December 1, 2024

Three Days in Brussels, Belgium

In September, Will and I embarked on a 10-day Europe trip that spanned England, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Our trip commenced with three days in Amsterdam, followed by a lovely three days in Belgium. This post will break down everything we did in Brussels to fill a three-day itinerary. Neither Will nor I had been to Belgium before, so we were both thrilled to experience this new country together. As to be expected, we ate plenty of chocolate, had authentic Moules-frites, and drank some Belgiuan beer.

Three Days in Brussels: An Itinerary

Where We Stayed

Funny story: for our time in Brussels, we had planned to stay in an Airbnb. We found one several months in advance when we were planning our trip and booked it. On the day we were travelling from Amsterdam to Brussels, I was standing at the train station waiting for Will to grab a coffee when I opened Airbnb and was informed that our host had cancelled our booking that morning. I got in touch with the host to figure out what was going on and was told they had found bedbugs the night before and needed to cancel the reservation.

To make a long story short, we ended up staying at the Marriott Hotel Grand Place. In all honesty, this worked out in our favour because we ended up being more centrally located, the hotel had breakfast included, and we didn’t have to deal with any of the pains that can come with checking in or out of an Airbnb.

Day One

Our first day in Brussels began with a morning train ride from Amsterdam to Brussels Midi Station. From there, it was an easy subway ride into the heart of the city to get to our hotel.

What We Did

Once we had checked into our hotel and gotten some food into our bellies, we headed out to explore Brussels. Since we were so centrally located, it was easy for us to get everywhere on foot.

Walked Through Grand Place

Our first stop was Brussels’ famous Grand Place. Grand Place is a large plaza in the heart of Brussels lined with lavish buildings in Baroque-style architecture, one of which is the city’s town hall. Along the streets running off from the plaza, you can find chocolate shops, beer halls, and other tourist-centred attractions. If you appreciate intricate architecture, it’s a wonderful area of the city to wander through.

Visited Manneken Pis

You can’t spend time in Brussels without paying a visit to their mascot of sorts, Manneken Pis. Manneken Pis is a bronze fountain sculpture located not far from Grand Place and the city’s center. The statue is a depiction of a naked little boy peeing into the fountain below.

There are several legends about the origins of Manneken Pis; one legend states that the statue depicts a young boy who saved the city by relieving himself on a gunpowder fuse set by an enemy army, therefore saving the city from disaster. The other legend I came across goes that a young boy relieved himself on a witch’s door, angering the witch and compelling her to cast a spell that would leave him in that stance forever, but a byster who witnessed this was able to fool the witch by replacing the boy with a statue.

Another fun fact about Manneken Pis is that he has over 1000 outfits, all of which can be seen at the Museum of the City of Brussels. When we were in town, he was dressed in a pair of blue medical scrubs. You can see Manneken Pis’s full wardrobe here.

Took in the City Views from Monte Des Arts

Monte des Arts is a historic site in central Brussels with beautiful gardens and a view of the city. Located below the Royal Palace, the Montes des Arts garden and complex was built in 1910 for the Universal Exhibition, then restored in 2001. This is a lovely spot to stop and take pictures.

Strolled Through Brussels Park and Parc du Cinquantenaire

After Montes des Arts, we explored both Brussels Park and Parc du Cinquantenaire.

Brussels Park is the oldest park in the region and is located between the Royal Palace and the Federal Parliament.

Parc du Cinquantenaire is a large public park in eastern Brussels. The park, which was constructed to commemorate fifty years of Belgian independence, features lovely gardens and monuments to explore, the most prominent of which is the enormous tripple arch at the top.

Both of these parks are excellent places to stop for a break after a long day of walking. The scenery is beautiful, and the people-watching is superb.

Had a Drink at Delirium Village

Visiting the Delirium Village for a drink was high up on Will’s list of must-dos while we were in Brussels. The Delirium Village is made up of eight connected bars a stone’s throw from the Grand Place in central Brussels. We sat down at the most famous of the eight, the Delirium Café, which has more than 2000 types of beer. The bar itself is decorated with beer parafinalia—think beer trays, coasters, caps, and kegs. I’m not a beer drinker, so I did not have a drink here, but I was perfectly content to sit and take in the quirky decor while Will enjoyed his beer.

While in Belgium, I learned that Delirium has a world-renowed and highly awarded beer called Delirium Tremens. Despite this fact, neither Will nor I had ever even heard of Delirium beer prior to this trip. We did a little research and found out that the reason for this is that Delirium Tremens was banned in the United States for a period of time due to its provocative name—delirium tremens being the most severe form of ethonol withdrawal. The ban has since been lifted, but Delirium remains far from mainstream in North American markets. So if you’ve never heard of Delirium beer, that’s why!

What We Ate

Brunch at Woodpecker St Cath

Our day started with brunch at Woodpecker St. Cath, which is one of four Woodpecker cafés in Brussels. It was a cute café with a decent selection of brunch foods and drinks, but the food wasn’t anything to write home about. There are certainly better and more authentic places in the city to have brunch.

When we go out for brunch, Will and I like to split one savoury and one sweet dish to get the best of both worlds. At Woodpecker, we ordered a stack of their pancakes and a breakfast sandwich. The pancakes were the better of the two dishes, in my opinion.

La Friterie

Oh, how I love French fries, and what better place to enjoy them than Belgium? Despite their name, French fries were actually created in Belgium—a fact I became educated on years ago by the French exchange student on my high school basketball team.

There is no shortage of locations serving fries in Brussels. We opted to get ours at La Friterie because it was close to Grand Place and they had a large selection of sauces to choose from.

The Living

We closed out our first of three days in Brussels with dinner at the Living Bar and Restaurant. Located in the Pillows City Hotel in central Brussels, the restaurant has a cozy atmosphere and tasty food. It’s a charming spot for small parties—two to three people—but would be a challenging spot for accommodating larger groups.