Brussels, the capital of Belgium, is a city like no other and is perfect for a day trip from other European cities. This vibrant, multicultural and multilingual city is easy to navigate on foot or through public transportation, as many of its sights are situated close to each other.
If you enjoy history, architecture, good food, and culture, you will make lasting memories of Belgium’s dreamy charm and beauty.
On our day trip we reached Brussels Central Station by train from Amsterdam in about 3 hours.
La Grand-Place
We began our day of exploration at the pièce de résistance of Brussels sights, La Grand-Place, about a 10-minute cab ride from the station. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the 17th-century central square is truly a sight to behold.
The cobbled rectangular market square is surrounded by the City Hall, the guild houses and the Maison du Roi or the King’s House, which contains the Brussels City Museum. The Gothic, Louis XIV, and Baroque architecture of the historic buildings is absolutely stunning.
Today, the lower levels of the buildings are full of shops and restaurants. If you are there in August, do not miss the fabulous flower carpet covering the entire square. It’s a tradition that began in 1971.
Our love for museums meant we had to make a short visit to the Brussels City Museum. The museum exhibits art and artifacts that describe the history of this city up to the present day.
The Museum of Belgian Brewers, also located in Grand-Place in an opulent building, is a small brewery museum showcasing Belgian beer culture from the 18th century. You can see tankards, brewing implements, and other paraphernalia and also learn about historic brewing processes.
If you have time or are not on a day trip, you can also do a self-guided or guided tour of the City Hall to see the many richly decorated halls, rooms and galleries. The more adventurous can climb the tower to get splendid panoramic views.
Grand-Place rewards those who look closely. The guild houses alone have centuries of stories embedded in their facades. The Brussels Historical Walking Tour by Legends covers the square and its surrounding landmarks, including Manneken Pis, St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral, and the Mont des Arts, with guides who pull back the curtain on the history most visitors walk right past.
Royal Palace of Brussels
A short 15-minute walk from the Grand-Place will take you to the Royal Palace of Brussels. Because of our time crunch, we saw the edifice only from the outside, but you can take tours with prior bookings.
Note: The Royal Palace was closed to visitors in 2025 due to renovations, with visits expected to resume in summer 2026
The Royal Palace is the official workplace of the Belgian king and queen, though not their main residence. Head to this marvelous 19th-century neoclassical palace to admire the opulent halls, rooms, staircases, and salons.
The Goya Salon is particularly impressive for its tapestries that incorporate the paintings of the famous Spanish painter Francisco de Goya. Woven in Madrid, they were a gift from Queen Isabella II of Spain to King Leopold I.
St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral
If you enjoy visiting cathedrals, a quick 10-minute walk from Grand-Place will bring you to St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral.
This awe-inspiring cathedral, whose construction began in the 11th century and was completed in the 16th century, is dedicated to the patron saints of Brussels.
Visit the cathedral to admire the stunning Gothic, Romanesque, and Baroque architecture, gorgeous stained glass windows, and huge church bells.
Manneken Pis
And now the unmissable Brussels sight: a small bronze statue of a naked boy peeing into a fountain. Manneken Pis is an enduring symbol of Brussels and is perhaps the most well-known Belgian tourist attraction.
It is easy to get to from Grand Place, and we were there in a few minutes. We, too, joined the crowd to take a peek at the roughly two-foot-tall statue. Though this statue is a copy, the original, believed to date to 1619, sits in the Brussels City Museum. It still is a big draw for visitors.
Be aware that you probably won’t see him in the buff if you are there on special days. Manneken Pis dresses up for about half the year and changes costumes as per an official calendar to mark national holidays and other special occasions. However, his costume is removed at night to prevent theft.
Visit the GardeRobe MannekenPis situated nearby if you want to explore more than 1,000 costumes of the wardrobe from all corners of the world, with the oldest dating back to the 1700s.
If you want to pair the sights with something delicious, the Brussels Historical Walking Tour with Chocolate and Waffle Tasting weaves through the city’s landmarks while stopping at exclusive chocolate boutiques for tastings and ends with a proper Belgian waffle.
Atomium
If you are an early riser tourist and hit the sights as they open to visitors, you may be able to explore an iconic Brussels institution. Take a cab from Grand-Place to reach The Atomium in about half an hour. Public transportation will take about 40 minutes.
The Atomium was designed and built for the Brussels World’s Fair of 1958 and served as its emblem. There are nine stainless-steel-clad spheres, each about 60 feet tall, representing an iron atom magnified 165 billion times. Connected by corridor-like tubes, this astounding modernist icon, which soars into the sky, straddles the worlds of architecture and science.
The futuristic Atomium has become a flagship tourist attraction in Brussels. Its website mentions “over 800,000 visitors per year,” who come to admire not just the building but the many exhibitions, installations and programs that take place within the spheres and the connecting tubes.
The upper observation sphere houses a deck offering magnificent views of Brussels and, on a good day, Antwerp.
For a meal in the sky, head to the restaurant in the highest sphere to enjoy gourmet food and drinks. Just remember, you have to reserve your table for dinner.
Royal Gallery of Saint Hubert
What better way than to finish off your day trip with a grand shopping spree? Around the corner from Grand Place is a shopping arcade, the Royal Gallery of Saint Hubert, which, of course, is much more than a mere shopping mall.
Galleries Royales Saint-Hubert, inspired by 19th-century Italian palaces, was inaugurated in 1847 and consists of three shopping arcades: the King’s Gallery, the Queen’s Gallery and the Princes’ Gallery.
Enjoy your time by strolling through shops and boutiques and sampling Belgian gastronomic delights such as chocolates, waffles, fries, and pastries at the cafes and restaurants, all while marveling at the fanciful architecture of the buildings.
Royal Museums of Fine Arts Belgium
It would be challenging to include these museums in a day trip, but if you have a second day, they’re definitely worth visiting.
For true blue museum lovers, the Royal Museums of Fine Arts is an incredible place to visit.
Established in 1801, this premier art institution houses an impressive collection spanning the 15th to the 21st centuries across four museums. These are the Oldmasters Museum, the Antoine Wiertz Museum, the Constantin Meunier Museum, and the Magritte Museum.
The Oldmasters Museum displays Flemish masters and European art from the 15th to 18th centuries. The chief attraction is the Rubens Room, which focuses primarily on this artist.
Both the Wiertz and the Meunier Museum hold historic 19th-century artists’ studios. The focus is on Antoine Wiertz and Constantin Meunier, both of whom were painters and sculptors.
The Magritte Museum is surely the chief attraction among the Royal Museums. It holds the world’s largest collection of artworks, sculptures, and objects by René Magritte, the acclaimed early-20th-century surrealist painter.
Illusiemuseum Brussels
Also close to Grand-Place is another unique museum, the Museum of Illusions. Here, one can have an extraordinary, interactive and fun escapade. A captivating place where nothing is what it seems, you will be engaged in a different perception of reality and come away with an exhilarating and memorable experience.
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Inspire your next adventure with our articles below:
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Author Bio: Susmita Sengupta, an architect by background, from New York City, loves to travel with her family. She writes frequently for Go World Travel and other online travel magazines such as GoNomad, Matador Network, Travel thru History, In the Know Traveler and others.
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