Just a few hours or a few days in Brussels ?

A quick visitor’s guide

Feedback is welcome to charles.lemaire@swing.be !

You have just 2 hours to visit Brussels ? Or, you don’t know how to start. Just start here.

My favorite max 2 hours visit / needs to be done, or you didn’t see Brussels

Start from the Grand Place. It’s one of the most beautiful places in the world. One of the most spectacular locations I know. Something like Venice or the Piazza del Campo in Sienna: where you will get the feeling of being enclosed into something that has a real unity. Next stop is just left of the City Hall, on the corner of the "rue de l’Etuve", there is a statue - the T’Serclaes statue. - everybody will touch.. Walk through this street. You can’t be wrong, everybody takes the same direction, cross one street with traffic lights, and over the next block, on the left you’ll get the "Manneken piss" (the peeing kid).

Come back the same way to the Grand Place; then take the right opposite corner to the "rue de la colline"

Just in front of you when going out of this street you get the "gallerie de la reine" (queen’s gallery) after next crossing starts "gallerie du roi" (king’s gallery). A wonderful and very quiet covered place. The sky is there. But not the rain !

WARNING: just in the middle, on the left, there is a little street "rue des bouchers" (butcher’s street); if you want, just go into it... just remember it’s fake, expensive, and probably the worst experience you can get of Brussels. Don’t eat there !

At the end of the gallery, take the opposite street. On the right side of it, you’ll find "la mort subite" (the immediate death): the most typical café in Brussels. Stop there, share and taste different sorts of beers: gueuze, kriek, faro, framboise could be your initial top 4 (just take care, belgian beers - meaning good beers - are very strong, so, just ever stop after two or three). You would also order some side dishes. Cottage cheese and other can be typical, or just take salami or dutch cheese: strong beers always are taken with some food. Anyway, just relax and watch the place. You’re not the first to drink in this place.

IN CASE OF: if you are hungry, avoid the rue des bouchers, petite rue des bouchers and other in that area. When coming back from the "manneken piss" you can probably find something in the "rue des brasseurs" (last street right before the grand place). Typical food to try: mussels with french fries ; carbonnades flamandes (brown sauce beef cooked in beer); chicken waterzooi ("soup" of chicken and vegetables... it looks like soup, but it’s a full meal).

Another beer ?

If you have some time left... and still are thirsty. Go back into the Galleries. Turn right/downhill into the "rue des bouchers" (Yes, the place I told you to avoid). Turn left (direction Grand Place) in the "petite rue des bouchers" - see also on the corner the Léon’s mussel’s restaurant, probably the only place where you would eat in the area - and find, on your left, the little alley to the Toone puppets theatre. The café is not exceptional... but it’s one the rare places in the block where you’ll feel right and not be stolen. Just have another beer! The "theatre toone" is a puppets theatre and café. Very special atmosphere, the café room was formerly the theatre (has moved to another level since).

More belgian food ? and a few steps in Africa ?

If you want a real Belgian experience, there is only one address (I know): Le Volle Gas ("the full speed" in Brussels dialect). Place Fernand Cocq 21, +32 (0)2 502 89 17. Apply the same rule as in La mort subite (or any other Belgian café in your ethnographic trip): order as many different dishes and beers as you are of participants, and share the experiences. The Volle Gas is one of the rare places where you will get more than the Belgian mussels and fries and get many specialities from different regions I don’t even knew the existence before going there.

To go there, you could take the metro to the "porte de Namur" and walk (about 1 km) along the Chaussée d’Ixelles along Matonge, the black African part of Brussels.

On the way back, ask for the "St Boniface Church" (one street from the way you took) and come back through the "Chaussée de Wavre" (two streets from the way you took). You will be possibly inspired by some exotic drinks they offer there. You landed in Brussels, you’ll be staying in Kinshasa.

If you have more time, and a car

If you drove by car, don’t miss the Atomium: the Grand Place, Manneken Piss and the Atomium are the 3 most important monuments of the city! You don’t need visiting it. Just see it. Have a walk around it. Possibly on your way to or from Brussels.

The Tervuren Museum. Belgium had only one colony... but just a big one. Congo. There is a strange museum at one end of Brussels. The way to there is very beautiful, shaped for kings and queens, for horses. There is a tramway to this place. A very nice park is surrounding it. Want one more beer ? There is a café in front of the museum, they have lots of different beers (like many belgian cafés !).

See something different from Brussels and eat good food

From the Grand Place again take the "rue au Beurre" (butter street). In the middle of this street, on the left, stop at Dandoy. A very typical biscuits factory. This is THE biscuit’s specialist. All sorts of tastes. Just have a try. And, even if you don’t appreciate the biscuits. It’s worth a look. On the same way, you’ll reach the back of the Bourse (stock exchange). Go to the front door and take the street in front of you (Rue Auguste Orts) and further the "Antoine Dansaertstraat" ... You crossed one border. You’re in the flemish part of Brussels. Well-known for mode shops. All new creators have a shop in this place. Next you’ll cross the "vieux marché au grain" (old grain market).

Other option on the same way. From the Bourse, don’t take the street in front of you, but the next on the left (rue Jules van Praet) and you’ll reach the "halles saint Gery" (Saint Gery market). A nice old building with cafés and restaurants all around. Take the next right to reach the rue Dansaert as above.

On the Vieux Marché au Grain let’s go right to Eglise Sainte Catherine. There is another place on the left of the church, and a little one behind it. The area is full of good and very good (sometimes expensive) restaurants... and you left the herds of tourists ½ kilometre behind you! On the Place Sainte Catherine the speciality is fish (it’s the old harbour of Brussels) but other streets will offer other types of restaurants.

Culture

From the Grand Place in place of taking the Galleries, keep the right side of the street and go uphill "rue de la madeleine" to the "Albertine" (library, park) on the top of the stairs after the park you’ll see in front of you on the left the "new England" (a former general store) an marvelous "art nouveau" building, it’s also a music instruments museum (MIM), and on top of it, there is a terrace from where you have a very special view on Brussels. You then reach the "place royale" from where you can reach multiple art museums (left and right on these ways).

Botanic garden - just go by tube. It’s a culture centre. Concerts, exhibitions, a nice building, a park.

Comic strips museum. Too long to explain, but well at walking distance from the center, of from the Botanique. Also a wonderful building. And if you like comic strips, it’s the place.

The Horta house (rue américaine 25) is worth a visit. A splendid art nouveau building if you like architecture and interior design.

On Sunday

Marché du midi / There is a very popular market next to South station. If you like overcrowded places with lots of food and of everything you can buy.

Marché aux puces / Flea market "place du jeu de balle" Walking distance from the Marché du Midi. In the old, very popular old town. It’s a real mix of belgians and all nationalities, but you can hear there some of the Brussels dialect (mix of flemish and french) with arabic, turkish and many other languages.

As in any other place, Brussel's secrets will remain hidden...

... if you don't go yourselve to the places and the people. There are plenty of museums... shops... Thousands of cafés... Hundreds of restaurants of all sorts... Places to dance, to listen music, watch films or theatre... One month will probably just be enough to see all significant art nouveau buildings of the city... but don't expect to taste half of the belgian beers in a complete life ! So, just explore Brussels ! And you will discover some parts of it that will only make sense to you !