Brussels is a charming European-style city with cobblestone streets, historic architecture, and a rich cultural heritage.
I would recommend doing a day-trip to Brussels if you are visiting Paris or Amsterdam.
Every street/area in Brussels has two names - one in French and one in Dutch. Sometimes, they are not even similar.
The Grand Palace (Grote Markt) is the central square of Brussels and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
I would highly recommend starting with a walking tour.
You will get to see major attractions of the city.
The European Parliamentarium tour is free, but you have to book it in advance. The audio guide, which they provide functions only half the time, though. It takes about 90 minutes to do the complete tour. However, the exhibitions are mediocre at best.
Do check out the rooftop of Belgian Beer world. There is no need to purchase a ticket to go to the rooftop. The ticket is only for the museum.
Note
- As with most of Europe, Carrefour and Carrefour Express are the best for buying refreshments and snacks. The prices are 3-4x higher everywhere else.
- Credit cards are widely accepted.
- National Royal Library is pretty majestic and has free high-quality bathrooms as well.
- The most famous bakery for Belgian chocolates is Maison Dandoy.
- For those who prefer Vegan Waffles, go for VeganWaf, 5.5 EUR for waffles with one topping. The taste is fairly average, so I cannot recommend it, though.
- If you are planning to do Antwerp as well, then consider doing that first. Brussels is large, and everything else in Belgium appears quiet and small compared to it.