Things to do in Brussels?

May 1, 2016 11:12 AM

Have a long weekend in Brussels, any suggestions of things to do?

I will likely be headed to West Africa for work in a little over a week and might have a stopover in Brussels for a few days on the way back. Any suggestions of things to do (museums, shopping, etc)? The wife and I were in Belgium last summer for a few days but spent all of our time in Bruges (which we loved, what a beautiful city!), we were only in Brussels long enough to change trains. I will probably have 2-3 days (most of it over a weekend), would like to do a day trip to Ghent somewhere in there but otherwise I have no plans.

I'm a history buff, love beer (I did a brewery tour in Bruges, wouldn't mind doing another one), art museums and waffles/chocolate of course :)

Also, what is the situation like at the moment in the city? Are most shops/museums/etc re-open? I've been following the latest news on the airport and metro re-opening but I don't know what it's like otherwise. I considered alternate travel plans but not a whole lot of flight options to West Africa, even less when you're booking last-minute. Not looking forward to going through BRU airport although it looks like the situation may be improving this week.

posted by photo guy to Travel & Transportation around Brussels, Belgium (9 answers total)

Best answer: For beer, I highly recommend Moeder Lambic, which has two locations.

I also really liked the Horta Museum, especially if you are into decorative arts and/or Art Nouveau.

The main city square is stunning, and though I didn't do it, you might enjoy the Brewer's Guild and museum.
posted by Brittanie at 11:32 AM on May 1, 2016

Go to Ghent or Antwerp. I find it hard to enjoy Brussels.

Here's a couple of beer destinations:

http://www.waterhuisaandebierkant.be/

http://www.gollem.be/

I prefer Ghent. There's a castle right in the old town.
posted by humboldt32 at 11:38 AM on May 1, 2016

Don't miss the moules frites and Magritte (at his own museum housed in the complex of them in the Royal Museums of Fine Arts). An hour away by train is Louvain-la-Neuve, home to a fantastic museum devoted to Herge, if you are a fan of the Tintin comics. Brussels is loaded with wonderful street art and graffiti too, if you like that kind of thing - a walk through the old parts of town will reward you if you have your eyes open. Also check out the City of Brussels website for advice about seeing the comic book route while in town!
posted by Otter_Handler at 12:08 PM on May 1, 2016 [1 favorite]

For beer: the Délirium Café.
posted by neushoorn at 12:37 PM on May 1, 2016

Best answer: The city is pretty much operating normally although there is a fairly strong police and army presence on the streets. Note that, if your visit is in May, there are a number of holidays coming up here that may affect openings. Brussels is a wonderful city with a lot to see and at the moment businesses here need all the support they can get since many are struggling with reduced numbers.

Eat at Fin de Siecle in the city centre for very well done classic Belgian food and Brussels atmosphere (note they take cash only no plastic money)
Visit the Millennium Iconoclast Museum of Art to see a very different Molenbeek from the one you hear about on the news.
I'm not a beer lover but I've heard the Cantillon Brewery tour is good and their Gueuze-lambic is famous.
There are chocolate shops and waffle stands all over the city. Neuhaus and Pierre Marcolini are my favourites but I recommend strolling around Place du Grand Sablon and sampling chocolates from each of the many chocolatiers scattered around. The small park at Petit Sablon is worth a look too.

Brussels is a city that slowly reveals its delights. This book is a handy shortcut to finding them - 500 hidden secrets of Brussels .

Agenda has listings of upcoming events.
posted by roolya_boolya at 3:07 PM on May 1, 2016

Response by poster: Thanks all! Some excellent links for me to take a look at later :) roolya_boolya, thanks for mentioning the holidays, I had no idea those were coming up. Looks like I'll be there over Whit Monday (May 16), hopefully not a major holiday.
posted by photo guy at 4:16 PM on May 1, 2016

Best answer: The Musical Instruments Museum is really, really cool, in a gorgeous building, and its top floor café affords a wonderful view looking down the Mont des Arts toward the Grand'Place (main square).

The BELvue is the museum of Belgian history. I was also going to recommend the Royal Museum of Central Africa but that's closed for renovations through mid-2017. The Jewish Museum (which had been a victim of an earlier attack) is also really interesting.

Someone earlier mentioned Louvain-la-Neuve and the Hergé museum. That might be interesting (I haven't been) but I used to live in Louvain-la-Neuve and it's essentially a town built (in ugly 70s style) around a university; it tends to be pretty dead on the weekends. There is a comic book museum in Brussels itself if that's your thing.

The Toone puppet theater is cool; their performances are in French with a heavy dose of olde-timey Brussels slang. It looks like on May 14 it is a showing of a piece on the Belgian Revolution of 1830.

If you like antiquing, the Rue Haute in the Marolles district has lots of antiques dealers.

PS I love Brussels (I also lived there for a year); don't listen to the haters.
posted by dhens at 5:12 PM on May 1, 2016 [3 favorites]

I really enjoyed the Musical Instruments Museum & the Coudenberg when I was in Brussels.
posted by belladonna at 7:57 PM on May 1, 2016 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks again everyone! I hit up the Mallores Flea Market and Sablon Antique Market (both totally worthwhile - I miss European flea markets!). I also hit up the Musical Instruments Museum (was hoping to hit up BELvue as well but didn't get time) and the Atomium (yes it's touristy but I wanted to see it - I didn't bother going up, the line was too long). Also made it to Ghent for a day which was definitely worthwhile - saw the famous Altarpiece and Gravelsteen, also found a surprisingly good modern design museum that had a Maarten van Severen exhibit :)
posted by photo guy at 11:13 AM on May 16, 2016