PDersch

I am hoping to visit Brussels in April (if COVID allows…) and have never been there before. I would appreciate your suggestions for a hotel. I like charming, smaller places with a friendly attitude, in the city center. Under 150 Euro per night is a plus, but I’ll sacrifice price for a walkable location. We are two senior adults who love general exploring, breweries, museums, architecture, biking, and people watching. And good food, of course! Suggestions of sites to build into out itinerary are also welcome. (We will be coming from Bruges and then moving on to Rotterdam, Leiden, and Amsterdam,)

lavandula

Just confirming that you are looking for Brussels, not Bruges? Hope you can change your title, it's a little misleading. (Triangle can alert moderators).

Hm, you might like Hotel Leopold in the Quartier Leopold. It is a little out of the centre (google for map) but well-connected by rail and a short walk to a metro (I think Trône / Troon from memory?). I am suggesting it because I don't know of too many smaller hotels in the centre that I would describe as charming, and I think the Leopold has quite a nice vibe, plus it's an independent hotel, not a chain, with not unreasonable prices (no booking.com though). Otherwise you might be interested in a hotel in the Sablon area (elegant, charming and close to centre), but again, chain hotels abound everywhere. If money is no object then Hotel Amigo would fit the bill admirably but it is a bit pricey and it belongs to a high-end chain.

https://www.hotel-leopold.be/en/

https://www.roccofortehotels.com/fr/...s/hotel-amigo/

Happy to kick around ideas with you. I don't tend to stay in the centre when I go, but I have a kid and I am looking at different criteria.

Lavandula

lavandula

Oh, looking at the Leopold's website I see it does have booking.com and HRS (EUR150 / 130). So that is within your budget too.

Also have a look at NH Collection Brussels Grand Sablon (also on booking.com). That might be within your budget and is pretty central, walkable to Bruxelles-Central station and Grand' Place. It is a chain but a nice hotel.

Lavandula

PDersch

My apologies! I edited the post text last night when I realized that I was covered for Bruges but needed help in Brussels….and then neglected to edit the title. And now, of course, I can’t find an edit option. I appreciate your polite reply to my confusion!

moderator8

Title changed

PDersch

Wonderful, thank you!

Christina

You can only edit posts for a short time after originally posting it. ALl websites are pretty much like that (Tripadvisor, Facebook, etc), they can't have people on forums altering posts long afterwards as it can be very misleading re the responses (and sometimes unfair, for example, if someone disagreed with someone or even called them out for something, and then the OP changed their post so it looked like the second person was nuts or something). I'm sure you can see the problem. Now that this relates to you, but that's why the rule. Could just be some technical reason, also, although I think moderators can do it so probably not.

lavandula

I am OK with people thinking I am nuts, they will get it if they read down the thread . Just as long as the OP got the information about the hotels, I am happy!

Lavandula

lavandula

OK, some tips for the areas around each of those hotels.

Grand' Place
Most of the tourist sites and traps are clustered around Grand' Place (GP, Manneken Pis, Galeries de St-Hubert, Rue des Bouchers (restaurant street with some tourist trap restaurants, but it has been cleaned up a lot)) and a few sights in Heyzel / Heisel (Atomium, Mini-Europe, take the metro).

Grand Sablon
Not too far from the Sablon is the Musical Instruments Museum (very good museum, restaurant has traditional Belgian food and a fantastic view), BOZAR (Museum of Fine Arts), and all the chocolate shops, plus an easy walk downhill to GP. Place du Grand Sablon is in the Upper Town, GP is in the Lower Town (Brussels is built on a hill). Also near Place du Grand Sablon is Notre Dame du Sablon, a nice church, and Mont des Arts, where there is a view across Brussels. Also in the Upper Town is Ŕ La Mort Subite, a traditional café that brews its own beer. There is also a branch of the chain Le Pain Quotidien (a breakfast/lunch café). Lots of antique shops clustered around Place du Grand Sablon, and on Saturdays an antique market.

