Hey everyone!
So this summer I will visit Belgium because I'm going to Graspop Festival and will stay in Brussels since it has good connection with the festival if I take the shuttles.
Anyway, I have no idea about the city and maybe you guys could tell me what to see, what areas should I avoid and which ones are good for staying and sleeping.
Will stay around 3 nights so I will focus on Brussels this time (Bruges will have to wait for now... )
Thanks!
Don’t know where you come from and what you are used to, but Dessel is not close to Brussels. You have to pass Antwerp which is a real traffic bottleneck. I’d rather choose Antwerp, cause it’s closer and a lot faster to reach Dessel. Furthermore it’s also a real cool city to stay with a lot of culture, a good nightlife. Have fun in Belgium and enjoy Graspop!
And thank you! Forgot to say :)
Coming from Spain, Alicante. The festival has a shuttle that basically is a bus that takes people from different locations to the festival and back. The web says it takes 1 hour and a half (aprox) from one point to another.
Are you going multiple days to Graspop or just 1? From what I see on the website the shuttle leaves at 9.30 in the morning and is back in Brussels 3.40 at night. I guess that's fine for one very long day, but if you're going multiple days that seems quite crazy?
Only 1 day, 18th. Will arrive the 17th and will take the plane back home the 20th. So 17 and 19 will roam around the city.
I personally enjoy the walk from the central station into Mont des arts then the great square and Bourse. Near bourse, you'll find the "hall saint Géry" neighborhood where there is a lot of pub and food (mainly asian).
For a good Belgian food experience, I like "fin de siècle" which proposes a wide range of typical Belgian dishes but with a fancy touch. Or, if you dare, you can eat something at a pub called "Le corbeau" it is a really old local pub that turns into a dancing in the evening. The food is food but you'll be surrounded by old folks. The transition to a disco is quite surprising.
You should also try the "delirium Coffee" it is really touristy but it is impressive. The pub has the biggest beer menu in the world. You could enjoy nice pints there.
Then, you can push to "square Sainte Catherine". Close by you could find the "great hospice" an old military hospital converted into a cultural place. Nice to stop take a drink too.
During the day, I also enjoy walking around the "Marolles" neighborhood located at the feet of the justice palace. It is a popular neighborhood with planty of art Shop etc. You can enjoy a soup at "Mazette" a small pub that also brews their beer.
Speaking of beer, if you want to visit some brewery I can recommend the following : Brussels beer project : a recent craft beer brewery. Cantillon : the oldest brewery of Brussels Beer experience : located at the bourse, it is touristy and it only showcase big corporate beer but at least you'll have stunning view of the bourse.
If you like museum you can check the Magritte expo that is worth it.
Hope you'll enjoy Brussels. If you come back one day definitely do Bruges. I also highly recommend my hometown Namur that is an hidden gem in my opinion.
We might add 1 extra day and take a train to Bruges... So tempting... Is it worth? Shall we?
If you can spend one full day in Bruges you can see a good chunk of the city. So it is worth it in my opinion.
Alright, off to Bruges too then! Is it possible to purchase the train tickets before the same day btw? I heard it is cheaper that way.
The fare for a journey is fixed in Belgium. There is no price difference if you book earlier. You just have to make sure that you buy the ticket before boarding the train. Buying a ticket on the train is 7€ more expensive.
You can either buy the ticket via the SNCB/NMBS app or via the ticket automat at the train station. The fare is the same for those two options.
When you book a train journey in Belgium, you don't have to select a specific train schedule. The ticket is valid for every journey on that line. It means that you can take a round trip to Bruges and you can take whatever train you want to go there and to go back. You don't have to decide yet which one you're gonna take.
That's so cool and actually way more convenient than looking for specific tickets for different trains or destinations. Here in Spain you'd need an specific ticket for every different train schedule.
Great, so it seems pretty easy to do so. Buy ticket, hop in the train and the same on our way back.
Thanks you!
Damn, thanks a lot for the advices and recommendations! Will definitely make a list of all the places you told me about. So would you say Mont des Arts is a nice area to stay at night? We found a few places around the area that are 10 minutes away walking from the shuttle that will take us to Graspop.
Yeah mont des arts is fine.The king has his office nearby 😛.
Great! Booking the place right away then!
What are the chances we end up lost in a sketchy neighborhood, btw? What we should strictly avoid so we can enjoy the rest of the city?
If you stick to the tourist area you are unlikely to run into trouble. During the day, Brussels is safe. For me the area to avoid is mainly the surroundings of the north and midi station. The stations are safe but there is a lot of drug trading outside making the spot unpleasant.
At night I would avoid the "parvis de Saint Gilles" near Hall door and maybe some street of Anderlecht or Molenbeek. But I do not really see why you would end up there. There is nothing that interesting.
Gotcha. Will stay in the tourist areas, then!
Is the midi station the central station? Because I think we have to go there to get to the airport, the shuttle to Graspop and the train to Bruges
Nvm. It is the Bruxelles-central the one we have to get to
I'm surprised no one has recommended the Grand Place, which is truly a must-see (one of the most beautiful squares in the world) for someone who's never been to Brussels. Getting there is a great way to go from the Central Station, passing by the Cathedral and the Royal Galleries. If you're going to the Mont des Arts, you could also visit the Royal Palace and the park opposite it on one side, and the Sablon district on the other, which is also very pretty. Finally, if you like the Art Nouveau period, there are several other must-see places (Maison Cauchie, the Horta Museum, the Solvay Hotel, or even the Belgian Comic Strip Center) that are well worth a visit. They're sometimes quite far apart, but depending on your itinerary, you could add one or two.
Around Midi station, you should avoid.
What about Mont des Arts?
totally fine