Best Things to Do
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Brussels-Capital Region
Brussels-Capital Region

Trip.Best Top 16 Best Things to Do in Brussels-Capital Region [2024]

Explore the best things to do in Brussels-Capital Region! Uncover top activities and experiences for an unforgettable visit.
Updated Oct 2024
  • top_1
    󰺂7.9
    4.6/5
    488 Review
    Free
    taCommentScoreUrlbased on 35140 reviews
    "The Grand Place is truly a sight to behold. The 360-degree view is surrounded by stunning architecture, and there are plenty of great chocolate shops to explore. When I visited on a weekend, it was quite crowded, but the magnificence of the Grand Place was still very apparent. The historical buildings and vibrant atmosphere make it a must-see when you’re in Brussels. Whether you’re there to admire the intricate designs of the buildings or sample some delicious chocolates, the Grand Place is a fantastic destination."
    Brussels.Central Brussels
    399m from downtown
    No.1 of Night Attractions in Brussels-Capital Region
    Highlights: Most of the buildings on the Grand Place in Brussels were built in the late 17th century, and the style of that year is still well preserved. In 1998, the Grand Place in Brussels was listed as a World Heritage Site. The main square of Brussels City Hall is rectangular, 110 meters long and 68 meters wide. The ground is entirely paved with granite. The prominent building around the square is the Brussels City Hall, which is a typical Gothic building in Brussels. The spired bell tower is 96 meters high and is decorated with a sculpture of Saint Michel slaying the devil. Swan Cafe There is a swan statue on the left door of the city hall is the Swan Cafe. Opposite the City Hall, the building with the same minaret was once owned by the King of Spain and was called the "House of the King". It is now the National Museum, and the clothes given to the Manneken Pis statue by various countries are also collected here. Statue of Serkras The statue of Serkras located in the corner of the Grand Place in Brussels is not to be missed. This gilded bronze statue was built in memory of the hero Sarkras of Brussels, showing the scene of Serkras before his death. It is said that Touching the statue from left to right brings good luck. The other buildings surrounding the square with various buildings belong to various guild organizations, such as boatmen, tailors, painters, etc. The sculptures on the doors of each guild building are sculptures of revered figures or symbolic animals of the guild. Due to the different construction periods, these buildings reflect a variety of architectural styles such as Gothic, Baroque, Louis XIV and so on. Among them, the Duke of Brabant Building, which is decorated with 19 busts of the Dukes of Brabant, is majestic and magnificent. This group of six buildings was built in 1698 and is the seat of guilds such as mill owners and carpenters. , which is now a cocoa and chocolate museum. In addition to admiring the exquisite and atmospheric buildings, the night view of the Grand Place in Brussels is also a highlight. The murals and carvings on all the buildings are shining brightly when the lanterns are first turned on, which is a good place to shoot night scenes. In addition, since 1971, every two years, on the weekends around August 15, there will be a grand celebration in Brussels Square: the laying of carpets. The tapestry selects begonias grown in the Ghent area. Each time, they are designed with different themes, and the amount of flowers used is as high as 800,000. If you happen to meet, be sure to enjoy the beauty of the flowery square.
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  • top_2
    󰺂7.5
    4.3/5
    408 Review
    Free
    taCommentScoreUrlbased on 16839 reviews
    "you cannot take a trip to Belgium without visiting their cheeky little statues!"
    Brussels.Brussels Historical center
    608m from downtown
    Highlights: The Manneken Pis Statue is a must-see for any visitor to Brussels. This cute child peeing is made of bronze and is 60 cm high. It was built in 1619. It is located at the corner of Rudel’Etuve and Ruede Chene in the downtown area, and is surrounded by tourists all year round.
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  • top_3
    󰺂7.2
    4.4/5
    238 Review
    From25.27
    taCommentScoreUrlbased on 16099 reviews
    "Super visite durant le séjour à bruxelles.Je vous recommande les sites : l'atonium et du site mannekinpis"
    Brussels.Brussels Expo
    5km from downtown
    No.2 of Night Attractions in Brussels-Capital Region
    Highlights: The Brussels Atomium is located in the Imundo Municipal Park in the northwestern suburb of Brussels. It was designed by Belgian engineer André Waterkeyn for the Brussels World Exposition in 1958 and has now become a representative Belgian landmark. Unconventional structure This atomic tower adopts the cubic crystal structure of alpha iron magnified by 165 billion times. It consists of 9 large aluminum spheres with a diameter of 18 meters. Each sphere represents an atom and also represents the nine provinces of Belgium. , The balls are connected by hollow steel pipes, each steel pipe is about 29 meters long. The total weight of 9 spheres plus the steel frame structure is 2,200 tons, and the highest sphere is 102 meters above the ground. The surface of each ball is welded with 5800 triangular arc aluminum sheets. Under the sunlight, this imposing building shimmers with silver light, which can be called an unconventional scientific work of art. Top Sphere Overlook At present, 4 spheres of the Atomium are open to the public, and the other spheres are used for research work or rental. From the ground-level circular reception hall, you can take the elevator to the high header ball. This elevator has a speed of up to 5 meters per second, which is the fastest elevator in Europe. The top ball is designed for tourists to enjoy the scenery, surrounded by a fixed circle of tempered plexiglass windows and equipped with multiple telescopes. From the top of the ball, you can see the entire city of Brussels near and far: Brussels City Hall, Sacred Heart National Basilica, Miniature Europe and other buildings can be seen. The tour guide comes down from the top ball, and the metal pipes that run diagonally between the balls can go down to other balls in turn. In these spheres, exhibits on solar energy, atomic energy, aerospace technology, astronomy, and the history of Belgian meteorology are displayed in different categories. At the observation deck on the sixth floor, you can view the Atomium and the 5 balls in it from a very unique angle, which is very interesting. The top half of the delicious restaurant is equipped with a viewing restaurant, and the scenery outside the window is very charming. The restaurant is only open to groups at noon, but you can have dinner here. It is recommended to make a reservation in advance. Dining at an altitude of 100 meters above the ground is an unforgettable experience. There is a dining bar on the bottom of the atomic ball. If you are tired, you can come here to rest and replenish energy. The souvenir shop on the same floor is also not to be missed. There are all kinds of original mugs, earrings, and pens here, which are very creative and can be purchased as appropriate. When night falls, the 9 circles of light bulbs outside each sphere alternately chase and glow. The wonderful lights dot the night scene of Brussels, which is worth seeing.
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  • No.

