Belgium, Brussels

Brussels was the last stop on our visit to the Netherlands and Belgium, with a detour to Lille, France. It took no time to reach the city center from Lille by train and we easily walked from Brussel-Centraal to our hotel.

Room at The Dominican Brussels

We stayed at The Dominican Brussels and loved everything about our stay. Conveniently located, we were able to walk to and from the train station and to all the sights in both the lower and upper areas of Brussels. Not only did a friendly and efficient staff let us check in early, which is always appreciated, they gave us an upgrade as well.

Our room on the 5th floor was delightful. It was large with a comfortable king-sized bed, sitting area, work desk and two window seats where I loved to read and relax after sightseeing. The bathroom was large and modern with both a tub and a rain shower, and there was a walk-in closet with room for luggage, something unusual, especially for a European hotel. The bar/lounge area was very nice, again with a pleasant staff. The wine was reasonably priced and we enjoyed a selection of tasty appetizers one evening.

A Little Brussels Whimsy

Being the capital of Belgium, the seat of the European Union, and the headquarters of NATO, Brussels is quite the international city. Although it sits in the Flemish-speaking region of Flanders, French is spoken in Brussels. Visitors should know some French but due to its status as the de facto head of Europe, with businesspeople and dignitaries coming and going, English is widely used as the default language. 

If staying a few days and interested in visiting the major sights, a Brussels Card provides visitors with unlimited public transportation and entrance to most museums. If only visiting for a day, it would probably not be worth purchasing the card. Like so many cities, most of the major museums are closed on Mondays.

Also like most major cities, Brussels has hop on and off tourist buses and a good transportation system consisting of métro, buses, trams, and trains. A single ticket is good for one hour on all public transportation. The ticket must be validated in the orange machines every time it is used. Of course, taxis are available but can be expensive.

Grand Place

The best sight in Brussels is free. The Grand Place is the main square and the heart of the old town. In addition to the elegant buildings, lots of activities and people-watching make the square a fun place to hang out and enjoy a beer or a meal.

Going back 1000 years, the Grand Place was once a bustling market square with farmers and merchants selling their wares in open-air stalls. Today, cafés and shops line the square offering waffles, mussels, fries, beer, chocolates, and flowers.

Swan House

The Hôtel de Ville, Town Hall, is the grandest of buildings within the Grand Place. Its 300-foot tower, topped with a golden stature of St. Michael, looms high above. Next door sits the Swan House, now an expensive restaurant, and the Brewers’ Guild, now the Brewery Museum.

Opposite the Town Hall stands the Maison du Roi, King’s House, which the once-ruling Habsburgs used as an administrative center. It now houses a City Museum. The museum displays a chronological history of the city including a short film, maps, and models. Tapestries, paintings, and other decorative items are also on display as are the original statues that once bejeweled the Town Hall. Costumes made for the little Manneken-Pis statue take up an entire room.

No Lack of Places to Dine

The Galeries Royales St. Hubert is Europe’s oldest shopping mall. Built in 1847, the elegant glass-covered mall inspired the creation of similar styled galleries in other capitals around Europe. The table-packed Rue des Bouchers is amazing with its never-ending line of restaurants. I wouldn’t necessarily dine here, but its fun to run the gauntlet and ogle the variety of cuisines.

Built in 1873 on the former site of the 13th-century Convent des Recollets is the Bourse, or Stock Exchange. Ruins from the convent can be seen under the glass to the right of the Bourse. Several attractive and historic Art Nouveau cafés cluster around the Place de la Bourse. It is in this square where the city’s celebrations and demonstrations often take place.

Manneken-Pis

Probably the most famous sight of all in Brussels is, rather unfortunately, the statue of a little boy peeing, hence the name Manneken-Pis. Easy to miss in an unremarkable setting, the statue is quite small, under two feet tall. Created in 1619, the water fountain originally provided drinking water to the neighborhood. The wee lad has hundreds of outfits housed in the city’s museum and is often dressed in one of them, although the day we were there he was stark naked.

Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula

The Cathédrale des Saints Michel et Gudule, Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula, is a lovely Gothic-style church. The construction of the church was started at the beginning of the 13th century. It took almost 300 years to complete the enormous undertaking.

The restoration of the nave, which lasted from 1983 to 1989, restored the stones and vaults and the stained-glass windows to their former splendor. It also uncovered remarkably preserved remains of the 11th-century Romanesque church on which the current structure is built. The remains are available for viewing in the cathedral’s basement.

Royal Palace

The elegant Upper Town with its wide streets, plantings and fountains is where visitors will find Brussels’ palaces and museums. The Palais Royale, Royal Palace, is made up of what was once a row of mansion-sized townhouses. To create the palace, a façade was erected linking the houses together to make one massive building. The Palace is where the King, Queen and important government heads have offices. Lavish receptions are held in the state rooms and the apartments are used to house foreign Heads of State during their official visits. Adjacent to the palace, the BELvue Museum explains the history of Belgium and the royal family.

Major court cases are tried at the Palais de Justice, Palace of Justice. The marble building with its huge dome covers more than six acres and dominates the Brussels skyline.

Notre-Dame du Sablon Church

The Notre-Dame du Sablon Church is best known for its eleven beautiful stained-glass windows. The light that streams from the windows creates a beautiful glow that illuminates the nave and encircles the altar. Another interesting feature of the church is the carved wooden pulpit made in 1697. Otherwise, the interior of the church is attractive but rather plainly decorated.

The Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, covers the history of Western painting. The museum is made up of three buildings, each a museum in their own right. I was looking forward to visiting this museum but was disappointed. First of all, the “modern” part was completely closed at the time. Secondly, renovations also closed other parts of the museum. And finally, as we started to walk into one set of galleries, a man closed and locked the door without explanation, leaving many people wondering what was going on and why we were being denied access.

Art Nouveau Musical Instruments Museum

So all and all, we only saw a very small portion of the museum for our admission price. My husband likes Brueghel and they have a room with several paintings, which we enjoyed … but otherwise, I cannot rave about this place, it hardly took any time at all to go through what was open. Maybe someday we will return and be able to see it all.

The Musée des Instruments de Musique, Musical Instruments Museum, dates to 1877. It was originally attached to the Royal Conservatory of Music to provide students the opportunity to see examples of old musical instruments. Now housed in the former Old England department store, a fine example of Art Nouveau design, the collection contains over 7,000 instruments from the Middle Ages to the present day.

Great food can be found all over Brussels. Our hotel directed us to Scheltema one night for dinner. We had hoped to have mussels but, unfortunately, they were out of season. We both ordered the duck breast, which was not fancy but nicely presented. They were both cooked perfectly and were very tasty. The servings were generous, and we enjoyed every bite.

Duck Breast at Scheltema 

Don’t expect to be pampered, the service was a little brusque, but friendly. The prices were a a bit higher than expected from a casual restaurant not in the tourist zone, but probably on a par with their competitors. We rarely order dessert, but they brought a huge box of light, buttery cookies and told us to enjoy however many we wanted. We did sample a couple, and they were delicious and a nice little bonus. Would recommend for a simple night out away from the tourists.

We enjoyed Brussels and all the towns we visited in the north of continental Europe. Traveling by train was a breeze, there were no communication problems, and the people were friendly and generous with their time and information. We had bad weather, but it didn’t spoil our time or hide the beauty of these beautiful cities.