Quartier Leopold
Brussels-Luxembourg train station is here; Place du Luxembourg is lined with restaurants and bars, including another Le Pain Quotidien. One of our Fodorites recently visited the restaurant, The Beer Factory, maybe he will come aboard and give a review (cdnyul?). You are near to the European Parliament and other EU institutions and you can tour these. The Parliament and Consilium, if you can still tour it, are quite interesting. If you catch the metro from Trône / Troon to Mérode, you can visit the two museums in the triumphal arch in Parc Cinquantenaire, a military museum and Autoworld, which is very good. If you walk back through the park to Rond-Point Schuman or Schuman metro, you can go up Rue Archimčde to Square Ambiorix to see a street of intact Art Nouveau houses including Maison St-Cyr. Unfortunately you can't go in, but it is a pleasant little walk, and there is a good Irish Pub on the way, the James Joyce. (If you are taken by Art Nouveau you could visit the Horta Museum, the house of architect Victor Horta, which is not near here but if you are interested I can give you directions.)

Good luck, whichever neighbourhood you go for. You can easily get from GP to the Sablon area, and by train or metro to Quartier Leopold / Leopold Quarter / Leopoldwijk. I always walk a lot in Brussels and you can walk it but the metro system is so good that you should take advantage of it.

Lavandula

lavandula

Looking at my notes you might also check out Hotel Le Dixseptičme, which is a central boutique hotel. I have never stayed there but I think the price and location might work for you too, and then you would be nearer the Grand' Place.

Lavandula

HappyTrvlr

We loved the location of the Hotel Amigo near the Grand Place. The hotel was very nice too and the location was the best.

lavandula

Good suggestions. Hôtel des Galeries and the Dominican are well-located in the centre for the OP's original specifications - Odette en Ville and Hotel Hygge are as far out as Hotel Leopold, but in the Louise district (take the metro).

If you are going for the Louise district in spite of your original thoughts, PDersch, then you might also add Made in Louise.

Nothing wrong with Louise, we usually stay in apartments or hotels around Av. Louise ourselves. Depends on whether or not you are comfortable with taking public transport (which is easy in BXL), and it opens up other sights including the Horta Museum and the shopping at Louise / Stephanie and Porte de Namur.

Lavandula

menachem

I've been there, 3 years ago, I really liked it. I also like the location, near Brussels Central station for he OP's train to Rotterdam.

aliced

menachem, Is the Central Station the one we'd take from Brussels to Paris? We plan to go directly from Brussels Airport to Bruges from the US, and stay in Brussels afterwards before going to Paris. Would two nights suffice to see Grand Place area, Grand Sablon highlights, Quatier Leopold and the Louise district? Trying to decide this week how long for Bruges and Brussels.

lavandula

Yes, you would catch the train from Bruxelles-Central to Bruxelles-Midi, which is the international railway station for Brussels, where you change trains for the Thalys or a TGV to Paris. There are three train stations in Brussels, Bruxelles-Nord, Central and Midi, and of the three, only Central is a good area to stay, the other two are run down (Midi) or red light district (Nord). There are also a large number of metro stations, and one is also next to Bruxelles-Central, Gare Central.

If you have two nights in Brussels I would cut down some of your ambitions - I would not visit Quartier Leopold and the eastern part of the city (unless staying there), I would only visit the highlights in the Centre-Ville (Lower Town) and the Horta House. I would possibly catch a taxi there and make your way back to the tramline along Av. Louise for your return to your hotel. Two nights is probably sufficient for the highlights.

Lavandula

lavandula

...or stay longer (4 nights) and see everything in Brussels. If you have time left over, take an excursion out of Brussels (Mechelen, Lier, Dinant).

Lavandula

lavandula

Actually, I misspoke, there are other train stations in Brussels, but three that come into question in the centre, which are the ones I mentioned.

Lavandula

aliced

Thank you so much, Lavandula, not going till September, but we are avid trip planners and my favorite hobby -- definitely will go to the Horta Museum one way or another. Not sure if we'll spend one or two nights in Brussels after Bruges, as have two resv in Paris for our arrival there last. Sept-Oct are our fave months for European travels.

lavandula

Oh, me too, the temperature is just right and the days are still long enough to enjoy some sunlight of an evening!

Horta is a must, although if you are in that area (St-Gilles), you will just see a lot of Art Nouveau in the local buildings, it's in the streets. There was an outfit called ARAU that used to offer Art Nouveau tours of Brussels, no idea what has happened to them in post-Covid times.

Enjoy your trip!

Lavandula