Best of all, it includes all of the top tourist attractions in Brussels as well as recommended restaurants, bars and chocolate shops. Use this map as your Brussels guide, and don’t miss out on any of the incredible experience this charming European city has to offer.

If you are looking to explore Europe, you might find cheap airfare or a convenient train ride to Brussels. That’s because Brussels is a huge transpiration hub. With some of Europe’s busiest airports and railway stations, Brussels thrives as one of Europe’s important financial and political centers.

Table of Contents

So, why should you visit Brussels?

Brussels tourist map, manneken pis and others, mini europe, parlamentarium, royal gallery of saint hubert, belvue museum, brussels town hall, royal palace of brussels, royal museums of fine arts, comic book museum, musical instruments museum, museum of the city of brussels, st michael and st gudula cathedral, church of our blessed lady, mont des arts, grand place, cinquantenaire park.

Brussels is as important today as it was throughout history. You can visit many UNESCO World Heritage sites and observe interesting architectural styles. Walk down Medieval cobblestone streets and check out one of the world’s first shopping mall s.

Brussels is an eclectic melting pot of European cultures. You’ll hear French, Dutch and German spoken here (although, many people also learn English). With great cultural influence comes great food. Brussels is a excellent place to sample Belgian namesakes like fries, waffles & chocolate. Also, Belgium is highly regarded for beer.

Check out this top-rated beer & chocolate tour in Brussels. 

Okay, now that I’ve peaked your interest and gotten your mouth watering… let me show you all the cool things to do in Brussels!

This interactive tourist map of Brussels includes top attractions, comic murals, chocolate shops, recommended restaurants and more! The blue pins are the top places in Brussels like museums, squares, churches and historic sites. The dark blue pins with the art icons are comic strip murals (more on this later). For food, you’ll find restaurants in green and chocolate shops/dessert places in pink. You can select and deselect any of these layers to limit what you see. Also, save this map and download it for offline use.

How to Use This Map: If you click the tab at the top left corner, you’ll be able to select specific layers. Click the checkmark to select or hide specific categories.

Save This Map: Click the brackets in the top right corner to expand the map in full view. It will open in a new tab. Under the map title, right of the map description, there is a star. Click this star and the map will be saved to your Google account  in Google Maps. You can access it later from your computer or device. On desktop, go to Google Maps and click ‘Your Places,’ and ‘Maps.’ On app view, select ‘Saved, scroll down and click ‘Maps.’

Brussels Tourist Attractions

I’ve divided up all the top Brussels tourist sites into a few distinct categories. These are the places that are uniquely Brussels, museums, churches and scenic locations. Learn more about these interesting places you’ll find in the Brussels Tourist Map.

Want to do more than just taste chocolate?   Sign up for a chocolate workshop in Brussels.

Uniquely Brussels

Much of Europe has stunning examples of Gothic and Romanesque style architecture. Every famous European city has a stunning cathedral and a hundred different museums with priceless works of art. These are the Brussels tourist attractions that are uniquely Brussels, setting itself apart from any other city in the world.

If you are spending only 2 days in Brussels , you’ve got to see Menneken Pis. This is the  statue of a naked little boy peeing , and it’s become one of the  best known symbols for the city of Brussels .

Menneken Pis is one of the cutest and most famous Brussels attractions. In the picture below, you can see Manneken dressed up for the Tour de France.

Sign up for this fun bike tour of Brussels sites  (including a visit to Manneken Pis).

This is a very small statue located in Brussels city center. It’s often surrounded by swarms of tourists, so you might want to visit early in the morning or later in the evening. Manneken Pis also has two friends, Jeanneke Pis (little girl pees) and Zinnek Pis (dog pees). Zinnek is Jeanneke and Manneken’s dog, by the way.

Why is Manneken Pis so important?

Manneken Pis can be traced back in Brussels history all the way in to the mid 15th Centry. In texts as early as the 17th Century, Manneken is described as an object of glory ! In the beginning, he was an important source of drinking water. He gained fame over the years by surviving bombardments and being stolen by famous rulers . Today, Manneken is dressed up on special occasions and generally adored by most everyone.

Brussels loves comics. They even have a Comic Book Museum (more on this later). One of the best things to do in Brussels is the Comic Walk. Walk from comic to comic, you’ll explore Brussels city center as you discover enchanting works of art.

In the Brussels Tourist Attractions Map, the Comics are marked by dark blue pins with an art symbol. They can be found in a separate layer named ‘Murals’. You can select this layer and use the map to find all the comic murals. Deselect this layer if your map becomes to busy.

You’ll notice there are quite a lot of these comic book murals across Brussels…I recommend you focus on the ones nearest to city center to guide your Comic Walk . Then, later, as you make your way towards other Brussels attractions, see what murals you can catch on route. There are well over 50 of these cute and colorful artworks. Don’t pressure yourself to try to see them all!

What’s with all the comics in Brussels? The city of Brussels has long since had a love affair with comic books. Most famously, the magazines Tintin and Spirou were born in Brussels. The Smurfs were also created by a Belgian comic artist. Overall, Belgian comics helped to shape the history of European comic art . Belgian comics have always had a distinct style which is heavily influenced by the bilingual culture of it’s people.

Make sure the comic murals are a part of your Brussels sightseeing!

The Atomium is one of the most important landmark buildings in Belgium & one of the best things to see in Brussels. You can find the Atomium just outside of city center . On the map, you’ll notice it’s near to Mini -Europe and the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken. It makes sense to pair these 3 activities in half a day.

Reserve your Atomium ticket today.

You can get to the Atomium by taxi or public transportation. It’s a 25 minute cab ride or about 45 minutes of commuting (by train and walking). There are also Ubers available in Brussels.

What is the Atomium?

The Atomium is a replica of 9 iron atoms magnified 156 billion times! It was built for the Exposition of 1958 —the first world fair post WWII. The theme of the expo was “a world for the better life of mankind,” and that was based on faith in technical and scientific progress . At the time of it’s construction, the Atomium was a massive technical endeavor . It even had the fastest elevator of its time!

Book a guided tour at the Atomium and find out why it is one of the most interesting places in Brussels.

Mini Europe is near the Atomium. It’s exactly what it sounds like —a park with miniature monuments meant to represent nations in the European Union. There’s over 350 mini-buildings and about 80 mini-cities. Mini Europe is the perfect place for all ages. Take a stroll through this scenic small world.

This park is one of the top Brussels sites. It’s a fitting tribute to Europe in the European Union’s political capital . It was founded to demonstrate a unified European spirit. Truly, a delight for anyone who loves miniatures 😊

Check out these discounted combo tickets to the Atomium & Mini Europe.

No Brussels visit is complete without stopping at the European Parliament’s Parlamentarium (the Visitors Center). The Parlamentarium offers multimedia guides that take you through the history and function of the European Parliament and European Union.

Fun Facts About the European Parliament:

With over 700 members, representing more than 500 million citizens from over 20 countries…It’s the largest international body of directly-elected officials in the world ! Also, the first president of the European Parliament was a women . Furthermore, a majority of European Parliament staff are women. Yay, feminism!

*More Fun Facts…*Brussels isn’t the only political center for the European Parliament —there are actually three official headquarters (also Strasbourg and Luxembourg). Also, the EU has 23 official languages. That means that European Parliament sessions are interpreted in each one… that’s 506 possible language combinations!

Learn about Brussels politics from a local. 

Find more interesting information about the European Parliament at the Parlamentarium, one of the best places to visit in Brussels.

The Gallery of Saint Hubert are a living, breathing, piece of history. Originally built in the 1840s as a luxury shopping mall for the rich and famous. Essentially, this was a protected runway for the bourgeoisie ladies of leisure to show off their fashionable attire (you have to remember that Brussels was essentially a dirty swamp at the time 😂).

Explore the tastiest Belgian food at the Galleries of Saint Hubert.

Today, the Royal Galleries of Saint Hubert still house some luxury brands, cafes and chocolate shops. Although, what’s most striking is the architecture. Inspired by the Italian Renaissance, the structure is divided into two long galleries known as the King’s Gallery and the Queen’s Gallery. These galleries are separated by a row of columns. The columns, arches and glass ceiling tiles create a very dramatic effect.

Some of the best things to see in Brussels can be found within one of my many incredible museums. WARNING: They’re all closed on Mondays 😞 We ran into this problem on our most recent trip. Mondays can be an excellent time to take a day trip to Ghent or Bruges.

The Coudenberg Palace was considered one of the most beautiful palaces in Europe at its time. The history of the palace dates back all the way into the 12th century. Unfortunately, much of the original palace was destroyed by fire in the 18th Century.

A Royal Square was built on top of the ruins of the original palace, including the Royal Palace of Brussels. You can now visit the ruins of the Coudenberg Palace in the BELvue Museum. The BELvue Museum also has some interesting pieces from Brussels and Belgium’s modern history. It’s one of the museums you must see when you visit Brussels.

Even if you don’t go inside, the Brussels Town Hall building is one of the places to see in Brussels. It’s located in the famous square called the Grand Place. It’s one of the few Medieval structures still remaining in the Grand Place, and it’s also considered an architectural masterpiece .

The style is overwhelmingly Gothic. It was internationally renowned in the 19th Century and many town halls in Europe were modeled after it’s design. No wonder it’s considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site .  It’s famously asymmetrical & unbalanced. See if you can spot the discrepancies!

Learn more about the Brussels Town Hall on this small group walking tour.

There are guided tours of the Town Hall offered at 2PM every Wednesday and Sundays 10 AM, 3 PM and 4PM. No need to reserve or pay in advance. You can purchase tickets for 7 euros the day of your tour at the Visit Brussels Information Desk inside City Hall.

The Royal Palace of Brussels is the official palace of the King and Queen of Belgium . Although, the royal family doesn’t live in this palace. It’s used primarily to host government functions, special guests and large receptions.

It’s located in front of Brussels Park & right next to the BELvue museum. It was built on top of the complex that was once the Coudenberg Palace. Unfortunately, you can only visit the palace late July through September.

Preview a few rooms at the Royal Palace of Brussels.

The Royal Museums of Fine Arts are some of Brussels top attractions. Together, they include some 20,000 works of art from drawing, to sculptures and paintings. Works from the early 15th Century and well into present day. They are a group of 6 museums, and they are the best places in Brussels for art lovers.

Unfortunately, each museum has it’s own admission ticket. All of them are free on the 1st Wednesday of every month after 1 PM! See if your trip falls on this day and save a few bucks. 😉 The Musée Wiertz Museum & Musée Meunier Museum are also free for everyone to visit! Musée Wiertz is dedicated to Antoine Wiertz who was a painter, sculptor and controversial figure during the Belgian Romantic movement.

Fun Fact about Antoine Wiertz : He choose to have his remains embalmed in the Ancient Egyptian burial style. He was in some ways obsessed with death and the fragility of life. Many of his paintings depict horrific scenes.

Musée Meunier focuses on the artist Constantin Meunier —the subject of his works was often social & industrial parts of Belgian life. The theme of his museum is the art of labor & labor of art.

Of the paid museums, the Musée Magritte focuses on the Surrealist style and specifically René Magritte. You can pay an extra 5 euros to view the special collections. The Old Masters Museum shows works created during the 15th – 18th Centuries, and the Fin-de-Siècle Museum provides a wide array of art produced from the late 19th Century to the very early 20th Century.

The Comic Book Museum (also called the Belgian Comic Strip Center) is one of the best attractions in Brussels. The building itself is a masterpiece of Art Nouveau architecture . It’s located in historic Brussels, just a few blocks from the Grand Place.

The Belgian Comic Strip Center collects anything related to European Comics. Merging the styles of Ninth Art and Art Nouveau . It’s also a great place to learn more about the Brussels Comic Strip Route .

It’s a very cute museum with a library and reading room on the first floor. Special focus is on Victor Horta and the magazines Spirou and Tintin . The also offers guided tours within the building and along the Comic Strip Route.

Another gem, the Musical Instruments Museum is one of my favorite places in Brussels. It’s an an incredible building that has two very different styles . The first part is Art Nouveau and the other is neoclassical.

The Musical Instruments Museum displayed over 1000 different instruments! It’s one of the most visited museums in Brussels. During your visit, you’ll get headphones so that you’ll be able to listen to over a 100 different sample pieces. The museum’s most famous pieces include a Rottenburgh Alto recorder, giant Chinese stone chimes and one of the only luthéal pieces in existence . FYI a luthéal is a special type of piano.

Located in the heart of the action, at the Brussels Grand Place, the city museum is one of the important Brussels sights. It tells the dramatic history of the city of Brussels from Medieval times to present day. The story is told through tapestries, paintings, sculptures and photos.

The Brussels City Museum is inside an incredible Gothic Revival building, the building itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site . Make sure to appreciate the architecture.

We’ll now discuss some stunning churches you can find in Brussels. Before we do, I wanted to touch on the religious diversity and cynicism in Belgium. Almost a third of the Belgian population identifies themselves as non religious people (atheists or agnostics). Wow! That’s a lot. I think it’s pretty cool. While most of the god fearing citizens are Christians, there’s also a growing Muslim population in Belgium. Now, on to the churches…

Also, know as the Brussels Cathedral . This is the most famous church and one of the top tourist sites in Brussels. Historical reference of this place dates back to the 9th Century. At that time, it was a Romanesque church. The present day structure of the church took 300 years to complete ! It’s architectural style is Brabantine Gothic.

