Things to do in Brussels – 20 attractions and experiences

Writer: Helena Bergström

Updated: June 2026 | Looking for things to do in Brussels? Here you will find the best sights, our personal tips and great experiences. The Belgian capital offers magnificent architecture, UNESCO World Heritage sites, Belgian chocolate, beer culture, cartoon characters and interesting museums.

What to see and do in Brussels

Although it was raining and very grey during our long weekend in Brussels, we were very positively surprised. We must say that there is a lot to see and do in Brussels! The Belgian capital is the city for those who like good food, good beer, sweets, beautiful buildings... and maybe cartoon characters.

1. Stroll around Grand Place (Unesco)

The Grote Markt, or Grand Place in French, is the main square in Brussels and is an absolute must when visiting the city. The square was built in the late Middle Ages and is now world-famous, not least for its beautifully decorated 17th century buildings. Included on the UNESCO World Heritage List

2. Visit the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert

The incredibly beautiful St Hubert shopping mall in Brussels is the first to be built in Europe, back in 1846. This is not to be missed when visiting Brussels! Discover chocolate shops, fashion, cafes and patisseries in a lovely atmosphere.

3. Check out the grand buildings

Brussels is a city filled with magnificent buildings. When you walk around the city, for example, you may stumble upon the Royal Palace, or the Palace of Justice, which is one of the largest buildings in Europe.

4. Join a walking tour of Brussels

We like guided city walks, because it's a great way to quickly and easily learn about the city you're in. In Brussels we had a Swedish-speaking (!) Belgian guide who was so enthusiastic that he overstayed his welcome by an hour or so. But we learnt a lot!

• Manneken Pis: The landmark of Belgium. The bronze statue of a little boy urinating and the first from 1619. See it at the junction of Rue de l'Étuve and Rue du Chê in Brussels.
• Jeanneke PisJeanneke Pis is the sister of Manneken Pis, who was unveiled in 1985. You can find her at 10 impasse de la Fidélité in the Old Town of Brussels.
• Zinneke Pis: Their dog, first shown in 1998. You can find it at the junction of Rue des Chartreux and Rue du Vieux-aux-Grains in Brussels.

5. Visit the European area and the European Parliament

If Brussels is known for anything, it's the EU headquarters and the whole area where politicians, administrators and lobbyists work on European issues. According to our guide, around 200,000 Brussels residents work in EU-related jobs.

It is interesting just to stroll around this area, and those who are especially interested can take guided tours and, for example, see the Parlamentarium, and NATO headquarters is also located here.

6. See Brussels underground

There is a medieval world beneath Brussels. You can go down under the Coudenberg Castle and see all the roads that were once used. If you want to experience even more of Brussels underground, you can head to the Brussels Sewer Museum, where you can experience the city in a different way, to say the least.

7. Go up to the Atomium

Atomium One of the ”must-sees” in Brussels is the Atomium. This spectacular installation was built for the 1958 World Fair, but was then left standing.

8. See Mini-Europe

Located right next to the Atomium, Mini-Europa is well worth a visit. Fun for both children and adults! You will recognise different famous buildings around Europe and become curious about others.

9. Learn more about Belgium's comic book characters

Embrace and embrace! If you like cartoon characters, Belgium is the country for you! Perhaps the most famous cartoon character here is Tintin, created by Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, aka Hergé. Lucky Luke was created by Belgian cartoonist Morris. Asterix was created by the French René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, but they met in ... Brussels. Plus, the Smurfs are a Belgian cartoon!

We visited Moof museum, located in central Brussels at Galerie Horta (Gare centrale) Rue Marché-aux-Herbes 116 B1000 Bruxelles which showcases all sorts of cartoon characters.

For those who are more interested, there is also a museum about Hergé located a little outside Brussels. You can also do the ”comic strip walk” to see all the murals with comic characters in Brussels.

10. Visit the Cinquantenaire Park

Parc du Cinquantenaire is one of Brussels' largest and most beautiful parks, known for its impressive triumphal arch and wide promenades. It also houses several museums and large green spaces, making the park a popular place for both visitors and locals.

11. Visit the Horta Museum

Victor Horta is considered one of the foremost architects of Art Nouveau and his buildings are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. At the Horta Museum you can see his former home and studio, with many of the details that made him world famous.

12. Enjoy Belgian food

There is plenty of good food in Belgium, from classic moules frites to a wide variety of dishes, whether you like meat, fish or vegetarian. We have tried 4 restaurants that really delivered.

READ MORE: 4 good restaurants in Brussels - great Belgian food

13. Indulge in waffles in Brussels

When you are in Brussels, you should definitely take the opportunity to crave waffles, whether you choose the traditional Belgian version "Gaufre de Liege" or one of the tourist waffles. Please read our post about Belgian waffles to find your way in the waffle jungle. We found the waffles on Rue de l'Etuve/Stoof straat, near Grand Place/Grote Markt.

14. Attend a chocolate workshop

In addition to eating chocolate, it is interesting to try making your own chocolate! We participated in a chocolate workshop at Laurent Gerbaud at Rue Ravenstein. We first learned a lot about chocolate and different cocoa beans, and then we got to make our own chocolate bars and flavour them with different fruits, nuts and seeds. Great fun!

