Région de Bruxelles-Capitale Things to Do

  Ephemeral beauty... Begonias going...
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  • Ephemeral beauty... Begonias going giddy!
      Ephemeral beauty... Begonias going...
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  • Grand Place, Town Hall
      Grand Place, Town Hall
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  • Grand Place
      Grand Place
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  • Grand Place, facades
      Grand Place, facades
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  • Grand Place
      Grand Place
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Most Viewed Things to Do in Région de Bruxelles-Capitale

1.

Grand' Place & guild houses   Brussels

Grand' Place & guild houses, Brussels

 427 Reviews   Grote-Markt as this square is called in flamandian, is the greatest square of Bruxelles. At the origin of the city there was a bottom market which was the center of activity of a developing small... 

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2.

Manneken Pis   Brussels

Manneken Pis, Brussels

 191 Reviews  A very small statue, almost missed it. Crowded, hardly possible to get a picture of you taken standing in front of it without any other tourists in it! But lovely and of course a must-see while you're... 

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3.

Atomium & Heyzel area   Brussels

Atomium & Heyzel area, Brussels

 227 Reviews  Built for the international exhibition of 1958, this imaginative construction is a museum, with displays in five of its nine spheres. As Eiffel tower in Paris, it became one of the symbols of the... 

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4.

Museums   Brussels

Museums, Brussels

 134 Reviews  This is close to the Grand Place in the beautiful Gallerie du Roi. I was not expecting much but was very surprised at the well-organized exhibits. The ground floor is usually the current exhibition... 

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5.

Tours & Walks   Brussels

Tours & Walks, Brussels

 86 Reviews  Go for a walk in the city centre and see if you can spot all the Belgian cartoons painted on house gables. The tourist office has a brochure with a walk if you want to make sure you get to see them... 

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6.

Cinquantenaire & museums   Brussels

Cinquantenaire & museums, Brussels

 115 Reviews  I was interested to visit Army Museum which is located in Cinquantenaire. I was surprised the entrance is free to the Army Museum. There are huge collections of history of Belgian Army as well as... 

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7.

Chocolate, Waffles & Fries   Brussels

Chocolate, Waffles & Fries, Brussels

 46 Reviews  Don't get fooled by the shops around the Grand Place and Manneken Pis offering the "best" of Brussels' waffles, chocolates and frites. Those places aren't what made them famous. Instead find any stand... 

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8.

Cathédrale St Michel & Gudule   Brussels

Cathédrale St Michel & Gudule, Brussels

 91 Reviews  Covering 12 centuries of history, this large cathedral was finished in 1047, but it was renovated in the 13Th century. The actual facade comes from the 15th century. The most interesting details are... 

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9.

Parcs & Gardens   Brussels

Parcs & Gardens, Brussels

 110 Reviews  It was rather strange but very comforting to find such a beautiful and calming place within the giant skyscrapers of the financial part of the city. The entrance is free and there are plenty of... 

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10.

Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert   Brussels

Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, Brussels

 48 Reviews  The Galeries Royales St. Hubert was built in 1846 King Leopold l laid the foundation stone for the glass roofed galleries. Inside there are three seperate galleries = The King's Gallery, the Queen's... 

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11.

Palais Royal   Brussels

Palais Royal, Brussels

 73 Reviews  The original Royal Palace was destroyed by fire in 1731. It was rebuilt on the original site, then later remodelled in Louis XVl style in the 19th. century as a residence for King Leopold ll. Further... 

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12.

Musical instrument museum   Brussels

Musical instrument museum, Brussels

 31 Reviews  This museum was a recommendation from Adi, our B&B host, as a thing to do on our last hours in the city and it was spot on! Not only did I like the building it is at, but I liked the idea of showing... 

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13.

Palais de Justice   Brussels

Palais de Justice, Brussels

 49 Reviews  Our hotel wasn't located too far from here and it is an incredibly grand building - just a shame it was half covered in scaffolding on our visit. I am not too sure whether you can venture inside but... 

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14.

Chinese & Japanese Towers   Brussels

Chinese & Japanese Towers, Brussels

 28 Reviews  Facing the Chines pavilion, this Japanese complex, built to shows two different structures - a high red tower and an adjacent wooden pavilion. Housing temporary collections of Japan, it is surrounded... 

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15.

Markets & Flea Markets   Brussels

Markets & Flea Markets, Brussels

 20 Reviews  As the year comes to an end, many towns and villages throughout Belgium hold Christmas markets with colorful illuminations around their main streets and shopping centers. In Brussels, the Christmas... 

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16.

Eglise Notre Dame du Sablon   Brussels

Eglise Notre Dame du Sablon, Brussels

 38 Reviews  The Church of Our Lady on the Sablon is also known as Notre Dame du Sablon. My little guide book which I bought inside describes it as "An Artistic Treasure - truely a shrine of stone carefully... 

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17.

Jeanneken Pis   Brussels

Jeanneken Pis, Brussels

 18 Reviews  Jeanneken Pis is the female equivalent of Manneken Pis. It's a newer statue and it doesn't have any costumes yet. This one is a little girl with 2 pony tails, squatting and peeing very gladly. The... 

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18.

EC area   Brussels

EC area, Brussels

 36 Reviews  One day, I wrote: Yes, I know that, as an European citizen, I'm ruled from Brussels. Yes, I know that it is important, but... I don't like it. I've been in Brussels twice, tried two different... 

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19.