The Brussels Cathedral was made from the stone of a nearby quarry. It sits on top of the original Romanesque church and it’s ancient crypt has been excavated in the last few decades.

Learn more about mysteries, legends and religion in Brussels. 

This cool tour takes you through the history of of the Freemasons, the Templars and the Illuminati in Brussels!

On the inside, the most prominent and impressive features of the Brussels Cathedral are the mesmerizing stained glass windows (some of which were made in the 16th Century). Also, the Grenzing great organ with over 4,000 pipes, 60 stops and 4 keyboards!

Entrance to the Cathedral is free for everyone! There’s a small charge to visit the archaeological site and crypt of the early Romanesque church (1 and 3 € respectively).

The Church of Our Blessed Lady is another one of the impressive sites to see in Brussels. This church was built at the turn of the 15th Century. It is also adorned in the Barbantine Gothic style. Interestingly, the inside has a few Baroque features.

You can visit this church for free . Step inside, and you’ll notice the striking pillars that appear to extend endlessly. Notice the apostles sculpted into the columns.

Interesting Folktale: The time was 1348, and the Virgin Mary appears in the dreams of a woman living in Antwerp. The Virgin Mary tells this woman to steal an important statue and bring it to a little chapel in Brussels. The woman sails to Brussels and delivers the statue. This little chapel goes on to become the Church of Our Blessed Lady.

Scenic Locations

Meaning, “hill of the arts.” It’s a historic place, a community meeting ground. Definitely one of the most beautiful places in Brussels at sunset. At the top of the Mont des Arts , you can see the tower of the Brussels Town Hall building in the distance. In the other direction, the Royal Square is in view.

Mont des Arts is the perfect place to relax with friends, have a bite and enjoy the outdoors. It’s steps away from some of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts, the Musical Instruments Museum and the BELvue Museum. We especially loved the chocolate shop Laurent Gerbaud near the Mont des Arts.

Book your chocolate tasting today.

We’ve already discussed it a little bit, but this special place demands it’s own introduction. The Grand Place is one of the most noteworthy places to go in Brussels. It’s the central square of the city and home of the famous Town Hall building and the Museum of the City of Brussels .

The Grand Place is considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site . As far back as the 11th Century, the land that would eventually become the Grand Place was being used as a marketplace. Over the next several hundred years, the small marketplace would blossom into a large merchantmen district and the seat of municipal power.

Throughout history, the Grand Place witnessed the tragedies and dramas of human existence. It was the setting for public burnings, beheadings and other executions . It withstood bombardments, fires and unimaginable damage . But, it was always rebuilt and restored.

Today, it’s one of the important Brussels tourist places. A bustling commercial district with many chocolate shops, restaurants and cafes. I recommend the Maison Dandoy speculoos confectionery and the Neuhaus chocolate shop .

The Cinquantenaire Park in Brussels was built to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Belgium’s independence (this was in 1880). It’s a huge urban park with gardens, museums and green space . Cinquantenaire Park is the perfect place to spend half a day.

Visit the Royal Museums of Art and History and check out the three giant triumphal arches . Near the arches, you’ll find sweeping panoramic views of the city . You can walk to the Cinquantenaire Park from Brussels city center. It will take about 35 minutes. Alternatively, public transportation will get you there in 15 minutes.

Brussels Food Tips

• Have a beer at the Delirium Café. Belgian beer culture is part of the UNESCO Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. Belgians have been brewing and drinking beer since the Middle Ages (because it was safer to drink than water 😋)
• Taste praline chocolates at a fancy chocolate shop. I’ve mapped some great ones in the Brussels Tourist Attractions Map. Don’t bother bringing them home, it’s nearly impossible to keep them from melting in a travel situation.
• Locals get their Belgian fries at Friterie Tabora.
• If you are trying to find fresh Belgian waffles, scope out the place first. If they grab waffles from beneath the counter or rack and then add toppings –steer clear. You want to see the waffles come straight from the press before they are served! Say no to soggy waffles!

More time in Brussels? Take a quick train ride to the fairy tale Medieval town of Bruges.

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Map of Brussels — Best attractions, restaurants, and transportation info

What’s on this map.

We’ve made the ultimate tourist map of Brussels, Belgium for travelers! Check out Brussels’s top things to do, attractions, restaurants, and major transportation hubs all in one interactive map.

Visiting Brussels? See our Brussels Trip Planner.

How to use the map

Use this interactive map to plan your trip before and while in Brussels. Learn about each place by clicking it on the map or read more in the article below. Here’s more ways to perfect your trip using our Brussels map:

• Explore the best restaurants, shopping, and things to do in Brussels by categories
• Get directions in Google Maps to each place
• Export all places to save to your Google Maps
• Plan your travels by turning on metro and bus lines
• Create a Wanderlog trip plan (link to create a trip plan for the city) that keep all the places on the map in your phone
• Print a physical map to bring it on your trip

Top 20 attractions in Brussels

St michael and st gudula cathedral, brussels, royal palace of brussels.

Navigate forward to interact with the calendar and select a date. Press the question mark key to get the keyboard shortcuts for changing dates.

Navigate backward to interact with the calendar and select a date. Press the question mark key to get the keyboard shortcuts for changing dates.

Musical Instruments Museum

Royal museums of fine arts of belgium.

Track your travel spending and split costs with friends

Plan your trip. Keep your budget organized. Split the cost between tripmates. Wanderlog does it all.

Church of Our Lady of Victories at the Sablon

Parc du cinquantenaire, grand place, manneken pis, comics art museum, grand-place de bruxelles, brussels town hall, royal museum of the armed forces and military history, museum of natural sciences, mini-europe.

Don’t forget to pack anything

Stay organized with a to-do list, packing list, shopping list, any kind of list.

Horta Museum

Royal greenhouses of laeken, royal puppet theater toone, royal gallery of saint hubert, musée magritte museum, top 10 restaurants in brussels, comme chez soi.

Fin de Siècle

Ballekes (grand place), coco donuts janson, restaurant vincent, transportation in brussels, nearby airports, brussels south charleroi airport, brussels airport, highways and major roads.

• The Ring Road (R0)
• E19 Highway (Brussels-Antwerp)
• E411 Highway (Brussels-Luxembourg)
• E40 Highway (Brussels-Liège)
• Avenue Louise
• Chaussée de Waterloo
• Boulevard Anspach
• Boulevard de l'Empereur
• Avenue de Tervuren.

Top searches in Brussels

Popular road trips from brussels, what's the weather like in brussels.

It depends on when you visit! We've compiled data from NASA on what the weather is like in Brussels for each month of the year: see the links below for more information.

• Weather in Brussels in January
• Weather in Brussels in February
• Weather in Brussels in March
• Weather in Brussels in April
• Weather in Brussels in May
• Weather in Brussels in June
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• Weather in Brussels in September
• Weather in Brussels in October
• Weather in Brussels in November
• Weather in Brussels in December

All road trips from Brussels

• Brussels to London drive
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Explore nearby places

• Saint-Jans-Molenbeek
• Saint-Josse-ten-Noode
• Sint-Agatha-Berchem
• Woluwe-Saint-Lambert
• Woluwe-St-Pierre
• Watermael-Boitsfort
• Groot-Bijgaarden
• Strombeek-Bever

All related maps of Brussels

• Map of Saint-Jans-Molenbeek
• Map of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode
• Map of Koekelberg
• Map of Anderlecht
• Map of Ixelles
• Map of Schaerbeek
• Map of Etterbeek
• Map of Laken
• Map of Jette
• Map of Ganshoren
• Map of Sint-Agatha-Berchem
• Map of Evere
• Map of the Forest
• Map of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert
• Map of Uccle
• Map of Woluwe-St-Pierre
• Map of Watermael-Boitsfort
• Map of Auderghem
• Map of Dilbeek
• Map of Groot-Bijgaarden
• Map of Strombeek-Bever
• Map of Drogenbos
• Map of Itterbeek
• Map of Wemmel
• Map of Diegem
• Map of Kraainem
• Map of Linkebeek
• Map of Zaventem
• Map of Grimbergen
• Map of Beersel

Brussels throughout the year

• Brussels in January
• Brussels in February
• Brussels in March
• Brussels in April
• Brussels in May
• Brussels in June
• Brussels in July
• Brussels in August
• Brussels in September
• Brussels in October
• Brussels in November
• Brussels in December

Looking for day-by-day itineraries in Brussels?

Get inspired for your trip to Brussels with our curated itineraries that are jam-packed with popular attractions everyday! Check them out here:

• 1-Day Brussels Itinerary
• 2-Day Brussels Itinerary
• 3-Day Brussels Itinerary
• 4-Day Brussels Itinerary
• 5-Day Brussels Itinerary

• Itinerary + map in one view
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• Offline access on mobile
• See time and distance between all your places

Brussels Printable Tourist Map

Brussels Map: The Attractions

Grand Place

Manneken Pis

Royal Palace

Church of Our Lady of Sablon

Brussels Palace of Justice

Saint Michael and Gudula Cathedral

Brussels Stock Exchange

Brussels Park

St. Hubert Gallery

Parlamentarium

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Brussels printable map of top tourist attractions & city travel guide

Brussels city centre free travel guide - top 10 must-see sights & best destinations - brussels top tourist attractions map.

Maps of best attractions in Brussels, Belgium

Brussels maps will guide you to the best destinations in the city. The easiest way to get around the centre of Brussels is to walk, but to get from one side of the centre to the other, or to reach some of the outlying attractions, you'll need to use public transport. Central Brussels is well served by trams which encircle the old town. However, the tiny streets are often pedestrianized, and usually the quickest and most enjoyable means of transport for short distances is on foot. Otherwise metro stations are well placed. Brussels city center is small enough that walking is a viable option. The best solution is to use our maps to plan a combination of walking tours and trips on an excellent public transportation. Beyond the center, public transportation is a virtual necessity. Brussels top sights and key landmarks to visit are plotted on our detailed city plans. Public transportation points are also marked, and indicated by the symbols listed in the maps key. Armed with these maps, you should be able to find the accurate location of must-see places. Mapping out a trip to explore Brussels can be far from the usual. This page includes a range of maps and plans which will help you make the most of your visit to Brussels. If you are either a first-time tourist looking for the top 10 must-do sights or if you are returning to Brussels to discover something new - all you need to ensure an enjoyable trip is some advance planning. For some help in narrowing down the options, we present you with a range of high resolution maps which will help you find the detailed locations of the must-see sights - just click on a selected map to access a large version that can be downloaded and printed, or saved onto your mobile device. When in Brussels, you can also get free pocket-size maps of the city from the tourist information centres.

Brussels, Belgium Lower Town city center free printable interactive visitor's detailed guide map download for tourists showing inner city old town, must-see sights, sightseeing places of interest, public transport metro stations & tram stops plan - Brussels top tourist attractions map

You can view, download or print a full, high resolution (detailed, large) version of this image by clicking on the plan itself

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Detailed Upper Town street map of Brussels, Belgium - Free to download & print travel guide of city center, public transport metro stations, locations of major attractions, tourist information office, great historic spots, best must-see sights - Brussels top tourist attractions map

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Brussels city centre Grand Place map with hotels, restaurants, old town square district area neighbourhood, Hotel de Ville, Manneken Pis - Brussels old city centre top attractions - Historic centre printable sightseeing map with the list of points of interest in old town district area neighbourhood - Brussels top tourist attractions map

Upper Town city map of Brussels, Belgium showing 1-day trip travel locations to visit, must-see tourist attractions, famous destinations, must-do spots & landmark destinations - Download the free virtual explorer plan showing interesting sites & hot spots worth visiting - Brussels top tourist attractions map

Lower Town attractions showing areas West, North & South of the Grand-Place - Visitor's detailed virtual printable guide to download - Old town and inner city center walking tour guide itinerary planner map with favourite attractions & points of interest to visit by tourists - Brussels top tourist attractions map

EU Quarter & Parc du Cinquantenaire virtual interactive 3d aerial satellite detailed view map showing orientation & navigation directions map showing European Parliament - Brussels top tourist attractions map

St Gilles map of attractions, Gare du Midi train station, hotels restaurants - Walking tour guide itinerary planner showing layout of best things to do - Brussels top tourist attractions map

Brussels city center offline 3d interactive guide jpg map of main streets, sightseeing downtown attractions, metro & main train stations - Interactive walking trip downloadable itinerary planner to print & guide map showing best destinations to visit - Central district area outline layout map of best locations - Brussels top tourist attractions map

Brussels EU quarter buildings map - European Parliament institutions district area, city-break historical places to visit - Brussels top tourist attractions map

Greater Brussels metropolitan area free to download printable detailed guide map showing nearby attractions, road to airport, Atomium, cities, main neighbourhoods - Brussels top tourist attractions map

Brussels location on the map of Belgium, Europe - Brussels top tourist attractions map

Map of top 10 attractions in Brussels

The typical top ten attractions are listed below. You can find the detailed locations of these places on the maps above.