    4

    󰺂6.5
    4.6/5
    128 Review
    taCommentScoreUrlbased on 3372 reviews
    "City Hall has such an intricate medieval designs and architectures. I was simply blown away and in awe!"
    Brussels.Brussels Historical center
    418m from downtown
    Highlights: Among the many buildings on the Grand Place in Brussels, the most striking is the City Hall, this Gothic building is the landmark of Brussels. Historical background The building was built in two phases, the larger left half was built in 1402, and when the right half was built in 1455, the tower and the 96-meter-high minaret were built under the auspices of Philipele Bon. There is a 5-meter-high weather vane at the top of the tower, which is the statue of Saint Michel, the patron saint of Brussels. Legend has it that the lord of Brussels was saved by Saint Michel, who awarded Saint Michel the title of Patronus of Brussels. The corridors of the city hall are covered with murals. Among the many portraits are the monarchs of Belgium, the kings of Spain, the Netherlands, France and other countries who once ruled Brussels, as well as Napoleon.
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  • No.

    5

    󰺂6.5
    4.6/5
    98 Review
    Free
    taCommentScoreUrlbased on 1822 reviews
    "Belgium was once the fastest-growing country in Europe and has a long history. The various buildings that have been settled in Belgium have a unique style, exquisite and delicate into the world today. Enjoy life here."
    Brussels.Brussels Historical center
    1.1km from downtown
    Highlights: This is a relatively important art museum in Belgium, with more than 20,000 collections, scattered among the six museums under it, four of which are located in the main building, and the other two are dedicated to serving Belgian artists and are relatively small. , located a few kilometers from the city center. There are many collections in the guided museum, mainly distributed in the four museums in the main building - the Classical Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the Fin-de-Siècle Museum, and the Magritte Museum. The Classical Art Museum on the east side of the Classical Art Museum displays paintings and sculptures from the 15th to 18th centuries. The early Flemish paintings and the special area of Bruegel's works can be enjoyed inside. One of the more worth seeing is "The Fall of Icarus" on the second floor, which is known as one of the seven Belgian treasures. On the west side of the Museum of Modern Art are the Museum of Modern Art, the Fin-de-Siècle Museum and the Magritte Museum, which display various paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries. The area is very large, with three floors above ground and eight floors below ground, among which the biggest highlights are the 5th floor and the 6th floor.
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  • No.

