The EU capital of the gilded Grand-Place, world-class beer and chocolate, and comic-strip murals across the old town.
Brussels works best as a 2-day city break. Brussels wins people over slowly, starting with the jaw-dropping Grand-Place at its heart, one of the most complete Baroque squares in Europe and free to stand in day or night. It runs on a serious culture of beer, chocolate and frites, backed by Art Nouveau architecture from Victor Horta and a comic-strip heritage that gave the world Tintin and murals scattered through the centre. The city is often underrated and thoroughly walkable, if hilly between the lower and upper town, with a strong run of museums and the EU quarter to fill a couple of days. Fast trains also put Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp within an hour, so it makes an easy base for wider Flanders.
Ideal stay
2 days
Best months
Apr · May · Jun
Mid budget
130 EUR/day
Airport
Brussels Airport sits at Zaventem about 12km northeast of the city
Four picks that cover the realistic range, from splurge to budget. Prices are low-season starting points; check live rates for your dates.
Special occasions€€€Rocco Forte by the Grand-Place · Grand-Place and Ilot Sacre
A Rocco Forte five-star on a quiet lane a minute behind the Grand-Place, on the site of a 16th-century prison, with Tintin prints and Flemish art through the rooms. It is the smartest address in the centre, steps from the guildhalls.
from ~300 EUR/night
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Couples€€Boutique by the Bourse · Sainte-Catherine
A small design hotel on Rue du Marche aux Herbes, right by the old stock exchange, the Bourse, a two-minute walk from the Grand-Place. The dark, moody lobby and the central setting make it a handy, characterful base in the middle of Brussels.
from ~130 EUR/night
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First visit€€Colour-block design · Saint-Gilles
A cheerful design hotel themed around the Pantone colour system, in leafy Saint-Gilles near the Horta Art Nouveau houses and the Parvis cafes. A tram or short walk reaches the centre, and the top-floor rooms look over the city.
from ~110 EUR/night
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Budget€Design hostel · Grand-Place and Ilot Sacre
A bright, well-kept design hostel a few minutes from the Grand-Place and Sainte-Catherine, with private rooms as well as dorms and a self-catering kitchen. It is a rare good-value central bed in an expensive-feeling capital.
from ~30 EUR/night
Check pricesReal hotel photos · prices are indicative from-rates, not live quotes · booking links support the site at no extra cost
A little history
Brussels began as a fortified settlement on an island in the marshy river Senne around 979 and grew into the seat of the Dukes of Brabant and a favourite residence of the dukes of Burgundy and the Habsburgs. Its guilds built the Grand-Place, and when French troops bombarded and flattened it in 1695 the guilds rebuilt their houses grander than before, in the gilded Baroque you still see today. Belgium was created in 1830 with Brussels as its capital, and the wealth of an industrial boom and a colonial empire paid for the grand boulevards, the Art Nouveau of Victor Horta and the vast Palais de Justice. Officially bilingual in French and Dutch, Brussels became the de facto capital of the European Union after 1958, which is why a comfortable Belgian city now helps run a continent.
Brussels is known for
Pick the itinerary that matches your trip. Each one is a full day-by-day plan, not a list of 30 things to squeeze in.
2
days
Two days is the right length for the core of Brussels, enough to see the Grand-Place, the chocolate and beer, the great museums and the comic-strip heritage without a rush. The city is compact and walkable, if hilly between the lower and upper town, so most of it links on foot with the odd tram or a single metro hop out to the Atomium.
See the itinerary →
3
days
Three days turns a tight Brussels trip into a relaxed one and adds the layers a two-day dash skips: the Art Nouveau of Saint-Gilles, the EU quarter, and either a slow morning at the Atomium and Cantillon or a half-day train hop to Ghent or Antwerp, both under an hour away. The core still hinges on the walkable lower town, so base near the Grand-Place or, for a quieter and cheaper feel, in Saint-Gilles among the Horta houses.
See the itinerary →
Brussels has a walkable center, so the neighborhood you pick sets the tone of the whole trip.
Grand-Place and Ilot Sacre
First visit
The medieval core wraps the gilded Grand-Place and the tight restaurant lanes of the Ilot Sacre, so staying here puts the square, the arcades and Manneken Pis minutes from your door.
Sainte-Catherine
Romantic
The old fish-market quarter around the Sainte-Catherine church trades the crush of the Grand-Place for seafood restaurants, oyster bars and canal-side drinking on the former docks.
Sablon
Romantic
The upscale Sablon climbs the hill of the upper town around the Gothic Notre-Dame du Sablon church, lined with antiques dealers, art galleries and the flagship chocolate houses of Wittamer and Pierre Marcolini.
Colored months are the sweet spot. Struck-through months come with a warning. Each page covers weather, crowds, prices and what to pack.
Tight budget?
Brussels on a budget: same trip, around 65 EUR a day
Read the budget guide →
Pairs well with
2 days is the sweet spot for Brussels. The city is compact and walkable, if hilly between the lower and upper town, so most of it links on foot with the odd tram or a single metro hop out to the Atomium
The best months are April, May, June, September.
Brussels sits around the European average. Plan roughly 65 EUR per day on a tight budget, 130 EUR for a comfortable mid-range trip, and 260 EUR and up if you want top hotels and restaurants.
Grand-Place and Ilot Sacre is the safest first-visit base. The medieval core wraps the gilded Grand-Place and the tight restaurant lanes of the Ilot Sacre, so staying here puts the square, the arcades and Manneken Pis minutes from your door. It is as central as Brussels gets and lively into the night, but also the most touristy patch, with tout-heavy seafood lanes on the Rue des Bouchers where waiters wave menus at passers-by. Pick it for a first, short visit when you want everything on foot.
Yes. Brussels has a walkable center, so most of a short trip is done on foot. Brussels Airport sits at Zaventem about 12km northeast of the city, and the fastest way in is the train from the station under the terminal, which reaches Brussels Central and Brussels Midi in around 20 minutes for roughly 10 to 12 EUR including the fixed airport supplement charged on every ticket. Trains run several times an hour, so you rarely wait long. Watch which airport your flight uses: the low-cost Brussels South Charleroi airport is a different place 55km south of the city, linked by a shuttle bus that takes about an hour to Brussels Midi.
Brussels Airport sits at Zaventem about 12km northeast of the city, and the fastest way in is the train from the station under the terminal, which reaches Brussels Central and Brussels Midi in around 20 minutes for roughly 10 to 12 EUR including the fixed airport supplement charged on every ticket. Trains run several times an hour, so you rarely wait long. Watch which airport your flight uses: the low-cost Brussels South Charleroi airport is a different place 55km south of the city, linked by a shuttle bus that takes about an hour to Brussels Midi. It is the cheapest and usually the fastest option.
Brussels is best known for The Grand-Place, Belgian beer, Chocolate, Frites, Comic-strip murals, Art Nouveau. Brussels began as a fortified settlement on an island in the marshy river Senne around 979 and grew into the seat of the Dukes of Brabant and a favourite residence of the dukes of Burgundy and the Habsburgs.