• Grand Place (Grote Markt) - Quite simply the most theatrical medieval square in Europe, with a magnificent array of gabled guild houses and a spectacular town hall. The geographical, historical & commercial heart of the city, the Grand Place is the first port of call for most visitors to Brussels. It is quite simply one of the most uniformly beautiful enclosed city squares in the world. This bustling cobblestone square remains the civic centre, centuries after its creation, and offers the finest surviving example in one area of Belgium's ornate 17th-century architecture. Open-air markets took place on or near this site as early as the 11th century, but by the end of the 14th century Brussels' town hall, the Hotel de Ville, was built, and city traders added individual guildhouses in a medley of styles.
• Hotel de Ville - From the south side of the Grand-Place, the newly scrubbed and polished Hotel de Ville, or town hall, dominates proceedings, its 96-metre spire soaring high above two long series of robust windows, whose straight lines are mitigated by fancy tracery, striking gargoyles, solid statuettes and an arcaded gallery.
• St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral - Although more than a little plain to look at, both outside and inside, compared to the generally extravagantly decorated run of Gothic cathedrals, St-Michel's, dedicated to the city's patron St. Michael, and to St. Gudula, has much to commend it.
• Manneken-Pis - The centuries-old fountain- statue of a small boy making water with a 'what-a-clever-boyam- I' look on his face, has become a much-loved symbol of the city.
• Our Lady of the Chapel (Notre-Dame de la Chapelle) - This Romanesque-Gothic church is interesting both historically and architecturally.
• Place Royale - Brussels royal square stands at the meeting point of rue de la Regence and rue Royale, two streets that hold many of the city's premier attractions.
• Royal Palace (Palais Royal) - The King's Palace, today is used for state receptions.
• Belgian Comic Strip Center (Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinee) - A Victor Horta–designed department store hosts this temple to Belgian and international cartoons. Pride of place goes, naturally, to Herge's beloved Tintin.
• Parc de Bruxelles - Opposite the Palais Royal, the Parc de Bruxelles is the most central of the city's larger parks, along whose tree-shaded footpaths civil servants and office workers stroll at lunchtime, or race to catch the Metro in the evenings.
• Royal Fine Arts Museum (Musees Royaux des Beaux-Arts) - Brussels' major gallery covers everything from early Flemish painting to surrealist master Magritte, who has his own dedicated gallery. Don't miss Bruegel's Fall of Icarus. A few metres from place Royale, at the start of rue de la Regence, the Musees Royaux des Beaux Arts comprises two interconnected museums, one displaying modern art from the nineteenth century onwards, the other older works. Brueghel, Rubens, Van Dyke, Magritte – this splendid collection takes the visitor on a tour of some of the greatest names in art.
• Musical Instrument Museum (MIM, Musee des Instruments de Musique) - Newly rehoused in a magnificent Art Nouveau building, the 'MIM' contains thousands of instruments – ancient, modern, ethnic and just plain wacky.
• Horta Museum (Musee Horta) - Victor Horta was the original Art Nouveau architect; his own house was the perfect expression of his art – down to the last doorknob. The building is now preserved as a shrine to Art Nouveau.
• Parc du Cinquantenaire - The EU district boasts the spacious and leafy Parc du Cinquantenaire, ringed by impressive museums including a military museum and one dedicated solely to cars. The Golden Jubilee Park has extensive gardens which at their heart have a triumphal arch topped by a bronze four-horse chariot sculpture, representing Brabant Raising the National Flag.
• Sablon District - The Sablon district anchors the southern end of the Upper Town and in its midst is place du Petit Sablon, a small rectangular area which was laid out as a public garden in 1890 after previous use as a horse market.
• Place du Grand Sablon - The Upper Town's most elegant square, perfect for hanging out on a summer's afternoon.
• Place du Jeu de Balle Page - Not as cheap as it once was, but still what a flea market should be, full of delectable old junk.
• Atomium - Stand Under the Seven Giant Spheres of the Atomium and hope that none of the giant spheres of this colossal representation of an iron atom will fall on your head.
• Other popular attractions worth visiting include: Musee Gueuze, Maison du Roi, Museum of Modern Art, Museum of Natural Sciences, Mini Europe, Autoworld, Planète Chocolat (chocolatier factory) tour, Bourse (Stock Exchange).

What are some interesting facts about Brussels?

Tourist information centre - The city tourist office is Brussels International Tourism, at the Hotel de Ville (Town Hall). You can pick up visitor's guides and maps here. This includes a fairly detailed street map of the inner city, with the main tourist attractions marked.

Getting around - Central Brussels is well served by trams which encircle the old town. However, the tiny streets are often pedestrianized, and usually the quickest and most enjoyable means of transport for short distances is on foot. Otherwise metro stations are well placed. Brussels city center is small enough that walking is a viable option, but it's not that small and traffic can be heavy and frantic, adding up to a tiring experience. The best solution if you have several days is to slice your time into segments for walking tours. Otherwise, a combination of walking and using the excellent public transportation is best. Beyond the center, public transportation is a virtual necessity.

Public transport - Detailed maps of the integrated transit network - Metro (subway ), tram (streetcar), and bus - are available free from the tourist information office.

Orientation - The centre of Brussels is contained within a clearly defined shape called the Pentagon. Nowadays this outline is formed by a busy ring road called the Petite Ceinture. The road follows the path of the old city walls, a huge 14th-century construction 9 km (6 miles) long. Few traces of the walls have survived, but one old city gate, the Porte de Hal, still stands, and gives a fair indication of just how massive the fortifications must have been. Most of historic Brussels is contained within these bounds, including both the commercial and popular districts of the Lower Town, and the aristocratic quarter of the Upper Town, which includes the Royal Palace. The result is that Brussels is still a very compact city. You can walk right across the Pentagon in about half an hour. As well as monuments and cultural gems, you will find a concentration of excellent places to stay and eat, good shops, and vibrant cafes and bars.

City layout - Brussels is flat in its center and western reaches, where the now-vanished River Senne once flowed. To the east a range of low hills rises to the upper city, which is crowned by the Royal Palace and has some of the city's most affluent residential and prestigious business and shopping districts. The Grand-Place (Grote Markt in Dutch) stands at the very heart of Brussels, and is both a starting point and reference point for most visitors. An excellent railway network runs almost directly through the middle of the city, with Gare du Nord (Noord Station) just across the northern rim of the Petite Ceinture, Gare Centrale (Centraal Station) in the city center not far from the Grand-Place, and Gare du Midi (Zuidstation) near the southern rim.

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23 BEST Things to Do in Brussels (+Map & Insider Tips for Top Places)

By Author Jurga

Posted on Last updated: October 4, 2023

Visiting Belgium’s capital city for the first time and wondering what to see and do in Brussels? In this article, you can find our recommendations for the very best places to see and things to do in Brussels. It will help you to make the most of your trip and explore the city just a bit deeper. Take a look!

Good to know: We are from Belgium and have lived in and near Brussels for several years. So I can immediately tell you that there’s so much more to see in Brussels than you’d ever be able to cover on a short visit… Therefore, in this guide, we mostly focus on the most popular attractions that first-time visitors shouldn’t miss .

For each place and activity, we also share our insider tips and recommendations.

Read on to learn more about the most beautiful places to see in Brussels, the very best things to do, and the most typical Belgian experiences that will make your trip more memorable!

TIP: In order to help you plan your trip, we also created this map indicating all the best places to visit in Brussels. That way, you can see where everything is located and can easier plan your sightseeing itinerary.

How to use this map:  Use your computer mouse (or fingers) to zoom in or out. Click on the icons to get more information about each place. Click the arrow on the top left corner for the index. Click the star next to the map’s title to add it to your Google Maps account. To view the saved map on your smartphone or PC, open Google Maps, click the menu and go to ‘Your Places’/’Maps’. If you want to print the map or see it in a bigger window, click on ‘View larger map’ in the top right corner.

Good to know: We list the main landmarks and tourist attractions in the center of Brussels first, followed by places a bit further away.

In addition to all the ‘must-sees’, we include some of the most typical Belgian food experiences as well. After all, no visit to Brussels would be complete without tasting Belgian waffles, beer, or trying moules-frites . Find out!

BEST OF BRUSSELS IN A NUTSHELL: * MUST-SEE: Grand Place, Manneken Pis, Royal Galleries, Mont des Arts, Royal Palace, and Magritte Museum . * FUN TO DO: Belgian Beer World , Atomium , Mini-Europe , EU headquarters, food tours . * MUST TRY: Brussels waffles, moules-frites, Belgian beers, and Belgian chocolate. * WHERE TO STAY:  See our guide to the best areas to stay in Brussels and also to the most popular hotels in Brussels . * DAY TRIPS:   Bruges , WWI Battlefields , Antwerp . Best day tour – Ghent & Bruges in a day .

Here are the best things to do in Brussels:

1. Grand Place & Brussels Town Hall

If there is one place that you absolutely have to see in Brussels, it’s the Grand Place (or de Grote Markt , in Dutch). Grand Place is the main town square of Brussels, home to the impressive Brussels Town Hall and the most beautiful guild houses in the world.

Grand Place is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most beautiful town squares in Europe. Even if this would be the only place you see in Brussels, Grand Place is worth a trip on its own!

Brussels Grand Place is amazing at any time of the day and in any season. Lots of big events take place here, including the annual Brussels Christmas Market in winter and the bi-annual Brussels Flower Carpet in summer. Often, there are (free) light and music shows at the town square in the evenings. It’s always magical!

But even if there is nothing special going on, I recommend visiting Grand Place during the day and also in the dark. The buildings are beautifully lit at night and it’s well worth coming back for it.

Practical info: You can visit Grand Place at any time and it’s free of charge. Brussels Town Hall can also be visited inside, but only with a guided tour that runs just a few days a week. More info here .

2. Royal Gallery of Saint Hubert

The Royal Gallery of Saint Hubert is one of the most beautiful landmarks of Brussels! In fact, there is not one, but two connecting galleries – Galerie du Roi (Gallery of the King) and Galerie de la Reine (Gallery of the Queen).

Opened in 1847, these impressive galleries not only transformed the formerly poorer part of the city, but also put Brussels on the map as one of the greatest cities in Europe at that time. It quickly became the place to see and to be seen, attracting the rich and the famous. The former Café des Arts (now Taverne du Passage) was a popular meeting place for writers and artists, such as Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, and many others.

Nowadays, this impressive arcade houses many luxury boutique shops, beautiful cafés, and stores selling local delicacies and traditional Belgian chocolates. Inside, you’ll also find the Cinéma des Galeries, the historic movie theatre dating from 1939.

Practical info: The Royal Galleries are always open and it doesn’t cost anything to walk through them. The shops and the restaurants inside have varying opening times.

3. Manneken Pis

Manneken Pis (the peeing boy) is the quirky symbol of Brussels. And while you’ll most likely be underwhelmed by the sight of this tiny statue, it’s one of the main landmarks of Brussels that every first-time visitor absolutely has to see.

A popular legend has it that a small boy stopped a fire from spreading in Brussels by peeing on it. And so the city was saved and the little peeing boy became its symbol. However, this is just one story and the origins of Manneken-Pis could be totally different – see below)…

The current statue dates from the early 17th century, but archives show that there was a similar fountain here as early as the 14th century.

Manneken Pis is normally naked, but he also has a huge collection of costumes that he wears for a variety of different occasions. He received his first set of clothes in the late 17th century and his oldest surviving costumes date from the 18th century.

Nowadays, Manneken Pis has over 1000 costumes, with 20-30 new items added to the collection every year. If you want to see his wardrobe and learn more about this peculiar little statue, check out the museum GardeRobe Manneken Pis .

LEARN MORE: The Real Story of Manneken-Pis in Brussels

TIP: If you have the time, you may also want to locate the statue of a little peeing girl – Jeanneke-Pis . While not as famous as Manneken Pis and usually locked behind metal bars, this little fountain has always been a popular ‘hidden gem’ in Brussels. If you want to check it out, I indicated its location on our map above.

And no, that’s not all. Brussels has something with ‘urinating’ statues. There is also a Zinneke Pis , which is a statue of a peeing dog. This – for now – completes the trio of peeing statues of Brussels. But tourists sure seem to like them, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a few more of those appearing in the future.

Practical info: You can see Manneken Pis and other statues at any time and there is no fee. If you are interested in the museum, check the above link for more information.

4. Brussels Cathedral

One of the most impressive buildings of Brussels – St Michael and St Gudula Cathedral – is another must-see in the city. It’s just 5 minutes walk from Grand Place and well worth the short detour.

St Michael and St Gudula Cathedral is the main church of Belgium, where all the Royal religious ceremonies take place. This is where Belgian Royals get married, princes and princesses are baptized, etc.

The exterior of the Cathedral is really impressive. However, it’s very hard to appreciate its beauty because it’s literally squeezed in between different streets and buildings, which makes it difficult to see it in its full grandeur. The front façade is best visible as there is a small square in front of it, giving you a better perspective in order to admire this colossal building.

The interior of the Cathedral is beautiful too and can be appreciated much easier than its exterior.

Practical info: The Cathedral is open daily and you can visit freely. So if there’s no Mass celebration at that time, definitely take a look inside.

