It’s been almost two weeks since I returned from my trip to Brussels. I think it is time you deserve a summary of my time over there. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen a few snaps here and there already.
I traveled to Brussels on a Saturday morning. It was a super early flight from Dublin airport. When I say super early, I mean 6.25am. People who travel frequently, will know that these are generally the cheapest flights going. Plus you will get to spend the whole day in the city you are traveling to and the day is not lost. When my friend and I decided to travel to Brussels, we picked the Hygge Hotel as our accommodation for the night. It was in a handy location and very close to public transport. A plus was that the stay came with breakfast and it was reasonably cheap (approx. €93 for 2 people)
We were not able to check into our hotel until 3pm. It was time to explore the city. I have to say we got really lucky with the weather. We were watching the weather forecast on a daily basis. It was supposed to be raining all weekend but luckily it was changing between rain and sun and for most of our sightseeing, we had blue skies. So don’t be fooled with the photos thinking it was nice like this all the time. It was like the typical Irish weather.
Jubelpark
Our first stop was the Jubelpark also known as Parc du Cinquantenaire. The gate kind of reminds you a bit of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin at first. The arch is in the dead centre of the u-shaped arcade. Behind the arch you will find many exhibitions such as Auto World. The admission for this is €12. On the opposite is the military museum. Many different airplanes are on display. (free entry) At the time we went, they had some sort of car boot sale on with people selling old books. It gave the place a lovely atmosphere.
Notre Dame Du Sablon plus park
We then walked down into the city itself and passe the church Eglise Notre Dame du Sablon which is a gothic church. Across from the church is a beautiful peaceful park with a few benches where you can take a break. What I found with Brussels is, it is not a very fast paced city and it is generally pretty quiet in the streets. I know it is one of the more smaller cities in Europe but it’s nice to have it quieter than other cities. A lot of the roads also have zebra crossings, even on the more busier roads.
Try the frites with mayo
Of course you will get hungry after a morning of walking and so we stopped at a little stand that sells the famous frites. I mean they are generally chips but they are super crispy. I had them with a splash of mayo which tastes slightly different to the mayo we know. Very nice indeed. I paid €2.60 for the frites, plus 60 cents extra for the sauce. Each stand varies but only by 10 or 20 cents generally. The stand I bought these from was Friture de la Chapelle.
Manneken Pis/Zinneke Pis/Jeanneke Pis
Now we come to the most famous part of Brussels. One thing Brussels is known for is Manneken Pis. Though tourists are mad into this statue, it is bit underwhelming. The statue measure 50 cm. Manneken Pis is dressed up on a regular basis. At the time we visited, he was dressed in a football kit. Currently he owns about 1000 different outfits. The little boy urinating is located not too far from the Grand Place.
Also not too far from the Grand Place is Jeanneke Pis. If you visit Manneken Pis, you will also have to put the other two on the list. Not everyone is aware that there are two more. Jeanneke Pis is the same size as her older brother Manneken Pis and was only designed in 1987. While you are visiting her, why not call into the Delirium Cafe which is known for its variety of beers.
Last but not least… Zinneke Pis, a urinating dog in the middle of Brussels streets. He is located at the junction of Rue des Chartreux/Kartuizersstraat and Rue du Vieux-Marché-aux-Grains/Oude Graanmarkt. He was created in 1998.
Try the local waffles
After Manneken Pis, we queued up at the Waffle factory, not far down the road, to try one of Brussels specialties… waffles. There are two types of waffles. There is the Brussels waffle and there is the Liege waffle. Now everyone’s taste is different but to us the Liege waffle was definitely the better one and we had a second one the next day. The Brussels waffles is very fluffy, pretty much tastes like nothing to be honest so people add toppings like Belgian chocolate for example. The Liege waffle is very rich. It’s sugar waffle but it’s so good. You do see a lot of shops displaying them with a lot of toppings in their windows but the waffle on its own is rich enough. We picked ours up at the Palais de Justice for just €2.
Grand Place
You can’t leave Brussels without being in the Grand Place once. It is listed as one of the most beautiful squares in all of Europe. If you are into history and museums, then you may want to visit the Museum of the City of Brussels. Admission is €8. If you visit Brussels in August, you will see the massive flower carpet that is being setup in the middle of Grand Place. It measures 24 by 77 metres.
Palais de Justice
If you are looking for a great view of Brussels, you should definitely head down to the palace of Justice. It was literally a ten minute walk down the road from our hotel. We went back here on the Sunday morning to get a glimpse at the view in the glorious sunshine while it lasted.
Atomium
Next up we took the metro (line 6) to Heysel station. This is where the Atomium is located. The monument is 102 metres tall and has nine interconnected spheres. They are accessible via escalators. The top sphere includes a restaurant which I am sure has a great view. However we didn’t pay the entry fee for this one and were happy to take a few snaps from the outside before heading to the Royal Greenhouses via tram. If you are planning to go up on the Atomium, you will have to pay €15. Beside the Atomium is located Mini Europe. It was on my list but because the weather kept changing, I didn’t set it as my priority. It is what the name says, a miniature of Europe. Admission to this one is €15.50.
Royal Greenhouses
From the Atomium to the Greenhouses it is only two stops on the tram. Beware that the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken are open to the public for three weeks during Spring only. The last session of this year was 10th May. Entry fee is €2.50. Though I don’t have a massive green finger, I do like visiting the odd Botanic Garden every now and again. This one definitely didn’t disappoint.
Transport
Most places/sights are within walking distance. The only time we needed to use the bus, tram or Metro, was when we traveled from the airport to the city centre and from the city centre to the Atomium and Greenhouses. Online it says you can buy a 48 hour ticket that allows you to use any type of transport unlimited. However when we arrived at the airport, we were told they only sell 24 hour tickets at the GO ticket machines. A 24 hour ticket costs €7.50. Also to note, when you do buy your ticket, make sure you have plenty of coins or use your bank card. They don’t allow any notes, unless you go to the ticket desk which is not present at all stations.