Places to see and things to do in Brussels?

Stan_Lite

Stan_Lite

Stan_Lite

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After a conversation with a fellow CAMRA member yesterday in which we discussed Belgian beers, I decided it was about time I visited the place to try some out for myself. I've raided my BA Avios (airmiles) and booked a trip there next weekend (only cost me 18,000 Avios and £40 for business class :cool:).

Having never been there, I would welcome any advice on things/places to see and do while I'm there. Also, good places to eat and drink.

FYI, I'm staying in the THON hotel near the city centre - just a short walk from the North train station. I would prefer eating and drinking establishments to be within reasonable walking distance (couple of miles, max).
 
See the Atomium, Museum of Fine Arts, City Hall/Grand Place. There are quite a few fish restaurant close to the Sainte-Catherine metro.
 
I'm off there on Wednesday, will report back if I remember! The Christmas market is on and apparently 2km squared in size...

Was in Bruges last week and it was stuffing gorgeous. The beer is deadly though!
 
simulatorman said:
See the Atomium, Museum of Fine Arts, City Hall/Grand Place. There are quite a few fish restaurant close to the Sainte-Catherine metro.
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I did a bit of a Google earlier and saw the Atomium and the Grand Place. Will probably give them a look. I like the sound of fish restaurants. I'll need to check out the metro system, my hotel is apparently attached to the Rogier metro station so that might be a handy way to get around. Ta for the help :)

FARGO said:
I'm off there on Wednesday, will report back if I remember! The Christmas market is on and apparently 2km squared in size...

Was in Bruges last week and it was stuffing gorgeous. The beer is deadly though!
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Good man :)

I saw something about the Christmas market - apparently it's at the Grand Place (see above) so will be on the agenda.

I'm Scottish. Strong beer is not a problem ;)
 
Maundie said:
Delerium (I think thats how it's spelt) is wicked, in the Guinness book of records for the most beers available on tap
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Excellent. Googled it and it sounds great - and only 1 km from the hotel too :cool:

simulatorman said:
Don't forget:

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You'll be doing a lot of that. :p:D
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I'll definitely have to go and see the wee fella (see what I did there?).
 
Brussels was quite nice, but because of the hotel (Sofitel) more than anything else. I much preferred Bruges as a place to chill with a beer and to explore.
 
Ok Brussels is a dump. I spent a lot of time working there.

I also know where you stayed as I used to stay in the Hilton/ Crowne Plaza/ Sheraton 2 minutes up the road. That is basically on the edge of Brussel's red light district (Think the 'windows' in Amsterdam).

Aside from the stuff already mentioned, if you want beers, check out the Delirium bar, in the tourist centre. There are streets and streets of touristy restaurants around that area, so you will know you are in the right place That (for me) is probably the highlight of Brussels. It's great- really big, thousands of beers available including hundreds on tap, and a nice atmosphere. Also Delirium itself is really delish so make sure you have a few bottles of it :)

Other than that, I am afraid I can't think of much to recommend. There are a few decent restaurants dotted around, but not much else.

Toscana 21 is one off the top of my head that was very nice. It is Italian, but really really good (Google for the location), and the one next door to it is decent too. If you want mussels, they are available EVERYWHERE and are really much of a muchness. The best place near your hotel is called Le Saint Germaine - it has a Duvel sign above the door and is on a corner- next to the Sheraton and opposite the Crowne Plaza. Another decent place is called (I think) le saint Catherine. It is on the walk from your hotel to the Grand Place. Let me know if you want more eating options.

There is the peeing boy statue, the grand place is quite impressive, and there is a decent Christmas market there.
 
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Brussels is a bit of a hole tbh, very business based and not very touristy :(

My advice:

1 night in Brussels, go to Delirium, drink too much beer, go get a "meetriecht avec friekondel avec sause andalouse." (Not sure of the spelling of that, but how its said ;)

Spend rest of your time in Bruges as it's an absolutely gorgeous little city, was there last month with the Mrs, and could spend forever walking around it's little streets and eating chocolate and waffles :p

In Bruges, there is also a bar which does hundreds if not thousands of Belgian beers so you certainly won't miss out, just a nicer place than Brussels in general :)

Also, in Brussels, stay away from the area around Gare du Midi station, absolute hole.

So in conclusion, GO TO BRUGES!
 
The Christmas markets are here from now until early January, they've got good gift ideas, great food on offer from loads of different cultures, and of course plenty of drinks available. (They have a big Ferris wheel for a good view too).
There are always the Grand Place to see, and the touristy shops and restaurants around there. The Atomium is always a good waste of an hour or two, and offers great views of the city.
If you do come over, Stop by the Six Nations Rugby Pub near the centre of Brussels. Great beer, great staff, great regulars and delicious food. You'll probably see me in there :)

FARGO said:
The Christmas market is on and apparently 2km squared in size...!
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It's not that big :p
 
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Megahurtz400 said:
go get a "meetriecht avec friekondel avec sause andalouse." (Not sure of the spelling of that, but how its said ;)

Also, in Brussels, stay away from the area around Gare du Midi station, absolute hole.
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I googled that and all it came up with was this thread - must try harder :p

The first hotel I looked at (strangely recommended by BA :eek:) was near there. I checked some review sites and apparently it's a very seedy area with tramps and junkies and thieves etc. You'd think BA would vet their recommendations a bit better than that.

Megahurtz400 said:
So in conclusion, GO TO BRUGES!
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Not entirely sure but I think you might be trying to tell me something here ;) The hotel is booked in advance so no changes allowed. If I visit again, I may well try Bruges. I've also heard that Ghent is nice.
 
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Brussels is a fairly pointless place for a trip in itself - its nice to see but not as the focal point of your trip.

It doesn't matter that your hotel is already booked - you must still spend a day in Bruges. It is only 1 hour by train from Brussels Midi station. You will get much much more out of your trip if you do this. Bruges is a simply wonderful city which again you probably only need a day to see, so its fairly easy to see it in additional to Brussels. Lots and lots of pubs and things, too.
 
If it's only an hour away, I may well take a day trip through then. I didn't realise it was so close.

Any tips on what to see in Bruges then?
 
Had a bit of a Google and it's 1hr 5mins from Nord station (just up the road) to Bruges so it looks like a trip to Bruges is definitely on the cards.
 
David91 said:
The Christmas markets are here from now until early January, they've got good gift ideas, great food on offer from loads of different cultures, and of course plenty of drinks available. (They have a big Ferris wheel for a good view too).
There are always the Grand Place to see, and the touristy shops and restaurants around there. The Atomium is always a good waste of an hour or two, and offers great views of the city.
If you do come over, Stop by the Six Nations Rugby Pub near the centre of Brussels. Great beer, great staff, great regulars and delicious food. You'll probably see me in there :)



It's not that big :p
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Planning on visiting the six nations tonight. If you're in there tonight, I'll be the bewildered looking fat Scottish bloke with specs. I'll also, probably, be quite squiffy as I'm currently sampling beers in Delirium :D
 
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