Brussels
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Brussels - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée
Lower TownIt fell to the land of Tintin to create the world's first museum dedicated to the ninth art—comic strips. While comics have often struggled for artistic recognition, they have been taken seriously in Belgium for decades. In the Belgian Comic Strip Center, they are wedded to another strongly Belgian art form: Art Nouveau. Based in an elegant 1903 Victor Horta–designed building, the museum is long on the history of the genre, if a little short on kid-friendly interaction. In addition to Tintin, the collection includes more than 400 original plates and 25,000 cartoon works. A library and brasserie are added incentives, but best of all is the bookshop, which sells a comprehensive collection of graphic novels and comic books, albeit largely in French or Dutch. Keep an eye out for the comic-strip murals that dot the city; walking maps showing the location of each one can be found at the tourist information office.
Rue des Sables 20, Brussels, Brussels Capital, 1000, Belgium02-219–1980Sight Details
Rate Includes: €10 -
2. Grand Place
Lower TownThis jewelry box of a square is arguably Europe's most ornate and theatrical. It's also a vital part of the city—everyone passes through at some point. At night, the burnished facades of the guild houses look especially dramatic. Try to make it here for the Ommegang, a historical pageant re-creating Emperor Charles V's reception in the city in 1549 (in June and July), or for the famed Carpet of Flowers, which fills the square with color for four days in mid-August on even-numbered years. Dominating the square is the magnificent Gothic-era Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall). Work began on it in 1402, and it's nearly 300 years older than the surrounding guild houses. The belfry is topped by a bronze statue of St. Michael crushing the devil beneath his feet.
Grand Place, Brussels, Brussels Capital, 1000, BelgiumSight Details
Rate Includes: Hôtel de Ville tour: €8 -
3. Les Marolles
Lower TownIf the Grand Place stands for old money, the Marolles neighborhood stands for old—and current—poverty. Times are changing, but the area still has some raffish charm. This was once home to the poor workers who produced the luxury goods for which Brussels was famous. As that industry faded, immigrants, mostly from North Africa and Turkey, made homes here. The hugely popular daily Vieux Marché (flea market) at the place du Jeu de Balle sells clothing, bric-a-brac, plain junk, and the occasional gem. Trendy shops are found on the surrounding rue Haute and rue Blaes. Keep in mind, that despite improvements, this area can be pretty sketchy at night.
Marolles, Brussels, Brussels Capital, 1000, Belgium -
4. Manneken Pis
Lower TownDespite drawing sightseers for centuries, the minuscule statue of the peeing boy may leave you underwhelmed. The first mention of the Manneken dates from 1377, and he's said to symbolize what Belgians think of the authorities. The "original" version was commissioned from noted sculptor Jerome Duquesnoy in 1619 to replace the old stone one, though what is on display now is a copy. The original was once seized by French soldiers, and to quell local unrest, King Louis XV of France presented the Manneken Pis with a gold-embroidered suit, thus starting a bizarre trend. The statue now has more than 1,000 costumes (the safe-sex outfit is truly remarkable!) for ceremonial occasions, and even has his own personal dresser. You can see a selection of the statue's many outfits at the GardeRobe Manneken Pis museum at nearby 19 rue du Chêne.
View Tours and ActivitiesRue du Chêne, Brussels, Brussels Capital, 1000, Belgium -
5. Théâtre Royal de Toone
Lower TownThis marionette theater troupe has been going for eight generations, performing plays in the old Brusseleir dialect with hefty doses of local humor and innuendo. It's suitable for kids, though, and even if your French isn't up to scratch, there's fun to be had just looking around. Plays last two hours (including intermission) and are held on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (twice). These range from "puppet" Hamlet and Faust to The Passion, with tickets sold just before each show. Alternatively, many people come just for the quirky downstairs bar, Toone (Tuesday–Sunday, noon–midnight), which is locally famous in its own right and is scattered with marionettes and memorabilia.
Impasse Ste-Pétronille, Brussels, Brussels Capital, 1000, Belgium02-513--5486Sight Details
Rate Includes: €12 -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Musée de la Banque Nationale de Belgique
Lower TownThe irony of a museum about the means of payment being free to visit is lost on no one. It also doesn't stop this being one of the surprise joys of the Brussels museum scene. Exhibits unravel different concepts of money throughout history, from Mesopotamian clay tablets to why you need a moko drum to buy a house on the Indonesian island of Alor.
Rue Montagne aux Herbes, Brussels, Brussels Capital, 1000, Belgium02-221--2206Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed weekends -
7. Musée de la Ville de Bruxelles
Lower TownNo ruler ever lived in the 16th-century Maison du Roi (House of the King); instead, it housed Charles V’s administrative offices, built on the site of Brussels’s old covered marketplace. Then, in the 19th century, it was given a neo-Gothic makeover—all brooding spires and arches. Today, it houses the City Museum, which boasts some fine tapestries and paintings, notably the Marriage Procession by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. You can also see the "original" (1619 version) Mannekin Pis and an impressive 15th-century weather vane that used to top the town hall.
Grand Place, Brussels, Brussels Capital, 1000, Belgium02-279--4350Sight Details
Rate Includes: €8, Closed Mon. -
8. Musée Mode and Dentelle
Lower TownThe costume and lace museum pays tribute to Brussels’ textile-making past. Housed in four 17th-century houses and a warehouse, the museum is something of a 17th- to 18th-century fashion show, with accessories, embroidery, and clothes on display, many featuring the delicate lace for which the city once became famous.
Rue de la Violette 12, Brussels, Brussels Capital, 1000, Belgium02-213--4450Sight Details
Rate Includes: €8, Closed Mon. -
9. Place Ste-Catherine
Lower TownIf you find the Grand Place overrun by tourists, come to this square/market, a favorite among locals, who come to shop for necessities and banter with fishmongers (Thursday–Saturday 7–5; Wednesday organic market 7:30–3). At night, the square often has a mobile bar, while the fishmonger serves great seafood (see Restaurants). In the evening the action moves to the old Vismet (fish market), which branches off from the Eglise de Ste-Catherine. A canal used to run through here; it's now reduced to a couple of elongated ponds, but both sides are lined with seafood restaurants, some excellent, many of them overpriced. In good weather, there's waterside dining.
Pl. Ste-Catherine, Brussels, Brussels Capital, 1000, Belgium -
10. Quartier de l'Ilôt Sacré
Many streets in central Brussels were widened as part of the preparations for the 1958 World's Fair, but the narrow rue des Bouchers and even narrower Petite rue des Bouchers escaped being demolished after locals complained. The area was given special protection in 1959. As long as you watch out for pickpockets, it's all good-natured fun in one of the livelier areas of the center, where restaurants and cafés stand cheek by jowl, their tables spilling out onto the sidewalks. They often make strenuous efforts to pull you in with huge displays of seafood and game, though the effort they put into the food itself is not as impressive. Stick to the traditionally reliable Aux Armes de Bruxelles (rue des Bouchers 13) and you won't go wrong.
Rue des Bouchers, Brussels, Brussels Capital, 1000, Belgium -
11. The MOOF (Museum of Original Figurines)
Lower TownAnother museum that delves into Belgium's comic-book past, though it does so via the figurines and toys they inspired, displayed in various dioramas. Mostly, it's a selfie-paradise for those who long to have a picture of themselves with a giant Smurf or a cutout of Captain Haddock. And that's no bad thing.
Rue Marché-aux-Herbes 116, Brussels, Brussels Capital, 1000, Belgium02-207--7992Sight Details
Rate Includes: €12, Closed Mon.–Thurs. Jan.–Mar.; Apr.–June and Sept.–Dec.
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