Where to stay in Brussels and what not to miss

Hi,
In December I stayed two nights at the Hotel Dansaert in Brussels.
I got a taxi back and forth from the Midi Station for about E11.
The small single room was very clean and had a big window onto the street.
Breakfast was basic but did the trick.
L’‘Occitane toiletries in the tiny modern bathroom.
I picked it for price and location, and it was near the Grand Place.
I’d stay there again, can’t say anything bad about it.
I walked everywhere easily.
I went for the Christmas markets.
I did bring home some very expensive chocolate, but quite honestly I think Swiss chocolate is better!

Hi Katy - I was in Brussels last year... my first time there. I stayed at the Hotel La Legende. The room was small but reasonably priced, quiet, clean, and in a great location near the Grand-Place. There was an excellent chocolate shop just across the street from the front entrance to the hotel. And a good waffle joint on the corner.
I would stay at La Legende again if I go back. Nothing special but my friend from France said it was much nicer than where he stayed. I did not get breakfast there. I went to the Galleries Royale Saint-Hubert each morning for breakfast. Some nice cafes there.
The museums are all excellent. I particularly enjoyed the Royal Museums of Fine Arts and the Musical Instruments Museum (audioguide is a must there). Both are in the same area. Short bus ride from La Legende.
With a day and a half, I would follow the walking tour in Rick's guidebook and include whatever sites are of interest. Brush up on your French before you go. And don't forget to say bonjour and s'il vous plait. It'll be good practice for Paris.

Dank U, Merci and thank you! Very helpful. (I know I am signed in as Simone, but I'm also Katy. Somehow I have one account thru my CPU and the other thru my iPad. oops :-)

I think anyplace in the general Grand Place area is good, within easy walking distance to Brussels central station (from which you can catch an easy train to Midi)

As for sights, I think you will find that many of the museums are a bit niche, like the Magritte Museum, or the Comic museum. They are great if you have an interest, less so if you don't. Many also suggest the Musical Instrument museum, there is a decent military museum, Car and train museums.

If you enjoy beer, there are a number of beer bars, a neat old brewery doing lambics and gueuze (Cantllon), some microbreweries.

The Church of Notre-Dame du Sablon has beautiful stained glass windows, if you are in to that sort of thing. My favorite place is the Horta Museum but it is out of the way so not practical for a short visit- I just mention in case you are a rabid fan of Art Nouveau- then you must go :)

If comics are of interest to you, check out this place: https://www.comicscenter.net/en/home

Tonton Garby if you want a nice sandwich near the Grand Place. The guy interviews you and makes a sandwich based on your answers. Best sandwich I’ve ever had.

Ghent>Bruges>Brussels. My opinion.

Comic book trail?? TELL ME MORE!

I’ll be in by Brussels with my teen daughters this summer and knew about the museum (on our list), but there’s more?!?

For those interested in comic strips, besides the Comic Art Museum in Brussels there is a Hergé (Tintin) Museum south-east of Brussels in Louvain-la-Neuve. Train from Brussels-Central takes about an hour and further a few minutes walking to the museum.

There is a comic strip walk through Brussels consisting of murals of comic strips on the sides of buildings - you can get a guide to it from the tourist information in the Grand' Place and walk it by yourselves for free. You possibly won't recognise all the characters, but a visit to the comic museum will set you straight on a lot of that :). Look out particularly for the bookshop there, it's very comprehensive and there are books in English as well. More than just smurfs ...

Magritte is super, and if the weather is bad there is a whole complex of art museums together so you can make a day of it!

Lavandula

Again merci à tous. I have bookmarked this list so that I can refer to it while I am there. I took Don‘s suggestion and booked Hotel La légende. After checking online, it looks like it will suit my needs for the short stay at a decent rate.