5. Mont des Arts

Mont des Arts (Hill of the Arts) is a little hill in the center of Brussels, offering one of the best viewpoints of the city . As you walk the stairs all the way to the top, you get to see a beautiful panorama of the Brussels skyline. This is the typical postcard view of Brussels.

Historically, this hill connected the lower working-class part of the city with the upper part where aristocrats used to live. The Royal Palace of Brussels can be found on top of the hill, whereas the Town Hall can be seen below.

At the bottom of the hill, you’ll find the statue of Belgium’s King Albert I and the landscaped Mont des Arts Garden . Another thing to look out for is the Carillon of Mont des Arts . It has 24 bells and an impressive star-shaped clock, but is a bit hidden out of sight and often overlooked by first-time visitors. However, it’s also well worth seeing, so make a little effort to locate it. You can find it on the eastern side of the archway above the street of Mont des Arts.

Practical info: All these places are outdoors and can be seen at any time. Also, don’t worry about the stairs – this is not a steep hill at all. Furthermore, if you don’t want or can’t do the stairs, you can just take the sidewalk of Mont des Arts Street that brings you to the top of the hill.

6. Musical Instruments Museum

Just at the top of the Mont des Arts, stands an impressive Art-Nouveau-style building that houses the Museum of Musical Instruments (MMI). This is one of the most beautiful examples of the Art Nouveau architecture that Brussels is famous for.

MMI has been established in 1877 and now has over 7000 musical instruments from all over the world and from many different periods. This is one of my personal favorite museums in Brussels.

Every visitor receives headphones that start to play the music of the instrument near you. This makes the visit even more special.

But even if you have no time to visit the museum inside, you really shouldn’t miss this beautiful building. It’s located on the popular tourist route anyway, so no need to make an extra effort or get out of your way for it.

Practical info: The museum is open daily except on Mondays and some public holidays. For more up-to-date information and opening times, please check the official website . This is one of the museums that’s included with the Brussels Card .

7. Royal Palace & Place Royale

Belgium is a monarchy and we have a beautiful Royal Palace right in the middle of Brussels. The Royal Family actually lives in another palace in Laken, on the outskirts of Brussels. The palace in the city center is where the Belgian King works. It’s also used for various ceremonies, state dinners, and other official occasions.

Normally, you can only admire the palace from the outside. Nevertheless, it’s worth passing by here because it’s a truly impressive building. Also, you can’t really miss the Place Royale Bruxelles , a big square with an equestrian statue of Godefroid de Bouillon in front of the Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg Church .

Good to know: The Royal Palace is only open for visitors for a brief period of time in the summer. It opens to the public after the 21 st of July (Belgian National Holiday) and stays open until the last week of August. You can visit every day except Monday and it’s free of charge. If you happen to be in Brussels during this time, it’s definitely worth a visit, but be prepared for the crowds.

8. Brussels Park

Right in front of the Royal Palace, there is a nice small city park – Royal Park , also known as Brussels Park . Located on the former hunting grounds that in the past were reserved for the aristocracy, this public park was established in the 18th century.

Brussels Park is quite small and you can see everything in 15-30 minutes. It has several fountains and beautiful statues, and you can escape the hustle and the bustle of the city for a few moments here. There are also one or two cozy outdoor cafés in the park.

Practical info: The park is open daily, from 6 AM to 10 PM, and is free to enter. It’s more lively in the afternoons and on the weekends.

9. Petit Sablon Neighborhood

Just a short walk from the main tourist attractions, in the heart of Brussels, lies a very nice local neighborhood called Petit Sablon . It’s an area where historic architecture and modern artsy lifestyle mingle to create a very unique atmosphere. This is one of the nicest, trendier, but also very local parts of Brussels.

Don’t miss the Église Notre-Dame des Victoires au Sablon (Church of Our Lady of Victories at the Sablon). It’s one of the most beautiful churches in Brussels! The little park at the Square du Petit Sablon , just opposite the street from the church, is also very nice. Don’t miss it.

For the rest, just stroll through the neighborhood, following the information panels that indicate all the main sights. One of my favorite places here is the town square Place du Grand Sablon . It’s lined with art galleries, trendy boutiques, artsy cafes, and luxury chocolatiers. On the weekends, this is where you’ll find Brussel’s most famous antique market.

10. Rue des Bouchers

Probably the most famous restaurant street in Belgium, Rue des Bouchers is another top tourist attraction in Brussels. It’s a colorful, lively pedestrian street, packed with bars and restaurants. Most of them offer all kinds of seafood, and you’ll see impressive displays of shellfish on ice all over the place.

Most restaurants here are really oriented towards tourists, with pictures on the menu, food displays, and waiters trying to convince you to sit down at their restaurant. It will take some willpower to cross this street without actually sitting down for a meal. But it’s also a very well-known place to see in Brussels, so even if you don’t plan to eat here, you should definitely check this street out!

Good to know: Rue des Bouchers is a popular place to try the traditional Belgian ‘moules-frites’ (mussels and fries) . However, in general, you’ll get better value for money in the more local restaurants. The best season for Belgian mussels is from the beginning of July to around mid-April.

11. Place de la Bourse & Belgian Beer World

Place de la Bourse (Stock Exchange Square) is a town square in front of the old Brussels Stock Exchange building. It’s a popular place for all kinds of events and also political demonstrations.

The Stock Exchange building itself doesn’t really have an official name and is often simply called Palais de la Bourse (the Stock Exchange Palace).

This colossal 19th-century building has an impressive facade that makes you think of Greek temples. It’s even guarded by lion statues on the sides. After year-long renovations, the building is now beautifully restored and is home to the newest attraction in Brussels – Belgian Beer World .

This is an interactive family-friendly exhibition that introduces you to Belgian beer culture. At the end of the visit, you get to sample some beer at the Sky Bar. The bar is located on a beautiful rooftop terrace and offers nice city views – another great reason to come here.

Practical information: Stock Exchange Square is located just near Grand Place, so it’s really easy to include a visit here in any itinerary. If you want to visit Belgian Beer World, you can find more information and get tickets here .

Good to know: During the opening hours of the museum, you can only visit the rooftop terrace with a ticket. But in the evenings, when the museum is closed, you can go up to the Sky Bar for free.

12. Saint Catherine & Fish Market

Another really nice and more local area to see in the Brussels city center is the Saint Catherine neighborhood . It’s concentrated around the Saint Catherine Church and several town squares. The best-known square is Marché aux Poissons (Fish Market), where the old Brussels port used to be.

There is no actual fish market here. However, this part of Brussels is also a good place for (sea)food lovers and you’ll find many restaurants and cafes lining the streets. If locals go for seafood in Brussels, they’ll likely come here and not to Rue des Bouchers. Prices tend to be higher here as well, but you also can expect better quality.

In winter, this is one of the places where the Brussels Christmas market takes place. And in summer, you’ll find a lively area with outdoor restaurant terraces and a very pleasant vibe.

TIP: Don’t miss the Tour Noire (the Black Tower), a restored medieval tower surrounded by modern buildings.

13. Atomium

While most of the main Brussels tourist attractions mentioned above can be found in the city center, the most remarkable landmark of Brussels – the Atomium – requires a separate visit. It’s located on the western side of Brussels and can be reached by metro or with a hop-on hop-off bus (more info on the bus below).

The Atomium was built in 1958 as the flagship building of the Brussels World’s Fair, Expo 58. The nine spheres represent an iron crystal (magnified 165 billion times) and it was supposed to be torn down soon after the event, but it quickly became an unmistakable symbol of Brussels. It has recently been renovated, looks more impressive than ever before, and nobody can imagine the city without the Atomium anymore.

At the moment, Atomium is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Brussels. It’s impressive both, from the outside and well as on the inside. Inside, you’ll find is a museum, a panoramic restaurant, and a magnificent 360° panorama with unparalleled views over Brussels and its surroundings.

Practical info: You can see the Atomium from the outside at any time and it’s beautifully lit at night. For visits inside, see practical info and get your tickets here .

14. Mini-Europe

If you already make it all the way to the Atomium, then definitely visit the adjacent Mini-Europe as well. Here, you’ll find miniature buildings and landmarks from all over Europe, scaled to the size of 1:25.

It’s a fun way to discover the main landmarks from various European countries and maybe even find some travel inspiration for future trips. And if you ever wanted to take some fun pictures with the mini versions of the Eiffel Tower or Big Ben, this is your chance!

Mini-Europe is great for all ages. It’s fun for families visiting Brussels with kids, but it’s definitely not only for kids.

Practical info: Mini-Europe is an outdoor attraction, but is open daily, all year round, and is just one of the many places you can also visit in Belgium in winter . See here for more info and tickets.

TIP: If you are planning to visit both, Atomium and Mini-Europe, you can get a combi-ticket that saves a few euros.

15. European Quarter

Brussels is the capital of Europe and there are many EU institutions in the city. Most of them are concentrated around Place Schuman, Place du Luxembourg, Place Jourdan, and Place Jean Rey. All these places are a few metro stops from the old town.

If you want to get to know more about the EU, then it might be interesting to visit the European Parliament in Brussels. There are several unique experiences that you can choose from, and it’s also free of charge. You should book in advance.

Practical info: You can see all the buildings from the outside at any time. For more information for a visit inside, please check the official website of the European Parliament in Brussels.

16. Cinquantenaire Park

Located outside the city center, a short walk from the EU Quarter, the Parc du Cinquantenaire (Park of the 50th anniversary of Belgian independence). This is one of the biggest and most famous parks of Brussels. It has nice lawns, flower displays, fountains, playgrounds, a huge triumphal arch in the middle, and several big museums.

The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History is a nice place to see all kinds of military equipment, armory, but also tanks, and even aircraft. More info .

Autoworld is a car museum, with a big collection of vintage vehicles. This is one of the best museums to visit in Brussels with children and it’s not just for boys. More info .

The Art & History Museum has an impressive collection of works of art dating from various periods of time, from Ancient Egypt and the Roman Empire to the Renaissance, and more. More info .

Most tourists who come to Brussels just for a day don’t get to this part of the city. But if you take a hop-on hop-off bus (more info below), you’ll definitely pass here. If you have more time, take a stroll through the park and visit one of the museums.

Practical information: You’ll need at least 30-45 min for Autoworld or for the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces. The Art & History Museum requires at least 2 hours of your time. For more information and opening times, please check their websites linked above.

TIP: All these museums are included with the Brussels Card .

17. Hop-on Hop-off Bus

If you want to see a lot of Brussels in a short time, then consider taking a hop-on hop-off bus . It’s especially convenient if you are planning to visit the attractions located a bit outside the city center. For the Atomium, Mini Europe, but also the EU buildings or Cinquantenaire Park, the hop-on hop-off bus is the best way to easily get there.

There are two routes and your ticket covers both of them. For the western side of the city including Atomium, take the Blue Route (aka Atomium Route). For the easter side, including the European quarter and Cinquantenaire Park, take the Red Route (aka Europe Route).

The advantage of taking the sightseeing bus is that it also passes the Royal Palace in Laken, the National Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Koekelberg, the Japanese Tower at the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken, and several other interesting Brussels landmarks. You also get to see some colorful neighborhoods of Brussels that you’d totally miss otherwise.

18. Brussels Museums

Brussels has many museums and, depending on your interests and the time you have, you could consider visiting a few of them. However, with so many choices, it can be really overwhelming to decide where to go. So here are a few more suggestions, in addition to the ones already mentioned above. (You can also find these on our map of Brussels attractions).

In the heart of Brussels and just near the Musical Instruments Museum, you’ll find the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium . This is a complex of two museums – the Old Masters Museum and the Magritte Museum . You can visit one or both of them (combination tickets are available). The building is so large that you can spend a big part of the day here. More info here . If you have time for just one museum in Brussels, make it the Magritte Museum !

For nature, history, and dinosaurs, head to the Museum of Natural Sciences . The museum houses the largest Dinosaur Gallery in Europe and is a favorite among kids. However, it’s located somewhat far away from all the attractions in the city center. So you really have to make an effort in order to visit. More info here .

Brussels City Museum , located at the Grand Place town square, is dedicated to the city of Brussels. This museum is a great place to learn about Brussels and its history from the Middle Ages to modern times. More info here .

Other Brussels museums that are also worth considering are Comics Art Museum, Train World , BOZAR, and Choco-Story Brussels . But even if you’d somehow manage to visit all of these, you’ll just scratch the surface of all that there’s to see in Brussels.

TIP: If you are a museum fan and plan to visit several of Brussels museums in one trip, then definitely get Brussels Card . It will save you a lot of money.

Now that we covered all the best places to see in Brussels, here are some additional experiences that you don’t want to miss. Ok, you can skip the shopping but definitely don’t skip all the food and drinks that Belgium is famous for. Take a look at our suggestions with some insider tips!

19. Shopping at Rue Neuve or Avenue Louise

In addition to all the tourist sights and attractions, many people come to Brussels for shopping. It’s a great place for that indeed, with countless options and plenty of choices for all styles and budgets.

The busiest place in Brussels, Rue Neuve is the main shopping street of the city. It’s lined with big chain stores and looks and feels like any other big shopping area in the world. But if you’d like to do some shopping, this is the place to be.

