Brussels
Discover Brussels
Brussels (French: Bruxelles, Dutch: Brussel) is the capital of Belgium and one of the three administrative regions within the country, together with Flanders and Wallonia. Apart from its role within its country, it is also an internationally important city, hosting numerous international institutions, and in particular the headquarters of NATO and the core institutions of the European Union. Due to that, it is sometimes referred to informally as the capital of the EU, and even used as a metonym for the EU institutions. Brussels blends the heritage of a medieval Flemish town with the grandiose projects initiated after it became the capital of what was then a French-speaking country, as well as some impressive modern architecture erected in a large part to house the international institutions. Brussels is now bilingual, hosting and officially recognizing the Dutch- and French-speaking communities of Belgium, and has become increasingly international with the influx of people of various origin who came there to work, many of them for the European Union. This all makes Brussels a rather unique blend, sprinkled with a number of Belgian peculiarities, and for the inquisitive tourist a large treasure chest to discover.
What to Experience in Brussels
Taste of Brussels...
There is plenty of good eating to be had in Brussels. Most people concentrate on the three classics: mussels (moules in French and mosselen in Dutch), fries (frites in French and frieten in Dutch) and chocolate. A few more adventurous Bruxellois/Brusselse dishes include anguilles au vert/paling in 't groen (river eels in green sauce), meat balls in tomato sauce, stoemp (mashed vegetables and potatoes) and turbot waterzooi (turbot fish in cream and egg sauce). For dessert, try a Belgian waffle (wafel in Dutch and gauffre in French), also available in a square Brussels version dusted with powdered sugar, and choices of bananas, whipped cream and many other toppings. Although many prefer the round, caramelized version from Liège. Many tourist shops will sell the Liège waffle (traditionally eaten plain, as it already contains pearl sugar in the dough) with toppings. Only the Brussels waffle (which has a lighter/airier dough) will have toppings such as whipped cream, fruits, etc. The matter over which establishment serves up the best frites (locally known as fritkots in Dutch and "friterie" in French) remains a matter of heated debate. Some argue that the best frites in Brussels are served at the fritkot near the Barriere de Saint-Gilles, while others defend St-Josse's Martin (Place Saint-Josse/Sint-Joostplein) as the prime purveyor of the authentic Brussels frite just as others claim Antoine (Place Jourdan/Jourdanplein) remains the king of the local french fry.
Climate
Brussels has an oceanic climate. Although Brussels' weather has historically been famous for being awful and damp, the city has become warmer in the last decades. It features moderately cold, wet winters and warm, variable summers. Rainfall is equally distributed throughout the year, with a slight peak in the period from November to January and May to June. Day temperatures in winter revolve around 6°C and normally do not surpass 10°C. Sunshine hours are generally low, but higher than in many other Northern European locations. Snowfall is possible, although heavy snowfalls with significant accumulation are not frequent and only occur periodically. In March and April the weather generally turns milder, alternating sometimes warm, sunny days with cooler, overcast days. May is often the locals’ favourite month, as it features frequent sunny days accompanied by the first periods of truly warm weather.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple Options50.9013894.4844441 Brussels Airport (BRU also referred to as Brussels National or Zaventem after the municipality it is in). This is Brussels' main airport. It has good train connections with the rest of Belgium, and with many European capitals and other major cities. (updated Nov 2022) Belgium's flag carrier Brussels Airlines, which operates an extensive network of flights within Europe, also offers long-haul flights from North America and, quite uniquely for a European airline, many African destinations - especially in the former Belgian colony DR Congo. Major North American carriers also offer flights to Brussels, as do a few Asian ones....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
In short: try to use your car as little as possible. As with most European capitals, Brussels has taken great strides in eliminating cars, and with mostly good measures. Until the mid-2000s, Brussels had some of the worst (if not the worst) traffic jams in the western world, even rivalling cities like Los Angeles and New York City. Though Brussels is still lagging behind places like Amsterdam, the city's (overwhelmingly) left-wing government has installed bike lanes, pedestrianised streets, and somewhat invested in public transportation projects at a rate seldom seen in Europe. Though locals mostly approve of those measures, out-of-towners and people working in certain sectors have been more critical of the measures. Broadly speaking, it is strongly suggested not to drive near or within the R0. Most streets near the Grand-Place have been pedestrianised, and only taxi and delivery drivers can access that area.
Where to Stay
Hotel rates in Brussels can vary widely (especially at the upper end) depending on how many EU bigwigs happen to be in town. Good deals are often available on weekends and during the summer when the bureaucrats flee on vacation. This might come as a shock to the uninitiated, but Brussels is increasingly dealing with the reputation of being a rather unsafe or uneasy city, at least by Western European standards. Though one can argue that it is partially bloated by the media and "word-of-mouth", Brussels has its share of safety issues. Violent crime is rather rare, however pickpocketing, vandalism and petty theft are common. Homeless encampments and drug abusers are a common sight in all of the major train and metro stations. It is safest to avoid any interaction. The universal emergency number is 112, which works from any mobile phone even without a SIM card.
Money & Budget
Very few shops in Brussels open before 10:00, and most open 10:30–11:00. Many shops are closed on Sunday and Monday. There is plenty of good eating to be had in Brussels. Most people concentrate on the three classics: mussels (moules in French and mosselen in Dutch), fries (frites in French and frieten in Dutch) and chocolate. A few more adventurous Bruxellois/Brusselse dishes include anguilles au vert/paling in 't groen (river eels in green sauce), meat balls in tomato sauce, stoemp (mashed vegetables and potatoes) and turbot waterzooi (turbot fish in cream and egg sauce). For dessert, try a Belgian waffle (wafel in Dutch and gauffre in French), also available in a square Brussels version dusted with powdered sugar, and choices of bananas, whipped cream and many other toppings.
Language & Talk
Language in Brussels can be a confusing matter to visitors. The common language is French, with around 90% of the population in Brussels speaking it passably to fluently. You can easily get by with English, especially in the tourist areas. Dutch is also an official language: within Brussels, the population that speaks Dutch passably to fluently is limited to around 20%, though Dutch-speakers make up the majority of Belgium as a whole. Because Brussels is the country's capital, when it comes to official matters, French and Dutch have equal status in Brussels, with sometimes complicated rules to ensure a balance between the two. Streets, railway stations, bus stops and other places have names in the two languages. The two names don’t always sound or look similar.
Safety Information
Safety Overview
This might come as a shock to the uninitiated, but Brussels is increasingly dealing with the reputation of being a rather unsafe or uneasy city, at least by Western European standards. Though one can argue that it is partially bloated by the media and "word-of-mouth", Brussels has its share of safety issues. Violent crime is rather rare, however pickpocketing, vandalism and petty theft are common. Homeless encampments and drug abusers are a common sight in all of the major train and metro stations. It is safest to avoid any interaction. The universal emergency number is 112, which works from any mobile phone even without a SIM card. Generally speaking, tourists are unlikely to encounter many safety issues in Brussels' East (Etterbeek, Evere, most of Ixelles), South (Watermael-Boisfort, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert), and Northwest (Jette). Similarly, much of the city center is safe during the day, so long as the basic precautions are taken.
Glimpses of Brussels
white concrete buildings
Sunset at Mont des Arts - Brussels | Belgium
Belgian cities #1
green grass field near brown concrete building during daytime
Facades of the Grand Place
people at the park near gate during day
Sunset in Mont des Arts in Brussels, Belgium. Christmas time. IG : Genon2
a group of people standing in front of a building
blue and yellow flag
Bruxelles
white concrete buildings
Sunset at Mont des Arts - Brussels | Belgium
Belgian cities #1