15. Shop for Belgian chocolate in Grand Sablon

Of course, it's perfect to buy Belgian chocolate when you're in Brussels, but you have to be careful to make sure you're actually getting high-quality chocolate and not something mass-produced. We can recommend Wittamer at Place du Grand Sablon, which also supplies chocolate to the Royal Family.

Other chocolate shops are Mary and Neuhaus both located in the incredibly beautiful Galerie de la Reine/Koninginnegalerij (Galleries St Hubert), which is also the first shopping mall in Europe from 1846.

16. Visit a Belgian brewery

There are a number of breweries in Brussels and we visited one called Cantillon at the Brewery/Brussels Museum of the Gueuze rue Gheude 56 1070 Brussels. We have visited several breweries in Belgium before, and yet this one was very interesting.

Cantillon is not like any other brewery, but brews beer in the traditional way, i.e. in exactly the same premises and in exactly the same way as a hundred years ago. The beer is cooled on the roof by outside air, which means that beer can only be produced in the winter months.

This brewery makes, among other things, genuine Gueuze-Lambic, and also fruit beers such as cherry beer. The flavour is a bit different, but very, very interesting! Incidentally, we met two Germans here from the German beer academy who were excited and overjoyed to buy our "pot" as well, since you can only buy a certain amount per person (and we were flying).

17. Drink beer in Belgian pubs

Here you can find everything from pubs with over 3,000 types of beer, to pubs housed in old puppet theater basements.

• • Delirium Café – Known for its huge selection of thousands of beers from all over the world.
• • A La Mort Subite – Classic beer hall dating back to the 1920s and a genuine Belgian atmosphere.
• • Poechenellekelder – Cozy pub opposite Manneken Pis with a puppet theater theme and a large selection of beers.
• • Toone – Unique pub located in an old puppet theater basement and offering a very unique atmosphere.

Here you can read more about our four favorite bars in Brussels.

READ MORE: 4 unique bars in Brussels - not to be missed!

18. Shopping in Brussels

Of course, there's not only chocolate to buy in Brussels, but also clothes, for example. If you want to shop a little more exclusively, you can stroll along the long street by the Louiza/Louise metro station.

We chose to do some budget shopping at the Agoda mall on Rue de la Colline/Heuvelstraat, near the Grote Markt. We actually ended up buying a winter jacket each, and we're super happy!

19. Visit the Christmas market in Brussels

This tip depends very much on the time of year, but if you're visiting Brussels at Christmas, check out the Christmas market. There are lots of stalls selling delicacies, sweets and crafts.

20. Take a trip to Mechelen

We also have to recommend a trip to Mechelen of course! Mechelen is only 25 minutes by train from Brussels, and it is easy to make a day trip here. Mechelen is a cozy and a bit quieter city with canals, beautiful houses and, for example, a brewery, and a ticklingly tall 97 meter high church tower in St Rumbold's Cathedral that Peter got to climb.

READ MORE: 7 things to do in Mechelen in Belgium

A film from Peter on location in Brussels

More to see and do in Brussels

One thing we had planned to do in Brussels, but didn't have time to do, is Africa Museum. This museum, located just outside Brussels, has been closed for several years and recently reopened. It displays items related to Belgium's long relationship with the Congo and other African countries. Here are some other places in Brussels worth noting:

• Stoclet Palace, in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, is a private city palace built by the architect Josef Hoffman. The palace is a World Heritage Site.
• Royal museum of fine arts on Rue de la Régence 3.

To get around within Brussels, we bought metro tickets from vending machines - there were single, 24-hour and 10-times tickets available. Outside the centre of Brussels we went by train, using our 'Hi Belgium Pass'.

Hi belgium pass - and brussels Airlines

We travelled to Brussels with Brussels Airlines from Bromma and booked Hi Belgium Pass. With this pass you get free train tickets within the country during your long weekend and three free attractions in each of two cities of your choice (we chose Brussels + Mechelen). Very convenient!

Where to stay in Brussels?

Areas to stay and explore

Grand Place and Old Town
The best choice for those who want to stay in the middle of the city's main attractions. Here you are within walking distance of the Grand Place, Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, Manneken Pis, restaurants, pubs and chocolate shops.

Stencil
One of Brussels' most charming areas with antique shops, art galleries, cafes and some of the city's best chocolate shops. Perfect for those who want to stay centrally but a little quieter.

European Quarter
Suitable for those who want to experience the EU Parliament, the Parlamentarium and the modern parts of Brussels. The area is well-ordered, green and has good communications.

Louise and Ixelles
A trendy area with shopping, restaurants, bars and a wide range of hotels. Many Brussels residents live here and the area feels less touristy than the Old Town.

TIPS: When you treat yourself to a weekend, it is of course nice to stay cosy! If you like smaller hotels, with a more relaxed feel and a genuine and good breakfast - we can recommend this hotel. Cosiness.

The hotel is located by the Louiza/Louise metro station and the rooms are excellent. We especially liked the breakfast, which was not particularly large, but instead felt like it was prepared and served with care.

See more of Belgium

Want to learn more about what to see and do around Belgium? Take a look at our page Travelling to Belgium, where we collect our best tips from north to south. If you're travelling by motorhome, you can read more about campsites and pitches in Belgium. Don't miss these interesting cities either:

• 12 things to see and do in Antwerp
• 13 things to see and do in Bruges
• 10 things to see and do in Ghent