For a more high-end shopping experience, head to Avenue Louise on the other side of the city center. Here, you’ll find expensive designer boutiques, with names as Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & co, Michael Kors, and similar.

20. Belgian Chocolate

No trip to Brussels would be complete without tasting some really good Belgian chocolate . There are probably hundreds of shops selling chocolate in the center of Brussels. And you can also visit Choco-Story Brussels , where you can learn more about Belgian chocolate and taste some of it.

TIP: If you are looking to taste some truly good Belgian chocolate, I recommend checking out the shops of traditional Belgian chocolate brands such as Neuhaus , Godiva , Leonidas , or Pierre Marcolini .

The traditional Belgian chocolate brands such as Neuhaus (est. 1857), Leonidas (est. 1913), and Godiva (est. 1926) have a long history, whereas Pierre Marcolini is the newcomer that opened his first shop at the end of the 20 th century.

Leonidas offers some of the best price-quality Belgian chocolates. Godiva and Neuhaus are somewhat more expensive and some of their chocolates require an acquired taste that not everybody will appreciate.

The chocolates of Pierre Marcolini are more contemporary and often quite daring. They come with a high price tag as well. But if you want to taste some of the best chocolate in the world, then definitely stop by one of their shops in Brussels.

Our personal favorite Belgian chocolate is the white ‘Manon’ praline from Leonidas . These pralines have coffee-flavored buttercream in a shell of white chocolate, with hazelnut in the middle. You can find them without hazelnut, with milk chocolate or dark chocolate as well, but definitely try the original one too! They were invented back in 1934, but are just as popular nowadays as they were almost a hundred years ago.

Our kids’ favorites are the Côte d’Or Praliné chocolates that come in many different varieties. You’ll find them in all Belgian supermarkets. They are much better and much cheaper than the chocolates sold in tourist stores.

21. Belgian Waffles

It’s impossible to not mention Belgian waffles when writing about any major city in Belgium. You’ll see and smell the waffles in all the tourist areas in Brussels. And they’re so hard to resist.

There are so many different types of Belgian waffles, but the tourist places usually all sell just one or two kinds – the Brussels waffles and the Liege waffles . Usually the latter. The Brussels waffles are somewhat bigger, more ‘airy’, and not as sweet. They are rectangular in shape. Whereas the Liege waffles are quite thick and heavy, and they also contain more sugar. They are also somewhat more rounded than the Brussels waffles.

In addition, you can choose extra toppings that vary from whipped cream and chocolate to fresh strawberries and many others. If you dare, try a few toppings at once. Just keep in mind that you’ll have to try to eat it all while standing in the busy street, with hundreds of people walking by. This is the reason why we usually simply opt for a plain waffle when buying Belgian waffles from the street shops.

Still, the best traditional waffles are the ones you’ll find at these street stands and not at restaurants. Definitely give it a try!

TIP: If you have a few hours to spare, you can also check out this waffle-making workshop . It’s something fun to do in Brussels that you won’t find in many other places.

22. Belgian Beer

One of the best things to do in Brussels is go bar-hopping and try different Belgian beers in various pubs and cafes. There are many tourist-oriented places, but for a more authentic experience, look for older, traditional pubs and cafes.

Some of them have hundreds of different Belgian beers , many on tap, and always with their own matching glasses (see more about this in our guide to fun facts about Belgium ).

Here are just a few of the best beer cafes in Brussels (we also indicated them on the map): Delirium Café , Moeder Lambic , Café Mort Subite , Bier Circus , etc.

Don’t settle for the typical mass-production Belgian beer that you find all over the world. Make sure to ask for some local suggestions and try something that you can only find in Belgium!

Good to know: Some Belgian beers are very strong, so be careful if trying more than one or two of them on the same evening. On the other hand, there are also very light, fruity beers, that you will enjoy even if you are not a big fan of beer, like me.

Local’s recommendation: My husband’s favorite Belgian beers are the Trappist beers: Westmalle , Westvleteren ,  Orval , Rochefort , Achel , Chimay , and La Trappe . In Brussels, Lambic , Geuze , Mort Subite , La Chouffe , or Rodenbach are just a few popular choices.

TIP: If you want to taste various Belgian beers, but are not sure where to start or what to choose, check out this popular pub crawl or – if you are in the mood for more – this highly-rated tour that includes 7 beers and snacks .

23. Belgian Fries with Mayo

No visit to Belgium would be complete without trying some typical Belgian fries with mayo (and no, it’s nothing like fries or mayo that you’ll find anywhere else in the world). And while you can find good fries in the restaurants as well, the best ones come from the street stands called ‘ friterie ’ or ‘ fritkot’ .

For a couple of euros, you can have a delicious and quick meal. It’s perfect when you don’t want to sit down for a long meal during the day and rather spend your time sightseeing.

And yes, it’s not the healthiest option, but with all the chocolate, waffles, and beer, you’ll likely need to loosen your belt in Brussels anyway. So why not go for a full experience and try it all!

TIP: The most popular place to taste traditional Belgian fries in the center of Brussels is the friterie called Fritland , located on the western side of the Stock Exchange building. No matter what time of the day, there’s always a queue here, you can’t miss it. Another good place is Friterie Tabora , very close by to the Grand Place as well. I indicated both of these on our map, but there are many, many more good places throughout the city.

Where to Stay

There are so many nice hotels in various areas of Brussels that it’s really difficult to recommend just a few accommodations. For sightseeing, we recommend staying in the city center, close to Grand Place – this area really has it all and is also easy to access by public transport.

Here are some of the best hotels in the heart of the city center, close to Grand Place, for all budgets:

• €€€€€ Rocco Forte Hotel Amigo .
• €€€€ Warwick Grand Place .
• €€€ NH Collection Brussels Centre .
• €€ Motel One Brussels .

READ ALSO: Where to Stay in Brussels (best areas & hotels for all budgets) & Most Popular Brussels Hotels (top 10 most-booked hotels in the city center)

So, this is our guide to the top things to do in Brussels and the main tourist attractions that you shouldn’t miss when visiting the Belgian capital. I hope that this will help you make the most of your visit and get to know Brussels a bit better.

If you are visiting other Belgian cities as well, make sure to also check our guide to the best things to do in Bruges and also the best things to do in Antwerp (+ don’t miss our favorite local places in Antwerp ).

TIP: If you are looking for ideas on how to plan your trip, see our suggested Belgium itinerary for 3-4 days . It also includes tips for where to stay and how to get around. Check it out!

Have a great trip to Brussels!

If you found this post helpful, don’t forget to bookmark it and share it with your friends. Are you on Pinterest? Pin these images!

More travel inspiration for some of the most beautiful cities all over Europe:

• Best Things to Do in Amsterdam
• Best Things to Do in Barcelona
• Best Things to Do in Rome
• Best Things to Do in Venice
• Best Things to Do in Florence
• Best Things to Do in London
• Best Things to Do in Edinburgh
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Monday 15th of April 2024

Thank you! As I read your recommendations, the sites were easy to locate on the map. I was able to sketch out our Brussels adventures. My daughter and I are visiting for ten days in August with side trips to Ghent, Liege, Antwerp, Luxembourg and Bruges. I look forward to reading more!

Tuesday 16th of April 2024

Glad to help Donna. If you happen to be in Belgium around the 15th of August, don't miss the Flower Carpet! Have a great trip!

Thursday 28th of December 2023

Heading to Brussels early May. Also side trip to Luxembourg. Any tips on that? Also thinking of day trip to Ghent - worth it?

These guides are amazing. Thanks.

Friday 29th of December 2023

@Jurga, Thanks... Yes Luxembourg is a far ride so planning to stay two nights. Your site was very helpful. Thanks much.

Hi Janet, you can easily take a train from Brussels to Luxembourg and visit for a day, but it's a rather long train journey so start early. Ghent is much closer and you don't necessarily need a full day if you just want to see the main highlights, but it all depends on your interests. Some people love it more than any other city in Belgium. You could also combine it with Bruges. If you have time, I highly recommend visiting Antwerp. It's a very easy day trip by train and you can easily fill a day or even more there. It's our personal favorite. You can find several detailed guides on Antwerp and Bruges on our website - see here for an overview. Unfortunately, I haven't published anything about Ghent or Luxembourg city itself. In Ghent, the nicest place to be is around Korenlei/Graslei and St. Michael's Bridge. Don't miss Gravensteen Castle and Lam Gods painting at Saint Bavo's Cathedral. In Luxembourg, visit the old town around Grand Ducal Palace. We personally always love walking around Grund (this area is by the river and can be reached via elevators from old town). Also don't miss Bock Casemates. Hope this helps.

R. Robinson

Monday 18th of September 2023

Your travel guides are amazingly helpful! Thank you very much. I used the Iceland guide in June and currently in Brussels.

Thursday 21st of September 2023

Glad to help. Hope you enjoyed Belgium!

Colin Peart

Tuesday 15th of February 2022

Thanks for the great tips. The best blog I’ve found for Brüssels.

Wednesday 16th of February 2022

Glad to help, Colin. Have a great time in Brussels! (and don't forget that there's more to Belgium than its capital ;))

Brussels Tourist Attractions Map PDF

Printable Map of Brussels Attractions, Walking Tours Map

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Brussels Tourist Attractions Maps | City Tours Map

Belgium’s capital city is a compact one full of history and ancient architectural attractions. The city is a melting pot of different atmosphere, which showcases the entirety of Europe in one setting. Brussels is very proud owner of its flower covered Grand Palace, its world famous chocolate and waffles and the city’s own mascot, the Mannekin Pis.

The good news is getting around this wonderful city is made easy due to a number of available transportation options such as the public bus or the metro service. You can also opt to rent a bike or share a car. Just make sure to have a copy of the Brussels Metro Map andthe Brussels Transport Map. Both maps are useful for making your trip memorable as it shows in detail where best to go if you are looking for a specific event, restaurant or location to explore.

If you want to explore Brussels famous attractions, get a copy of the BrusselsTourist Sightseeing Map. This map will be your guide into the city’s major tourist destination like the Atomium, Belgian Comic Strip Center, Belgian Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Grand Palace, Mannekin Pis, Royal Palace, Saint-Michel Cathedral, Mont des Arts and so many more!

Many of the tourist spots in Brussels are located in close proximity with each other and within walking distance so going on foot is not a problem. To help you locate which amazing sights are within the area, make use of the Brussels Walking Tour Maps. There’s a walking map that will surely suit your need that you can follow or you can make your own!

The Brussels Hop on Hop off Bus Tour is also available for those who just want to enjoy the view and observe comfortably. Plan your tour ahead by checking the bus schedules and getting the free printable copy of the Brussels Hop on Hop off Bus map.

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Old England Building

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Strap on a pair of headphones, then step on the automated floor panels in front of the precious instruments (including world instruments and Adolphe Sax’s…

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The typically austere exterior doesn’t give much away, but Victor Horta’s former home (designed and built 1898–1901) is an art nouveau jewel. The…

St-Gilles Town Hall

One of Brussels’ overlooked architectural wonders, this splendid Napoleon III–style palace

Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts

This prestigious museum incorporates the Musée d’Art Ancien (ancient art); the Musée d’Art Moderne (modern art), with works by surrealist Paul Delvaux and…

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Parc du Cinquantenaire was built during Léopold II's reign. It's best known for its cluster of museums – art, history, military and motor vehicles – which…

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Poechenellekelder

Despite facing Brussels’ kitsch central, this is a surprisingly appealing café full of genuine old puppets. It offers a great selection of fairly priced…

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The quintessential Marolles experience is haggling at this chaotic flea market, established in 1919. Weekends see it at its liveliest, but for the best…

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Squatting just off Rue des Bouchers, this pigtailed female counterpart of Manneken Pis is the work of sculptor Denis Adrien Debouvrie, who installed her…

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Beer lovers shouldn’t miss this unique living brewery-museum. Atmospheric and family run, it’s Brussels’ last operating lambic brewery and still uses much…

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This café's barrel tables, beer-tray ceilings and over 2000 world beers were already impressive. Now they’ve added a rum garden, a tap house and the…

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Larger than St Peter’s in Rome, this 2.6-hectare complex of law courts was the world’s biggest building when it was constructed (1866–83). While the…

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The church has some original murals and was once a major pilgrimage site: right up until WWI, cart drivers and those suffering fits would arrive here to…

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This centre offers a definitive and enjoyable overview of the country’s vibrant comic-strip culture. Even if you’re not excited by the ‘ninth art’, do…

Erasmus House Museum

Anderlecht was still a country village when world-famous humanist Erasmus came to ‘play at farming’ in 1521. The lovely brick home where he stayed for…

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27 Top Attractions & Things to do in Brussels

The capital of Belgium might be best known as the headquarters of the European Union and the seat of the country’s Royal Family. But it is also a fabulous tourist destination.

Whether you are visiting on a day trip to stock up on chocolates and beer, spending a weekend to immerse yourself in culture, or going there for your annual holiday, you will have a wonderful time in Brussels.

The city oozes charm and sophistication. It has gorgeous Gothic churches as well as a variety of other medieval buildings. The historic tourist attractions in Brussels blend well with it’s 21st century attractions. There are many fine museums and galleries, historic statues and lovely green parks. For sure, travelers won’t lack for things to do in Brussels.

