Earlier this month, for absolutely no real reason, I jumped on the train Friday afternoon and made the two hour journey to Belgium. I had heard amazing things about the beautiful city of Bruges and having never been there or Brussels I decided it was worth a trip – heck, I live in Europe, so why not?!? Take a look at my best Best of Brussels:
Since you have to pass through Brussels, the capital city, to get to Bruges I decided to spend the day there and I had a great time exploring everything I had a great time exploring everything the quaint city had to offer. Instead of my usual travel round up post I am going to try something a little bit different today (and do tell me how you like it). To walk you through my journeys, here are some of my favorite shots in chronological order with a blurb about each:
After a long week I crashed early Friday night but that meant I was up early Saturday morning and able to explore the Mont des Arts before the crowds which was quite pretty, even on an overcast morning. 
I am a big fan of walking tours in any city I visit so I made my way to the Grand Place at the heart of the city for the 10am Sandaman’s Free Walking Tour. 
According to our tour guide, the second most famous statue in the world, Manneken Pis. And yes, that really is just a bronze statue of a little boy peeing that the government of Brussels dresses up every day in a different costume. 
A loved seeing a quaint horse and carriage outside the Brussels Stock Exchange.
Our walking tour also included a history lesson on the beautiful St Michael and St Gudula Cathedral, Brussels. 
I was told to try the mussels in Brussels were not to be missed so at the recommendation of a local I tried the fried mussels and razor clams at De Noordzee accompanied by a local brew. 
The famed Brussels Atomium built for the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair.
My Jack Rogers reflection in the Arik Levy Sculptures at Brussels Atomium.
Even though I had delicious fresh seafood for lunch this Brussels Waffles Truck was too tempting and I enjoyed a delicious waffle where the driver convinced me I really wanted chocolate on it – not a hard sell.
So. Tasty.
The Royal Palace of Brussels with the flag flying indicating the king was home.
An adorable statue in the Park Parc de Bruxelles, just outside the Royal Palace.
Arguably the most famous mall in Brussels, the Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert.
I don’t usually bring a ton of sourviners home from trips but after trying a few Belgian chocolates you better believe I brought home some sweets from some of the adorable shops in the Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, heck, I don’t think this post could be called best of Brussels without it!
A bit uncharacteristic of me but I went on a beer tour, just like I did in Prague. This tour covered a wide range of Belgium beers and provided a great over view of the history – I would highly recommend it!
One of the beers I tried on the tour – Chimay Trappist Ale.
Which of these things would you classify as the Best of Brussels?
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Abigail says
I know it seems silly that I adore muscles so that might be my favorite one. A close second is the fact that they dress up the statute of the little boy peeing everyday into something different. Now that’s a job I would want.
Samantha says
I had no idea how may beautiful spots there were there. I also now know where the little boy peeing fountain/statue came from…I think that this will come in handy as a betting fact for drinking games.
Ginny says
I really enjoyed seeing Brussels since my grandmother was from there and grandfather from Antwerp. I liked reading your blurbs about each picture. You have so many enjoyable tours and cover so much. Hope upcoming trip is great.
Emily says
I am always amazed at how much you can pack into such a short amount of time.
My favorites are the sculptures, who would have known???