Brussels, Belgium captured my heart. Not only was it my first solo trip, but I have had my eye on visiting for many years now. It was truly a spur of the moment decision. I was visiting my sister in London and had a few days to myself. While I absolutely adore England, I always try to experience something new.
I narrowed it down to a train trip because Eurostar is one of my favorite things. It makes it so easy to travel. Brussels is only two hours by train from London so it allowed me to make the most of the two days I was there. I took one of the first trains out of London that day getting into Brussels right by lunch time.
I chose to stay as close to the center of the city. The Hilton Brussels Grand Place was the perfect location. It was just outside a transit station and made all of my activities walkable! I dropped my luggage off and set out to explore.
Day 1
The first activity was to find some food! Brussels is known for a few things; Belgian fries, Belgian waffles, beer, and mussels. My first stop was La Friterie. It had good reviews online even though it was a chain and they were delicious. You get to pick a sauce and I chose the Tartare Maison which was mayo, garlic, onions, and herbs. It was the perfect compliment! While eating my fries, I stumbled upon the Mannekan-Pis. I didn’t realize this was such a big thing. It was just a statue of a boy peeing, but the crowds were there!
Then I chose to go and explore the area nearby. I visited the Grand Place, which is a plaza full of mostly buildings from the 17th century. It was truly remarkable in person and I don’t think any pictures can do it justice. I popped into the Brussels City Museum. It was most art such as sculptures and paintings. I spent about an hour within this museum.
After the Grand Place, I made my way up to Mont des Arts. It provided an incredible view of the city. One thing I didn’t know about Brussels was how hilly it was. The change in elevation gave so many views throughout the city. After spending a little bit of time in this park, I made my way to the Royal Museums of Fine Arts. You can buy a combined ticket with Margitte Museum which I did. I spent a few hours in the museums, but I really enjoyed the Margitte Museum. The more modern art definitely appealed to my interests.
I took a nice nap before heading out to dinner. Again, I went in with no plan but took a little Google search to come across Brasserie Ommegang. It was moderately priced and had good reviews. Sitting at a restaurant alone can sometimes be intimidating, but this place was bustling. It was such an eclectic mix of cultures within there. I first ordered a beer. Now, beer is not usually my drink choice but Belgium has an abundance of sweet beers. I had a cherry beer that I actually really enjoyed! For my main course, I chose the matured rubia gallega tenderloin with bernaise sauce. It was delicious. However, the star of the show was the dessert. I ordered Le Merveilleux, a traditional Belgian dessert. It was light, yet flavorful and I would go back just to have it again.
Day 2
The next day I slept in a little bit (again, a solo travel perk!). I checked out of the hotel and spent some time exploring the area around it. This included sitting in this little park, walking through Galeries Royale Saint Hubert, and soaking in the people. I grabbed a quick lunch at Pasta Divina. It captured my eye because every time I walked by it was packed with a line over the last day. Plus, the positive reviews. You were immediately greeted by the sweet owner who explained his wife was cooking everything and walked you through the menu. I ordered the fettuccine al montepulicano con salsiccia senese e funghi. Now, in English terms, pasta with sausage and mushrooms in a red wine sauce.
After lunch, I headed to St Michael and St Gudula Cathedral. It was beautiful and absolutely stunning. I spent much longer in there than I had anticipated. It truly is massive. Also being Catholic, it felt a little extra special.
Then, the best thing about my day was the chocolate tour! I chose this one with Viator. It was a small group and we visited five high-end chocolate shops in Brussels. The tour itself took about 2 hours and approximately a mile of walking for completion. It wasn’t just chocolate as we got a history tour too considering we were walking through the city. From the tour, I again visited Grand Place and also the Brussels Stock Exchange. Now, I got so much out of it including why I am such a big fan of white chocolate.
After the tour completed, I leisurely walked back to the Galeries Royale Saint Hubert for my last stop of the day. This was a visit to get a Belgian waffle. Both the tour guide and the hotel concierge suggested Maison Dandoy. Boy, were they right! I got the Grand Place’s classic which was chocolate with vanilla ice cream on a Liege waffle. A Liege waffle was generous and warm, caramelized and buttered, and it’s filled with sugar bits. I’m not even a big waffle eater, but this was heavenly. After the waffle, I grabbed my luggage and began my trek back to London.
What’s On My List for Next Time
While I was only in Brussels for a short amount of time, I was able to do a lot of different things. However, I feel like I just hit the tip of the iceberg. I kept myself pretty centrally within Brussels. There are many more museums, parks, and palaces to explore! Personally, I want to visit the Atomium and Little Europe, Parc du Cinquantenaire, more restaurants, and day trips to both Ghent and Bruges.
What I Packed
So, being from Chicago I was completely shocked at how mild Brussels was in the middle of July. I actually needed a light jacket most of the time. Temps were in the mid-70s both days and not humid. It was quite pleasant. Linking a few of my key items below (ps. only included a link if a direct match to what I had!).
- Belt Bag
- Comfy shoes (I chose my Nike Dunks and Vejas)
- Button down shirt
- Hat
- Jeans
- Easy Dress
- Jean Jacket
I hope you find inspiration for your next trip to Brussels. You can check out more of my travel guides here.
Xoxo
Janelle
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