27. Place du Jeu de Balle

Also known as Vossenplein, The Place du Jeu de Balle is an historic square in the heart of the Marollen district. It is best known for a famous flea market that has operated there since 1873.

Fondly and appropriately referred to as the ‘Old Market’, this market is the only flea and antique market in the world to be open 365 days a year. When browsing through the various market stalls, you will find an eclectic mix of items for sale. They range from antique porcelain, vintage clothes and rare books to 19th-century crossbows, canvas artwork and old vinyl records.

The market is somewhere you can easily spend hours wandering around. Around the square, there are several shops you can browse in too.

26. Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History

If you are fascinated by history and war, you will want to visit the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History.

Located within the historic Parc du Cinquantenaire, the captivating museum takes you on a journey from the Middle Ages to the dawn of the aviation age – focusing on battle, conflict and warfare. It showcases several galleries devoted to specific exhibits like the French empire, Russian Gallery and the Navy. Visitors can also take in its magnificent aviation hall and the arms and armour gallery.

Even if you are not a fan of the military or armed forces, it is worth coming here to see the outstanding panoramic views of Brussels from the top of the Triumphal Arch, which you can access from the museum.

25. Royal Theater Toone

If you are traveling to Brussels with children or should you want to unleash the big kid in you, be sure to visit the Théâtre Royal de Toone.

Locally known as Toone, this folkloric theater specializes in puppet shows. Founded in 1830 by Antoine ‘Toone’ Genty, it is now the only authentic marionette performance still operating in the city. Notably, many of the plays they present are in Marollien or Marols. The traditional dialect of Brussels.

During the performances, other languages are spoken. These shows customarily incorporate the essence of zwanze – a quintessential form of sarcastic humor that is distinctly Brusselian. As well as the shows, the theater has a small museum of puppetry and a tavern.

24. Comic strip murals

Brussels has been synonymous with comic books since Tintin and Spirou launched around the 1930s.

Although the city hosts the iconic comic book museum – the Belgian Comic Strip Centre – it also boasts several murals devoted to characters like Lucky Luck, The Smurfs, Gaston Lagaffe, Tintin and Spirou. These murals illuminate the side of buildings and are so prevalent you can even book a guided bike or walking tour to see some of the most popular ones.

If you prefer to tour them independently, pick up a map and head off for a self-guided exploration. Be sure to have your camera ready when you check out Brousaille Wall, Victor Sackville Wall, Le Jeune Albert Wall and Olivier Rameau’s Wall.

23. Bois de la Cambre

If you want to relax during your visit to Brussels, there is no better place to do this than at The Bois de la Cambre.

One of the larger public recreational spaces in the city, the park was named after La Cambre Abbey. Its layout is reminiscent of the manicured parklands of England and features immaculately cut grass and bosky woodland. There is a lovely path to go walking or jogging on, and children will enjoy the opportunity to play on the playground or go on a pony ride.

Set within the center of the park, Chalet Robinson sits on Robinson Island. There you will find a terrific restaurant and will be able to rent out pedalos or boats and partake in a friendly game of pétanque.

22. Horta Museum

If you are a fan of the Art Nouveau movement, make sure you take the opportunity to visit The Horta Museum.

Situated on Rue Américaine, this museum is devoted to the life, vision, philosophy and work of the acclaimed architect Victor Horta. Presented in his former townhouse residence, which dates back to 1898, the museum features on UNESCO’s World Heritage list.

The museum showcases permanent displays of furniture, art objects and utensils. All of which were designed by Horta and his peers. You can also see documents that convey certain aspects of his life and the time. In addition, the museum showcases temporary exhibitions that further highlight the excellence of the man and his art. If you go there, be warned photography is not allowed in the museum.

21. Parlamentarium

You might be aware of the European Parliament. But do you know what it does and how it may impact your everyday life? Well, if not, then you might want to pay a visit to the Parlamentarium .

Situated within the impressive Espace Léopold on Place du Luxembourg, this serves as the visitor center for the European Union. Opened in 2011, it features notable attractions like a role-playing game, a massive interactive floor map and a 360° cinema.

Whilst at the Parlamentarium, you can do a self-guided tour – which is available in 24 languages. During it, you will gain a deeper insight into the sometimes maligned institution and learn more about what they are doing to counter some of the continent’s most pressing issues.

20. Museum of Natural Sciences

Are you fascinated by dinosaurs? Then pencil in a trip to the Museum of Natural Sciences .

You will have to head to Rue Vautier 29 to do so. But once you are there, you will experience the wonders of The Dinosaur Hall. Officially the largest museum hall in the world solely devoted to dinosaurs, it features the famous Ishango bone that the Belgian geologist Jean de Heinzelin de Braucourt discovered in 1960 in the Belgian Congo.

Incorporated within the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, other exhibits at the museum include a collection of fossilized Iguanodon skeletons uncovered in 1878. Dinosaurs aside, you can discover more about the evolution of the human body in the Gallery of Humankind and travel back in time via the Gallery of Evolution too.

19. Cantillon Brewery

Belgium is renowned for the quality of its beer. So, if you are a fan of amber nectar, it would be churlish not to try a few local samples. One of the best places to do this in Brussels is on a tour of the Cantillon Brewery.

A traditional family-run brewery which opened in 1900, you’ll find it at Rue Gheude within the Anderlecht district of the city. It features original equipment and beer cellars used by Paul Cantillon, who founded the establishment.

Whilst there, you can tour their facility and try out some of their fabulous lambic-style beers. These include Kriek, a brew made with cherries, or Fou’ Foune, a beverage derived from apricot. If any beer takes your fancy, you can buy some from their shop.

18. Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium

For art lovers, The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium should be a massive drawcard during your visit to Brussels. Comprising not one but six different museums, they collectively house some of the country’s most important cultural and artistic treasures.

The six institutions are the Magritte, Oldmasters, Antoine Wiertz, Constantin Meunier, Fin-de-Siècle and modern museum. Between them, these venues showcase an impressive collection of paintings, sculptures and drawings that date back to the early 15th century.

Exploring the complex of museums is among most popular things to do in Brussels. Expect to spend a lot of your time marveling at the works of celebrated artists like Robert Campin, Rogier van der Weyden, Anthony van Dyck, Bruegel, Peter Paul Rubens and Jacob Jordaens.

17. Autoworld

If you love cars, then Autoworld is somewhere you will have to visit when you go to the Parc du Cinquantenaire. Situated in the South Hall, this fantastic vintage car museum boasts a vast collection of automobiles from Europe and the USA.

The collection spans the late 19th century up until the 1990s. It features a Bentley made in 1928 and a Cord and Bugatti from 1930. It also presents Minervas and several limousines owned by the Belgian Royal Family.

In addition, several Belgian-made vehicles like Fondu, Vivinus, Imperia and FN are on display. Along with various other sports cars, passenger cars, motorcycles, carriages and fire engines. Throughout the year, the museum also runs celebrated events for the automotive industry.

16. Royal Palace

Separated from Brussels Park by a stately square called Place des Palais, the Royal Palace is one of the city’s most impressive examples of Neoclassical architecture. As construction started in 1783 and was not completed until 1934, this should give you an idea of how expansive the building is.

Although it is the official palace of the Belgian monarchy, the king and queen do not use it as their royal residence. However, as is tradition, they open their doors to the general public for five weeks every year in July and August.

At this time, you can visit it for free and gain access to certain rooms. Some of these rooms contain state portraits of Leopold I, Napoleon, Leopold II and Louis Philippe I.

15. Serres Royales De Laeken

Brussels can get a bit nippy in the winter. So, a good place to escape this chill is The Royal Greenhouses of Laeken.

Located within the Avenue du Parc Royal, this magnificent complex of classically designed, heated greenhouses features tropical, sub-tropical and cold zones. Created in 1874 on behalf of King Leopold II, under the jurisdiction of Alphonse Balat, the complex also features arcades, pavilions and several cupolas.

It now belongs to the Belgian Royal Family, who only open it to the general public a handful of days in the year. If you can visit it when it is open, you should see its famous Royal Botanic Collection. It includes the world’s oldest and largest collection of camellias cultivated in a greenhouse setting.

14. Parc du Cinquantenaire

As previously mentioned, The Parc du Cinquantenaire is home to The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History. However, there is much more than that to Jubelpark – as it is colloquially known.

The beautiful green space covers 30 hectares within the eastern part of the city’s European Quarter. It was inaugurated in the 19th century and has beautifully landscaped grounds with fountains, ponds, waterfalls and floral gardens.

The park features a U-shaped building complex that houses numerous institutions of high cultural relevance. These include a centerpiece memorial arch, the Art & History Museum and the Autoworld vintage car. It also features a monument dedicated to Belgian Pioneers in the Congo, The Temple of Passions and the Great Mosque of Brussels.

13. Rene Magritte Museum

Art lovers should make a point of visiting the Magritte Museum . Situated on the Palace Royale, within the exquisite, neoclassical, five-storey Hôtel du Lotto, this terrific attraction presents the work of René Magritte.

An acclaimed Belgian surrealist artist, the museum features a permanent, multidisciplinary collection of his original drawings, paintings and sculptures. Amongst the notable works on display are ‘The Empire of Light’, ‘Scheherazade’ and ‘The Return’.

The museum serves as one of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium’s constituents. It is the largest archive of Magritte’s work anywhere in the world, with much of it coming from his widow’s private collection. Other exhibits include photography and short surrealist films that Magritte experimented on.

12. Train World

If you are into ferroequinology, your first stop in Brussels should be a trip to Train World .

Tucked away in the renovated buildings of the former Schaarbeek railway station, this attraction is the Belgian National Railway Company’s official museum. Overall it presents iconic steam locomotives like Le Belge and ‘L’Eléphant’, both built in 1835, and the Pays de Waes (1844). It also exhibits a railway bridge built in the 19th century and even provides an experience of what driving a train feels like.

Found at Place Princesse Elisabeth, the museum is open every day of the week except Monday. There is a restaurant onsite in case you get hungry, and you can rent audio guides in different languages whilst you are there.

11. Belgian Comic Strip Center

If you’ve seen the comic strip murals, then you should be ready to visit the Comics Art Museum. If you make it down to its Rue des Sables 20 location, you will see another Victor-Horta-designed Art Nouveau building.

For over 30 years, this terrific attraction has been championing the leading players and characters of the 9th Art. it spans four floors, and there is plenty to see here. The first floor has a comic store, library, study center, restaurant and a room honoring Victor Horta.

The first floor comprises rooms with original pages of comic books and animation, as well as an auditorium. Whilst the second has a permanent exhibition of characters and publications. The top floor is devoted to merchandising.

10. Notre Dame du Sablon

Notre Dame du Sablon is a lovely 15h century Gothic Catholic church located in the historic Sablon district of Brussels. Also known as Our Blessed Lady of the Sablon, church parishioners included Belgium’s royalty and nobility. Indeed, some royals are buried in the chapel of St. Ursula.

This gray-white church is famous for its beautiful stained glass windows that are illuminated from the inside at night. Other must-sees are the two baroque chapels with funeral symbols carved into the marble and the statue of St. Hobart that once was stolen by Antwerp and recaptured by Brussels in 1348.

9. Mini Europe

A visit to Mini Europe may remind many people of the old movie, “If it’s Tuesday, it must be Belgium,” in which travelers make the Grand Tour of Europe in just a few days. At Mini Europe, however, they can see the best on the continent in just a few hours.

A tour of Mini Europe will take visitors from the gondolas of Venice to Big Ben in London. They can also experience Vesuvius erupting in Italy and the fall of the Berlin Wall in Germany. In all, Mini Europe offers 350 miniature settings that explore the best of Europe.

8. Musical Instrument Museum

The Musical Instrument Museum is a must-visit for anyone who plays a musical instrument or just plain loves music. The museum houses more than 1,100 musical instruments, ranging from ancient to modern.

Considered one of the top musical instrument museums in the world, the museum also houses a concert hall in its uniquely designed Art Noveau and Neoclassical building. Exhibits feature keyboards, types of music from medieval to the 19th century, and mechanical and electronic instruments.

The most popular gallery features traditional musical instruments from around the world. Here, visitors may be surprised to learn the Scots weren’t the only ones who played bagpipes.

7. Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert

In a city replete with incredible architecture, it is a testament to how the design of The Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries manages to capture people’s attention.

Lording over the Galerie du Roi 5, just a stone’s throw from the Grand Place, it takes the form of a trio of ornate, glazed shopping arcades. Consisting of the King’s, Queen’s and Prince’s galleries, they opened in 1847 after being designed and constructed under the project management of Jean-Pierre Cluysenaer.

Representing the Italianate Cinquecento style, this historic monument features shopfronts with glazed arches separated by two upper floors and pilasters. Among the many upscale retailers are Neuhaus chocolatiers and the revered Delvaux leather goods. The Royal Theater of the Galleries is also within the complex.

6. Mont des Arts

Cats may have nine lines, but the Mont des Arts, a hill in the center of Brussels, is giving them a run for the money. Once a densely populated neighborhood, the buildings were torn down; the land lay vacant for many years. Then a garden was put in but it, too, was torn down to make way for buildings, which include the Royal Library and Congress Palace.

