Three Perfect Days in Brussels

Language: Flemish Dutch & French (Brussels)

Population: 1.2 million

Currency: Euro €

Average price of coffee: €4,50

MANNEKEN-PIS, BRUSSELS

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Day 1 - Travel, settle and explore

When you first arrive in Brussels you will either touch down into Brussels international airport (BRU) or Charleroi, an airport further south and out of the main city. From the UK, it is usually much cheaper to land in Charleroi airport. If you land into BRU, getting into the city centre is very easy by taking a 17 minute train into Brussels Central Station. If you land in Charleroi, you can either taxi (which will work out €100+) or take the shuttle bus service. The bus service is called Flibco and their distinguishable green buses depart from outside the airport. You can buy a ticket at the airport to use the bus for a premium, or order online before your trip. Tickets are €19 online and the bus departs every 20 minutes. It is a super comfy coach!

Travelling always tires us out even when we have only taken an hour plane from Amsterdam or London because it never is just an hour is it? Take your time to check in to your accommodation, have a walk in the city and head out into the centre for dinner.

The Belgians like their food and there are plenty of nice spots for grub and a beer. Pre-warning: sorry Brits, the Belgian beers are usually served in a 200-250ml glass and are meant for drinking slower. They have higher alcohol content so be careful!

If you have time in the afternoon, spend some time figuring out how the public transport works (for us when we went in 2023, it was a simple case of tapping on and off the buses and trams using bank cards) and head to Brussels Park. Here you will see some awesome art displays. When we went, there were sculptures of comedic elephants. Are they still there?

BRUSSELS PARK, BRUSSELS

Day 2 - Explore

Brussels is awfully quiet in the morning as well as Sundays, so make the most of it and get up at a good time to head out to a coffee shop to start the day. Belgian pastries are gorgeous and the coffee is pretty good too.

Head over to the famous Manneken-Pis landmark. Early in the morning you will be able to take some tourist-free snaps of the little fountain boy relieving himself. You might be lucky and he might be dressed up. When we went, he was dressed as Dracula which was extremely odd but slightly charming.

Just a little stroll up the road is the Choco Story. Belgium is known for its delicious chocolate and waffles, so head here to learn all about the origins of chocolate and how the country still preserves their original recipes. There is a lot of free chocolate on display for you to eat, and catch the live demonstration of the chocolatier, you can eat what he’s just made after the class.

If you’re hungry for lunch, this is a great chance to stop off, but if you’re just a little peckish, we recommend snatching up a Belgian waffle from one of the street vendors. Delicious!

Use transport or take in the views as you stroll to The Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula. This cathedral is a Roman Catholic church and is absolutely stunning to view. It sits just by a park/public plaza Sint-Goedeleplein and there are some nice places to grab an Aperol Spritz around here and take in the views. If comic book art is your thing, the Comic Museum will be well worth your money.

Next up, head over to the Royal Palace through the palace gardens. The Royal Palace of Brussels is the official palace of the King and Queen of the Belgians in the centre of the capital. However, it is not used as a royal residence, as the king and his family live in the Royal Palace of Laeken in northern Brussels. If you didn’t get the chance to head here yesterday, do it now. The park is stunning and usually displays some 3-D sculpture art.

Finally, head over to the Grand Place and admire the charming plaza of Brussels. Take in the buildings and consider how interesting and different they are. To us they seemed quite gothic with a strong sense of melancholy but the striking gold detailing brings the plaza to life.

GRAND PLACE, BRUSSELS

Day 3 - Adventure to Bruges or Ghent

Brussels is a relatively small city with only one million residents. Compare that to London’s nine million! It is a capital to us that you can see in just a couple of days, therefore on your final day in the country, we recommend you head somewhere else in Belgium. You can hop on a 60-minute train from Belgium Central Station to Bruges and buy tickets from the self-service machine there.

Bruges is a small quaint town that is filled with tourists taking in the Flemish architecture and canals. Whilst you're here, we recommend that you simply just walk around. Walk around the town and take in the beautiful churches, the picturesque canals, grab a waffle and soak up the atmosphere before heading back to Brussels in the afternoon.

Please note: Bruges is not so simple for those who have difficulties with mobility. I would take some time to consider transport from the train station to the town centre and see if it is navigational.

If you're headed to Ghent, please let us know what it is like! We have yet to go but it is on the travel list.