    6

    󰺂6.4
    4.5/5
    87 Review
    Free
    taCommentScoreUrlbased on 5199 reviews
    "St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral is one of the most comfortable churches I’ve ever visited. The lighting is soft and pleasant, and the choir singing in the background adds a peaceful touch. The interior isn’t overly fancy, which have a nice balance between simplicity and decoration. One of the best churches."
    Brussels.Brussels Historical center
    651m from downtown
    Highlights: The Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula is a Gothic cathedral. The church was built in 1047 on the basis of the original St. Michael's chapel. A massive expansion of the church began in 1226, and it took two and a half centuries to complete. Architectural style The Cathedral of St. Michel and St. Gudula does not have too complicated decoration. It retains the simple lines of Gothic architecture and is very atmospheric. The front facade of the church has two symmetrical towers as high as 69 meters. It adopts a rare flaming Gothic style with simple and sharp reliefs. The south tower of the church has 49 bells made by the Royal Bell Factory, and people can enjoy its wonderful bells during the Sunday concert. The interior of the guided tour is 110 meters long and 26 meters high, which is very magnificent. The nave pillars are decorated with statues of the 12 disciples of Jesus. The sun shines through the stained-glass windows of the 16th century, adding a holy light to everything in the church. The interior walls of the church are decorated with portraits of the monarchs of the Renaissance: the north side of the cross corridors is painted with the portraits of King Charles and his wife, and the south side is painted with the portraits of Louis II and his wife. Under the central altar is the resting place of John II. On the right side of the altar there is a statue of Archangel Michel, and on the right side is a statue of Saint Chudel, both of which were completed in 1912 and are very beautiful and vivid. The wooden pulpit of the church is an object from the end of the 17th century. The carvings on it depict the scene of Adam and Eve being expelled from the Garden of Eden after tasting the forbidden fruit. The carvings next to it show the redemption of the Virgin Mary. Royal Origin This church has a long history with the Belgian royal family. Since 1830, all the religious ceremonies of the royal family have been held here, such as the Independence Day event on July 21, national Catholic ceremonies, royal weddings or funerals, etc. It is worthwhile one look. When the sun goes down, the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula glows with a different brilliance in the afterglow of the setting sun, and it is also a pleasure to enjoy the sunset here.
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  • No.

    7

    󰺂5.5
    4.3/5
    68 Review
    From29.78
    taCommentScoreUrlbased on 4873 reviews
    "Brussels is a famous tourist city, this location is also built a lot of artificial landscape, mini Europe is also a very good environment, you can see very fun things here."
    Brussels.Brussels Expo
    4.9km from downtown
    Highlights: Mini Europe is composed of more than 300 small and exquisite models, which are very interesting miniature landscape parks in Europe, such as the London Parliament Building, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Colosseum and other iconic buildings in each city can be viewed one by one. Tour Highlights Mini Europe was built in 1989 and contains 80 major cities in Europe and more than 350 building models reduced by 1:25. Among them are Big Ben, gondola and mandolin to guide you to discover the charm of Venice, and to take the high-speed train from Paris to the south of France. You can even operate various special activities such as the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the bullfighting in Seville, which are worth watching.
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  • No.

    8

    󰺂5.3
    4.4/5
    104 Review
    taCommentScoreUrlbased on 2160 reviews
    "This place is still very worth visiting at the Belgian Comic Art Center. It records some statues of the famous animation evolution in Belgium. If children come, they will like it very much. It’s not too big inside, it’s only 3 to 4 hours to go shopping."
    Brussels.Central Brussels
    595m from downtown
    Highlights: The world-renowned comics museum, in addition to introducing the history of comics in Belgium, there are also well-known comics characters such as Tintin and the Smurfs. Numerous exhibits combine comic art with ArtNouveau (Art Nouveau).
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  • No.

    9

    󰺂5.2
    4.2/5
    29 Review
    Free
    "Not as majestic as expected, but when I saw it, I understood it very much. The whole building is still very conspicuous, it seems to be an L-shaped shape (not seen on the back, I dare not confirm). The front flags are flying."
    Brussels.European District
    2.3km from downtown
    Highlights: The new EU headquarters building is located in a cross-shaped building at 200 Rue Law in Brussels, the capital of Belgium.
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  • No.

    10

    󰺂5.0
    4.4/5
    49 Review
    "The Swan Cafe, one of the buildings in the Grand Plaza de Brussels, Belgium, is also full of Baroque decorations, the most iconic is the white swan on the door, which has become a deep history because of the perennial stop of Marx and Engels In the background, the restaurant's price is still a bit high, but the view is good, you can watch the bustling square and enjoy a cup of coffee."
    Brussels.Central Brussels
    453m from downtown
    Highlights: The Swan Cafe is the place where Marx and Engels, the revolutionary mentors of the proletariat, lived and worked. It is located on the side of the Grand Place in the center of Brussels, adjacent to the famous City Hall. The cafe is a 5-storey building named after a white swan fluttering on the door. The White Goose Cafe in the past has now been converted into a restaurant as one of the high-end consumer places.
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FAQ

What Best Things to Do are there in Brussels-Capital Region?
These are all Best Things to Do in Brussels-Capital Region:Grand-Place, Manneken Pis, Atomium, Brussels Town Hall, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium enterance
What are some highly-rated Best Things to Do in Brussels-Capital Region?
Some highly-rated Best Things to Do in Brussels-Capital Region include:Grand-Place:4.6, Manneken Pis:4.3, Atomium:4.4, Brussels Town Hall:4.6, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium enterance:4.6
At what locations in Brussels-Capital Region can Best Things to Do in Brussels-Capital Region be found?
The Best Things to Do in Brussels-Capital Region are mainly located in:Grand-Place:Brussels, Manneken Pis:Brussels, Atomium:Brussels, Brussels Town Hall:Brussels, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium enterance:Brussels
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