A new garden shares space with the buildings today. Visitors to the “hill of the arts” will find some of the best views of Brussels from here, with the Town Hall spires reaching up into the sky.

5. Manneken Pis

The Manneken Pis is undoubtedly the most visited landmark in Brussels. While visitors may skip many of the fine museums, no one leaves Brussels without visiting the Manneken Pis: a unique water fountain that features a naked little boy urinating into a fountain.

The statue isn’t always naked, however, as it has a wardrobe that would make the Kardashians jealous: It has 900 costumes that are changed frequently. Visitors can view them at the City Museum. The small bronze statue has been amusing residents and visitors alike since the early 1600s, though there is mention of such a statue a century or two earlier.

4. Brussels Cathedral

The Brussels Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula is a truly magnificent structure. The main part of this Catholic chuch dates to the 11th century while the towers were constructed in the 13th century. All told, it took about 300 years to build this impressive stone church.

Named after the country’s patron saints, it is Belgium’s main church. Visitors will be awed by the beautiful stained glass windows, especially the ones by Bernard van Orley, a 16th century painter. The Last Judgment window is lit from within at night.

3. Town Hall

While many cities rush to build modern town halls, the City of Brussels is sticking with its early 15th century Gothic town hall. It is the last remaining medieval building on the Grand Place. Of course, there’s a newer addition, but it’s not as interesting.

The old town hall is decorated with 137 statues of important people, like nobles and saints, in the city’s history. Visitors will only see copies there, as the originals are in the nearby city museum. The building is topped with an elegant spire that itself is topped with a 5-meter (16-foot) high statue of the archangel Michael.

At first glance, the Atomium looks like a space-age Ferris wheel, but looks can be deceiving. This Brussels landmark actually represents a portion of an ion crystal that’s been magnified 185 billion times.

Built in 1958 as the main pavilion for the Brussels’ world fair, it was named the world’s most bizarre building in 2013 by CNN. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the Belgians love it. The Atomium consists of nine spheres, only six of which are open to the public. An elevator takes people to the top of the structure, but otherwise visitors travel between the spheres on escalators.

1. Grand Place

The Grand Place is indeed grand. As the city’s central square, it is a most visited landmark, home to two of the main attractions in Brussels, the Town Hall and City Museum, as well as former guildhalls. Also known as Grote Markt, the Grand Place was a major market place that dates back to the 10th century.

The large square is filled with a carpet made from flowers every second August. Today it’s lined with many cafes, making it a good place to sample traditional Brussels’ foods, such as moules (mussels), waffles and french fries, which originated in Belgium, not France.

Map of Things to do in Brussels

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Reader interactions.

November 20, 2017 at 8:42 am

Just so you know, the Musical Instruments museum is not very tourist friendly if you don’t speak one of the three languages in Belgium. I lived in Belgium for 6 years and visited two years ago with a friend, and found that there was nothing written in English. Therefore, I had act like a translator for a friend. Also fun fact: there is also a peeing dog and a peeing girl statue in Brussels. If I can recommend one more thing to add to the list, it would be the Magritte Museum. Fantastic art museum of the famous surrealist painter.

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18 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Brussels

Written by Jess Lee Updated Dec 28, 2023

Brussels, capital of Belgium, principal seat of the Belgian Royal Family, and capital of the European Union, is a remarkably small, easygoing, and human-sized city for all its importance.

Unlike beautiful Bruges and Ghent, with their hordes of tourists, Brussels is Belgium's main economic and educational hub, which gives the city a more workaday feel than other towns.

Here, you get a proper feel for Belgian life, especially its fantastic restaurant and café culture.

Although Brussels may not have the star tourist attractions of other Belgian towns, the capital has more than enough things to do to keep visitors occupied for a couple of days, with a clutch of world-class museums and art galleries, as well as quirkier sightseeing highlights, such as the Atomium, and some wonderful remnants of old architecture in the old town quarter.

Once you've craned your neck at Gothic and Baroque splendor, don't forget to stock up on Brussels' famous chocolate.

Find out more about the best places to visit with our list of the top attractions and things to do in Brussels.

1. Stroll through Grand Place (Grote Markt)

2. visit mannekin pis, 3. saint-michel cathedral (sint-michiels kathedraal), 4. see belgium's famed comic heritage at the belgian comic strip center, 5. tour the place royale (koningsplein), 6. view the masterpieces inside the belgian royal museum of fine arts, 7. enter the atomium, 8. explore coudenberg palace archaeological site, 9. view mont des arts, 10. admire the stained glass of notre-dame du sablon, 11. visit the museums of parc du cinquantenaire, 12. stroll the parkland surrounding château royal, 13. enjoy the cupola view at basilique nationale du sacré coeur, 14. explore the abbaye de la cambre, 15. learn about chocolate at choco story brussels, 16. meunier museum, 17. shop inside royal gallery saint-hubert, 18. find foodie treats at place du châtelain market, where to stay in brussels for sightseeing, map of attractions & things to do in brussels, brussels, belgium - climate chart, more must-see places to visit near brussels.

Right in the heart of Brussels Old Town, the city's main plaza (known as Grand Place) is one of the best preserved in Europe and the city's top tourist attraction.

Much of the square's elegant character is due to the unique architecture of its elegant Gildehuizen (guild houses) with their magnificent gables, pilasters, and balustrades, ornately carved stonework, and rich gold decoration.

Grand Place's defining character is its uniformity of Baroque style, with some Flemish influences.

The harmony of its architecture is achieved by the short period of construction here, with most buildings raised between 1696 and 1700.

The history of the Grand Place dates back much earlier though. It was first established in the 11th century and evolved soon after, to become the political and economic center for the city.

The most recognizable building on the square is the Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall), built in 1402 with the intention of upstaging the Stadhuis in the rival city of Bruges.

Inside are several magnificent rooms. Among the most impressive are the Maximilian Chamber, hung with Brussels tapestries; the large Council Chamber with a superb ceiling by Victor Janssens and tapestries to his designs; the great banqueting hall and the Marriage Chamber, both beautifully paneled; and the Escalier d'Honneur, with murals illustrating the history of Brussels.

Address: Grand Place, Central Brussels

Along the Rue de l'Etuve is Brussels' best-known landmark, the Manneken Pis, usually besieged by a throng of tourists.

Although he can be traced back to at least 1388, nothing much is known about the origin of the figure of a little boy urinating, popularly referred to as "the oldest citizen of Brussels."

The Manneken is, however, surrounded by various legends. According to one, the fountain is a memorial to a courageous infant who averted a conflagration, according to another, it commemorates the son of a count who succumbed to a pressing urge while taking part in a procession.

The present statue was made in 1619 by Jérôme Duquesnoy the Elder and has been stolen on several occasions though always recovered. During major celebrations, events, and festivals in Brussels, the statue is famed for being dressed in costume.

Note that to see a collection of the range of costumes Mannekin Pis has been dressed in over the years, visit Garderobe Mannekin Pis just down the road. This small museum displays around 140 costumes from the fountain's very extensive wardrobe collection.

Address: Rue de l'Etuve, Central Brussels

Official site: https://www.mannekenpis.brussels/en/

Dedicated to St. Michael and St. Gudula (the patron saints of Brussels) this Gothic church was first founded in 1225 but only completed in the 15th century.

The facade is impressive, rising majestically above a broad flight of steps and crowned with twin 69-meter-high towers designed by Jan van Ruysbroeck.

The beautifully proportioned interior (108 meters by 50 meters) is lavishly furnished and is home to some outstanding stained glass windows created by Bernard van Orley.

Head to the transepts to see the finest examples depicting Charles V and Isabella of Portugal (south transept) and the Hungarian royal pair Louis II and Mary (north transept), and then into the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament, to the left of the choir, where the window illustrates the story of the Miracle of the Host .

Address: Parvis Street Gudule, Central Brussels

Official site: www.cathedralisbruxellensis.be

This gorgeous 1906 building, designed by Victor Horta, is home to the wonderful Comic Strip Center, devoted to the history of cartoons and comic strips in the country that gave the world The Smurfs and Tintin .

A constantly rotating exhibition of 200 original comic strip drawings by Belgian and French comic artists is shown here.

In addition, the museum documents the rise in popularity of Belgian and French comic strips through a cleverly curated collection of original manuscripts, draft sketches, and imaginatively reconstructed sets including Lucky Luke's saloon and Tim, Struppi, and Captain Haddock's moon rocket.

Address: Maison Waucquez, 20 Rue des Sables, Central Brussels

Official site: https://www.cbbd.be/fr/accueil

A favorite attraction for photo-ops, the most important building on this square is the Royal Palace (Palais Royal), which is used by the Belgian royal family as an official residence.

The Belgian flag, flown from the roof, signals the sovereign's presence, and a ceremonial Changing of the Guard takes place every day at about 2:30pm.

From late July to late August, free guided tours of the palace's interior, taking in the grand reception rooms and halls, are available.

Surrounding the palace are an ensemble of cultural buildings boasting Neoclassical facades.

The Palais des Académies, home of the Royal Academy of Sciences and once the residence of the Crown Prince of Orange, and the Palais des Beaux-Arts (Paleis voor Schone Kunste) on the west side of the plaza, designed and built in the 1920s by Victor Horta, are two of the finest examples.

Address: Place des Palais, Central Brussels

Belgium's Royal Museum of Fine Arts (1875-81) combines four separate art museums, which together are one of the largest and best art galleries in the world.

The museum grew out of a collection first set up in 1797 and was originally housed in the former palace of Charles of Lorraine. This was transferred to the newly established Musées Royaux in 1846.

The Musée Old Masters holds a collection of famous works by Flemish and Dutch Old Masters. Well-known works on display here include Gerard David's Adoration of the Magi , Rogier van der Weyden's The Mourning of Christ , Pietà by Petrus Christus, and Dirk Bouts' Judgement of the Emperor Otto .

The halls of the Musée Modern concentrate on artwork from the late 19th century to the present. It combines temporary exhibition halls with the basement galleries of the Musée Fin-de-Siècle, dedicated to artwork from the period between 1884 and 1914, when Brussels was one of Europe's cultural capitals.

Neighboring the main building is the Musée Magritte , dedicated to the work of Belgian surrealist artist René Magritte. This museum holds the largest Magritte collection in the world and is considered by many visitors to Brussels as the highlight of the city's many art tourist attractions.

Magritte (1898-1967) was one of the major artists of Belgium's surrealist art scene, and the museum displays its collection of his work chronologically, so visitors can view how his art changed across the years according to world events and his own personal and political influences.

Address: Rue du Musée 9, Central Brussels

Official site: www.fine-arts-museum.be

Along with Manneken Pis, the Atomium is Brussels' best-known landmark attraction, and although it's a bit of a journey by tram to get out here, the bizarre 102-meter-high steel and aluminum structure, designed by the architect André Waterkeyn for the 1958 Brussels World Exhibition, is the city's most surreal sight.

The building represents a molecule of iron magnified 165 million times.

Today, visitors can enter the building to explore its sci-fi-style interiors. The lower spheres are home to a permanent exhibition on the history of the structure. The upper sphere has incredible panoramas across the city.

Address: Eeuwfeestlaan 20, Boulevard du Centenaire

Official site: http://atomium.be/

One of Brussels' most unique things to do is explore this active archaeological site, which was rediscovered in the 1980s.

Coudenberg Palace has been excavated to reveal the cellars and tunnels of the former Palace of Brussels, as well as forgotten streets that had been buried beneath the city for centuries.

The foundations of the medieval palace have been cleared to allow tourists the opportunity to explore, and the museum has free audio guides that take you through the dig site.

There are also interactive programs that encourage children to become involved, like the "Underground Treasure Hunt," which includes a flashlight, treasure map, period costume pieces, and a puzzle for them to solve.

Address: Place des Palais 7, Brussels

Official site: https://coudenberg.brussels/en

The Mont des Arts was created between 1956 and 1958, occupying the elevated site between the Place Royale and the Place de l'Albertine.

The architecturally imposing complex of large buildings includes the Bibliothèque Albert I and the strikingly modern Palais de la Dynastie and Palais Congrès.

From the square between them is a fine view of the lower central city. The Bibliothèque Albert I was founded during the period of Burgundian rule and comprises more than three million volumes together with a valuable collection of manuscripts and several interesting museums.

Address: Boulevard de l' Empereur, Central Brussels

The 15th- to 16th-century church of Notre-Dame du Sablon (Onze Lieve Vrouw op de Zavel), generally considered one of the loveliest Late Gothic churches in Belgium, was built as a replacement for a small chapel first erected on the sandy expanse of the Sablon by the Crossbowmen's Guild in 1304.

The interior of the church is breathtaking, in particular because of its marvelous stained glass.

Also of interest is the burial chapel of the Thurn und Taxis family, partly the work of Luc Fayd'herbe.

Kept in the sacrarium is a figure of the Virgin, a copy, so legend has it, of a Madonna brought to the chapel in 1348 by a woman from Antwerp, Baet Soetens, to whom the Virgin had appeared.

Address: Rue de la Regence, Central Brussels

The Parc du Cinquantenaire was established in 1880 to commemorate the country's 50th anniversary.