Bourse - Stock Exchange   Brussels

Bourse - Stock Exchange, Brussels

 34 Reviews  Built by the end of the 19Th century as part of a plan to embellish the city, this palace in Neo-Renaissance style mixed with Second Empire, it has many decorative motifs from several artists. Located... 

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20.

Basilique de Koekelberg   Brussels

Basilique de Koekelberg, Brussels

 23 Reviews  From the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Brussels (Koekelberg) you have an amazing view over Brussels and surroundings! The church itself is also very impressive, art deco. It's not so far from the... 

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21.

Maison Horta & Art Nouveau   Brussels

Maison Horta & Art Nouveau, Brussels

 20 Reviews  In 2005, Brussels celebrates the Art Nouveau style (refer to ptitetoile's travelogue on Art Nouveau) with a few exhibitions (see other Art Nouveau tips "L'Art Nouveau au quotidien"). The Eurantica... 

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22.

Waterloo   Brussels

Waterloo, Brussels

 7 Reviews  The battle of Waterloo put an end to Napoleon's dreams of conquering Europe (but he kept coming back, didn't he?). The battlefield is south of Brussels, and was reached in 1972 by bus (probably still... 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Musée Charlier (museum)

by Norali

I think that if you have a few time in Brussels with MIM, Musée des Instruments de Musique, it is a must as far as museums are concerned. For an extra reason too: even Brussels people don't know it that much. I discovered it by chance in 1997, while wandering in Brussels office district. In fact, this used to be an old art district but offices took over art. The first exhibition I assisted there was "Emile Verhaeren, un musée imaginaire". Focus on Emile Verhaeren, Belgian poet, as a link between Belgian and French artists in 1848- 1914 era. Manet, Seurat, Monet, Toulouse- Lautrec paintings adjoined with Rodin woodcarving pieces, Ensor and Meunier drawings. Visitors could even have a glance at epistolary contents that tied those artistes and "passeurs" (a kind of art smugglers) ... The whole was displayed in a jewel case that is this building that used to be Henri Van Cutsem town house....

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Musée d'Ixelles

by Norali

A little museum, quite unknown in Ixelles area. I would have put it in Off the beaten path tips too.I was not impressed by the setting rather by the interesting permanent collection. The museum uses to host temporary exhibitions.In 2001, I saw there Sotheby's collection for paintings. I learnt about the exhibition by chance and saw the museum for first time. Happy to have discovered it. A great collection of all-eras' bills and posters too. Anyway, till Sept. 9, Heinrich Simon's collection of Belgian modern at will be hosted there. Don't ask me who Simon is. I will investigate and report... So, collection includes works of Spilliaert; Rik Wouters (I like this one); Ensor; Permeke; Magritte; Delvaux (not my fave)...Hours: *Tuesday-Friday: 1pm - 6.30 pm*Saturday & Sunday: 10 am - 5 pm

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THE SAINT MICHAEL and SAINT GUDULA CATHEDRAL

by isolina_it

This church is to be found at the Treurenberg hill on the edge between lower and upper town.Because of its growing importance, the first St. Gudula church originally built in Romanesque style was transformed in gothic style as from the 13th century. Today, the foundations of the first church can still be seen under the crypt of the gothic cathedral.The gothic choir was constructed between 1226 and 1276, nave and transept in the middle of the 15th century. The western facade, completed between 1450 and 1490, follows the example of the French gothic facades.All through the 20th century the Cathedral has almost continuously been renovated. The renovation was completed in December 1999 when the marriage of the Belgian Crown Prince Philippe with his bride Princess Mathilda took place here, on the 4th of December.LocationSint Goedele voorplein / Parvis Saint Gudule

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MANNEKEN PIS

by isolina_it

This statue of a little boy in a somewhat compromising position has since several centuries been a major tourist attraction in the city. Nobody actually knows why the manneken is there. The official origin can be traced back to the 13th of August 1619 when the city ordered the sculptor Jerome Duquesnoy to make a new bronze statue of manneken-pis to replace an old and withered one. During the course of the centuries our little manneken has often been hidden to protect him against bombs of invading armies. He has also been stolen several times by plundering soldiers and even by the citizens of Geraardsbergen, a city in Flanders that claims to possess the oldest statue of a peeing boy in Belgium.A lot of people do not know that the manneken-pis is very often dressed. At the moment he has a wardrobe of more than 600 costumes, which are all preserved in the King's House, or City Museum at the...

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Comic Museum

by hector1976

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Top 3 Hotels in Région de Bruxelles-Capitale

Conrad Brussels  Brussels

 11 Reviews and 318 Opinions  Location, Building 

 Hotels in Brussels

Rocco Forte Hotel Amigo  Brussels

 8 Reviews and 359 Opinions  The Rocco Forte hotel amigo is considered the best in Brussels and is part of the Leading Hotels of... 

 Hotels in Brussels

Brussels Welcome Hotel  Brussels

 8 Reviews and 492 Opinions  I really enjoyed this hotel. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful -- providing me with a... 

 Hotels in Brussels

The Place

Reviews and photos of Région de Bruxelles-Capitale attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Région de Bruxelles-Capitale sightseeing.

Experience Région de Bruxelles-Capitale
 

Questions and Answers

Kristina1701 profile photo

Q:  Do they usually accept credit cards in small shops/supermarkets in brussels or would it be better to have cash or a maestro/debit... 

ranger49 profile photo

A: I think that wherever you go in Europe for small purchases like e.g. a cup of coffee and a croissant + newspaper, cash is expected. In fact many establishements... 

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