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Brussels?

sharonov

10+ Posts
I’ve never been to Brussels. Can anyone tell me if it would be worth a day or two? Ill be in Amsterdam for a week, and may change my home flight and extend my trip a bit, as I recently found the towns in Luxembourg where my gr gr grandparents came from. I thought maybe a train to Brussels, stay a couple of days, then another to Luxembourg, rent a car and drive to the tiny towns. Of course, I run the risk of finding that both were destroyed in WW1 and 2, though I know one old church remains. Anyhow, I digress. I know nothing about Brussels except for the EU being headquartered there, so don’t know if it should be a destination. Nobody ever talks about Brussels for some reason.
 
I have stayed in Brussels several times over the last year (primarily for work but also doing touristy things in the evening and on weekends). I think Brussels is a good place to visit (and there is enough to see for a couple days). The Grand Place is gorgeous (probably one of the most beautiful squares in the world). There are nice museums. And of course there is the food and drink which Belgium is famous for (frites, chocolate, waffles and beer). And for those not familiar with Brussels, there are more visitors than one would think.....a combination of those who have reason to visit any of the institutions in the EU HQ orbit and the tourists themselves. I think Brussels is worth visiting for the historic center but once you are outside this area the rest of the city is just a large European city.

So, I do think Brussels is worth visiting. However, as an alternative I would consider staying in Ghent. It is roughly halfway between Brussels and Bruges (for easy day trips) and is more charming than Brussels. Both Brussels and Ghent are worthy destinations so you can't go wrong.
 
It depends what you’re interested in. We’ve been to Brussels three times and we’ve always enjoyed it.

We stay in the Avenue Louise neighbourhood and really like it there. We love sitting in Place Flagey with a cone of fries people watching, lots of kids playing soccer etc. We ate in the African neighbourhood (the name escapes me right now—the Matonge?) and toured the Horta house and other art nouveau houses. We’ve been to the Fine Arts museum. We were there when the Royal Greenhouses were open to the public and that was a great experience. We’ve never bothered to go and look at the Mannekin Pis.

The Grand Place is gorgeous to visit but we wouldn’t want to stay near there.

A lot of people dislike Brussels but we’ve always had good experiences there.
 
Like JJH and Lucy, I've also enjoyed my time in Brussels. Granted, I have not spent that long a time there as I also went to Antwerp, Bruges, and Ghent. It has been half a decade ago since I've been there last though. If you're concerned about safety, this source provides a good overview of Belgium as well as Brussels. If you're into museums, I'd recommend checking Coudenberg Palace.
 
For me, Antwerp is a much more desirable than Brussels as a day-trip from Amsterm. The beautiful city has much more to offer, with many more points of interest, in a more concentrated space than Brussels.
 

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