Its centerpiece is the monumental Palais du Cinquantenaire, the two wings of which, linked in 1905 by a massive triumphal arch designed by the French architect Charles Girault, house two of Brussels' most interesting museums.

The Royal Art and History Museum is home to Belgium's national archaeology collections, with pieces drawn from throughout the world, as well as one of the most extensive tapestry collections in the world.

The Belgian Army Museum and Museum of Military History (Koninklijk Museum van het Leger en van de Militaire Geschiedenis) provides an overview of the development of military technology and of the major campaigns fought on Belgian soil.

Address: Avenue de la Renaissance, Central Brussels

Although the Château Royal, home of the Belgian Royal Family, is not itself open to the public, the park surrounding it at Laeken is.

There are delightful footpaths and a number of attractions worth seeing, such as the monument to Leopold I at the center of the circular flowerbed in front of the palace.

The Japanese Tower , in the northernmost corner of the park, was originally built for the Paris Exhibition of 1900.

The hothouses, erected in Leopold II's time, are the highlight of the gardens and are open to the public during April and May when many of the plants are in flower.

Address: Avenue de Madrid, Laeken, Brussels

The Koekelberg district is dominated by the massive Basilique Nationale du Sacré Coeur (Nationale Basiliek van het Heilig Hart), the fifth largest church in the world and brainchild of Leopold II, begun in 1905 to mark the country's 75th anniversary.

The building was only completed in 1970. Not surprisingly, it displays something of a mixture of styles, impressing nevertheless by its sheer size (141 meters by 107 meters).

Inside is an excellent collection of art and an ongoing exhibition on the history of the basilica.

The picture of Christ giving his blessing, which hangs above the altar, is by Georges Minne.

From the cupola is a breathtaking view of the city and across the countryside to Antwerp . Binoculars can be rented on-site.

Address: Parvis de la Basilique 1, Koekelberg, Brussels

Official site: http://www.basilicakoekelberg.be/documents/home.xml?lang=en

In 1200, Cistercian nuns founded an abbey here, which was later destroyed in the 16th century but then rebuilt.

Now, set in lovely French gardens, the abbey houses the National Geographical Institute and an art college.

The former 14th-century abbey church is a slender, elegant building with Baroque vaulting.

Inside is a painting by Albert Bouts ( The Mocking of Christ) and the shrine of St. Boniface, a 13th-century Bishop of Brussels. The windows of the cloister are decorated with the arms of more than 40 abbesses and nuns.

Address: Rue du Monastere, Saint Gilles, Brussels

Right in central Brussels, this specialist museum's exhibits both tell the history of chocolate from the cocoa tree's early use by the Mayans and Aztecs through to the modern day, and show how chocolate is produced from the cocoa bean.

The museum's chocolatiers also do live chocolate-making demonstrations of Belgium's famous praline chocolates, with free tastings, throughout the day.

This is a good stop if you've got small children in tow, and you need to break up an itinerary heavy on art museums and architecture.

The museum also hosts chocolate-making workshops, where the chocolatier will guide you in creating your own chocolate.

Address: 41 Rue de l'Etuve, Brussels

Official site: https://choco-story-brussels.be/en

The house and studio of Constantin Meunier (1831-1905) is now home to a museum dedicated to his work.

Meunier was a Belgian artist who, in his later paintings and sculptural works, concentrated on a social realist style that was hugely influential on artists throughout the early years of the 20th century. His sculptures of industrial workers are particularly well known.

The museum displays a selection of approximately 150 paintings, drawings, sculptures, and plaster models from its collection of 700, providing an excellent grounding and introduction to Meunier's work.

The building itself, which Meunier had built towards the end of his life, is a good example of Brussels' vernacular terraced housing.

Address: 59 Rue de l'Abbaye, 1050 Ixelles

Official site: https://www.fine-arts-museum.be/en/museums/musee-meunier-museum#

This elegant shopping arcade was designed by Belgian architect Jean-Pierre Cluysenaer and opened to the public in 1847.

Built in the popular, ornate Italianate style, with a glass-panel roof and arched shopfronts, the grand 213-meter-long arcade revolutionized retail architecture in Europe, replacing the narrow market alleys that had gone before and becoming the continent's first shopping center.

Its opening set off a trend for building similar arcades both elsewhere in central Brussels and in other cities across Europe.

Today, the Royal Gallery Saint-Hubert is prime territory for shoppers, especially if you want to pick up and take home some of Belgium's famed specialist chocolates, with plenty of chocolatiers in residence along the arcade's length.

The cafés within the arcade are also a good choice for an atmospheric break between sightseeing in central Brussels.

Address: 5 Galerie du Roi

Official site: https://www.grsh.be/en/home/

Head to Place du Châtelain on a Wednesday for the weekly food market, where you'll find everything from fruit and vegetables to pop-up stalls and cafés selling both local Belgian foods and cuisines from across the world.

For visitors looking for foodie souvenirs, there are plenty of traders selling local cheeses and cured meats, as well as fresh produce and baked goods.

Many people head here, though, for the market's casual dining options, with food stalls here offering everything from waffles and vegan burgers to Vietnamese and Middle Eastern dishes.

The market takes place every Wednesday from midday to 7pm. The surrounding streets are also full of cafés and restaurants, so the area is a lively dining hub throughout the week.

The best place to stay in Brussels for sightseeing is within walking distance of Grand Place (Grote Markt). This wide square in the heart of the Old Town is popular for its great shopping, dining, and well-preserved architecture and is a great place from which to explore attractions such as the Mannekin Pis fountain and Saint-Michel Cathedral.

Brussels, Bruges & Ghent : Brussels sits in the center of the country, making it the perfect home base for trips to some of Belgium's top tourist attractions , as well as sightseeing in neighboring countries. Near the coast to the northwest, in the Flanders region, the city of Bruges is a favorite tourist destination because of its medieval architecture and romantic canals. Between here and Brussels, the smaller city of Ghent has a similar ensemble of narrow alleys, beautiful buildings, and canal boats, without the mass of tourists.

North Belgium & The Netherlands : To the north of Brussels, the town of Antwerp gained its fame as a center of art and craftsmanship and is home to several noteworthy museums. The border with the Netherlands is not far from here, where you can explore the stunning churches of Breda , enjoy vibrant entertainment in Rotterdam , visit the countless museums of The Hague , or even spend some time enjoying the iconic city of Amsterdam .

Leuven, Liege & Germany: Back in Belgium, the small university town of Leuven sits east of Brussels on the way to Liège , the country's third largest city, which is celebrated for its industrial roots. Near the border with Germany, the cities of Cologne , Bonn , and Düsseldorf are easily within reach. West of Liège, Namur's central location at the junction of the Sambre and the Meuse Rivers made it an important trade city, and its citadel was a strategic military site, resulting in an interesting array of architectural choices.

Mons & France: Farther west and sitting near the border with France, the city of Mons (Bergen) is between Brussels and Paris , and is known for its impressive buildings and festivals. The town of Ypres sits closer to Belgium's coast, famous for being the site of major WWI battles, and just to the south in France, the city of Lille has many Flemish influences.

More on Belgium

brussels .info

Brussels tourist information, tourism offices in brussels.

There are five tourist offices in Brussels. One at each major transport hub. These are Grand Place , Brussels central station , the airport , Brussels-Midi station and European Parliament . You can find them also displayed on the map below.

The most well-known Brussels tourism information centre is based at the Grand Place which is the central medieval square. The tourist information centre here is located at the Town Hall of Brussels. The Manneken Pis peeing boy statue is closeby too.

If you are at the central station, you can walk over to the Brussels Info Place which is open 7 days a week. They also have a café there.

Adresses and opening hours

Brussels international - tourism & congress.

Town Hall of Brussels Grand-Place Open: 9am to 6pm Winter time: 10am to 2pm

Brussels International - Brussels Info Place (BIP)

Rue Royale 2, 1000 Brussels Open: 10am to 6pm 7 days a week

Office de Promotion du Tourisme - Brussels Airport

Arrival Hall Zaventem Airport, Brussels Open: 8am to 9pm 7 days a week

Brussels International - Midi Station

Central Concourse Open: Mon-Thu and weekends 8am to 8pm; Fri 8am to 9pm Winter time: Mon-Thu: 8am to 5pm; Fri: 8am to 8pm; Sat: 9am to 6pm; Sunday and PH: 9am to 2pm

Brussels International - The European Parliament

Rue Wiertz 43, building A. Spinelli Open: Mon: 1pm to 5pm; Tue-Thu: 9am to 5pm; Fri: 9am to 12pm

Belgium tourism offices around the world

At first it may seem slightly confusing but Wallonia and Flanders have separate tourism offices for the promotion of Brussels and their respective language regions in Belgium. Therefore you can find tourist info on either Wallonia or Flanders and Brussels in different countries around the world to help you plan your Brussels holiday.

A Self-Guided Walking Tour of Brussels

We recently spent a short time in Brussels with our primary goal to see as much of the city as we could by walking. While we are not experts in this area, we put together our own self-guided walking tour of Brussels, thanks to advice from fellow bloggers and our AirBnB hosts’ recommendations.

As you’ll see, it was a rainy morning but we had a great time!

What you’ll find in this post:

– Two Brussels self-guided walking tour maps and itineraries (free interactive access via email form) – Photos and descriptions of each stop on the map – Recommendations for where to stay in Brussels

Table of Contents

Brussels Walking Route Map

* Get access to our Brussels walking map here *

Save time and money with the 24|48|72 hours brussels card.

– Enjoy free access to 30 museums in Brussels – Benefit from discounts in restaurants and tourist attractions – Get free use of the public transport system during the validity of your card Click here to see all that’s included with the Brussels Card

Brussels Walking Itinerary Highlights

These are the attractions you’ll discover on our self guided walking tour of Brussels.

1) Parc de Bruxelles

2) Royal Palace

3 + 4) Place Royale, View, and Meeting Center Clock

This historic square is just around the corner from the palace. Continue walking Northwest from here and you’ll get a charming view, then pass through the Meeting Center and Mont des Arts with its gigantic clock (or carillon) and bells.

The clock is surrounded by twelve historical figures from Belgian history and perched above it is a bourgeois figure, the Jacquemart, who rings a large bell.

5) Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula

Note: Technically if you want to make the walking tour into a nice loop, you can visit the Cathedral at the end and skip ahead to #6.

6) Grand Place

7) Mannequin Pis

Apparently, there is a non-profit that manages the Manneken ’s weekly costume changes. When we were there, he was dressed in Mexican garb and sombrero. (Jedd was thoroughly confused by the tiny pissing boy attracting all this attention.)

8) Place de la Bourse

9) Restaurants on Rue de Bouchers

10) Les Galeries Royales de St. Hubert

Other Brussels Tours

Bonus route: brussels ‘parks and politics’ walking tour.

We took another afternoon, following our big sight-seeing day, to explore more of the sights that were out East of the city center. Whether you’re walking to sight-see or you’re a jogger needing exercise, this is another route we recommend.

* Access our free Brussels walking maps here *

1) Square Marie-Louise and Ambiorix

2) Parc de la Cinquentenaire

3) Parc du Leopold and Parliament

4) Berlaymont Building

Where to Stay in Brussels

We chose our rental apartment in a neighborhood within easy walking distance of the metro line that could get us to and from the train station. This was also convenient if we found ourselves across town and didn’t want to walk back.

B&B Be In Brussels $$$ Boutique B&B just five minutes from Grand Place. Breakfast included, shared lounge area. Click here to check prices and availability

Aparthotel Midi Residence $$ Budget studio or King studio with self-catered breakfast and kitchenette, right next to Midi Station. Click here to check prices and availability

Jacques Brel Youth Hostel $ Well-liked youth hostel with dorm beds as well as private rooms and shared kitchen. Click here to check prices and availability

Our Top Tips for Intentional Travel in Brussels

Try to make a local connection , whether it’s meeting a friend-of-a-friend you find through social media, staying with locals, or hiring a local guide.

Shop at locally owned, independent businesses rather than familiar global chains like Starbucks.

For more guidance, see:  how to have authentic, meaningful travel experiences in touristy areas and our simple rules for intentional travel series .

Take this article with you as your guide! Upload this post for free to your phone with the GPSmyCity app . You can also upgrade to get an offline GPS map that guides you to each location we mention. Or subscribe to access all articles and maps around the world for a full year.

Want to see more of Belgium quickly? Take a full-day tour to beautiful Bruges and Ghent. This top-rated tour includes guide and transportation – bring your walking shoes! Click here to check day tour prices >

Traveling onward by train? We like to pre-book train tickets through Rail Europe . Or get your multi-country rail passes from Eurail .

You might also like: Top 5 Things To Do in Bruges

Have you been to Brussels? What did we miss that we should see next time? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Get our 2 Brussels walking maps

Access both of our free self-guided walking routes to see the top monuments and sights in Brussels on an interactive map. (Available on MapMyRun and GoogleMyMaps.)

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Brussels is an underrated city to visit. Will have to see it someday, Thanks for sharing!

How long did the Brussels walking tour take to complete? Thanks for sharing!

Alie, It really depends on how long you spend at each stop. If you simply walked the route without stopping, each walking route can be done in less than an hour.

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